User blog:Morgane of the Mists/Summary of the light novel KanColle: Bonds of the Wings of Cranes (鶴翼の絆)

I had originally thought to do a translation, but between lack of time, whispers that there's going to be an official English translation, and not seeing that anyone's actually bothered to summarize the novel (decent for a LN), I thought I'd post a summary to encourage more secondary creations in the form of writing and RPs.

Cranes open with the admiral's fleet attacking world 2-4. I've actually commented on the bulk of this in my blogpost over at KanColle wiki. The short version is that this particular world setting is designed similarly to that of Arpeggio, where ship girls conjure barrier-like shields to prevent damage. When this shield is broken, the ship girls get harmed physically.

During the first air engagement, Kaga and Akagi (flagship) took out an abyssal ship. As Kaga and Akagi reload, Kongou and Krishima proceeds to engage the Abyssal BB and CAs. Their escorts, Hibiki and Yukikaze, goes on to take on the other two destroyers. While they succeed in their task (apparently friendly fire is an actual problem, as Yukikaze explicitly mentions to Hibiki that she should feel free to fire without worrying about hitting her, because "Yukikaze never sinks"), the capital ships are defeated by Ru-Class and are forced to retreat. As they return to the naval base, they report to the admiral that the abyssal fleet has clearly became stronger over the times.

The admiral replies that this is not to be worried about, as the naval base has a new carrier that's arrived.

Enter Zuikaku, the novel's protagonist. She awakes with memories up to Cape Engano, where she remembers vividly the details of her sinking. The fact that she is now a human girl confuses and pleases her, and a cat enters her room. Forgetting that she was wearing nothing more than a light bathrobe, she tries to touch the cat, only for the cat to immediately run off with her brasserie.

(Note: it is strongly implied that this cat is the error-cat of the actual KanColle game)

Zuikaku pursues the cat throughout the naval base, and meets Maikaze, Atago, and Tenryu/Tatsuda, who are busy in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Finally, she runs into her sister, Shokaku, and the young military uniformed man takes the first opportunity to cope a feel, commenting that her chest feels good even though it was small. Zuikaku proceeds to bomb the crap out of the young man, and finds out that he is the commanding admiral of the base.

Some time later, the admiral, now covered in bandages, explains to Zuikaku that she is now in a parallel world to earth. This world has been attacked by strange, unknown enemies that they call the abyssal fleet. The seas are locked down, and the only people capable of fighting them are shipgirls like herself. To disguise their mission from the public, the ship girl's naval base doubles as a hotel, and most ship girls work in the hotel to blend in with the rest of society.

The admiral comments that he picked the hotel because he would prefer not to treat the ship girls like pure weapons of war. He sees them as both girls and weapons, and would rather that the girls live in peace than to sortie. (Admiral is also a pervert, as Zuikaku acridly notes that he's got his hands up/or trying to get into Shokaku's skirt for this entire time).

Irregardless, the admiral offers Zuikaku a choice. He acknowledges Zuikaku as an individual person, and prefers that she makes the choice to fight on her behalf. If she doesn't wish to fight, she can choose to be a supply ship girl instead (novel explicitly mentions there are hundreds of them). Zuikaku agrees to fight for the world, wishing to make a difference. The admiral is pleased, but gives Zuikaku two weeks to get used to life in the naval base. He'd like to check her performance in two weeks to see if she's fit for fighting.

That night, the base hosts a welcoming party for Zuikaku. Naka-chan, always present, is the MC/hostess, and several other characters are introduced. In private, Zuihou warns Zuikaku that the admiral is a perverted man despite his innocuous appearance, and she should be careful of his sexual harassments. When Zuikaku coolly replies that she's already experienced it firsthand, Zuihou asks her to watch out for her sister instead, pointing out that the admiral likes to take advantage of girls that are soft and kind-hearted.

As the other ship girls are introduced (Nagato, Ise, Fusou-class, Kongou-class, etc), she runs into Kaga. Kaga basically ignores Zuikaku, and sarcastically remarks that she's not on the same level as the 5th carrier division. Kaga states that no matter how hard the 5th carrier division girls try, they'll not be as good as the 1st. Though Akagi tries to diffuse the situation, Zuikaku becomes sufficiently provoked to challenge Kaga to a duel on the next day.

The next day, Shokaku, Akagi, Kongou and Krishima comes to watch the duel. Only Shokaku notices that Yukikaze and Hibiki are present, and deduces that the admiral is intentionally spying on Zuikaku. Kongou and Krishima discusses the possible outcomes, and conclude that Zuikaku has no chance at all to emerge victorious. Their prophecy is revealed to be true, as despite having the exactly the same plane loadout, Kaga's fighters overwhelmingly crushes Zuikaku's. As Kaga insults Zuikaku (calling this battle a turkey shoot), she arms the third attack wave with live ammo. Telling Zuikaku that it's either dodge this or die - prove to me that the 5th carrier division is actually worth something - she launches an impressive wave.

Shokaku, genuinely worried, wants to stop the duel, but is stopped by Akagi. It turns out that Kaga's bitchiness/coldness/meanness was all a calculated ploy, designed to get Zuikaku to maximize her potential so she could actually survive against the abyssal fleet. Zuikaku figures out that this was for her own good at the last second, and miraculously dodges everything and survives as the other ship girls cheer her success from the sidelines.

After the simulation, Kaga congratulates Zuikaku, and tells her that she did load live, but secretly swapped out live rounds for blanks to see what she would do. Sarcastically joking (Kaga's very sarcastic in this work - far more than any other KanColle works I've seen) that even blanks hurt, she acknowledges Zuikaku's talents, and tells her that she hopes Zuikaku'll become a main figure in the naval base from now on.

Vol 2: Sea of Trials.

As Zuikaku become more and more accepted by the other ship girls, Shokaku begins to teach her how to train. She goes on morning jogs with the DDs, though Zuikaku quickly regrets her outfit - Kaga and the others at least have something warm. She ask Fubuki why they had to wear the miniskirts and assorted equipment during even morning exercises. Fubuki answers that it's so that they get used to the equipment in battle, and the admiral finds the battle equipment wearing ship girls to be hot.

Zuikaku thinks back to all the things she noticed the admiral acting like a perv - lifting and peeking under skirts, coping feels, petting heads (in the case of a certain DD) or outright equipment. However, because she did bomb the living daylights out of the admiral the first time he scored a touch, it seems that the admiral's been avoiding her as a result.

In any case, the ship girls visit the nearby town, where the people welcomes them warmly. Many ship girls relish the opportunity, because with the exception of visits, they seldom get to interact with the outside world. Ship girls are treated as heroes, and a lot of the villagers stuff them full with goodies, fruits, and other assorted foods. Zuikaku wonders if it's because the admiral's forcing them to wear battle equipment, as if they didn't have their equipment on, they would look no different from other girls.

As Zuikaku finishes her morning run, she meets a new carrier girl. Hiyou, under the orders of the admiral, is here to train these newbie carriers. Junyou, behind her, pokes fun at her - pointing out that they weren't really that much more experienced. The duo almost always show up in a pair, where their personalities contrast substantially.

In any case, the afternoon's carrier training reveals why there are only six ship girls per team. Whenever more assemble, the abyssal fleet attacks in swarms. Many ship girls have already been lost, and the admirality does its best to minimize casualties. In any case, the afternoon was Zuikaku, Shokaku, Tone, Chikuma, Yukikaze and one other DD against Hiyou, Junyou, Aoba, Kinugasa, and two very forgettable DDs.

Shokaku deploys her fleet in a typical circular/ring formation, and sends out the scout planes from the CAs to determine enemy location. However, to her surprise, Hiyou orders a full frontal assault using single line. Zuikaku marvels at Hiyou's gutsyness, wondering why would the lightly armored Hiyou class try something as dangerous as this. Hiyou answers that it is precisely because the CVLs are squishy that they try something like this - she hopes to crush the enemies under a neverending wave of attacks.

In response, Shokaku sends out the CA and DDs to generate distance. Chaos ensues. The end result of the battle was a tie. The two teams compliment each other over dinner after training, and Zuikaku overhears Shokaku and Hiyou discussing the day's battle. Hiyou complements Zuikaku on her finesse and skill, dodging many concerted attacks from her and Junyou. She expresses great respect for her title as the "lucky carrier." Zuikaku jumps in - compliments Hiyou on her tryhard attitude - and asks why does she aim for her specifically. Hiyou answers that it's not that she hates Zuikaku or anything, but it's the first time where she actually had seniority over another carrier, so ... to be honest, she was just trying to be a senpai.

In either case, Hiyou leaves soon after. Junyou comes by to apologize. Compared to the real carriers, Junyou never had a chance to do much during that historical war. She is too eager to prove herself. That's why she's so hotheaded. Plus, the admiral base doesn't have much in terms of planes. Only Type 21, 97, and 99s are in deployment. The research team is working hard on Type 52, Tenzan and Ryuseis right now - though those will be prioritized to Akaga and Siryu instead of them.

Some time later, the admiral deploys Zuikaku, Shokaku, Hiyou, Myouku, Haguro, and Hibiki to 2-3. The abyssal fleet has been preying upon shipping vessels, severely hampering the supply route to this admiral base. The admiral wishes to use this as a test to formally bring Zuikaku on board.

After the battle, Junyou comes to Zuikaku in private, and hopes that she'll take care of her sister (D'aww). Zuikaku is nervous, and Shokaku comforts her, telling her that she's been trained well by Kaga, and that she'll do her best to protect her sister - who is very important to her. Hearing this, Hiyou angrily demands an answer - so you'll protect your sister, does the rest of us not matter, then? Shokaku calms everyone down by telling her that as flagship, she'll do her best to make sure that nobody sinks.

Whatever anger Hiyou holds against Zuikaku, though, disappears as Zuikaku easily dispatches the scout abyssal fleet. As the two finally reaches mutual understanding and appreciates each other for their respective strengths, the two are suddenly bombarded by heavy volleys of fire.

Scene switches back to the naval base, where Akagi and Kaga are training at the archery range. Kaga misses several shots consecutively, and Akagi teases her, asking her if she's worried about Zuikaku and the others. Kaga denies any hints of worry, but Akagi speaks for her - she believes in Zuikaku, and it'll be their turn to do their part after they come back. As she packs up to leave, Akagi runs into Yukikaze, who relays to her what Hibiki has observed on the battlefield.

Flashback to the battle, Hiyou becomes critically injured, and Zuikaku panicks. Shokaku asks her to calm down, pointing out that Hiyou won't die if they can get her back to base, and that the immediate goal is to defeat the abyssal fleet so everyone can retreat. Hiyou tells Zuikaku that she needs to focus on the enemy, so it is best to not waste energy protecting her. She asks Zuikaku to do what she and Junyou did, taking advantage of Zuikaku's natural speed to rush headfirst into the enemy fleet and decapitate the fleet leader. Zuikaku balks at the idea, lacking the confidence to do so. To her surprise, Shokaku supports her decision, and points out that even though logically, she should be engaging at a maximum distance, this is the only choice they have at the moment.

Furthermore, this is needed for her to overcome the "shadows in her own heart." Otherwise, their own failures from the other world and the other life will always haunt them and prevent them from reaching their potential. Zuikaku remembers a lot of things in a flashback scene, and her spirit rises as she realizes more than ever, she wanted to protect the people she set out to protect.

Meanwhile, Myoukou and co. are desperately fending off the abyssal fleet attack. As she receives a report from Shokaku about Zuikaku's impending strike, Myoukou wonders if Zuikaku's gone mad - shouldn't they be fighting a retreat while protecting Hiyou? The line is cut as Shokaku answers Zuikaku will launch a counter attack (Note: I swear bits of that was a Gundam Homage in the book).

Anyways, Shokaku explains that after they weather the abyssal fleet's second bombardment, there will be a brief window of opportunity for her to hit the enemy hard. Because Shokaku will be pre-occupied protecting Hiyou, she need to depend on her natural agility to dodge, as well as to capture the attention of the enemy ships. A dramatic battle scene proceeds, where the sisters end up saving each other on several occasions, and wins the day with an elegant combination attack.

Hiyou wakes up, and asks how the battle went. Shokaku is injured badly, though still able to move. Zuikaku lost all of her planes. But, on the bright side, everyone's alive and they won! Hiyou laments that she shouldn't have been so arrogant, and promises to be more like her mild-mannered sister from now on. She thanks Zuikaku.

Meanwhile, as Zuikaku and co. return to base, the admiral discusses her performance with Akagi. It turns out that the admiral has been spying on her this whole time, and believes that her exceptional luck stat might be key to turn the tide of battle. The evidence for this is now twofold - first with Kaga's attack, and secondly with this recent battle. The chapter ends with the admiral pondering the future as Akagi watches on silently, musing whether the "lucky" carrier had some key attribute to her that may guarantee future victories...