Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"This is USS Normandy CG-60, with CSG-12 contacting USS Arleigh Burke. Sitrep."

The commanding voice of the Ticonderoga-class cruiser echoed from Arleigh's communicator. Missiles, lasers and cannon rounds streaked past the injured destroyer, her unconscious sister nestled in her arms.

The determined veteran pushed through the pain as she took in her immediate surroundings and the few undamaged instruments she had. Panting heavily, the exhausted destroyer responded to the cruiser.

"Hah... USS Arleigh Burke reporting, enemy forces have been significantly diminished, but Stout and I have sustained heavy damage. How far out are you?"

"We're 12 nautical miles from your position, prepare for evac."

Arleigh never thought she'd feel as relieved by Normandy's voice as she was then. After all, as her superior, the cruiser could be quite stern—always strict with US Navy protocols and procedures.

Especially when it came to the discipline of the Kansen under her command, the first of the Burkes was no exception.

"Heh... Hear that, sis? We ain't dying here today!"

The damaged ship reassured her unconscious sister as she cradled her protectively. Arleigh attempted to manoeuvre away from the remaining enemy fire, but the only response she got was a strained whine from her destroyed riggings.

"Damn... guess we'll just have to sit tight then."

In the midst of the battle, her Aegis combat suite warned her of an enemy anti-ship missile, closing in fast.

"Fuck, hold on Stout! We're all out of SM-2 and SM-6 interceptors and my Phalanx is damn near empty... better make this count!"

Arleigh locked onto the incoming missile and waited for it to get as close as possible before unleashing the last of her ammo.

With a resounding roar, the Phalanx fired off the last of its 20 mm rounds towards the oncoming threat. The rounds hit their mark, detonating the missile in the air just shy of a few hundred feet from the two destroyers.

"Haha! Now that's what I'm talking about! Ya see sis? That's how ya clear the skies!"

The proud destroyer gloated to her passed out sister, as if she were awake and aware of the events that just transpired.

Unfortunately for the exultant destroyer, her celebrations would be cut short by another warning from her Aegis... a second missile was en route.

"God damn it!"

Arleigh frantically peered around her, searching for something—anything—that could shield them from their impending doom. Sadly, the seas were clear. A deep sense of dread gripped her mind as she realized there was nothing she could do to save them.

"Burke, missile headed towards you bearing 127°! Interceptors launched!"

Normandy's hurried voice came through her communicator. Arleigh knew that there was no way the interceptors could make it—they were just too far away.

And thus, it was time for the loyal Kansen to say her final goodbyes.

"Cap, listen... I don't have much time. Please, tell my sisters that Stout and I fought to the very end—as soldiers of Earth. That we met our ends with honour... and dignity."

A choked breath was heard from Arleigh as she continued.

"Remember us for the lives we've lived, the memories we've made... the experiences we've shared."

She let out a trebling sigh—one of acceptance—as she bade farewell to her captain.

"I wish I could've known you as someone more than my captain... I wish I had asked you out for a drink earlier.

A beat,

"Take care of my sisters. Goodbye, Mandy."

On the horizon, Normandy could make out the silhouette of her comrade. Her torn uniform and destroyed riggings did little to hide her tearful smile. She held her Stout tightly to her chest with one arm whilst the other saluted her superior, one last time.

Normandy's final sight of her dear subordinates was that of a massive fireball engulfing them, then... nothing. The sudden silence over the cruiser's communicator confirmed the finality of the sisters' fates.

The Captain stood motionless upon the waves, her expression lachrymose. Rain had begun to fall. For once, the mighty cruiser felt powerless.

She fought back her tears, knowing that weeping would only serve to lower the morale of CSG-12. Despite her efforts to keep her composure, she failed to conceal her despair from the group. Normandy felt one of them embrace her tightly from behind.

"They will be mourned... their deaths will embolden us to keep pushing forward."

Porter whispered, trying her best to hold back her emotions. Trying to be strong for them.

"...not only for the sake of the fallen, but for humanity. We cannot, and will not allow their deaths to be in vain..."

Normandy wanted to say something to the grief-stricken destroyer, but the weight of the moment pressed down upon her.

Porter's attempt at comforting her superior didn't do much to abate her emotions. She was close to breaking down all the same.

For the first time in years, Normandy didn't know how to respond. she wasn't used to being comforted like this—especially not by a sister in arms during a mission.

The cold feeling of Porter's tears eventually led Normandy to return the destroyer's embrace, knowing that she had just witnessed the deaths of two of her sisters, two irreplaceable people whom she called family.

The gentle rain grew into an unyielding tempest, each furious echo of thunder and every wrathful bolt of blinding lightning that tore across the skies served to amplify Normandy's rage. The vaunted cruiser practically trembled with anger as she spoke.

"I swear, upon my name as Normandy..."

Her breath grew heavy and her tears flowed freely as she vowed through gritted teeth.

"...a proud Kansen of the Ticonderoga cruisers—the Sirens shall burn for what they've done!"

Normandy wiped away her tears as she felt Porter tighten her embrace around her, sobbing into her chest. The ordinarily cold cruiser pulled her grieving comrade closer, gently stroking her head to console her.

"Arleigh... Stout... they're gone..."

Porter wept, a newfound animosity had awoken in the hearts of both Kansen that day—a wrathful hatred that both friend and foe would come to fear.

A/N: Jesus Christ there were a lot of problems with the earlier chapters like this one. Punctuation is hard :(

Chapter Text

1300 hours, Hawaii, Azur Lane HQ

A meeting was underway between the esteemed flagships of Azur Lane and the Crimson Axis. Only two nations had abstained from this diplomatic summit, the Northern Parliament and the Dragon Empery.

After the sinking of the Orochi, Siren activity had declined sharply—there was no better time to pick up the pieces and rebuild the shattered alliance.

The meeting was opened by Queen Elizabeth, monarch of the Royal Navy. The petite noble raised her chalice and offered a hearty toast from her seat at the table.

"Let's begin, shall we? We are gathered here today to mend what was torn apart in the past—our alliance. For too long have we been divided amongst ourselves, firing upon one another whilst the Sirens watched in amusement. No more, I say! From today onwards, we stand united against the invaders once more. This is OUR world; they will never have it! Cheers!"

Applause erupted from the gathered Kansen. The Queen smiled proudly before taking a measured sip from her gilded chalice, seating herself after.

Meanwhile, amongst the rest, a certain Prinz was busy harassing another.

"Haah, I can't wait for this to be over... just imagining what we could do once we're alone excites me~"

Wales struggled to keep her blush hidden from the rest of her comrades as Eugen resumed her suggestive whispering in her ear.

"Eugen please, we're in a meeting, we can discuss this later... mein Schatz."

"Oh my, I haven't heard that from you in a very long time. My prince~"

The bold cruiser rested her hand on Wales' thigh, gradually inching dangerously closer to the hem of her skirt as she leaned in to the flushed royal.

"AHEM, are you two quite done flirting in front of everyone? If so, may we proceed with our agenda?"

The redness on the Queen's face was apparent even as she tried to mask it with irritation. Eugen merely winked at her abashed lover before retracting her scandalous hand. Wales shot her a flustered glare, a pink hue still dusting her cheeks.

"I thought you had more self control than this, Eugen. Perhaps I should have brought your sister to this meeting instead."

Bismarck stated, the tiniest hint of amusement present in the dreadnought's imposing voice as she stared down the snide heavy cruiser.

"As if you're any better, Lord Bismarck. Shouldn't you be paying more attention to the rest instead of dedicating all of it to Lady Hood, mein Flaggschiff?"

Eugen brazenly questioned her superior, her signature smug grin plastered on her face. Bismarck's eyes widened at the mention of her not-so-secretive glances at the proud noble, her cheeks turning red as a rose.

"T-that's not-!"

"Oh Biscuit, it wasn't difficult for me to notice your gaze. Worry not, we'll have plenty of time to speak after this."

The elegant battlecruiser chimed in from across the table, a warm smile gracing her lips. Bismarck lowered her cap in a feeble attempt at hiding her embarrassment from her allies.

"Ma che spettacolo incantevole! I don't see the problem in us expressing our feelings to one another, what better way to leave the past behind us than forging bonds stronger than those we had previously? That's how we do it back home in glorious Sardegna! Non è vero, sorella?"

The Glory of Naples, Littorio declared proudly, a crimson rose in hand as she turned towards the Eternal Flagship of Sardegna.

"Hah... you're not entirely wrong, I suppose, but we have to focus on our main objective before we get too far off topic."

The grey-haired dreadnought responded with an exasperated sigh, more than accustomed to her sister's flamboyant antics at this point. Richelieu, the Cardinal of Iris Libre, chose that moment to speak up.

"I am inclined to agree with Madam Vittorio, while it is relieving to know that relationships between some of our comrades were not entirely severed during our division, we should stay on course for our discussion."

Jean Bart nodded in agreement with her sister before expressing her thoughts on what reunification meant for both the Iris Libre and Vichya Dominion.

"We should take the time we have right now and settle some..."

She paused, choosing her words wisely as to not upset any parties within the meeting.

"...internal turmoil within our factions."

The Corsair looked towards her sister as she did with the rest, maintaining a carefully impartial demeanor. She had missed her along with the rest of her sisters in the Iris. Yet, she still harboured feelings of mistrust and resentment against Richelieu over their beliefs.

The Cardinal only returned her sister's gaze after a long moment of thought. To her, it felt as if decades had gone by without Jean by her side, just the thought of having to go through that again terrified her.

She didn't want that, and she would do anything in her power to ensure it would not come to pass. Even if that meant abandoning her current path, her faith, her beliefs, all in favour of her dear sœur.

The room went silent as the sisters on opposite sides of the war exchanged gazes, regret seeping into the features of both parties.

The flagship of the Sakura Empire finally joined in the conversation, breaking the growing tension in the room.

Her fox ears made the regal shrine maiden appear a lot taller than she actually was, standing at around the same height as the petite queen across the table from her.

"The Sakura Empire also wishes to discuss a few new terms with the leaders of the Eagle Union in this assembly."

Nagato proceeded to drop stack after stack of legal documents, formerly bundled neatly on the ground, onto the table. By the time she had finished, the towering stack loomed menacingly above her ears.

"Excuse me, did you say 'a few'?"

Enterprise deadpanned while she stared blankly at the terrifying stack of papers on the table, her expression flat as not to betray her dread at the thought of unending paperwork.

Bismarck too was stunned, reliving the stress of being trapped in her office dealing with all the bureaucracy of Ironblood command for three days straight.

"Nie wieder..."

The traumatised battleship muttered under her breath as Yorktown sighed at her sister's reaction to the tower of paper.

"Seriously? You charge headfirst into battle every time we're sent out on sorties without a shred of self-preservation, but a few sheets of paper is where you draw the line?"

"That's different, I fear no Siren, but that thing... it scares me."

This earned a lively laugh from Hornet as she leaned back in her seat.

"Haha, sounds like our dork of a sister alright! Honestly, I'm surprised she's even here right now instead of training—or being dragged on a date by Belf—aaaahh?!"

The boisterous blonde had leaned too far in her chair and toppled over. The chair hit the ground with a loud clack, prompting every Kansen in the room to peer at her in amusement.

Unbeknownst to those in the room, Hornet included, the only reason Hornet fell was because Enterprise had pulled on one of her chair's legs using the end of her bow, successfully silencing Hornet's slander.

"Ow."

"Serves you right, I've told you countless times before, 'don't lean so far back in your chair, you'll fall.' But did you ever listen?"

Yorktown side-eyed her youngest sister on the floor next to her chair, her expression reeking of 'I told you so'.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, sorry."

Hornet apologized, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck while getting her chair back on its legs. Yorktown huffed in exasperation before turning back to Nagato.

"We are more than willing to forward your terms to our high command, lady Nagato. However, please note that the Eagle Union cannot guarantee a prompt response due to the ongoing disorganisation following the sudden cessation of hostilities between our nations."

"I understand. Our high command is adjusting to the changes brought about by our newfound peace as well."

The short-statured shrine maiden gave Yorktown a respectful nod, conveying her awareness of the state of their nations as well as her willingness to wait for the Union's reply.

"Well, that settles the majority of our concerns for now, looks like it's tea time!"

The queen declared jubilantly before calling forth several maids to serve their guests a wide assortment of aromatic tea and pastries.

Near an inconspicuous island east of Azur Lane HQ

A blinding pulse of cerulean effulgence radiated from the beach of the little, lonely islet in the middle of the Pacific. After the light dissipated, a pair of familiar faces were floating on the warm waves of the sea.

The waves pushed the two destroyers onto the beach of the islet. Its fine sand, warmed by the sun, welcomed them with open arms. Arleigh was the first to awaken, Stout still firmly wrapped in her loving embrace as she stirred from their collective slumber.

"Ugh... What-? Where-? How are we still? Wait... Stout!"

Her confusion quickly gave way to worry as she checked her unconscious sister for injuries before attempting to rouse her from her slumber.

"Sis, wake up..."

Arleigh shook her sister around in order to wake her.

"C'mon sleepyhead, get up!"

The concerned destroyer was relieved to find that her sister was indeed stirring from her slumber.

"Mmm... Huh? Arleigh, what's going on? What-?"

Stout was silenced as her older sister pulled her into the tightest hug she had ever felt—no kidding, the poor girl was being suffocated.

"Oh thank God! You're okay, I thought you weren't gonna wake up!"

Stout struggled in vain against her sister's hold, letting out a muffled scream before she finally managed to pull away from her sister's death hug with a relieved gasp.

"Are you insane?! You could've killed me!"

Stout scolded her older sister while catching her breath.

"Why was I unconscious? What happened?"

The older Kansen paused. taking a moment to mull over her thoughts while trying to find a way to explain what had happened in the past ten minutes to her sister.

"Well, you took a hit from an enemy missile which knocked you out, I then had to carry you while keeping the enemy off our asses. After a while of back and forth with them I got a message from Mandy-"

Upon hearing the Captain's name, Stout immediately shot up from the sands of the beach, standing tall at attention. Ready to explain her failure and receive punishment from her superior, only to realize she was nowhere to be seen.

"Huh? I thought you said Captain Normandy-"

"Ya didn't let me finish, now did ya?"

Arleigh asked rhetorically, an amused expression forming on her face as she watched the younger Kansen's face flush with embarrassment.

"As I was saying, I got a message from Normandy and reported our situation to her. After that, an enemy missile locked onto us which forced me to use the last of my Phalanx's ammo to deal with it. Then..."

A strange expression crept across Arleigh's face, as if she'd seen a ghost.

"Then what?"

"We... We should be dead..."

Arleigh hesitantly admitted. Stout, bewildered by what her sister was implying, pressed for more answers.

"What do you mean by that?"

The older destroyer's only response was silence.

"Arleigh please, you're scaring me..."

Finally, Arleigh spoke, her voice low.

"Another missile was fired at us from an enemy cruiser... I was out of ammo and my engines were wrecked..."

Arleigh's grim expression told the rest of the story.

"I... I couldn't save us."

The air grew heavy as Stout processed her sister's words. Arleigh pulled the younger destroyer into another firm embrace—gentler this time, unlike the bear hug a few minutes ago.

"Sis, I'm sorry... I thought I managed the risks—it was all my fault..."

Arleigh wept softly into Stout's shoulder as she went on.

"If I didn't rush in like an idiot, you wouldn't have had to cover me—you wouldn't have been hit. We wouldn't have-"

Arleigh was swiftly silenced by Stout pulling her head into her chest in a reassuring embrace.

"I'm not dead, sis. We are not dead."

Stout proclaimed with confidence while consoling her sister, rubbing soothing circles into Arleigh's back before speaking once more, her voice light as a feather.

"It doesn't matter how. What matters is that we still have each other. Nothing's ever going to come between us—remember that."

Stout had always been the calm in the storm—this moment was no exception. Arleigh, while not fully convinced, hesitantly agreed with her sister's assessment.

"You're... you're right—we're still here, and that's all that matters."

With a few final sniffles, Arleigh wiped away her tears as her desperate hold around her sister gradually loosened.

Back in the meeting room

A radiant flash abruptly pierced the windows of the conference room. Intense azure brilliance permeated the room, blinding the Kansen within.

"Bloody hell! Close the damn curtains!"

Queen Elizabeth demanded while shielding her eyes as Belfast quickly moved to pull them shut.

"Now what in the blue blazes was that?"

No one had an answer to Hood's question but everyone knew how to get it.

"Looks like we'll have to see for ourselves."

Yorktown declared, curious as the rest of the Kansen in the room about the source of the light.

A/N: Lots of issues to tackle in this one as well. It should now read much better compared to before the revision :)

Chapter Text

Shortly after their miraculous survival, the sisters began inspecting their riggings. Leading to their discovery of a couple puzzling developments.

"That's weird... coulda sworn..."

"What's wrong, sis?"

Stout inquired as she recalibrated her sensors and equipment.

"Nothin's wrong, that's the problem... I told ya I was completely out of ammo and severely damaged during the battle. How the hell are my ammo storages full and my riggings intact after taking that missile?"

"You're... right. How are we totally unscathed after getting hit?"

The sisters stood in stunned silence for a while, the impossible reality sinking in. Stout attempted to check their location.

"Strange... no GPS. Is my satellite antenna damaged?"

Stout inspected her antennae for damage, only to find that they were in pristine condition.

"Huh... same here."

Arleigh muttered as she examined and recalibrated the radar, sensors, and other electronics in her rigging.

"At least everything else works... but how the hell are we supposed to find our way back to the East Coast?"

Arleigh questioned, her tone rife with irritation at their current predicament. The destroyer's annoyance earned her a light smack to the back of her head from Stout.

"We just survived an impossible situation completely unharmed—for the love of god stop tempting fate and just be grateful that we're alive."

The younger Kansen explained to her sister as she finished up the inspection of her riggings.

"All systems requiring satellite guidance are unavailable. For some reason they can't establish a connection despite being in good condition, no errors in their software either..."

Stout thought about it for a long moment, theorising as to why they couldn't connect to U.S. or NATO satellites.

"Maybe the Sirens decided to jam our signal—it wouldn't be too far-fetched to believe that they've shot down our satellites either, but then..."

Stout was once again lost in thought, completely tuning out her surroundings as she went on and on.

"Uh, sis?"

"No, they wouldn't have shot down our satellites, the resulting debris field would potentially destroy their stuff in Low Earth Orbit as well..."

"Sis..."

Arleigh's calls went unheard as her sister continued rambling on their lack of satellite guidance.

"Yeah, they definitely wouldn't put their own assets at risk just to deny us sat guidan-"

"SIS!"

With that, Stout was ripped from her deep thoughts as Arleigh grabbed onto her shoulders and shook her around to get the nerdy Kansen's attention.

"Waaaa-! Stop that! What are you doing!?"

"Well, I had to get your attention somehow, and yelling wasn't working."

Arleigh shrugged as she justified her actions to her peeved sister.

"Anyway, there's no use speculating about it. Hell, Mandy's probably gonna explain it to us once we're back at port."

She froze, a look of sheer horror overtaking her features as she recalled what she had told the Captain during their goodbye.

"Oh fuck... I really screwed up now, didn't I..."

This inevitably piqued the interest of the younger Kansen, who couldn't resist asking.

"Well, how did you manage to piss off Captain Normandy this time?"

Arleigh's face flushed as she  tried to explain what she had said to their superior to her.

"It was a heat of the moment thing... I thought we weren't gonna make it, so I told her everything, y'know..."

She sighed before resuming.

"I told her to remember us and take care of our sisters and all that corny stuff... but I also told her that I regretted never getting to know her. I really hope that she doesn't take that the wrong way, the last thing I need is her breathing down my neck every time we sortie."

This earned an amused chuckle from Stout as she listened to her sister's plight.

"Knowing our Captain? You're done for. Don't worry I'll send flowers, hahaha!"

"Why you little—C'mere!"

Arleigh tackled her sister down onto the soft, warm sands of the beach before straddling her stomach.

"Ahahaha, sis, you're heavy!"

Stout remarked teasingly as she struggled against her sister.

"You better watch your mouth there, Redcoat. Cuz I know exactly how to punish bratty little sisters like you!"

Arleigh exclaimed as she began mercilessly tickling her younger sister, who could only writhe and plead with her to stop.

"Ah! No-ahahah! Stop-ghh! Nooooo-!"

Stout squirmed beneath Arleigh, utterly helpless against her sister's cruel grasping and poking at her ribs.

"S-sis stop! I-I give! I give!"

Stout managed to choke out her surrender through her gasping as Arleigh finally halted her assault on her sister.

"That's what I thought!"

Arleigh declared smugly, holding her head high before getting off her little sister. Stout sat up on the beach, shooting Arleigh a glare in the process.

"You're the worst, Arleigh!"

The younger Kansen remarked as she rubbed her ribs, sore from the relentless tickling.

"Heh, ya still love me though!"

Arleigh quipped while she roughly tousled her sister's hair. Stout reluctantly allowed her to.

"You got so much sand stuck in my hair..."

Stout pouted as Arleigh laughed.

"Hehe, maybe you shouldn't have let me pin ya down then."

The afternoon sun smiled down onto the two sisters as they got up, dusted themselves off, and began planning to navigate their way back to the U.S.—sans GPS.

"Should we wait for nightfall? Y'know, since we can use the stars to find our way back. Or somethin'."

Arleigh suggested, but her sister shot down the plan without  hesitation.

"Your idea works in practice. However, we can't risk being spotted by the Sirens while waiting for dusk... we don't even know if we're in friendly seas or behind enemy lines."

The younger Kansen wracked her overworked brain for a solution to their predicament.

"What we know for certain is that we're somewhere in the Pacific..."

"Wooow, that really narrows it down, doesn't it?"

Arleigh remarked sarcastically at Stout's statement as she observed her instruments for any nearby enemy or friendly vessels.

"Oh shut up, will you? I'm trying my best to find a way to get us home, and you being an ass isn't helping."

Stout retorted before their radars picked up multiple enemy vessels within two nautical miles of their position.

Siren warships tore through rifts in space, firing countless lasers at the island they were on.

"Shit! They're close—harpoons out!"

"Supporting!"

Arleigh and Stout leapt onto the roiling waves as they fearlessly engaged the oncoming Sirens.

Harpoon anti-ship missiles roared from their launchers and into the skies as they homed in on their targets.

Tumultuous, resounding booms echoed throughout the area as the missiles found their marks. Four enemy vessels lay rent asunder on the seas by the sisters' firepower.

"Hah! Fuck you, alien bastards!"

Arleigh boasted, but Stout shut her down with a sharp warning.

"Heads up, more enemies on the horizon bearing 030°, Siren aircraft incoming!"

The furious howls of jet engines were audible for miles as strike aircraft closed in on the two Kansen.

"Take this! Ya damn gnats!"

Arleigh yelled as she loosed six of her SM-2 interceptors towards the aircraft.

The strike fighters attempted to evade the incoming projectiles to no avail as the SAMs violently plucked them out of the skies one by one.

"Take out that carrier."

Stout ordered before locking onto the Siren warship and launching two harpoons toward it.

The missiles tore through the air, slamming into their target. The Siren carrier bursts into flames, burning oil spewing from the fractures in its hull and into the sea.

"Something's wrong... they're not deploying countermeasures."

Stout's monologue was cut short as even more Siren warships materialized all around them.

"Heh, don't worry sis..."

Arleigh sported a menacing grin as she summoned her blade.

"The exterminator's in town!"

Elsewhere

The leaders of Azur Lane departed from Hawaii, keen to investigate the light that had interrupted their meeting.

"Are you certain that it's wise to allow the flagships of our nations to sortie without any escorts?"

Illustrious inquired as she watched the rather large fleet of warships vanish over the horizon from the docks of HQ.

Lexington responded with a confident smile before she turned to the Eagle Union dorms.

"There are seven battleships, three carriers, a battlecruiser, a destroyer and a heavy cruiser in their fleet. I'm more concerned for any unfortunate Siren that crosses their path."

The regal songstress strode away from the docks with the grace of an idol as the waves glinted with a hopeful, warm, radiance.

A several long hours after they departed from Hawaii, the fleet arrived at the source of the flash.

It was a tiny, insignificant island in the middle of the Pacific. However, there was something glaringly wrong... The seas around the island were strewn with the empty husks of devastated Siren warships.

Dozens—no, hundreds of Siren vessels, aircraft, and humanoid Siren corpses littered the waves. The impure smell of smoke filled the air as scorching oil leaked from the devastated Siren vessels.

"By the gods... what kind of monstrosity could do this..."

The usually stoic Bismarck proclaimed, as she peering over the waves from her deck. A look of admiration and partial apprehension apparent on her face as the rest took in the view of the destruction.

The Cardinal was next to speak, her voice soft, tinged with awe and concern.

"Mon dieu... I've witnessed entire fleets of innocents massacred by the Sirens... but never something like this..."

The destruction wasn't just overwhelming... It was methodical—precise. Whatever it was that annihilated the Sirens had done so with brutal efficiency, leaving no room for survivors.

"It's as if someone swept through every corner of the battlefield to ensure there was no room for escape..."

Hood's stated, her usual confidence nowhere to be found, replaced by wariness and a tinge of curiosity.

"Whoever did this isn't just overwhelmingly powerful—they're calculated."

The battlecruiser concluded as the mangled corpses of humanoid Sirens bobbed lifelessly on the waves by their hull sides. Some missing limbs and their heads, some cleft in twain all together—others sported gaping bullet wounds through their hearts and heads.

"Jesus, should we uh, I dunno, split up and search the area? Try and find whatever did... this. Make sure it's on our side maybe? Cuz I really don't wanna fight it..."

Hornet proclaimed, clearly spooked by the remnants of Sirens floating by.

"Hornet's right, but we have to make sure there are no enemies near us while tracking down the culprit."

Yorktown agreed with her sister as she sent her recon aircraft to sweep the area.

Wales decided to raise her concerns about the situation over their communicators as the group split up.

"The Sirens are cruel, formidable foes but this... It's almost like overkill. Why would anyone go to such lengths?"

Nagato surveyed the battlefield, considering the implications of their findings with Kawakaze by her side as she spoke.

"If this power is friendly, perhaps we have found an ally more valuable than we could ever hope for, but if it's hostile..."

Her silence spoke volumes as the group scanned the area.

"If it's hostile then we have an enemy who's potentially more dangerous than the Sirens..."

Eugen mused while lifting a decapitated humanoid Siren's head out of the water, its wires and metallic components under the android's synthetic skin were completely exposed to the glaring light of the sun.

She carelessly dropped the head back into the water as she caught sight of something peculiar.

Eugen hid behind one of the sea stacks surrounding the island as she spied on what seemed to be two unfamiliar Kansen at the edge of the battlefield.

"Hey everyone, I have eyes on two Kansen, they seem to be leaving the area."

The group quickly made their way over to Eugen's position as she continued watching the two girls.

"They are not from the Sakura Empire."

Nagato whispered, the entire group tried to relate the flags on the two Kansen's' riggings to any of their nations without success.

"Those captivating signore aren't from glorious Sardegna either—che peccato..."

Littorio mused with her rose held between her teeth as her sister reprimanded her.

"Per l'amore di Dio, focus on what's important sorella!"

Veneto quietly snapped at her sister as she watched the two mysterious Kansen with caution.

Chapter Text

"They have no idea we can see them on radar, do they?"

Arleigh asked her sister as she attempted to clean the oil from her blade using a piece of cloth she tore off a humanoid Siren in their battle. Stout was also busy reloading her rifles and cannons at the time.

"Doesn't seem like it."

She pulled back on the bolt of her rifle, making sure rounds were chambered as she responded.

"Unencrypted comms too... Amatuers, or just ignorant?"

Stout remarked as Arleigh checked on her systems after the battle.

"I personally take pride in their fear, hehe. Shall we call them out?"

The older Kansen suggested, earning a nod from her sister as she cleared her throat.

"Oi! Are you lot just gonna keep hidin' behind those rocks or can we talk? Kansen to Kansen."

Arleigh shouted at the hidden leaders, many of whom were shocked to have been discovered so effortlessly.

Slowly, several of them came out of hiding. The Queen was first, followed by Bismarck, Nagato, Veneto and Jean Bart. The rest stayed behind and listened as they approached the sisters.

"Are the two of you responsible for all... this?"

The Queen of the Royal Navy inquired as she gestured at the massacre, her voice laced with caution.

The sisters exchanged glances, a silent conversation passing between them until they broke eye contact with one another.

"Yep, that was us alright!"

This seemed to add to the growing tension between the leaders of Azur Lane and the two Burkes. Arleigh continued, bits of metal and oil still dripping off her sword.

"We slaughtered all those tentacled rats right then and there, though I don't like to brag-gh!"

Stout elbowed her conceited sister in the abdomen, silencing her before speaking up.

"You're the biggest braggart I've ever known."

Stout followed her correction of Arleigh's statement up with the rest of the Kansen, her voice firm and confident.

"Anyway, I'm sure you have had the time to survey the area and I can tell you that we did in fact neutralise this Siren fleet."

Bismarck stepped forward to face them, suspicion and weariness of the two were practically emanating from her.

"There were an awful lot of Siren wreckages back there... to think that two Kansen alone are responsible for it..."

The flagship's accusatory gaze bore down on them as Jean Bart spoke up.

"It seems impossible for just the two of you to wreck such destruction."

The leader of the Vichya Dominion stated bluntly with her arms crossed, skepticism oozing from her tone.

This statement seemed to trigger the truculent Burke, who flicked the last of the oil off her blade before glaring at Jean.

"You tryna say that we're weak or somethin', Frenchie?"

She dared the Pirate Queen to step up and challenge her before Stout interjected once more, this time by way of shoving her sister aside.

"For Christ's sake, let me do the talking."

The younger of the two continued the discussion, despite the audible grumbling from Arleigh.

"I assure you that we do not wish to provoke a fight. Whoever you are, we are not your enemies."

As always, Stout's skill in negotiations shone through the tension of the situation.

"If you really are friendly, which faction are you from? We don't recognize your insignia, or your flags."

This question from Veneto confused the sisters greatly. After a short pause, Stout continued.

"That's impossible, you don't recognize the flag of the U.S.? Come to think of it, I don't know which nations your flags are from either..."

Before she could resume the conversation, she was interrupted by her sister's inflammatory remarks.

"Well I'll tell ya where they're from, the wise girl in the skimpy shorts over there's a croissant lover, blondie over there is a kraut, the shorty wearing the posh headband's a Redcoat, the other shorty with the tall ears is from animeland and snow head standin' in front of ya is from that place where they complain about people who break pasta, or put pinnapples on pizza on YouTube."

A stifled snicker from Hornet was heard from behind the sea stack.

"Holy hell... that girl's got sand."

The long train of statements managed to earn more than a facepalm from her sister; vexed glares were sent her way from Bismarck, Elizabeth and Jean at the sheer gall Arleigh had just demonstrated. Nagato, on the other hand, seemed more confused than offended at the mention of something called 'anime', while Veneto was thoroughly horrified at the thought of breaking pasta.

"Whoops—did I say somethin' to rile y'all up? Good."

Stout glared at her sister to shut the fuck up before apologizing to the appalled Kansen.

"I am so sorry about my sister, she only knows how to start fights and stir up trouble where she doesn't belong."

Stout reprimanded her sister's disrespectful demeanor as Arleigh merely chuckled at the disarray she had caused.

Turning her attention away from Arleigh, the queen proceeded to probe Stout for answers.

"You said something about being from somewhere called the 'U.S.', do you mind telling us about it."

"Well, I'm not sure how else to explain it. The United States of America is the central military power of our world and the leading member of the United Nations' war effort against the Sirens. We also have the largest navy in the whole of the Azur Lane alliance..."

Stout observed the looks of bewilderment on the leaders' faces as she furthered her explanation.

"Your nations are part of the U.N. too."

Stout began gesturing to each and every one of the Kansen standing before her.

"Italia, France, Deutschland, Nihon... Great Britain?"

Stout's elaboration only served to further perplex the leaders of Azur Lane, who began whispering amongst themselves before Nagato responded.

"You referred to some of our nations using names only the locals would be familiar with. You've been to all of our countries, but we still have yet to learn of yours."

It was at this point where Stout made a shocking discovery, her eyes widening in revelation as she examined the riggings of the leaders.

"Wait, are those... dreadnought riggings?!"

The Kansen of Azur Lane wondered what her surprise was about before Arleigh spoke once more.

"Holy shit, you're right, sis... didn't we stop using those decades ago? What year is it-?"

"1947..."

Bismarck cut her off, her astute mind unravelling the mystery.

"You're... joking, right? Tell me you're kidding god damnit!"

Arleigh demanded as Stout came to the realization that the blond battleship was serious.

"Arleigh... she's not messing around. No satellite guidance, no recognition of the most powerful nation in the world, old riggings, Kansen whom we've never met despite the close cooperation between our countries..."

This reveal and its implications slowly sunk into Arleigh's mind as she considered what this meant for them.

"Then... that means..."

Her hand clammped down onto the grip of her blade, the increased pressure causing it to quiver furiously as she spoke.

"We'll never get to see them again..."

Just then, the air grew heavy as massive rain clouds took form in the skies above. The onboard radars of the destroyers alerted them of another incoming Siren onslaught on the horizon.

"Great... just. Fucking. Perfect!"

Arleigh cursed through gritted teeth as she rushed into the fray at flank speed, Stout following close behind her.

"Where are the two of you going?"

Veneto asked before they received a message from Yorktown.

"Siren warships spotted on the horizon bearing 090°, prepare to engage."

"How did they know there were Sirens that far away without recon aircraft?"

Queen Elizabeth questioned, prompting Yorktown to respond.

"We'll ask them later, this could provide us with an invaluable opportunity to analyze their abilities."

The Azur Lane fleet followed the two sisters as they moved through the rain, the constant trickles and the occasional booms of thunder drowned out the voices, thoughts, and memories of their sisters and friends.

Arleigh and Stout held back their tears as they charged the enemy at full throttle.

"You bastards took everything from us!"

Arleigh yelled out in rage as she fired off harpoons towards the oncoming warships. Five Siren ships perished in the initial volley as Stout's missiles rose into the skies after Arleigh's.

"There will be no mercy for the likes of you!"

Stout shouted as she watched her missiles rain hell upon their adversaries.

Seven ships were struck down by her barrage as the Sirens attempted to retaliate against the enraged destroyers with their feeble lasers and torpedoes.

"Pathetic... you're all PATHETIC!"

The first of the Burkes screamed as she launched ASROCs after detecting Siren submarines on sonar beneath the crazed sea.

Enormous geysers of water rent the surface of the ocean apart, shooting up high as the anti-submarine rockets connected and ripped the enemy subs to shreds.

Soon after, humanoid Sirens joined the battle on the waves through portals. Spearheading a counterattack against the war scarred sisters, only to be cut down by their combined wrath.

"I'll slaughter every last one of you fuckers! YA HEAR ME!?"

Arleigh's threat of massacre was quickly followed up by Stout's, the younger, more level-headed Kansen no longer in control of her emotions.

"Weak... insignificant swine!"

The battle raged on for a meager four minutes as the entirety of the Siren reinforcements were devastated by the might of two destroyers.

The last humanoid Siren raised its blade to Arleigh as though challenging her to a duel. Its soulless, robotic eyes staring into hers, as if it was mocking her pain with indifference.

"Heh... I see... can't even hurt you assholes in any meaningful way, huh?"

Stout was quick on the draw, a single round from her revolver cutting the Siren's hand clean off its wrist, forcing it to drop the blade into the water. Arleigh quickly followed up by thrusting her sword through its mechanical heart.

This would have been sufficient to deal with the Siren, but Arleigh wasn't yet satisfied.

"Let this be a message to every, single, one of you alien fucks out there."

The grief stricken Kansen grabbed a fistful of the dead Siren's artificial hair. With a brutal tug and a twist, the Siren's head was torn from its body in Arleigh's visceral declaration of disdain.

Oil and Sparks squirted from the wound, soiling the destroyer's uniform before the maimed Siren's body collapsed onto and sunk beneath the waves. Arleigh held her prize high, through gritted teeth and a teary leer, she cursed their enemies one final time.

"I'll send you all to hell myself... That's a damn promise!

Her display of pure, unfiltered hatred terrified many of the leaders in the Azur Lane fleet, in particular, Veneto held back a gag as she gasped at the carnage while Hornet hid behind a shocked Enterprise.

"Holy-!!! That girl needs some serious help..."

Arleigh proceeded to toss the severed head aside, like mere rubbish as both sisters surveyed the battlefield, hundreds of Siren corpses and broken war machines sullied the seas once more, all personally executed at the hands of the merciless destroyers.

As the battle drew to a close, the storm gradually calmed, dark clouds slowly giving way to the setting sun in the background. The smell of smoke and salt emanated from their surroundings as the two Kansen pulled each other into a tearful embrace.

Their mutual grief trickled down their cheeks as they silently broke down.

Having witnessed the devastation and its aftermath firsthand, the leaders of Azur Lane were conflicted about the two destroyers.

"Such violence... I've never seen a more frightening display."

The cardinal voiced her concerns, her gaze locked onto the sisters warily. Though Jean seemed more impressed with the actions of Arleigh than apprehensive.

"Speak for yourself, that was a pretty good show."

Kawakaze eyed the sisters cautiously, ready to draw her swords in defense of Nagato at a moment's notice.

"At ease, Kawakaze-san, they do not seek to harm us. They are simply... vindictive, after losing their world."

The shrine maiden dismissed her retainer's protective instinct with sympathy for the sisters' situation.

Although each and every one of them had their own thoughts and reservations about the brutality of the Burke's, they all understood that the sisters' wrath came from a place of deep grief and despair.

Someone had to console them before sadness and fury consumed them entirely... and that someone happened to be Eugen.

"You two really know how to make a mess, huh?"

She chuckled lightly, looking around at the carnage wrought by the sisters before returning to solemnity with a heavy sigh.

"Listen, I know you've lost the people you hold dear, but that doesn't mean you're alone..."

She put a reassuring hand on Stout's shoulder as she continued.

"We understand what it's like to lose everything to the Sirens... the anger... the hatred. It'll devour you inside out, till all that's left is an empty husk."

Eugen propped Stout's chin up to meet her pained gaze before assuaging them further.

"As I said, you are not alone. You still have each other, no?"

She asked before smiling softly.

"Do not allow what you have between yourselves to slip away in pursuit of vengeance. It'll leave you with nothing, I promise..."

Stout let out a teary sniffle as she responded to Eugen with a sardonic chuckle.

"We... We've lost everything that we've ever known... our sisters, our friends, our comrades... even our world. We have nowhere to return to... nowhere to call home..."

"I wouldn't count on that last part."

The hesitant voice of a certain blonde carrier broke through the hopeless atmosphere of the still restless sea.

"You could come back with us! Granted, the rest of the girls might take a while to get to know ya both, but I don't see the problem with ya joining us. So long as that one keeps her hands to herself, it's fine by me.

While Hornet was terrified of the sisters, especially of Arleigh, she knew that they acted from their aching hearts. She would likely have been just as aggressive as they were if she found out that she'd lost Enty, or Yorktown in combat.

"You would allow people whom you've just met to stay in your homes...?"

Stout asked, her voice a strange mix of sorrow and hope.

"You have demonstrated your abilities to systematically dismantle the Sirens en masse. Both of you are welcome to join us in Azur Lane, if you wish."

Bismarck answered, her voice, although stern and assertive as always, was laced with rare empathy and compassion for the Burkes.

"Thank you, truly..."

Stout uttered an exhausted sigh of relief as she cradled her unconscious sister. She'd passed out more from grief than exertion after the battle, crying herself to sleep in Stout's arms.

"Your devotion to your sister is truly admirable signora! No matter what obstacles the world sends your way you will always be able to defeat it, so long as you stay at each other's sides!"

Littorio's charisma shone through as she disengaged her riggings and summoned her ship, bringing the sisters and her comrades aboard before setting a course for Hawaii.

Chapter Text

A few hours after the battle

Arleigh arose from her slumber to find herself lying in an unfamiliar bed. The room was an old-fashioned medbay, its signs and labels written in Italian.

She sat up and surveyed the room, finding Stout in a chair next to her. Her frame was slumped onto the mattress, soundly asleep. Arleigh smiled softly, resisting the urge to caress her cheek, refusing to disturb Stout's rest.

"Ah! One of le signore has awoken, how wonderful!"

The charming voice of Littorio permeated the room from its entrance, her flamboyance earning an irritated glare and a quick 'shush' from Arleigh as she gestured at her sleeping sister.

"Ah... capisco... farewell then, my enchanting comrade~"

The Glory of Naples made a quiet but heavily dramatized exit, leaving Arleigh alone, deep in thought.

"What are we gonna do without them...?"

She sighed, memories of Normandy and the others flashing through her mind. She looked to Stout, still sound asleep under her lachrymose gaze.

"What's next? Are you gonna leave me too...?"

Arleigh teared up at the thought, terrified of losing the only family she had left.

On Littorio's deck

The night's breeze carried a sense of accomplishment for the leaders of Azur Lane. Many of them sat around a wooden table, hastily set up on the bow of Littorio's ship.

The Kansen spoke about anything that came to mind-whether it was about how they were during the division, new developments, reconciliation or simply playful banter. A few others preferred a more private setting for their leisure.

On the stern, Wales and Eugen sat side by side, allowing their legs to dangle off the deck as they spoke. Their voices barely qualified as faint whispers.

"Peaceful... isn't it?"

Eugen asked, gently resting her hand atop Wales' on the deck as they listened to the song of the sea. Crashing waves, the howling breeze and gleaming stars in the late-evening sky served to enhance the feelings between both Kansen.

"Yes, it is. I've never felt this calm before."

Despite her admission, Wales' shoulders were still tense, as though the burden of leadership still weighed upon her in that moment. The German Kansen sighed while caressing the back of the Royal's hand.

"You're allowed to have a release once in a while, you know? You're not some invincible, immovable object that never gets tired. You're a Kansen, you have needs and urges, just like the rest of us."

Wales looked towards her lover before she spoke and Eugen met her gaze, smiling sweetly before tucking a stray strand of golden hair behind the Prince's ear-admiring her features.

"A release, huh... is that what you're up to whenever you're not busy assaulting me?"

Wales' chuckled lightly as she playfully questioned Eugen for her usual concupiscent demeanor. Eugen replied, the ghost of a grin pulling at her lips.

"Sometimes... but right now, you're the one who needs to relax. Meine Liebe..."

Her voice was soft, but it was laced with sincerity.

"You're not in your office stressing over paperwork. You're on the battlefield commanding our forces. You're here... with me."

A beat, then, Wales responded. Her voice was solemn, but lacking its ever-present gravitas.

"If that's the case... tell me something, mein Schatz. Where exactly are we-in this moment?"

Wales asked before moving closer to Eugen, their lips inches apart. Eugen answered by closing the distance, sealing their lips in a well-earned kiss.

Their union lasted for a long moment. The world seemed to melt away as they savoured it. However, that small taste of each other was not enough for either party. The thought manifested in their minds as they gradually pulled away.

A second later, Wales decided enough was enough. She proceeded to tackle Eugen down onto the deck before pinning her wrists above her head.

"Ach, looks like someone's finally taking initiative~"

The Ironblood cruiser stretched and writhed seductively under the dreadnought's hold, trying to look as vulnerable and submissive as possible.

"Well? What will you do now that you have me in your grasp~"

Wales licked her lips in anticipation as she watched Eugen squirm. Her free hand moving to caress her cheek as she leaned in closer to the captive Prinz. The Royal's regal voice was low and sultry as she whispered into the German's ear.

"I'm going to make you pay for getting me all worked up in the meeting earlier~"

Wales proceeded to deliver a deep, hungry kiss to the side of the temptress's neck, savouring the breathless gasp that echoed from Eugen under the transient glow of the moon.

"Ah! My prince~"

On the bridge of the ship

A reunion between two leaders was underway, two sisters who had been estranged for years.

"Jean..."

A forlorn expression settled on the Cardinal's face as she tried to find the proper words, but she couldn't think of anything to describe how she felt standing before her now.

Jean waited patiently, her arms crossed as she watched her sister struggle.

"Sœur. Say what you mean or don't say anything at all."

Richelieu tried, but her mind failed her.

"I... I'm s-"

She tried to apologise, but the Corsair cut her off.

"Stop. Right there."

"W-Wha-?"

She flinched, fear flickering through her eyes before Jean interrupted her once again.

"Listen, I appreciate you making an effort to repair our relationship, but you weren't the only one at fault for what happened."

Jean paused, taking a deep breath before she continued.

"As much as I hate to admit it-we're both accountable for what happened to the Orthodoxy and I don't want that to define us, understand?"

The Cardinal's breath hitched, the tension throughout her body easing as she realised-Jean didn't hate her as she believed.

"Yes... thank you, Jean..."

It was all she could say before the Pirate Queen turned and began walking away.

"Sœur... I'm proud of you."

Bart froze, struggling to process what she had just heard before turning to face Richelieu.

"...What?"

Her voice was laced with confusion and... relief?

"In just a few years, you have become a leader capable of rallying your subordinates against the enemy under a single flag. And beyond that, you have grown so much..."

The cardinal expected Jean to interject, dismissing her praise as patronization. But she didn't, so Richelieu continued.

"What I'm saying is... your strength and leadership have developed into something truly beautiful since we last spoke..."

Richelieu paused for a moment, tears forming in her eyes as she continued.

"I... I'm just so-so happy to have someone as strong as you... as my sœur..."

Jean tried hard to keep up her tough facade as Richelieu wiped away her tears with a trembling smile. The Pirate Queen was not immune to the admiration of long lost family after all...

She couldn't simply walk away-it was as if an invisible force was preventing her from leaving the room... as if she had been wanting to hear that from Richelieu all her life.

Bart, against her initial judgement, walked up to the cardinal and pulled her into a tight hug, surprising both herself and Richelieu.

"Thank you... I promise that I'll never let anything pull us apart ever again, sis."

Jean whispered as the Cardinal returned her embrace through quiet sniffles.

On the edge of the ship's bow

Enterprise stood alone, the unyielding winds surged past her, tugging at her silver hair as she watched the sun slowly rise over the horizon.

Despite the serenity, Enterprise's thoughts were that of war: When would the Sirens strike next? Where were they most vulnerable? When would she sortie once more?

It wasn't long before she was joined by Yorktown, who gave her a comforting squeeze on the shoulder, knocking her out of contemplation.

"Beautiful, right? Remember, this is what we're fighting for. Not just for the sake of humanity, but so that we can continue enjoying this view-this warmth, always."

She elegantly put as the Grey Ghost responded with a wistful sigh.

"Hm, I find it hard to relax knowing that the Sirens are still out there, somewhere, scheming against us, preparing their next assault..."

The Grey Ghost gazed down onto the waves below as she lamented their future.

"I'm afraid that I won't get to enjoy these moments together with you all as much as I want to before it's all ripped away..."

Having listened to her younger sister's plight, Yorktown began thinking of something to cheer her up.

"Enty... I know it's challenging for you to rest whenever you're not in battle or training. That's part of the reason I was glad to hear that Belfast was taking care of you."

Yorktown locked gazes with Enterprise before resuming her reassurance.

"No matter what happens, you'll always have Hornet and I by your side. We'll face whatever comes our way together as a family. This, I swear to you."

A beat, then, a small, rare smile pulled at the Grey Ghost's lips.

Not all was peaceful on the bow, however. With the stealth of a hunter, Hornet snuck up on her sisters before pulling them into a warm surprise hug from behind.

"Hey! You two talkin' about somethin' without me?"

"Heh, just some sentimental crap, nothing too important."

Enterprise muttered while Yorktown chuckled softly at her youngest sister's high-spirited demeanor.

"I..."

The Grey Ghost hesitated, prompting her sisters to stare at her with growing curiosity.

"...I love you guys."

Enterprise tentatively admitted, eliciting a faux shocked gasp from Hornet.

"Who are you and what have you done to my emotionally constipated sister?!"

"Now, now, Hornet. We mustn't discourage our dear Enty from opening up to us."

Yorktown chided while Enterprise rolled her eyes at Hornet's comment. The content atmosphere between them only grew stronger as the ship continued its voyage towards Hawaii.

Around the table on the bow

A handful of Kansen enjoyed leisurely conversations with tea and biscuits.

"Sì, mia sorella has a habit of disguising her passion for our comrades as mere admiration for their strength."

Veneto could only blush as she attempted to change the subject of the conversation while Littorio slandered her in front of their allies.

"W-Well, I do believe we have more pressing matters to-"

The Glory of Naples cut her off with a heavy sigh of frustration at her continuous refusal to be more open with her feelings.

"Why hide it, Veneto? Why allow your thoughts and emotions to build up without release?"

The Kansen seated round the table chuckled as they listened to the bickering between the Sardegnian sisters.

"I-I don't hide anything! I simply don't wish to be the cause of a scandal between our nations. I can't just walk up to her and-"

Big mistake. At that, a wicked grin crept onto Littorio's face as she cut off her sister.

"Excuse me sorella if I may intervene, who is, 'her'?"

Upon hearing her sister's inquiry, her hand shot up to cover her mouth. Too late-her slip up had drawn the attention of the others around the table.

'Cazzo!' Veneto cursed herself as she realized what she had just implied. Now, all eyes were on the Eternal Flagship and her dignity hung in the balance.

"I-it was just an accident! A slip of the tongue is all it was!"

She swiftly countered, but Littorio called her bluff.

"Lies, come now, sorella, did you really believe that it would be that simple to play the Glory of Naples for a fool?"

Vittorio fell silent. There was no denying what she had said.

"Now then, which fortunate signora has caught your eye? Perhaps one from the Ironblood? No... maybe one from the Royals."

The Eternal Flagship tensed, her eyes widening ever so slightly—betraying her desperation when Littorio mentioned the Royal Navy.

"Aha! Quindi viene davvero dalla Royal Navy, allora!"

Veneto felt like throwing herself off the deck as her infuriating sister inched closer to unraveling the mystery of her love interest.

"Well? Are you going to confess who it is? Or will I have to name the lovely signore within their ranks one by one and wait for you to turn ten shades redder, sorella?"

"I believe that it's best to allow Ms. Veneto her privacy, Lady Littorio. The poor girl looks as if she's about to explode."

Hood proclaimed with amusement. Veneto relaxed a little after her interjection.

The Glory of Naples leaned back in her chair with a theatrical sigh, relenting on teasing her sister at Hood's suggestion.

"Hah... very well then, fine maiden of the Royals, I shall cease my probing for now. But remember sorella, the heart speaks loudest when unburdened."

Veneto breathed a sigh of relief, silently thanking the Royal Battlecruiser for the rescue.

Hood herself was looking to make a move on a certain Ironblood dreadnought this bright early morning.

She left her seat, making her way around the table to Bismarck. Every step exuded her quintessential elegance. Upon reaching the flagship, Hood leaned down and whispered.

"Meet me in the royal gardens at 1700 hours after we arrive~"

Somewhat uncharacteristically, Bismarck flushed a faint red. Knowing what the graceful battlecruiser was asking—no, demanding, from her.

"You see, sorella? Lady Hood doesn't bother masking her feelings for Lord Bismarck-"

"Oh, stow it Littorio!"

Veneto glared, refusing to be the subject of her sister's teasing once more. Across from the Eternal Flagship, the Queen basked in the sun, contently sipping her tea before chiming in.

"Hm, this little debacle has been thoroughly entertaining, but I digress. Let us turn our attention towards the newcomers below deck."

Silence befell the gathered Kansen at that. The air at the table darkened as the leaders recalled the awe-inspiring—and equally horrifying—display of naval supremacy by the two destroyers last night.

Bismarck was first to speak on the capabilities of the Burkes.

"It was certainly a sight to behold. They didn't require our assistance even whilst being outnumbered a hundred to one."

Followed by Veneto.

"It didn't even feel like it was a battle-more like a one-sided massacre..."

The Queen was next to comment on their subject.

"Their weapons were shockingly effective at crushing the Sirens. I would like to have our scientists analyze them. If we could just understand their technology, we could employ it against the invaders."

"Littorio, you checked on them earlier, yes? How were they?"

"Well, the older of the two had just awoken when I arrived. The other was fast asleep in a chair beside her. It truly warmed my heart to witness such devotion to one's sorella."

"She was awake, and you didn't bother to tell us?"

Veneto asked, unimpressed. Her sister merely waved her hand dismissively, continuing her tangent.

"Oh there's more to tell. I never asked for their names. It may be unnecessary seeing as we already know them from their spirited exchange yesterday. Still, it's common courtesy to ask..."

Littorio rambled a little on mutual respect and first impressions as the Queen inquired about them again.

"Which one was which again? The insolent one was the older of the two, correct? And her name was...?"

"Arleigh, your majesty."

Hood promptly replied to Elizabeth's query before Bismarck made her first impression of Arleigh known to the group.

"That girl irked me in ways very few have. None of them lived to tell the tale."

"She could benefit from a few lessons in manners and respect, yes. At least her sister was amicable. Stout, was it?"

"You would be correct, Veneto. I believe that we should question them about their advent from their future. Their knowledge may serve our cause against the Sirens well."

The petite monarch declared, eager to get answers from the sisters with haste.

"One small problem, emphasis on small, has anyone seen Lady Nagato?"

Hood asked the group. The group at the table glanced around the deck for two short-statured Kansen with the features of foxes before Littorio decided to speak up.

"Those two left a few moments ago—I saw them venture below deck. Haaah, their ears are so temptingly cute~ Their near-irresistible charm constantly tugs at my resolve."

The table fell silent, every Kansen present turned to the Glory of Naples with growing annoyance.

"Do you ever think to inform us about such developments whenever we are unaware of them, sorella?"

"What? We were all sitting around the same table—I thought you would have noticed!"

Back in the infirmary

Nagato and Kawakaze stood at the room's entrance, curiously studying sisters.

They were lying in bed with one another. A heavy, almost suffocating atmosphere clouded the room.

They held each other closely while speaking of their family—who were all but lost to them.

"How do ya think the others are handling our... 'deaths'?"

"Not well... Porter, Ross, Carney... they've likely started our funeral processions by now."

Tears welled up in Arleigh's eyes, her voice cracking slightly as she whispered.

"I miss them... I wanna go home..."

"Me too sis, me too..."

The Burkes comforted each other, both clinging onto one another for dear life as they lay together in the room.

A/N: Oh boy... this chapter had more problems than Calculus. Hope you enjoyed the revision.

Chapter Text

The shrine maiden stepped into the room, approaching the bed and drawing the attention of the sisters. She spoke, her voice soft and empathetic.

"You carry much sorrow. However, I sense strength in you both-perhaps far more than you realise."

"Don't you dare tell us that you know how we feel... you've no idea what it's like to lose everything you love in the span of a few hours."

Arleigh snarled, resentment dripping from every word.

Stout put a hand on her sister's shoulder, attempting to mediate as always.

"Sis... she's only trying to help."

The tension in the room was palpable. Arleigh's perceived aggression drew Kawakaze closer to Nagato's side.

For a moment, the bitter veteran thought she saw the custodian's hands linger near her sheathed blades.

"Go ahead, try it. Let's see how you stack up against modern steel."

Arleigh growled, her voice laced with poison as she dared the silent bodyguard to draw her swords.

Kawakaze's eyes narrowed at the arrogant destroyer, mere moments away from taking her up on the challenge before the younger of the two intervened once again.

"Enough! Please Arleigh... stop it. these people have offered us a chance at finding a home here and maybe-just maybe-a chance of getting back to our future... don't provoke them."

Arleigh fell silent after hearing her sister's reprimand. The desperation and exhaustion in her little sister's plea was clear as crystal to her.

Stout resumed the exchange with the shrine maiden after she had stifled her sister's bitter aggression.

"I'm sorry for her outbursts... my sister and I have been through more than we can put into words. On behalf of us both, I would like to thank you and the rest of the factions' leaders for your hospitality. Though I am not convinced that we will be accepted into this... Azur Lane of the past, by others within the alliance."

Stout's somber tone brought the sullen air of the infirmary down further, prompting Nagato to weigh her next words with care before responding.

"Acceptance is not a gift easily given, nor is it something one can demand. If you wish to be seen as allies by the warriors of Azur Lane, you will not only have to prove your worth in battle; you will also have to earn the faith and trust of each and every Kansen within our ranks."

Nagato's expression softened before she spoke once more. Her voice was calm and composed as it often was.

"You have endured much. I cannot pretend to know of the weight you both carry. But know this, here, amongst us, strength comes not only from the weapons we wield in battle, it also comes from the bonds we have forged and how we stand together in the face of adversity."

The shrine maiden paused for a moment.

"If what you seek is a place within Azur Lane, show us that your hearts are as strong as your steel."

Then, the air of the room lightened. As though Nagato's speech had paved a clear path for the sisters in this unfamiliar world.

Arleigh's eyes shifted between the pair of fox-like Kansen standing at their bedside before she spoke.

"Heh, you're a real smooth talker. I'll give ya that..."

She took a breath, her former hostility ceasing completely. Arleigh relaxed, taking a breath before she continued.

"I don't think we ever got your names, mind tellin' us?"

This question further lightened the mood of the room, eliciting a soft sigh from her sister.

"Always falling asleep in history class..."

Stout muttered under her breath as her sister defended herself.

"Can you blame me? History's boring as hell."

Nagato answered after a moment, curious to learn about the sisters and hear their story.

"Nagato is my name. I am the first of my class and flagship of the Sakura Empire's navy."

Her gaze shifted to Kawakaze before she introduced the white haired Kansen.

"My subordinate is Kawakaze-san, she is the ninth of the Shiratsuyu-class destroyers and my loyal retainer."

Reverence dripped from Stout's tone as she responded in kind to the shrine maiden's introduction.

"It's an honor to meet you, Lady Nagato. I am USS Stout, DDG-55. The fifth ship of the Arleigh Burke-class of guided missile destroyers. My sister here is the first of our class, in the flesh."

"You bear the prefix of the Eagle Union. You are Kansen of their navy in the future?"

"We go by a different name now. And so does the Sakura Empire. Y'know what? I'll leave the semantics to Stout. I'm not good at explainin' stuff like this."

Arleigh's comments piqued Nagato's interest on the changes time had wrought upon their world.

"I see... earlier on the waves, you mentioned that you were from the 'United States'."

"Yes, I'm sure that you have other questions for us. Rest assured that we will answer as many of them as we can. There's no need to rush, we seem to have plenty of time..."

"You called yourselves 'guided missile destroyers.' Furthermore, your hull classification symbols—rather than 'DD' for destroyers—is 'DDG.' What differentiates the two of you from our destroyers?"

"The 'G' after 'DD' stands for 'guided missile'. I believe you saw us use them against the Siren fleet earlier—those large rockets that we launched from our riggings."

Stout, analysing Nagato's bemusement, decided to elaborate further on their weapons.

"They have their own onboard guidance systems to ensure that they hit their targets. You can think of them as high-caliber, high-explosive shells with rocket motors—fast, precise, and capable of tearing through Siren plating like paper."

Silently, Nagato absorbed the information laid down by Stout. Her thoughts drifted to the battle last evening.

"Yes, they were exceptionally effective at dispatching enemy vessels and aircraft. However, I have doubts surrounding the integration of your technology into Azur Lane. Perhaps, with time, you may teach us how to utilise it safely."

"Hold up—if I'm understanding this right, we've been flung like what, eighty years or so back in time? If we just started handing over our tech to you guys, the world's bound to develop faster than it did in our timeline and we might not see our friends and family again. At least that's what I know about time travel from movies and games... I don't think we should risk it, sis."

Mulling over Arleigh's concerns, Stout responded to Nagato's suggestion with a sigh.

"My apologies, Lady Nagato. I agree with my sister's assessment. We are willing to aid your cause in any way we can, but we will not put our future at risk."

Stout paused for a moment before letting out another crestfallen sigh.

"I'm not even sure to what extent we can help you against the Sirens without potentially altering the time stream."

While she was disappointed, the shrine maiden understood that to them, family came before all else.

She would not be so cruel as to demand that the sisters forsake them in favour of the alliance.

"I see. I harbour no grievances against your decision. I have no doubt that you both will be invaluable assets to us. Although, the rest may be disheartened at the fact that you are unwilling to disclose the secrets of our future."

"Sorry lady. Family first, would-be allies second."

Arleigh nonchalantly remarked with a shrug. Nagato, however, continued her gentle line of questioning.

"I have many more questions for you both, if you are willing to humour us for a while more."

"What else would you like to know?"

Stout happily asked, visibly excited to elaborate on their world and the technicals of their ships.

Arleigh groaned, sensing that the next few hours would be spent listening to her sister's yapping.

"Oh hush, Arleigh. The adults are speaking."

"I'm the older one here!"

Two hours later

The shrine maiden and her retainer emerged from below deck. The late morning sun greeted them with its warm embrace as they ascended.

The pair reached the starboard of the dreadnought, finding Bismarck gazing over the Pacific with sharp scrutiny.

"Lord Bismarck, do you happen to know how long it will be before we arrive?"

"HQ should be on the horizon in less than ten minutes."

The Terror of the Seas answered coldly. Every Kansen aboard was getting impatient with the journey, and Bismarck was no exception.

"What of the Sirens? Was there any sign of their activity over the past hours?"

"No. Care to divulge what you have learned from our newfound allies?"

The flagship of the Ironblood asked, both inquisitive and wary.

"The details are far too copious to properly explain at this time. Our next course of action should be to convene another assembly in order to discuss the revelations we have uncovered."

The Blonde dreadnought sighed, her irritation bubbling to the surface for a  brief moment.

"I grow tired of these unending meetings. One after another, they test my patience."

Bismarck remarked with mild disdain. After some thought, the shrine maiden responded to her ally's frustration, though, she could sympathise with Bismarck's feelings.

"While I do agree that these tasks are tiresome—even trivial and pointless at times—we should not forget that the efforts of our nations along with the entirety of Azur Lane are dependent on us."

Nagato gazed upon the cerulean sea below, its waves wove and swayed in the light of the sun, like a graceful dancer under the spotlight.

"It is our solemn duty as the honoured flagships of our respective navies to see to the affairs of our factions, both internal and external, regardless of their tedium."

The three Kansen stood side by side upon the starboard of the dreadnought in silence, awaiting the appearance of the Hawaiian islands within sight.

Refulgent rays of scintillating sunlight wavered and gleamed brightly on serene waves as the ecstatic calls of seagulls filled the air.

Shortly after, the glorious image of Hawaii gradually rose over the horizon, signifying their successful return.

On the shore of the island

Countless Kansen could be observed. Some made their way towards the harbour for sorties, others headed away from the harbour after sorties. Many more enjoyed the leisure of shopping and dining at the base's surprisingly wide variety of outlets.

"Ah, it would appear that our friends have returned."

The sight of the Sardegnian dreadnought from the shore filled King George V with intrigue.

"I certainly hope they have something of value to show for all the time they spent away."

The regal regent mused, patiently awaiting the docking of the Kansen on Littorio's ship.

It wasn't long before the giant battleship sailed into a vacant dock in the harbour. Those aboard quickly leapt off the ship, disengaging their riggings soon after.

"Welcome back, your majesty. I trust that your journey was eventful."

The head maid of the Royal Navy addressed the Queen dutifully. A small crowd of Kansen gathered around them in front of the Italian ship, all eager to see the leaders in all their grandeur.

"I thank you all for your kind wishes. We have much to discuss following our findings whilst investigating the light."

The faithful monarch announced before the Burkes emerged from the depths of the battleship.

"Ah, we have yet to introduce our new allies. Please extend them a warm welcome to Azur Lane!"

On cue, the time travelers approached the crowd. Faint whispers could be heard among the Kansen surrounding them.

Most wore expressions of excitement, realising they now had two more people to call comrades.

However, some had their doubts about the sisters. Their riggings, in particular, seemed to bewilder them.

A tiny Kansen approached, curiously looking up at Arleigh.

"You're quite tall... are you both cruisers?"

They peered down at the inquisitive girl. Arleigh immediately expressed her confusion.

"A kid? Are you guys using child sol—mhm!"

Her idiocy was, luckily, silenced by a quick hand over her mouth. Courtesy of Stout.

"For God's sake, she's a destroyer like us, Arleigh. They were much smaller and lighter back then."

Stout looked down at the petite destroyer before extending a hand.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am USS Stout, DDG-55 of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. May I ask your name?"

The old destroyer accepted Stout's diplomatic gesture and shook her hand before responding.

"Laffey... USS Laffey, Benson-class destroyer. You're from the Eagle Union too."

Stout's expression shifted to one of awe as she processed what she'd just heard.

"Wait—You're USS Laffey? DD-459? the destroyer who singlehandedly held off an entire Siren fleet in the First Siren Resurgence?"

"How do you know Laffey's hull number...? And when did Laffey do anything like that...?"

The snow haired Kansen asked Stout with her quintessential drowsiness.

"Oh no... I've said too much."

"Great goin' there sis."

Arleigh gave her sister a sarcastic round applause as the crowd grew more and more perplexed.

"Ahem. I'm sure you all find our antics confusing... Uhh, how do I put this..."

"We're from the future. Anyone got a problem with that?"

Arleigh casually declared. The crowd fell silent at her remark as Stout glared at her.

"Arleigh!"

"What? You were bein' all wishy-washy with the intro, so I stepped in."

Murmurs and whispers rippled through the crowd at Arleigh's revelation.

"I believe it would be more prudent for us to question them ourselves than to speculate."

Veneto broke the tension as Queen Elizabeth nodded.

"Very well, Lady Veneto. Disperse! That's an order!"

The gathered Kansen slowly left them, leaving the Burkes and the leaders to themselves with a scant few lingering glances.

"Please don't broadcast your origins so carelessly. You may have just spooked every Kansen on base by mentioning it."

Wales implored the sisters to choose their words more carefully next time. Stout, once again, found herself apologising, this time for both herself and her sister.

"I know, I'm sorry. We're not used to being in the past—as you can imagine. Meeting my idols like this has certainly sparked something within me."

"I've gotta admit, seeing Laffey now versus in the future, not much has changed, really. Save for her colours and choice of clothing a little. I wanna see if she can still drink me under the table—haha!"

Another sigh of exasperation escaped from Stout at Arleigh's insouciant remarks.

"Ever the hedonist..."

"Eh, maybe later. For now, what do ya want us to do?"

The brash destroyer asked the Queen as she and Stout dematerialized their riggings into a pair of vacant dry docks.

"For now, Belfast here will take you to the Eagle Union's dormitories. Register yourselves and claim your rooms. After that, you should get some rest."

Elizabeth paused, eyeing Arleigh sharply before speaking again.

"It would be wise for you to avoid the rest of the girls for now. They may be feeling wary of you both as a result of your loose lips."

Upon the Queen's mention, the head maid stepped forward and introduced herself to the sisters faster than Arleigh could start an argument with Elizabeth.

"It is my honour to be of service to you. My dear colleagues~"

"Huh. I didn't know the legendary Belfast was a maid..."

"She's not just some ordinary servant you nitwit. She's the current head maid of the Royal Navy. Show some respect!"

Stout snapped at her sister once more, motivating her to hide behind Nagato. The shrine maiden's short stature was entirely insufficient to conceal Arleigh.

"Please, Nagato! Protect me from my sister!"

At Arleigh's action, Kawakaze swiftly unsheathed her blades. Her irate gaze warning the destroyer against laying her hands on Nagato ever again.

"You have only yourself to blame for this predicament."

The shrine maiden said flatly, proceeding to sidestep away from Arleigh before Belfast addressed them once more.

"If you will, please follow me."

Belfast led the sisters through the base, passing by all sorts of buildings on the way. Some were strategic military assets, others were for leisure.

Among them were command bunkers, training yards, cafes, conference halls, mess halls, and many more.

"Here we are. Please follow me to the lobby, I shall assist your registration and corroborate your identities with Lexington."

"Thank you, Ms. Belfast. Your help is much appreciated."

They entered the building and approached the front desk. Lexington immediately addressed the head maid.

"Good to see you, Bel. Here for Enterprise again?"

The songstress greeted Belfast with a courteous smile before the head maid replied in kind.

"Not quite. I still have to sift through my duties for the day. These two, on the other hand..."

She gestured at the sisters behind her.

"Oh, now who do we have here?"

Lexington asked, eyes gleaming with interest.

"These are the Kansen discovered by our leaders during the earlier investigation. As mandated by her majesty, they'll be staying in this dormitory for now."

"Sounds great, may I have your names? Also, would you both like to stay in the same or separate rooms?"

"I'm Stout, and this is Arleigh, my sister. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Lex."

Stout extended her hand, offering a handshake to the graceful songstress of the Eagle Union.

"My, how courteous of you, Stout."

Lexington chuckled warmly before accepting the friendly destroyer's gesture.

"It's no trouble. As for the rooms, we would like separ—"

"Same room, please. You're not getting rid of me that easily, sis."

Stout groaned, snapping at Arleigh with feigned annoyance.

"Are you a toddler who can't survive on her own?"

"In this case? Absolutely."

Both Lexington and Belfast chuckled at the sisters' lighthearted bickering as the elegant songstress handed them the key.

"Hm, room 204. Here's your key. Please, make yourselves at home and welcome—to Azur Lane."

She beamed, the group thanked her and left the lobby, making their way towards the room.

"I don't suppose you require any further assistance?"

The head maid asked.

"No... That will be all, Belfast. Thank you for guiding us here."

Stout elbowed Arleigh in her side, motivating her to thank their benefactor.

"Oof, right. Thanks, Bel."

"I shall take my leave then. Until we meet once more."

With practiced grace, the head maid gave the sisters a deep, respectful curtsy before turning to leave.

"She really is somethin' else, isn't she?"

Stout responded with a nod as they walked to the second floor.

"Man, I forgot elevators weren't a thing back now..."

Arleigh complained, earning yet another irritated glare from Stout.

"It was two flights of stairs, you lazy dolt. 202... 203... 204. Here it is."

Stout inserted the key into the lock and turned it with a soft click, gently pushing the door to their room open.

The interior was surprisingly spacious. A large bed, big enough to accommodate both of them, sat against the back wall's centre.

A heavy wooden wardrobe stood on the left of the bed. On the opposite end of the room sat a sturdy desk, accompanied by a pair of wooden chairs.

Sunlight poured through a couple of windows above the desk. The silk curtains matched the smooth pillow cases and blankets adorning the bed. The bathroom featured a shower along with a sizable marble bathtub.

"Wow, this is... unexpected."

"Well, it's certainly comfortable. We should take a shower. You've still got some oil on you from when you ripped off that Siren's head."

"Sure, let's go together~"

Arleigh winked as she dragged Stout into the bathroom with her.

"W-what?! No! Stop it! Wait, stop taking off my clothes! Heeelp!"

Stout's panicked cries were heard from outside the room.

"Uhh... should we help her?"

Enterprise asked her sisters as they eavesdropped on the Burkes.

"Nah, family matters."

Hornet shrugged before walking off.

A/N: Me when comma splices: 🫠

Chapter Text

Royal Gardens, 1700 hours, 4 hours after the expedition

The evening breeze carried with it the flowery scent of roses and tulips. Their sweet aroma effortlessly drowned out the salty fragrance of the sea as Bismarck waited under a small pavilion in the Royal Gardens.

In spite of the calm, peaceful atmosphere, the flagship of the Ironblood was deep in thought on the implications surrounding the advent of the Burkes.

"What could their arrival mean for us?"

After a moment of contemplation, the tapping of heels on the wooden path caught the dreadnought's attention. She shoved her thoughts to the back of her mind before turning to greet her 'date'.

"Good evening m'lord, you appear captivating, as always."

Before the Terror of The Seas stood a resplendent enchantress of a lady, her lush golden hair cascaded down to her shoulder, the white gown that she adorned radiated her regal presence.

Her gentle gloves, the white shawl draped around her shoulders along with the graceful tiara on her head made for an irresistibly mesmerizing image, a true embodiment of the Dawnlight's Dame.

This dangerously gorgeous lady faced by the German was, of course, none other than Hood.

Bismarck's mind was a whirlwind of emotions and calculative thoughts at the sight of her. The elegant admiral who, at the present, held her gaze hostage was both a source of her longing and her guilt.

The dreadnought steeled herself mentally before she spoke, casting aside much of her turbulent emotions to put on a confident facade.

"You look... stunning, this evening m'lady."

As much as she tried to hide it, her feelings were getting the better of her. She fought to suppress the pure regret and desire she felt for Hood as she attempted to continue the conversation.

"I wasn't expecting you to dress so... well."

Her voice shifted from a formal to a more casual tone as she continued.

"A little warning would have been nice."

She redirected her thoughts to Hood's attire once more, trying her hardest to make sure the admiral would not sniff out her thoughts.

"Knowing the feared Lord Bismarck of the Ironblood? You would have worn your officer's uniform regardless."

The battlecruiser remarked, her soft chuckle permeating the pavilion. Bismarck opened her mouth to object, she however, stopped before uttering a word. Realizing that Hood was right, she voiced her defeat with a soft grunt.

"Biscuit, you seem distracted, and not in a good way, what's troubling you?"

Alas, the terror's worst fear had surfaced and reared its ugly (beautiful) head, there was simply no way for her to get past Hood's intuition.

"Perhaps... I'm simply not accustomed to being alone with someone like this. All my life, I've worked side by side with my comrades in the Ironblood. I am admittedly, unskilled in social affairs."

This misdirection from Bismarck merely served to amplify the admiral's suspicions of the dreadnought; to her dismay.

"No, that's not it, I've seen you face down entire enemy fleets without even blinking and now you're... shy?"

The battlecruiser retorted, concern was deeply sewn into her words as she continued poking and prodding at the dreadnought's secrets.

"Please, tell me about whatever it is that's bothering you Biscuit, I'm sure that I can help."

The flagship could feel her walls crumbling in the face of Hood's gentle interrogation. She sighed, taking a while to weigh her options-whether to make something up on the spot, or confess. There was a long moment of silence between the Kansen before Bismarck finally looked Hood in the eyes and spoke true.

"Our engagement at the Denmark Straits..."

The words lodged in her throat, too heavy for Bismarck to properly express, would she even care? Will Hood forgive her after all these years? Does she carry this burden, this pain... alone?

Bismarck felt as though she was coming undone whilst she laid her deepest regrets bare before her former adversary.

"That battle should have been an epic engagement between the pride of our nations, told by generations to come..."

Her voice waned as images of the moment which had haunted her dreams for so long appeared in her mind. Hood was feeling tense at the mention of the Straits as well, though she did a much better job of hiding it than Bismarck.

"Instead... it was a short, fleeting skirmish, ended by a damned lucky shot..."

She took a small, hesitant step towards the admiral, before continuing her tangent.

"I'm sorry, Hood. For you fell not to my cannons that day, but to fate itself..."

Hood observed Bismarck's actions and expression closely after her confession. Avoiding eye contact, guiltily staring at the floor of the pavilion. The ecstatic chirping of sparrows in the garden did little to suppress the heavy atmosphere bearing down upon the two Kansen.

"Bismarck... that wasn't your fault and I've never once blamed you for it..."

Hood lifted a gloved hand to her cheek, gently caressing it before directing the dreadnought's sight back to her in an attempt to absolve her of guilt.

"I admit, my pride was hurt after falling so quickly... The only reason I'm still here is all thanks to Wales. She pulled my unconscious self from beneath the waves and brought me home..."

Hood paused for a moment, locking gazes with the penitent flagship before speaking again.

"I had long since cast aside any petty grudges I once held against you and the Ironblood."

She took a slow, deliberate step towards the German woman, her hand still resting on her cheek as she spoke.

"The seas have taken far too much from us for me to hold onto resentment. Clinging to hatred will only serve to further strain our relations and our lives. That's what I've learned over the years..."

The elegant admiral reassured the German flagship, gradually moving closer and closer before finally wrapping her arms around the dreadnought in an assuaging hug.

"Hood..."

Bismarck hesitantly returned the embrace. The two Kansen stood there, under the shade of the pavilion in each other's arms for a long while. The setting sun aided in transforming the moment from a painful recollection of tragedy into a heartfelt reconciliation between former adversaries.

After a minute, they finally pulled away from the hug, although they hadn't quite released their holds on each other. Bismarck's hands were still nested on the royal's hips, and Hood's were settled onto the flagship's sides.

They stared deeply into each other's eyes, both considering the endless possibilities of the moment. After a while, the two exchanged looks of mutual understanding.

Bismarck hesitantly moved a hand from the admiral's hip to her back, gently pulling her in before slowly, oh so slowly, leaning in closer, and closer to Hood, their faces only an inch apart.

"Biscuit~"

Hood's voice was barely a whisper as she closed the remaining distance between them, gently pressing their lips together in a tender kiss. Whilst they stood there in their union, Bismarck took in the sweet scent emanating from her new partner.

'Lavender and... lilies...' she thought, her heart was pounding hard, far more than it ever had during battles or meetings with higher-ups. No... this was different, this was all that mattered to her at the moment and she was going to savor it for as long as she could, all others be damned.

A short while later, they broke off the kiss, Hood was reluctant to release her hold on Bismarck, fearful even. As if it would have meant that she'd never be with her ever again.

The same was true to Bismarck. However, in spite of her newly realized desire, a quiet whisper remained in the back of her mind, 'You don't deserve this, not with her... but maybe, just this once, I'll let myself have thi-'.

Before she could sink into the depths of her self imposed despair, Hood gently captured her lips once more, silencing her thoughts.

The world had never seemed clearer to Bismarck than it was in that moment, as if she finally understood it all.

"Biscuit... promise me that you won't let me go, no matter what..."

Hood peered into her lover's eyes, her expression saturnine. The dreadnought felt as though the worried battlecruiser was staring right through her soul.

The desperation in Hood's voice seemed to banish the demons from Bismarck's mind, if only momentarily.

"Please, Bismarck... say it..."

Bismarck feared that she wouldn't be able to uphold her oath to the royal admiral, but alas, her doubts were slowly melted away by the dame's forlorn gaze.

"I swear to you, upon my honour- no... upon my soul, that I shall never leave your side... my love."

A chorus of splashing from the waves crashing on the nearby shore lent their voices to the Kansen in the garden. Golden rays of radiant light from the ephemeral afterglow shone brightly through fractured clouds in the darkened sky.

The royal admiral teared up at Bismarck's vow, clearly grateful for her firm reassurance.

"Good, I'm... glad, thank you."

Wiping away her tears, Hood smiled brightly, finally satisfied after hearing Bismarck's promise.

At last, the flagship of the Ironblood decided to throw away every bit of her remaining trepidation. With a slow, impassioned pace, she leaned into the side of Hood's neck, her amorous breath sending ticklish shivers up the dame's spine before she finally planted several fervent kisses on her.

"Mhmm-hah~ Bis... marck, I didn't think you'd-ah! Oh, don't you dare stop~"

The elegant admiral was initially taken aback by the flagship's boldness but that surprise quickly morphed into delighted acceptance. She begged Bismarck to continue whilst the dreadnought had her way with her under the pavilion.

"Hmm, I don't intend to, oh fair Hood~"

Bismarck whispered into the dame's ear as she held her lovingly. Although she still harboured many doubts about their new relationship, there was nothing she wanted more than to shield Hood from all harm, to defend her against any threats to her dignity, and to her life.

She wished to enjoy the view of the sun casting its ethereal candescence upon the wuthering waves of the sea as it rose, and fell with the royal admiral, from now unto the end of time...

Back in the dorms of the Eagle Union

The two destroyers laid in bed wearing a pair of nightgowns that Stout had found in their wardrobe.

"Ow..."

Arleigh rubbed her cheek with one hand while she held Stout to her chest with the other. A clear red mark in the shape of her sister's hand was visible on her cheek.

"Now, what did we learn?"

Stout asked with her eyes close, enjoying the warmth of Arleigh's embrace as she did.

"No tickling in the shower..."

"Oh wow, you actually remembered the lesson this time. What a surprise!"

Stout remarked in a sarcastic tone that mimicked her sister's. Arleigh merely shrugged after removing the hand that was tending to her injury. She instead opted to wrap another arm around her sister before responding.

"Well, remember that time when I tried to catch ol'Mandy off guard?"

A few years prior

"The Sirens have stepped up their attacks in recent months, we need to reinforce British and Spanish forces in the Mediterranean, along with the French and Italians in the Red Sea."

A tall figure with long, sterling hair stood hunched over a large table. The tabletop displayed a holographic world atlas which was strewn with dozens of markers and points, projecting enemy and friendly forces across the globe.

She spoke with a heavily confident tone, clearly a seasoned leader who has won a great deal of battles.

"Agreed, we cannot allow the Sirens to seize the Suez Canal, global trade and UN supply lines through the red sea would be compromised if we allow that to happen. Not to mention that many of our allies in Europe would be boxed in by their two-pronged assault."

Another voice called out from across the table, this time from a woman clad the attire of an officer, multiple medals and accolades earned through years of military service decorated her uniform as she spoke, the venerated commander of Azur Lane.

"Maybe we can send CSG-7 and 9 to aid them, the Sirens have pulled most of their forces from the Atlantic and Arctic to concentrate on Europe. Luckily we have the logistics and resources to provide support in this manner to our allies."

A familiar tone chimed in from the other end of the table. The suggestion came from none other than Stout, deep in thought -as always- about where their firepower would be most effective.

"Perhaps, instead of sending them directly into the Mediterranean through the Straits of Gibraltar, we could flank them from the red sea. CSG-3 and 4 are stationed in the Arabian sea and Indian ocean respectively, we could trap the Sirens in the red sea and make sure they never leave."

"A kill box, I like your plan Normandy, any other suggestions Stout?"

The commander cast a curious gaze towards the destroyer, a look that said 'I'm open to new ideas'.

"No, commander, I believe Captain Normandy has the best approach at the moment."

The destroyer gave Normandy a smile, proud to watch the experienced mind of her strike group's leader at work while taking down a mental note.

"Well, we can't commit all of our strike groups to Europe, Asia's been a big Siren target for a while now. Taking away CSG-3 and 4 will leave a gap in the defenses of Northwestern Asia. I think-"

Before the commander could continue, a certain Arleigh Burke-class destroyer hopped through the doorway with a water gun in hand.

"Happy launch day captain, surprise!"

Aiming at Normandy, she pulled the trigger but instead of a steady jet of water spraying out from the barrel of the gun, she got a face full of that same water through a hole poked into the gun's water storage compartment.

Stout and the commander did their best to suppress their laughter, but it was a sisyphean struggle as the two women burst out laughing.

Normandy leered at the insolent destroyer, who seemed to shrink under her stern gaze.

"Attempted assault on your superior will get you thrown into prison. Shall I have you court marshalled for your crimes?"

The failed prankster couldn't tell whether the cruiser was joking or not but one thing was clear to her... 'I am so screwed.'

Normandy twirled a small sharp pin, no doubt the one she used to foil Arleigh's plan, around her fingers as she thought up a fitting punishment to discipline her insubordinate comrade. A rare, subtly sadistic smile took form on her face as she did.

"Burke, push-ups, now. I don't want you stopping until this meeting is over, and if I find that a single push-up isn't done with perfect form, you're not leaving this room without at least two of your sisters hauling your corpse out that door."

Only one thought floated through Arleigh's mind and that thought was: 'Well, well, well, if it isn't the consequences of my actions.' She glanced at Stout for assistance but all she received in return was an expression that said 'I can't save you this time sis... fly high.'

Even the commander gulped at Normandy's harsh punishment, clearly pitying the Kansen on the receiving end.

"You were saying, commander?"

"Ah... y-yes, as I was saying..."

By the end of the meeting, Arleigh collapsed into a puddle of her own sweat on the cold stone floor, completely exhausted.

Normandy walked over to the destroyer on the ground before descending to her level with the goal of whispering her gratitude.

"Thank you Burke, really. Usually only my sisters and our commander bothers wishing me on my launch day, you're dismissed."

In spite of her fatigue, the destroyer still found enough residual energy in her to respond.

"Haah... ah... you're... wel... come... Cap-"

That's all she could muster before passing out.

"Aaand she's out, guess Normandy really wasn't kidding about having two of your sisters drag her out of here. Hey, at least she passed the 500 mark before fainting, she beat her personal record!"

The commander remarked jokingly, Stout only sighed as she contacted Delaware on her personal communicator.

"Dela, gonna need you in conference room nine right now, big sis pissed off Normandy... again."

The voice that sounded from Stout's communicator following her call carried with it the accent of a devout Texan cowgirl.

"Oho, now I've gotta see this! On ma way partner!"

Back in the present

Stout chuckled lightheartedly whilst recalling the aftermath of that whole ordeal.

"Haha, you were whining about the pain for weeks. At least Carney was nice enough to be your lap and shoulder pillows throughout, she also gave you some of her world class massages right?"

"Yeah, the rest of you lot were too busy pissin' yourselves laughing."

Stout thought about it for a moment before she decided to speak her mind.

"Y'know I don't mind giving you a massage right now, if you want me to anyway."

Arleigh laughed as she declined her sister's proposal.

"Hah! Not a chance, the last time you tried it, I felt like my spine got crushed by a hydraulic press afterwards, ain't gonna happen again."

"Hmph, that was one time!"

She pouted before cozying up to Arleigh further, intently listening to her older sister's heartbeat.

"Yeah, but I'm not gonna... chance it?"

She noticed an odd expression on Stout's face, one she didn't get to see very often. An expression of complete and utter tranquility was cast across her features, as if she finally had the whole universe figured out.

"You seem pretty relaxed."

Stout looked up at Arleigh from her chest, eyes glowing with contentment and love.

"How could I not be? Whenever I'm with you, I never feel safer..."

Arleigh, after hearing her sister's proclamation, leaned down and gave Stout an affectionate kiss on her forehead.

"Easy with the praise there sis, heh remember when we caught lil Ross with Porter? Those two were redder than tomatoes in the summer."

Recalling the memories Arleigh brought up, Stout thought about the looks plastered on their faces that day: shock, horror, and red hot embarrassment, after they were discovered by herself and Arleigh in front of their room.

"Well, it was definitely an interesting way of expressing love to one's sister, but..."

She paused for a while, considering the ramifications of what she was about to say.

"I think... I think I'm okay with that... So long as it's with you, Arleigh..."

Stout averted her gaze from Arleigh's, staring down into her sister's chest as she did. She didn't know how her older sister would feel about her sudden confession but one thing was certain.

Arleigh's heart... it was beating too fast. After a moment of quiet thought, the destroyer leaned into her little sister's ear and whispered.

"Heh, siscon..."

Stout didn't react to her sister's playful teasing, instead she decided to cup Arleigh's cheeks and go in for a quick peck on her lips.

The silence following that act was almost deafening, Stout felt as though she hadn't properly considered Arleigh's feelings before doing as she pleased. Thankfully, her doubts would be instantly dispelled after her sister spoke once more.

"Sis... that... do that again..."

She demanded, Stout happily but hesitantly complied with Arleigh's request. Although this time, when she closed the distance between their lips, it lasted much longer than a quick peck.

Silver threads of moonlight perforated the windows to their shared room, illuminating the sisters' activities in an ethereal brilliance, as though the lunar body itself was giving the sisters its approval, and encouraging them to continue.

"Ahh... Stout, you've no idea how long I've been wanting to do that for..."

Arleigh stated longingly after parting lips with Stout.

"Who's the siscon now?"

The two Kansen, entangled in each other's embrace beneath the blanket, decided to continue pushing past their initial boundaries that night.

Chapter Text

0630 hours, sunrise

Most of the Kansen on base were still soundly asleep, save for the early birds and those returning from the night patrol.

The seas were quiet, gentle waves lapped at the beaches of Hawaii with cold splashes of saline water. Seagulls and pelicans alike skimmed the waters around the islands, hoping to catch any unfortunate fish daft enough to get too close to the surface.

In the room of our protagonists, the almost blinding glow of Sol pierced their windows, casting a warm yet uninvited wake-up call to all on base.

A soft yawn could be heard from their bed, Stout slowly sat up, stretching out like a tired cat. She rubbed away the drowsiness from her eyes before noticing her nightgown in a pile on the floor alongside her sister's and the only thing keeping their bodies hidden from view was their shared blanket.

'Holy shit, did we really...?' she thought to herself, a cherry-red hue saturated her face as the memories of their late-night activities surfaced one by one, she'd be appalled by their collective actions if she wasn't feeling so damn happy.

"Is this how Ross and Porter felt after their first time?"

She murmured, only to hear a soft hum next to her. Stout looked down to her right, Arleigh was still asleep. The most peaceful smile decorated her slumbering features.

The younger destroyer had only ever seen her troublemaker of a sister this relaxed whenever she was in her lap whilst reading a good book.

"Hm, hey sleeping beauty, wake up..."

She whispered, slowly waking her sister with a gentle rub and a few taps on her shoulder.

Arleigh blinked her eyes open after being awoken from her pleasant dreams. She chuckled lightly after Stout planted a quick, fleeting kiss on her cheek.

"Aha, g'mornin' sis... how was last night? Did'cha enjoy yourself?"

Arleigh sat up and caressed Stout's cheek, playfully pulling her face closer to her own. A smug smirk pulled at her lips as she teased her younger sister.

"Actually, don't bother answering... those cute noises comin' outta these soft lil lips said it all~"

She slowly slid her thumb away from her sister's cheek, gently tracing over her lips with it.

At that, Stout's facial features flared up in an intense blush. Her thought process had been thoroughly short-circuited by Arleigh's shameless display of affection towards her.

"A-Arleigh!!!"

Stout exclaimed in embarrassment, pulling away from Arleigh's hand and hiding her flustered face with the blanket.

"Heh, c'mon, don't be like that, here, lemme see your face..."

Ever so gently, Arleigh pulled her younger sister into an inviting hug beneath the covers, slowly coaxing her chin up from the blanket after she was within her grasp until they saw eye to eye.

"There we are, I've always loved these golden eyes of yours~"

Stout struggled to find the proper words, not wanting to sound too vulgar in front of her older sister, however, the pounding of her heart overpowered her thoughts.

"They're nothing compared to yours... they remind me of the boundless sky..."

Stout shyly averted her gaze from her sister's, acutely aware that they were very much bereft of clothing under the blanket while she was entrapped by Arleigh's embrace.

"Keep that adorable act of yours up... and I will not be held responsible for what happens next~"

Arleigh whispered in a low, sultry tone as she planted a lingering kiss on her sister's lips.

Stout's blush only intensified further after feeling Arleigh's lips on hers coupled with her flirtatious statement. However, she still had to maintain some semblance of self-control.

"Mhm~ not... not now Arleigh... we need to discuss our next move. Also... we can't let anyone find out about this, alright?"

"Yeah yeah I get it, ya didn't have to spell it out for me y'know?"

Her awareness of the social implications of their relationship surprised Stout, who -as any good little sister should- decided to mock her for it.

"Oh? You actually realize how screwed we'd be if anyone here found out about us? I guess miracles are common at this point in time."

She rolled her eyes, lightheartedly returning Stout's sarcasm.

"What, you think I'm a complete idiot? Does my name sound like John Paul Jones?"

The younger Kansen thought for a moment before responding to her sister's quip.

"That's fair, you haven't been insane enough to try and ride an Arbiter-class Siren on its back... yet."

Arleigh shivered thinking about Jones, that lunatic really had leapt onto an Arbiter whilst yelling: "Time to take 'em for a spin!" like it was a bloody bull in a rodeo.

"I swear, that girl doesn't just have a screw loose... a whole goddamn panel's missin', but she sure is the life of the party."

After a short, contemplative pause, Arleigh's gaze shifted to their window, the Sun casting its golden hue into the room felt eerily cheerful. Her embrace around her sister tightened as a knot formed in her stomach.

"I'm gettin' real homesick here sis..."

She sighed, the cheerful atmosphere of reminiscence shattered, replaced by an air of melancholy. Although she was going through much of the same internal turmoil, Stout knew that Arleigh was nowhere near as good at managing her emotions as she was.

Thus, she took on the role of her older sister's shoulder to cry on once more, as she always has and always will.

"I know... I feel the same way; the Sirens sent us here, I'm sure they can get us back to our future."

She calmly reassured her sister with another soothing kiss on her cheek as she stroked her back comfortingly.

"I hope so... I really hope so..."

Arleigh tried to focus on the positives of their situation, but it was looking increasingly bleak to her. Still, she attempted to help her sister come up with a plan.

"Well, we've gotta think of something right? What if we just nabbed one of those top dog Sirens, make 'em talk?"

Stout thought about Arleigh's suggestion for a moment before shutting it down.

"No, it's not a bad idea in principle, but the mainframes of high-class Sirens like Observer Alpha, Purifier and Tester Beta are still active. Even if we somehow successfully captured one, they would simply transfer their minds to a different body."

"Damn, they can do that now?"

The destroyer asked, curious as to how she had never heard of this power.

"If you bothered to pay attention in our history lessons, you'd know that they can't, at least in the future, as a result of our predecessors sacrificing themselves to destroy most of the Siren mainframes. Thereby removing their ability to transfer their consciousness to different bodies or 'frames' as they were called."

Arleigh blinked cluelessly as she listened to Stout's explanation.

"Cool, cool, and what are 'mainframes'? Is this the Matrix or something?"

Stout sighed in exasperation at her question, seriously considering knocking Arleigh upside her head.

"I take it back, at least Jones knows the bare minimum about our foes..."

"Fine, I'll explain this to you once and only once, so you better listen well..."

In the Commander's Office

On this bright, early morning, a lone woman was already sitting at an unreasonably large desk; a metal nameplate rested in front of her displaying the name 'Com. Chester W. Nimitz'.

Her attire consisted of a white collared shirt covered by a black coat with golden buttons, intricate designs had been woven into the coat by its creators. Various military medals, badges and insignia were pinned and sewn onto it, signifying her decorated past.

Her long, navy-black slacks were secured with a thin leather belt strapped around her waist. Its silver buckle had been moulded into the profile of a mighty eagle soaring through the skies.

The commander looked upon the ungodly amount of paperwork on her desk with unease. Her long, deep purple hair, usually combed into a neat wavy pattern, was a tangled mess. It hadn't even been properly brushed before she sat down and began signing away.

The paper mountains were stacked side by side, forming an insurmountably vast range of bureaucracy capable of rivalling the Himalayas.

In spite of the daunting sight before her, the steadfast woman vowed to chisel away the mountains of papers, one signature at a time. At least until break time rolled around.

"Alright Willow, c'mon, you've got this. Just finish off these documents, and you'll have time for a date with Cleveland and Shangri-La tonight... and for the next two weeks, hehe."

She thought out loud, practically drooling at the image of Cleveland in her suit and tie the last time they were on an outing. A true Gentry Knight!

"Of course, that doesn't take away from Shangri-La's cute little dress... ahhh, can't wait to see her wear it again..."

Pictures of Shangri-La in her Utopia's Collector outfit popped into her mind one after another. But before she could sink deeper into her fantasies, a soft knock at her door, followed by a familiar voice, brought her back to her senses, 'speak of the devil!' Willow thought ecstatically.

"Commander, may I come in?"

"Go ahead love, the door's unlocked."

At her behest, Shangri-La, her wife and secretary, entered the room. The tactful woman carried an air of grace that seemed to follow wherever she went.

Upon entering the office, she froze, visibly horrified at the sight of a quarter of the Amazon stacked around Willow. Her expression quickly shifted from one of shock to one of pure, unfiltered malice.

"Care to tell me why there's enough paper here to put the library to shame...?"

She smiled darkly at her foolish wife. Approaching the desk whilst cracking her knuckles menacingly.

"You haven't been slacking off again..."

The commander gulped, terrified at the sight of her now furious secretary on a warpath for her.

"...have you?

"Uhh, listen, h-honey? I can explain-"

Willow shut her mouth the moment Shangri-La arrived at her desk, the scorned Kansen slowly reached across the table and wrapped a deceptively gentle hand around the commander's throat.

"W-w-wait! This isn't what it looks like- I promise! Just hear me out-"

She stiffened up in her seat, too scared to even breathe. Her angry secretary leaned over the desk, cold, oppressive eyes locking with her terrified ones. Their faces mere inches apart.

"Ten... Nine..."

'Oh shit, nononono gotta calm her down before ngh-!' was all Willow could think of as she felt her wife's grip slowly tightening around her neck. She desperately tried to talk down the crazed woman before she ripped her soul out of her body.

"Hrk-! I just took on some... guh... extra work... I-I swear!"

Shangri-La's grip slackened after hearing that, to the relief of the commander. Unfortunately for her, it was a fake-out.

"Why...?"

She growled, perplexed by her usually carefree wife's sudden devotion to work. The Kansen continued her torment, squeezing down harder on the poor woman's throat.

"GAH-! S-So that... I could... S-Spend some more time... with C-Cleve and... y-you...!"

A million thoughts raced through Willow's mind, mere moments from succumbing to oxygen deprivation. 'This is it... this is the end of Commander Nimitz...' she thought before Shangri-La finally relented, releasing her hold on the commander's neck.

Willow sputtered and gagged as she took in several heavenly breaths of air. Though, she didn't get long to breathe before the Kansen assertively cupped her chin and guided Willow's lips into a firm kiss. The fierce secretary's expression softened dramatically as their lips pressed together.

"Mhmph~ ughuh... fuh, fuck... you almost... ended me there honey... ah my neck... Christ, that hurts..."

"That'll be your punishment for not informing Cleve and I before you buried yourself in work. God's sake, we had plans to try the cakes at the new café on base this afternoon, have you forgotten?"

"Oh, sorry dear... guess I was too caught up with my idea to clear out the desk for the week."

The forgetful officer sheepishly rubbed her aching neck, her wife sighed before briefing the commander on recent occurrences.

"Put aside the paperwork for now. We've more important matters to discuss at this time."

Willow shot her a curious look, wondering what could be more urgent than paperwork to the diligent carrier.

"Matters... like what?"

"As you know, a number of notable figures such as Bismarck, Queen Elizabeth, Yorktown and several others departed on an investigation after a bright flash from the east blinded half the port at around 1430 hours yesterday."

"Yeah, they left the meeting pretty quickly after that, took 'em a while to get back too."

The commander recalled yesterday's events with interest.

"I wasn't informed of anything following their return either, what did they find?"

The diligent carrier tried to word her explanation in a way that wouldn't confuse her boss, but there was simply no way for her to do so. Thus,, she decided to make use of the age-old tactic known as directness.

"They returned with two destroyers bearing the Union's prefixes, though we've never seen or heard of them before their arrival. What's even more absurd is that they claim to be from the future."

Willow stared blankly at her wife, infinite questions brewing in her mind.

"Excuse me... what?"

"I was as shocked as you are now when Essex informed me about their origins, they carry riggings with designs that we've never come across, paired with unique technology to boot."

After a moment of thought Willow got up from her seat, smoothing out her coat before asking for the whereabouts of the time travelers.

"Welp I suppose it's only right that I welcome our new arrivals, mind pointing me in their direction?"

"No, your office looks as though it was in the path of a tornado and don't even get me started on your hair..."

Shangri-La huffed at her wife's disheveled appearance before she continued.

"It's also too early at the moment, tidy up and we shall greet them together later in the day."

With a feigned look of disgust on her face, Shangri-La turned to leave the office as the commander struggled to find a place to start cleaning.

0900 hours, Eagle Union dormitories

At the front desk, Arleigh and Stout could be seen bidding farewell to Lexington.

"Before you go, please take this. Just in case you lose your way."

Lexington handed the sisters a folded map of the base for their reference, and Stout gratefully accepted it.

"Ah, we can't thank you enough Lady Lex, you've been a great help to us ever since we arrived."

"Oh stop it, I'm just doing my job."

The refined songstress responded to Stout's flattery with a smile before they left the building. Outside, the abundant clouds blocked out most of the Sun's blinding glare on the base.

"Right, now that we know our way around here, where the hell are we s'posed to go?"

Arleigh questioned her sister who unfolded the map as they walked, she took some time surveying the individual markers on it one by one before she decided on a specific building.

"I believe our first order of business should be greeting the commanding officer of the base at their headquarters. Though I have to admit, I'm feeling a little excited. It's not every day you get to meet a legend like Commander Nimitz."

"We met Bel and a buncha other bigshots yesterday."

The brash destroyer interjected, however, Stout retorted to her elder sister's statement with a very obvious fact that should have been known to Arleigh.

"Yeah, wanna know the difference? Humans, like the many commanders Azur Lane has had over the years, do this thing called 'dying of old age'. Belfast will be retired and living in Finland with Enterprise and her sisters in our future. While Commander Nimitz is or rather, will be, buried in the Golden Gate National Cemetery in California 80 years from now."

"Oh... I forgot about that part."

"Evidently."

As the sisters walked on, the Kansen passing by cast glance after glance at them, some filled with intrigue, others full of trepidation. Arleigh couldn't stand how uncomfortable a certain Kansen's gaze was making her feel.

The imposing woman's black uniform was embellished with crimson and gold trimmings, denoting her allegiance to the Ironblood. A heavy, red and white cape flowed freely from her shoulders, flaunting her grandeur.

Her obscenely long, pitch-black hair had been tied into a pair of twin tails, perfectly framing her intimidating presence.

Her cold magenta eyes, sharp as a hawk's, fixated onto the sisters like a predator to its prey during a hunt.

She stood with her arms crossed whilst leaning against the wall next to the entrance of the base's library, ceaselessly scrutinizing the sisters with her gaze as they strode along the path.

"Sis, I don't like the way that Kraut's staring at us."

"I know what you're thinking, don't."

"Oh c'mon, I was just gonna tell her to mind her own damn business, along with the rest of these busybodies."

She was about to turn back to face the menacing lady before Stout gave her toes a firm stomp.

"Ow! Fuck's your problem!?"

Stout didn't utter a word, she simply shot her sister a glare that said, 'Go ahead, try me.'

Arleigh begrudgingly ignored the German's persistent leering at Stout's interference and continued walking with her. Though, she made her displeasure with her sister's methods known with some mild grumbling.

"What was that?"

Stout rhetorically inquired with Arleigh, who immediately went quiet like a troublemaker in class being scolded by their teacher.

"N-nothing ma'am..."

"Hm, must've been the wind then."

"I swear, you're no better than Normandy sometimes."

Arleigh complained as they resumed their travels. A short while later, the sisters were approached by a small group of destroyers, the leader of which was a petite, blonde Kansen.

"Guten Tag, you must be the new arrivals that Laffey mentioned yesterday. On behalf of the four of us, I welcome you to our home!"

She extended her hand graciously, and Arleigh accepted it with a hint of hesitation.

"Uhh, thanks... and you are?"

She bluntly replied, earning yet another sharp look from her sister before the German Kansen responded.

"My name is Z23, but most refer to me as Nimi. It's good to meet new friends... ja?"

She gingerly asked as Arleigh's alert gaze wandered between each member of the group.

"I guess you could say that, what about the rest of ya? Who are the other two standin' next to Laffey?"

Finally, Stout intervened with a sigh.

"Ugh, Arleigh, before I slap you in front of our new compatriots, introduce us, properly."

She whispered the threat in her sister's ear, not wishing to embarrass both herself and Arleigh whilst attempting to get her sister to socialize more with unfamiliar Kansen.

Arleigh immediately acquiesced to her sister's command, obediently and politely addressing Nimi as she requested.

"Sorry, I'm a little cautious of people I've never met, it's... nice, to meet new allies, I agree. The name's Arleigh Burke by the way... and this cutie over here's my little sis, Stout!"

She stepped behind her younger sister and draped her hands over her shoulders, proudly displaying her to the group whilst donning the most innocent of smiles. All while Stout fought back the urge to slam her into the nearest wall.

With a mild twitch of irritation in her lips threatening to upend her false smile, she whispered to Arleigh once more through gritted teeth.

"I'll deal with you later..."

Arleigh simply gave her a snarky side eye paired with a smug grin that simply said: 'Worth it.'

"Wow, you both look so different! Are you really from the future?"

On cue, the purple haired girl behind Z23 stepped forward to speak, her energetic tone and awe almost immediately shattered Arleigh's perception of danger.

"Heh, you betcha, what's your name lil lady?"

Stout cast a surprised glance at Arleigh after seeing how quickly she was getting along with their new comrades. She watched with intrigue as Arleigh continued her chat with the British destroyer.

"My name's Javelin! I'm a J-class destroyer from the Royal Navy, it's nice to meet you too time traveler!"

She exclaimed in the most lively tone the sisters have ever heard, paired with a smile that lit up the port. Arleigh fought back the urge to pick the ebullient destroyer up and hug her like a cat with every fibre of her being before the last unknown member of the group was called upon by Nimi.

"Ah, before I forget, Ayanami, please introduce yourself as well."

She looked expectantly towards the timid girl hiding behind Laffey. It was clear to the sisters that she was from the Sakura Empire, her attire consisted of a sleeveless crop top paired with a short blue skirt. A pair of metallic protrusions from her head, resembling the horns of a demon pointed straight up towards the sky.

Her bright red eyes stared blankly at Arleigh and Stout as she continued using Laffey as a shield against social interaction while Nimi pressed her to introduce herself to the sisters further.

"Sorry... Ayanami-chan is a very stubborn introvert."

Laffey informed the sisters as Javelin attempted to bargain with the shy destroyer.

"Okay, how about this, I'll play with you for the next three days if you talk to them?"

Ayanami considered Javelin's offer for a moment before she accepted.

"Fine, hello... My name is Ayanami, yes. It's good to have new comrades... yes."

She reluctantly spoke in her classic monotonous voice.

"What's with all the yes'es?"

Arleigh curiously inquired with Laffey.

"It's just... the way... Ayanami-chan... speaks..."

That's all Laffey said before she dozed off on Javelin's shoulder.

"Ah, Laffey! Don't just fall asleep while standing in front of our new friends!"

Despite Javelin's attempts to wake her, the sleeping rabbit refused to be awoken.

"Haah, this is going to be a problem... come now Laffey! We have to sortie in a few minutes!"

Nimi stated with an exasperated sigh before Stout interrupted.

"Perhaps we should take our leave then, thank you for welcoming us but we have to meet your commander now."

"Ah, before you go you should be warned, the commander is a shameless pervert, yes."

"Ayanami! Don't slander the commander in front of them so thoughtlessly like that!"

"But it's true... she has no respect for others' personal space, yes.

Nimi scolded before clarifying with the sisters.

"I promise you, the commander isn't as bad as Ayanami made her out to be, she's simply a bit..."

She hesitated for a moment, struggling to find the correct word to describe Nimitz's behavior.

"...touchy?"

"We'll keep that in mind. Danke schön, Frau Nimi. Auf Wiedersehen."

Stout bade Nimi farewell before yanking Arleigh away from the group by her wrist.

"Oh, Auf Wiedersehen Frau Stout und Arleigh, bis später!"

"Tschüss!"

Arleigh hurriedly called out to the German girl as they marched on to the command center of the base.

Chapter Text

The ocean breeze mingled with the chatter of countless Kansen roaming about the base. Effulgent rays of radiant sunlight danced above gentle waves crashing upon the serene beaches of Hawaii, weaving a brilliant ballad of gold for all to see.

"Hawaii's pretty different now from what it was like when we were stationed here, huh sis?"

Arleigh questioned, hoping to kickstart some banter. Stout responded with a light hum of agreement before pulling out the map and unfolding it.

"Yeah, most of these buildings and facilities will have been destroyed in the future, it's quite interesting to watch them operate at the peak of their functionality like this."

She put the map away before slowing her pace, gesturing for Arleigh to do the same as she gazed at the shimmering waves on the horizon.

"I've gotta say Arleigh, I'm feeling quite proud of you at the moment."

The insouciant destroyer looked to her sister with a puzzled expression before responding.

"Huh? What'd I do?"

"That interaction with Nimi and the others just now, you actually enjoyed getting to know new people. Sure, you needed a little push, but you did manage to hold a civil conversation without the other party wanting to drown you in a lake for once. Now that's what I like to call progress!"

Arleigh playfully scoffed at Stout's passive-aggressive complement, casually resting her hands behind her head as they walked before cheerfully retorting.

"Pff, c'mon now, I'm not that bad. I've got some charm to my name. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to do this!"

In a flash, Arleigh planted a surprise kiss on Stout's cheek, too fast for anyone around them to notice.

"Ah!? Arleigh! Are you out of your mind!? I told you-"

The older destroyer swiftly silenced her sister's panic with a teasing finger over her lips before responding to her.

"Shhh, I know what'cha said, that's why I made it quick just for you, hehe. Now If I really wanted to make a scene, I'd-"

She went on to whisper into Stout's ear, it wasn't clear what Arleigh was saying to her little sister but the increasingly vibrant blush on Stout's face and her widening eyes hinted at the depraved statements whispered by the older destroyer.

Stout's heart raced as she struggled to form a coherent response to her sister's debauchery, but how was she supposed to stay mad at Arleigh when she was this... persuasive?

"S-sis..."

She stammered, her voice a strange mix of fluster and exasperation.

"You can't just say stuff like that in public..."

Stout glanced nervously at the numerous Kansen around them, a few had paused their conversation to cast curious gazes at the sisters. Their looks of intrigue made Stout's cheeks burn even hotter as she turned back to her flirtatious sister.

"What if someone's seen or heard us?"

Arleigh's mischievous grin widened as she reveled in her younger sister's concern.

"Good, means they'll know who you belong to. In fact, I think I'll also do this~"

Arleigh leaned closer, her breath sending shivers up Stout's spine as she blew a cool gust of air into her ear.

With a startled jump, Stout raced away, determined to break free from the clutches of her sister's relentless teasing, all whilst Arleigh's hearty laughter echoed close behind.

As they walked, more inquisitive glances from the Kansen of Azur Lane followed them, hushed whispers trailing in their wake. It was a long while before the sisters finally arrived at the commander's office.

"This is it. Before we enter, Arleigh, do you remember the ground rules for speaking to your superior?"

"Uhhh... gimme a sec."

Stout watched with mild amusement as Arleigh visibly struggled to recall the guidelines that she had informed her of. After a long moment, Stout finally gave up.

"Y'know what? Forget it, just don't act stupid in front of Commander Nimitz. We need her approval if we want Azur Lane to properly accept us. Without her support, we'll have no resources, no intel, and no chance of ever getting home, understand?"

"Got it, no Nimitz, no plan and no plan means no home. Sooo... Just don't be me for once?

"Yes, and for the love of god don't embarrass us."

"You mean don't embarrass you?"

The younger destroyer gave Arleigh a sharp glare before rapping her knuckles thrice on the heavy oaken door.

After a short moment of silence, the door's knob jiggled before turning. After the door had been pulled open, the sisters were greeted by a lone Kansen on the other side.

Her long blonde hair flowed neatly down her back while her crimson eyes gazed at the sisters with welcoming warmth. Her clothing consisted of a detailed dark blue shirt with sleeves that extended just past her elbows, paired with a short, pleated black skirt.

Draped over her shoulders was a thin, snow-white mantle, and to complete her outfit, a pair of nearly knee-high socks, spangled with dozens of stars and stripes that came with the banner of the Eagle Union.

The lone Kansen gave the sisters a confident smile before speaking.

"Hey! You're the newcomers from yesterday right? The whole port's been buzzing about the two of you since ya got here."

"Well it's certainly hard not to catch on, with all the whispering and strange looks we've been receiving."

Stout responded courteously before diplomatically extending her hand once more.

"Greetings, I'm USS Stout, fifth of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Without hesitation, the amicable Kansen accepted Stout's Handshake before introducing herself to the sisters.

"Could say the same about you. My name's Cleveland, oldest of the Cleveland-class of light cruisers."

She turned to Arleigh before offering her a firm handshake as well.

"And you? What's your name?"

Arleigh stared at her extended hand haltingly for a short while, her wary disposition causing her to struggle in adjusting to Cleveland's earnest demeanor before she finally agreed to shake the knight's hand, after which the destroyer replied to her query.

"Arleigh, I'm Stout's older sister. Nice to meet'cha Cleve."

"Heh, I knew you two were sisters the moment I laid eyes on ya. So, what brings you to the commander's office? The dorms are quite a ways away after all."

Before any further conversation, the Knight of the Sea stepped aside and pulled the door wide open, signalling for the sisters to enter. Cleveland's gesture felt almost ceremonial, as if she were inviting the sisters into a different world entirely.

The destroyers carefully stepped through the door and into the office at the cruiser's behest, surveying every inch of the spacious room as they entered.

The large room exuded an old-fashioned charm, a stark contrast to the flashy commander's office they were accustomed to.

A large wooden shelf lined the wall on one side of the room, filled to the brim with books on naval strategy, plaques and accolades along with several display models of various warships. On the other side was a long counter with built in cabinets and drawers.

At the far end of the room stood a sturdy desk, several meticulously organized files along with a few miscellaneous documents and items lined its surface including a steel nameplate with the commander's name engraved on its face. Along with a picture frame containing a single Polaroid photo.

Behind the commander's seat stood a vast array of banners representing each and every devout faction within the alliance, displayed in all their glory.

Light permeated the room through a pair of square windows in the office's far wall between the nations' flags, illuminating the quaint abode.

Last but not least, the center of the room had been arranged for comfort and conversation. A set of furnishings, including two plush sofas on either side of a low coffee table, all resting upon a heavy woolen carpet. A perfect setting to sit down and partake in candid discussions.

The dated decor felt oddly nostalgic to Stout, like it was all part of some vivid dream she once had. Though, there was one integral part of the room that seemed to be absent at the moment; the whole reason the sisters made the arduous journey here in the first place.

"Oh for Christ's sake, where's Nimitz?"

Arleigh asked acerbically at the commander's lack, her limited patience running thin.

"Sorry, the commander's out on an errand with Shangri-La at the moment, don't worry though, she's never gone for long."

Cleveland stated before gesturing for the sisters to take a seat on the sofas.

"Please, have a seat. I'll brew us some coffee."

"Thank you Cleveland. You're the commander's wife, correct?"

Stout inquired, part of her found the question to be rather pointless seeing as she already knew the answer. Although it did serve to put a look of intrigue on Cleveland's face and to divert her gaze back to Stout.

"How'd you know that?"

Cleveland asked as she funneled a handful of beans taken from a large glass jar into a manual lever coffee machine on the counter next to it.

"Well for starters, this framed wedding photo on the desk, it has you, the commander and Shangri-La in wedding gowns."

Stout stated, now standing behind the desk as she admired the elated smiles of the three women in the photo. The image was so beautifully preserved she could almost feel their joy radiating outwards from the picture, the destroyer thought before she continued.

"Secondly, that oath ring on your left hand matches this one right next to the photo."

She pointed to the commander's wedding ring set in front of the picture frame.

"Heh, yeah, Willow does have a habit of taking it off and leaving it there when she's got somethin' to do outside the office. She says that it's so she doesn't have to worry about losing or damaging it on errands."

Cleveland expressed with a smile, her gaze locked onto her own ring as memories of the happiest day of her life flooded through her mind

"That brash commander, always knowing what to say and do to make ya happy..."

The cruiser whispered affectionately to herself before Stout ended her rant.

"Just to hammer it home, we're from the future, the three of you are considerably important figures in US naval history. I've never missed a class on it, although I can't say the same for Arleigh."

"Nerd."

Arleigh teased her from the sofa as a look of intrigue crossed Cleveland's face.

"Wow, never thought lil ol' me would ever be recognized in the history books- ah... crap."

The blonde only noticed that she had overfilled the cup once boiling hot coffee flowed over her fingers. Fortunately for her, she was a Kansen and thus suffered no burns from this oversight. Unfortunately for the counter, it was now stained with hot bean juice.

"Ah... I'm sorry, I distracted you, I'll get a cloth. Where can I find one?"

"It's alright, you can find a few in the drawer down there."

It would be nearly half an hour of banter with Cleveland and complaints from Arleigh before the door of the office finally cracked open to reveal the long awaited visage of Commander Nimitz.

"Oh, I wasn't expecting company so soon. Cleve! Did you forget to remind me?"

"Seriously? You're blaming me? Maybe if you bothered to check your own schedule you'd know that they're not here on official business! They're the new girls Shangri-La told us about."

At that, the commander's gaze focused in on the sisters, the first one of them sat with her legs crossed on the sofa, a rather annoyed expression of fading patience evident on her face while the other stood politely behind the first, greeting Nimitz with a small smile before addressing her.

"It's an honour to finally meet you, Commander Nimitz."

She made her approach with small deliberate steps followed by a US navy salute on her arrival in front of the commander.

"Well, I never expected to be greeted formally like this either. It's a privilege to make your acquaintance, miss?"

"My name is USS Stout DDG-55, fifth of the Arleigh Burke-class des-"

Before she could finish her introduction, her sister intervened with her usual irreverence for formality.

"Yeah yeah we get it sis, get to the good part will ya?"

This interruption immediately drew a terrifyingly apoplectic glare from Stout. It was as if the Eye of Sauron itself was staring through her soul, at least that's what it felt like to Arleigh.

'I should not have said that, I really should not have said that.' was the only thing that Arleigh could think of as her sister turned her attention back to the commander.

"Please pardon my sister's rudeness, she's just a tad bit tired is all... Right?"

Stout didn't even have to cast her gaze upon her sister before she spoke up.

"Y-yeah, suuuper tired! Didn't sleep much y'know?"

She let out a feigned yawn to appease her sister's wrath.

'Christ, alright let's make a mental note to not get on this girl's bad side. Reminds me of Shangri-La earlier this morning.'

"Commander? Is something the matter?"

Stout questioned in response to Nimitz's lack of acknowledgement of her.

"Oh, yeah heard you loud and clear there ma'am- I mean Stout! Glad to have you with us."

"Heh, you're that scared of my lil' sis are ya? Well I'll tell ya, she's nothin' compared to Mandy."

On cue, Arleigh rose from her seat, nonchalantly strolling up to Nimitz at the door. With a scrutinizing gaze, the destroyer analyzed the commander from head to toe, seemingly searching for anything that could make her a threat.

"Uhh, something wrong?"

After a brief moment of awkward silence, Arleigh finally let out a hum of satisfaction before extending a hand to the commander.

"Nothin' yet but ya better watch yourself around my sister. The name's Arleigh Burke, first of my class. I've gotta say, it's interesting meeting a real legend like you in person."

"Legend? Ha, of course! Why wouldn't I be famous among even the most beautiful Kansen on the waves! It's nice to meet you too Arleigh, or would you prefer Burke? Whatever the lady wants~"

Nimitz ended her self flattery with a scandalous wink, causing the destroyer to take an uncomfortable step back after the commander shook her hand.

"Riiight, so here's what's gonna happen, I am gonna take three steps back and you are gonna maintain that distance if you don't want the imprint of my boot on your face."

"Arleigh! Stop your nonsense, she's the commander of Azur Lane for goodness sake. Show some respect."

The irreverent destroyer deigned to offer a condescending side eye to Nimitz before replying to her sister.

"Listen, I'm willing to tolerate a lot of shit for ya, but this? Nah, I'm good."

"Alright alright message received loud and clear. You didn't have to be so mean about it though..."

Nimitz resigned herself to Arleigh before straightening up her coat and marching over to her desk.

"Well then, let's start this over properly shall we?"

She took her seat at the desk with Cleveland by her side before addressing the sisters once more, her tone shifting entirely from her previous casual demeanor to the stern voice of a seasoned commander.

"First order of business. Greetings, Kansen of the future. As you know, I am Commander Nimitz, the officer in charge of the newly reunified Azur Lane alliance. It is my pleasure to personally welcome you to our base of operations."

She formally addressed and welcomed the siblings before briefly turning her attention away from them and towards her lonely ring on the desk. She took a moment to carefully pick it up and put it on with a scarcely noticeable smile before continuing her greeting of the sisters.

"I was just informed about your arrival this morning so please, do excuse my eagerness to learn about you both. The Yorktown sisters personally requested my presence earlier in the day in order to discuss your capabilities and I must say; you both performed far beyond any Kansen we have ever fielded."

Nimitz proclaimed with a mixture of respect and apprehension in her tone. Her gaze sharpened drastically, now devoid of her previous lighthearted attitude.

"Their descriptions of your actions in combat highlighted two things to me. Your effectiveness... and your danger. Personally, I believed that it would serve the interests of Azur Lane best to have you both detained and interrogated to ensure that you're not in actuality, agents of espionage sent by the Sirens."

The commander stated coldly as tensions rose between her and the sisters. Stout seemed completely unbothered by the commander's logic while Arleigh, in contrast, looked ready to put a 5-inch hole through Nimitz's chest at a moment's notice. Both of them ultimately decided to stay silent and allow the commander to finish her monologue.

"In the end however, I decided to defer to the judgement of Yorktown and her sisters. If they, along with the rest of the factions' leaders chose to put their faith in you as their comrades, who am I to oppose their acumen?"

This proclamation from Nimitz clarified her stance on the whole ordeal to the sisters. Well, at least they wouldn't be locked up, as previously suggested.

"Stout, Arleigh Burke, I am hereby placing my trust in you as the newest and most advanced Kansen in the entirety of Azur Lane and perhaps the world as a whole. Do not make me regret that."

Nimitz warned the sisters before her expression gradually gave way to a more tempered demeanor.

"Now, I believe we've gotten the most pressing issue out of the way. Do you have any grievances or questions about the facilities and accomodations of the base."

She sincerely inquired as Stout approached the desk with measured steps.

"My concern at the moment isn't the base, it's sorties along with our positions in the fleet. In this era, destroyers like us take up the vanguard fleet to ensure the safety of capital ships within the main fleet behind us correct?"

"Yes, that would be the standard arrangements. Destroyers and cruisers upfront, carriers along with battleships and battlecruisers in the rear."

The commander answered with intrigue, wondering where Stout was taking this.

"I must inform you that this would render my sister and I extremely vulnerable to enemy ships and aircraft. Many of our weapons are designed to engage enemies over the horizon. To best utilize our abilities it would be wise to position us in the rear of the fleet."

The commander pondered for a moment before replying to Stout's explanation.

"So you're telling me that you can kill enemy ships before you can even see them?"

"Yeah, that's kinda the point of modern war."

Arleigh jumped into the conversation from the couch, not bothering to indulge the commander's curiosity much. It did however serve to attract Stout's gaze once more, though instead of an angry glare, the only reaction she got from Stout was a finger over her lips paired with an impassive gaze before she turned back to the commander.

"We have a myriad of onboard sensors and systems that aid us in identifying friends and foes, acquiring targets and launching strikes against them beyond visual range. I wouldn't mind sharing the specifics with you currently, I have already done so on the way here aboard Miss Littorio's ship.

"I would love to hear everything you're willing to share about yourselves. Please, go on."

"Ugh, this is gonna be one of those long ass meetings isn't it?"

Arleigh whined but her irritation was completely ignored by everyone in the room as Stout started to elaborate on their Aegis combat suite.

Chapter Text

1600 hours, half a mile away from AL HQ

A small Siren surveillance drone hovered just above the water's surface; its cameras aimed directly at the bustling shore of the base.

Far from Hawaii at an undisclosed location, a large screen displayed the drone's live footage of the base.

"Fascinating..."

The chilling voice of Observer Alpha sounded. With a flick of her wrist, the drone's cameras locked onto a pair of Kansen exiting the base's command centre.

The diligent Siren sported a wide grin as she watched them through the screen.

"A long way from home, aren't you?"

The drone rotated its cameras left at Alpha's behest, now capturing footage of the two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers docked in the harbour.

"Or should I say... a long time?"

The camera panned back to the sisters before zooming in close enough to clearly see every detail of their appearances.

"How will you adapt I wonder. Will you struggle and die... or will you thrive?"

She reached for the images of Arleigh and Stout on the screen, resting her palm on them before her sinister grin widened further. The cold Siren snapped her fingers, signaling for the recon drone to return.

"This will be interesting indeed, heheheh..."

Back on shore

The sisters walked side-by-side through the base, having just left the command centre after a rather long-winded meeting with Commander Nimitz.

"SIX HOURS! I can't believe it took you SIX HOURS to explain that shit!

Arleigh's frustrated voice pierced the peaceful backdrop of the evening sun while drawing the gazes of many around them.

"Well, unlike some of us, the commander needs to know the full capabilities of every Kansen under her leadership to coordinate the war effort, so excuse me for giving her an in-depth report."

Stout huffed in annoyance as they strolled along the port.

"Whatever, I'm starving, let's grab some lunch... dinner? Linner... yeah, we're going with linner."

"Is that supposed to be-"

"Lunch and dinner? Yeah."

"You really are insufferable sometimes..."

Stout sighed before she spoke up once more.

"You're the picky one. Here, pick a place."

She handed her older sister the folded piece of paper for her to browse through the many restaurants on the base.

"Hmm, lots to choose from. Eh, no time to go through all of 'em right now. This place will do."

Arleigh pointed to a marker on the map before handing it back to Stout.

"That's just a short walk from here, we'll be there in no time. Think you can survive the journey? Y'know since you were 'starving'?"

She teased the older destroyer who responded in kind.

"Yeah, I can, think you can not get distracted by every little thing we come across? I swear it's like you have that disorder that doesn't let you focus on jackshit."

"Excuse me? I do not get distracted by everything I see... At least not back home. Everything's different now okay? It's interesting."

Stout deflected just as they arrived at their chosen place of dining for the evening.

"Welp, we're here. It's a little bigger than I thought it'd be."

The building itself was actually of standard size for most restaurants. What was unusual however was the amount of tables set up inside the restaurant. The entire space had been filled to the brim with tables and chairs, as if the person who designed it failed to leave room for a kitchen.

The sisters made the decision to find a table inside the restaurant as opposed to one on its exterior, escaping the now uncomfortable heat of the Sun.

"How about over there?"

Arleigh gestured to a vacant booth near the corner of the room.

"I don't mind, so long as we're seated and served."

The moment they got to the table a small group of what seemed to be large chicks dressed in little suits and ties came to fill their glasses with water and take their orders.

"Hey, Manjuus! I've missed these little guys."

Arleigh rejoiced as she scooped one of the oversized birds up from beneath its wings; it flapped and squirmed in protest, causing its suit to get wrinkly and cringkled all over. Frantic chirps and squawks escaped its beak as the rest of the Manjuus watched in horror.

"Arleigh put the poor thing down and order, now.

Stout commanded with a vicious air about her, making Arleigh comply with the demand in an instant.

"Jeez, alright alright... Someone's hangry. Uhh let's see... We'll keep it simple, I'll have a bacon and eggs burger with some fries on the side."

"Hmm... The eggs benedict with sourdough and cheese sounds good to me, I'll have that."

After the traumatized bird had jotted down the sisters' orders, another promptly hopped up onto the table to collect the menus. Shortly after, they swiftly scurried away from the sisters' table, their tiny feet tapping against the wooden floor as they retreated.

"Looks like you managed to scare 'em off, sis."

"How was I supposed to know they didn't like getting picked up? If anything, it's their own fault for bein' as cute as they are."

The sisters sat in the booth for a long while, conversing about recent developments as they awaited their meals.

"So, how was your first impression of Commander Nimitz? Did you like her?"

Stout inquired, which was responded to with a look of respect and stifled anger from Arleigh.

"She's definitely got what it takes to lead Azur Lane, but..."

"But...?"

Stout probed for her sister's opinion.

"That bitch threatened to toss us in a cell. How the hell were you so calm about that? I was about ready to put one right between her eyes then and there!"

The younger Kansen took a moment to formulate her response.

"Well, consider for a moment that she has the weight of the world on her shoulders. It falls upon her to ensure that we triumph in the war time and time again. She would be a fool to trust any outsiders who stumbled onto her base."

Stout took a sip of water from her glass before furthering her reasoning.

"She was simply taking into consideration the safety and well-being of the Kansen under her leadership along with her mission as commander. In my eyes, her thought process was completely understandable and logical."

There was a brief silence between the sisters after Stout's explanation until Arleigh spoke up.

"Sheesh, I was expecting you to respond in two sentences or less, not deliver a whole fuckin' thesis."

"That was nowhere near a thesis but if that's what you want then-mff!?"

Her spout had been swiftly nipped in the bud before it began by a quick hand over her mouth, courtesy of her older sister.

"Nice try, I ain't falling for that one ever again though."

She bluntly stated.

"As I was sayin', if she ever puts so much as a finger on ya without your permission, I'll gift her a new hand-carved prosthetic arm for Christmas, free of charge."

Stout managed to push away Arleigh's hand after a short struggle. Soon after, she replied to her sister's protective promise.

"Look, that's really sweet of you and all, but unless you want to be crucified by the five hundred or so Kansen in the alliance, stow the thought. Besides, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. You don't have to dote over me so much y'know? I'm not going anywhere."

At that, an expression of melancholia took form on Arleigh's features. She moved closer to her little sister before pulling her into a tight hug.

"You don't know that... and neither do I... So please, just let me hold onto you while we're still together, yeah?"

Arleigh whispered mournfully to her younger sister as they cuddled in silence for a minute, maybe two, til Stout decided to respond with a soft sigh.

"Respectfully Arleigh, there's not a thing in the world that would make me leave you. Even if it means sacrificing our chances of getting home."

She took a short pause to direct Arleigh's gaze back to her own before soothing her anxiety further.

"I promise, I'll always be right beside you while you charge head-first into battle, you dumbass..."

She ended that statement with a slow, affectionate kiss on Arleigh's cheek.

"Hm, didn't you say we were supposed to keep this between us?"

"Yeah... I did. Any complaints?"

She offered a small smile to Stout in response to her playful hypocrisy before replying.

"Heh, if I had even a single complaint, I'd be the biggest idiot in the world."

She took a deep breath, pulling her sister closer still before whispering.

"I love you, sis..."

No further conversation was held between the two. They simply sat waiting for their food, quietly enjoying each other's presence in the booth.

Just a minute later, the wait finally came to a relieving end as the Manjuus, stacked atop one the another, passed their plates from the bottom to the top like a fluffy conveyor belt until they reached the table and had set the dishes directly in front of the sisters.

A few encouraging chirps and an adorable salute were all the birds offered the sisters before taking their leave, allowing the sisters to enjoy their food in peace.

"My word, this looks amazing. I'll never know how those little birds manage to accomplish such tasks without opposable thumbs, or fingers for that matter."

Stout commented before cutting through a thick slice of sourdough and applying a delectable mixture of eggs, melted cheese and hollandaise onto it before scarfing it down.

"Mmm, it's criminal how much I've missed good food; we've truly been deployed to the front lines for far too long."

Arleigh was never much of a talker whilst she was eating, it was probably the only time she'd shut the hell up. By the time Stout had her second bite, Arleigh was already halfway through her burger.

Meanwhile, outside the diner, two Kansen returning from their recent sortie were looking to get a meal as well. Their crimson and black uniforms, embellished with iron crosses, clearly denoted their allegiance as they entered the café.

The moment the door opened, Arleigh snapped to attention realizing that one of the Ironblood Kansen who entered was the one she nearly confronted earlier that day before Stout intervened via a hard stomp on her foot.

She lowered her half-eaten burger as her gaze locked onto the imposing carrier striding across the room. The woman next to her commanded respect in equal measure. Her eyes were painted red as rubies; her uniform was a stark contrast to that of her partner's. She donned a high-collared jacket with a matching skirt, both articles of clothing had been adorned with red accents.

Her black pleated cap bore the insignia of the Ironblood, much like that of her compatriot's. Completing her ensemble was a pair of black thigh high stockings and boots. Her long wavy white hair danced in the still air of the restaurant as they picked a table directly adjacent to the sisters'.

"Why did they have to sit right there? The whole damn place is empty."

Arleigh commented, her irritation apparent in her tone.

"Be nice sis, they probably want to get to know us. I must say though, they appear unnaturally beautiful and intimidating next to each other."

The Kansen from earlier happened to notice Arleigh's incessant glare and returned it in kind before she took her seat. A long awkward silence ensued, neither party broke eye contact with the other and yet, neither side wanted to be the first to speak.

"You just gonna stare at us all day or are ya gonna start mindin' your own business?"

Arleigh, tired of the charade, finally broke the quiet in the diner, earning an admonitory glare from Stout as her reward.

"Haah, I'm so sorry for my sister's rudeness... again. I don't believe we've been acquainted-"

"We have not, and yet I suspect that this will be nothing more than a waste of time."

The dark haired Kansen interjected before Stout could finish. Setting her bluntness aside, her crimson-eyed comrade seemed content with simply watching the situation unfold for now.

"The hell did you say?"

Arleigh growled at the Ironblood carrier with growing disdain as her glare intensified.

"I was merely stating facts, we know who you are. Word spreads quickly around this port."

A choleric look crossed her face as she explained the circumstances to the sisters.

"Well, I suppose that renders our introductions unnecessary then, may we ask your names in turn?"

Stout inquired with a hint of indignation with their new allies' treatment of them.

"I suppose it would only be appropriate. Peter Strasser, second of the Graf Zeppelin-class of carriers in the Ironblood. A word of advice, don't waste our time if you value your lives."

Arleigh scoffed at Peter's perceived narcissism before turning to the silent observer.

"Well then, I'm guessing that you're her older sister, Graf Zeppelin. A word of advice, rein her in before I knock her senseless, Count."

The acerbic destroyer copy-catted Peter's warning with added hostility. Though, this only served to put an amused smile on Peter's face.

"The audacious sort are truly a sight to behold, but that's as far as pleasantries go. Arrogance-has to be earned, foolish girl."

The silent count finally spoke, her tone dismissive of Arleigh's threat as she peered at the truculent destroyer with uncaring detachment.

"Alright that does it! I oughta-"

Arleigh attempted to rise but before she could, she felt the firm grip of Stout's hand around her shoulder.

"Arleigh..."

She gave her sister a knowing look, one that Arleigh was all too familiar with. There was a moment of silence between the sisters before Arleigh finally responded to Stout with an understanding nod.

She turned to look at the aristocrats seated across from them, her expression impassive. For a short while, there was nothing, not even the sound of breath, til finally, Stout spoke once more.

"Are you implying that we have yet to experience war? That we see the world as sunshine and rainbows? That's funny, seeing as the last... thirty years, have been nothing short of hell on Earth for us."

Her expression gradually shifted from stoicism to irritation as she furthered her explanation.

"Every waking moment was spent in fear; when were the Sirens going to strike, how long would we have to counter their assault, who would send for reinforcements when, and I mean when, things went south."

Stout's controlled demeanor finally began to crack as she continued through gritted teeth.

"How dare you? How dare you imply that Arleigh and I haven't seen the worst of our enemies? That we haven't had to listen to the screams of our comrades... OUR SISTERS, over the communicators while we rushed to their aid!?

Her hands, previously set comfortably on her lap now trembled with righteous fury as she finished her statement to the carriers.

"Do not speak to us as if you know all there is to know about war... You are the ones who have yet to witness true horror, Count."

Another spell of silence descended upon the group after Stout had wrapped up her scathing statement. It would have been quiet enough to hear a pin hit the ground, had it not been for a slow, congratulatory applause echoing through the diner from the far wall.

"My, I have to say, you two are getting more and more interesting by the hour."

The tapping of heels sounded throughout the restaurant as the sisters' gazes converged onto the source; Prinz Eugen.

"Eugen, we've done as you requested, shall we consider our debt settled?"

Peter, punctilious as she often was, inquired whilst the heavy cruiser approached the group.

"Yes yes, always standing on business, gods, you truly are boring y'know Peter? You both can leave, I'd like a moment with these two to myself."

At Eugen's word, both carriers abruptly rose and turned to leave. Before they did, however, they offered the sisters sincere glances of respect and acknowledgment, as if all that dismissal and mistreatment earlier was merely an ostentatious act; a ploy to mask their true intentions.

As they left, Stout overheard Peter muttering something about this being a 'worth while investment of precious time.' to Graf. After their departure, the sisters were finally left alone with the enigmatic puppeteer.

"So you're the one who put those two up to this."

Arleigh commented on Eugen's underhanded test of character.

"Yes, I do believe I owe you both an apology for this; and a drink~"

The moment the insouciant German uttered the word 'drink', dozens of manjuus rushed into the diner from every entrance, carrying trays with huge tankards of ice cold beer on them to the sisters' table.

"Oh holy shit what's-mmh!?"

Arleigh attempted to question the sudden influx of beverages, however, she was swiftly silenced by Eugen lifting a tall tankard of beer to her lips.

"No time for chit-chat! Just enjoy the drinks, my treat!"

The fizzy beverage certainly worked like a charm in staving off Arleigh's hostility, it wasn't long before her tankard required a refill.

"Ugh... The taste of beer... Disgusting, I'm gonna need more."

"Hah, there's plenty to go around, meine Freundin! The night is young! Prost!"

The cruiser laughed as she urged the sisters to indulge in their drinks while herself taking a long drag from her own tankard, emptying it in a single gulp. It would be another two hours spent in the diner; full of drinking, laughing and cheers before the sisters bade the German prince farewell whilst leaving the building.

"Hey, s-sis? I-hic!-I love ya! Y'know that... R-right?"

Arleigh slurred in a drunken stupor as her sister supported her on the way back to their room.

"Yeah, I know, you've only said it twelve times tonight."

She sighed, too deep in thought about her second impression of Prinz Eugen to reciprocate her sister's drunken affection.

"That's cuz it's-hic!-true! I love ya!"

"And that makes thirteen. Honestly you really need to work on your self-control. I'm not gonna be here all the time to drag you back to our room, y'know?"

That... was a mistake.

At that, Arleigh's gaze snapped onto Stout's, her inebriated eyes seemed as though they were about to tear up.

"W-wha? B-but you said... you said that you'd always be with me! D-did you... not mean it?

Those words hit harder than a freight train the moment they reached Stout. Hard enough to push any thoughts of Eugen to the back of her mind.

"Oh fuck me and my big mouth... Arleigh listen, that's not what I meant."

Stout offered her sister an ersatz smile as she attempted to retract what she had just implied.

"R-really? Are you... sure?"

Arleigh's tone was distraught with emotion, her expression saturnine as she eyed her sister wistfully.

"Yes... I told you, I'd be with you no matter what..."

A mere moment after her heartfelt declaration, Stout tenderly cupped her drunk sister's cheek, gently guiding her lips into her own in an assuaging kiss. They remained connected in the middle of the pathway like that for a long while, uncaring of any prying gazes that their scandalous act may have aroused.

Fortunately for them, the usual pullulating crowds of Kansen were nowhere in sight tonight; the port seemed rather empty, in fact. At last they separated after a long while.

Arleigh's face was purged of doubt and desperation thanks to her sister's action, she now wore an evanescent smile as she slowly, but surely, slipped into a deep, content sleep in Stout's arms.

"I love you too, Arleigh..."

Chapter Text

0750 hours, Burkes' room

"Hey... Wake up..."

The comforting warmth of the sun permeating the room did little to compel Arleigh to rise from her slumber. Stout sat upright next to her, striving to motivate her sister to get up as well.

"Mmm... Five more minutes..."

She groaned groggily at Stout's attempt at rousting her from bed.

"Come on Arleigh, we'll be late at this rate."

"Ugh, does it matter? I feel like shit right now..."

The hungover Kansen complained as she pulled the blanket over her head, blocking out the intruding rays of sunlight.

"Commander Nimitz is expecting us at the docks by 0820 hours sharp; it's not my fault that one of us lacks restraint whenever alcohol's in the picture."

She playfully berated her sister for overdoing it with Eugen last night.

"Anyhow, by hook or by crook, we have to be present for the commander to assign us to a fleet, freshen up and get changed so we can leave-aahh! H-hey wha-mmh!?"

Without warning, Arleigh grabbed onto Stout's arm and dragged her under their blanket, planting a firm kiss on her lips before finally deciding to get out of bed for real.

"Fine fine, I'll get ready. That's all I needed anyway~"

She puckishly strolled into their shared washroom at her leisure, leaving Stout alone; entirely stun-locked in bed.

"Ah... that... idiot..."

Eagle Union Dormitories, Lobby

"Good morning, Lexington."

"Mornin' Lex."

The sisters greeted the regal songstress as they passed the front desk.

"Oh, good day to you both as well. I heard that you've recently earned the respect of Graf Zeppelin and Peter Strasser; no meager feat, I must stress."

"Huh, I didn't think word would spread overnight. It was really all thanks to Prinz Eugen, she was the one who orchestrated their presence at the diner after all."

Stout, ever the modest one, attempted to downplay their performance yesterday, even if Lexington's praise was well deserved.

"Nonsense, without your own conviction, those two would never have acknowledged you. They would have treated you as ants, to be brushed aside or ignored all together had you backed down from their provocations."

"Eh, I'm still a little on the fence about those ladies. The way they spoke to us really made me feel like caving their skulls in."

Arleigh made her opinion on the carriers' narcissistic act known, only to be reminded of a crucial detail by her sister.

"God's sake, it was a test of character put in place by Eugen, everything they said was made to rile us up. If you really feel so strongly about it then you should be directing your fury towards her instead."

Arleigh paused for a moment, contemplating last night's events before coming to a conclusion in the most Arleigh way possible.

"Hmm... nah, she bought us a ton of drinks. Can't stay mad at her even if I wanted to."

"Haah... I'd call you insufferable but at this point it's getting repetitive."

She sighed at her dolt of sister's reasoning, pinching the bridge of her nose in exasperation. Lexington simply observed and chuckled mirthfully at the sisters' frivolous back-and-forth.

"Heh, you remind me of Sara; always so full of energy with the enthusiasm to match it."

"That your sister?"

Arleigh inquired at the regal songstress' comparison.

"Yes, she's out on sortie at the moment. Speaking of... don't you have a meeting to get to?"

She gestured at an old clock hanging from the wall behind her. To Stout's horror, its hands dictated that it was already 8:15 AM.

"Oh shi-! I mean- sorry Lexington! We've gotta go, NOW!"

She proceeded to clamp down on her sister's wrist like a vice before dashing out of the premise with her.

"Woah! Bye Lex!"

Right after they left the elegant songstress proceeded with the mundane task of filing paperwork whilst greeting any Union Kansen entering or exiting through the lobby.

"Heheh, perhaps I should have stalled them for a while longer~"

She mused mellifluously, her signature smile frozen on her features.

Outside, the sisters bolted through the crowds, desperately trying to make it to the docks on time. Well, at least Stout was, Arleigh seemed to be effortlessly keeping pace with her.

"Sheesh sis, did ya get slower since we got here or somethin'? It's a cakewalk keepin' up with ya."

She remarked derisively as they sprinted through the base, brushing past many of their allies on the way.

"Shut up and run Arleigh! Better still if you can make it there before me!"

Stout replied to her mockery with practicality. Her determination bypassed her usual sense of politeness, allowing her to keep going without apologies to any Kansen she may have bumped into.

"Heh, nah, I think I'll just keep teasin' ya! Keep up, slowpoke!"

The braggart jeered, continuing to needle her sister's already thin patience with her insouciant antics. Suddenly, a brilliant idea flashed through her mind, accompanied by a devilish smirk as she quickly caught up to her little sister.

"OOPS! Up ya go!"

"WAAH!? H-HEY! PUT ME DOWN ARLEIGH! Everyone's staring at us!"

Stout yelled in protest as her sister hoisted her over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes before speeding up. They were definitely making incredible time due to Arleigh's blinding speed, but this knowledge did little to abate the unfiltered shame that Stout felt while watching every passing Kansen stare at them in bewilderment, and/or amusement.

"Hah! You said that you wanted to make it on time! Guess my price for transportation's your dignity!"

A few meters behind them, the Yorktown sisters were simply awaiting their orders at an outdoor pastry shop run by Dunkurque, before they witnessed the embodiment of chaos named Arleigh blitzing past the establishment.

"My oh my, just why are they in such a hurry?"

Yorktown questioned, a bemused smile crossing her lips.

"They've got a meeting with Nimitz, and they're runnin' late."

Hornet replied, her disposition nonchalant.

"Well, I've never seen anything like that before. I find it impressive how she can run that fast while carrying her sister."

Enterprise commended Arleigh's ridiculous strength as she watched her speed into the distance.

"Heh, what'dya say 'bout tryin' that with big sis and m-"

"Not on your life, Hornet."

The Grey Ghost cut off the boisterous blonde before she could get her thought across fully.

"Wow, you're so cold Enty..."

"Those two are certainly in for a rude awakening once they arrive. That, I'd love to see."

Yorktown chuckled at the dramatic irony of the sisters' predicament as their orders were brought to their table by a couple of earnest Manjuus.

After another minute of publicly humiliating her little sister, Arleigh had finally reached the docks, not even breaking a sweat at the world record breaking sprint she just pulled.

"We're here! So, did ya enjoy the ride? Do ya think I deserve five stars?"

Stout was silent for a while, likely too embarrassed to speak until a few more seconds went by.

"Arleigh... Put. Me. Down... Now."

"Heheh, I'm in danger, aren't I?"

Arleigh inquired playfully at Stout seething command before acquiescing to her demand, lowering her sister until her feet were finally on the ground.

"Go screw yourself."

Her expression was beyond frustration as she checked the time on her watch.

"Perfect, 0819 hours. Just one more minute."

And so it stood, the sisters waited... And waited... And waited... And yet, the commander was nowhere in sight.

"Oh come on, just where is that annoying ass woman? I got up early for this shit."

Arleigh complained once more as Stout grew more and more irritated with her. After a while more of ceaseless waiting, she spotted Cleveland passing by and waved her over.

"Heya Stout! Anything I can help ya with?"

"Absolutely, do you know if Commander Nimitz will be here soon? She told us to meet her here at 0820 hours but it's pushing on 0840 now."

Stout inquired with stifled irritation at the commander's lack of punctuality.

"Ah, rookie mistake."

"I'm sorry? What do you mean?"

Cleveland went on to explain the art of meeting with Nimitz to the sisters.

"Well ya see, the commander really doesn't look at or memorise her schedule... ever. She's always late to her own meetings and appointments."

"You've got to be joking right?"

Arleigh asked with visible annoyance at her explanation.

"Nope. So next time, if she says 0830, arrive by 0900 hours, if she says 1000 hours, be there by 1100, and if she says 1200 well... Don't bother showing up till 1400."

Both sisters were dumbfounded at Nimitz's tardiness, more so that everyone on the base knew the extent of her unreliability in meetings and planned for it in advance. Arleigh's reaction was nearly immediate.

"You married this woman? What, was she three hours late to her own wedding?"

"Well, she definitely would have been if Shangri-La wasn't keeping her on track throughout the day, but she does have her charms."

Stout was in utter disbelief at everything she was hearing from the Gentry Knight. All she could do was thank Cleveland for her help with an ersatz smile and kindly ask her to give them some privacy.

"Thanks Cleve... please give us a moment... alone."

"Uhh... Sure, if ya need anymore help don't hesitate to ask."

"We won't."

As the amicable light cruiser out of earshot, Stout turned to her insolent sister with a look in her eyes that could only be described as barely contained murderous intent.

"Umm... Heh... Y-you alright sis?"

"You..."

She paused, marching up to her terrified sister, motivating her to continuously back away step-by-step, until she felt the edge of the harbour at her heel. She gulped, true fear setting in as a now apoplectic Stout closed in with nowhere for her to run.

"N-now now, we can talk about thi-"

"You humiliated me for NOTHING!!!"

Her hand flew, like a bolt of fulgurous lightning, from its resting position to her sister's cheek with a velocity just shy of breaking the sound barrier. The resulting impact was so thunderously foudroyant that it produced an echo throughout the base for all to hear.

Arleigh couldn't even scream in pain, all she could do was fall backwards into the salty sea and pray not to be in agony once she crossed beyond the veil.

Elsewhere

With languid steps, the graceful cardinal of the Iris made her way towards the docks alongside her formerly estranged corsair of a sister.

"Those two sure know how to stir up trouble everywhere they go; Graf and Peter yesterday and now the whole port."

Jean remarked with heavy disapproval at Arleigh and Stout's chaotic stay on their collective base.

"They are adjusting to a new, unfamiliar environment after being violently ripped from their own by our adversaries. I believe it's best that we give them the benefit of the doubt for now, sœur."

Richelieu replied, justifying the sisters' antics to the Pirate Queen as they walked. A grateful smile radiating from her features for the commander's decision to station them in the same fleet.

"Yeah sure, you go ahead and do that. Still, it doesn't make sense to put us in the same fleet as those two, and what's with the weird composition anyway? Two battleships and a carrier in the main fleet with them and four ships in the vanguard? Who the hell thought this was a good idea?"

"I also believe that I asked you to watch your tongue, Jean. We can't have a flagship who swears like a sailor now can we?"

The cardinal gently reprimanded her sister with her quintessential patience as they continued their discussion.

"Ugh, how's 'hell' a swear? Y'know what? Forget I asked, I don't wanna hear it."

The Corsair grumbled as she reluctantly resigned to her older sister's suggestion to keep her cursing to a minimum. Before long, they pivoted back to strategic discussions.

"Hm, while notre commandante certainly lacks in punctuality, she more than compensates for it with her incisive brilliance. Her machinations have paved the path to victory for Azur Lane time and time again long before the divide. I have faith in her leadership as I do in you, sœur."

"Hah, you're probably right, if Nimitz trusts them then there's no reason not to give 'em a chance to prove themselves. Fine, I'll try not to be too judgemental when they screw up in our sortie later."

She sighed after a moment of thought, admitting that her sister's reasoning was indeed logical.

"Le langage, Jean. J'espère ne pas avoir à te le rappeler à l'avenir."

"Really? 'Screw' counts too?"

"Oui. Would you like me to further emphasise the-"

"Alright! I'll work on it okay? I don't need another one of your ceaseless lectures."

Richelieu chuckled lightly at her sister's feigned belligerence as they continued on towards the docks at their leisure.

A couple minutes later, the French sisters arrived to find Arleigh absolutely drenched with a crimson red mark in the shape of a baleful hand etched into her right cheek.

Stout, on the other hand, was attempting to dry her off with her personal handkerchief, which was working about as well as using a towel to drain a pool.

"I take it back... they're both idiots."

Bart nearly facepalmed from the sheer incredulity she felt whilst witnessing the result of Arleigh's slight against her sister.

Richelieu, in contrast, stood wide-eyed; contemplating how this disaster could have come to pass. Well, she knew what provoked such a reaction from Stout but certainly not how it happened.

"Are you alright there?"

The Cardinal's tentative question prompted the sisters' collective gaze to centre on her.

"Ah, Cardinal Richelieu, Captain Jean Bart! Everything's under control, don't worry! What brings esteemed Kansen like yourselves here?"

Stout questioned nervously as she wrung out the cloth before resuming her drycleaning of Arleigh.

"You discussed your positions in the fleet with Commander Nimitz yesterday, correct? Jean and I will be the ones in the main fleet with the two of you."

"Seriously? It's a true honour to fight alongside allies as dependable and courageous as you both, Cardinal."

She offered a polite bow to Richelieu, earning her a bright smile from the Cardinal, a skeptical leer from Jean, and an eye roll from her sister.

"I thank you for holding us in such high regard, we should all strive to be as well mannered as yourself... Some more so than others."

She shot her sister a playful glance, only to find that she was otherwise engaged in conversation with Arleigh.

"You're the Frenchie we met with the rest of those big shots when we got here, right?"

Although her tone carried no ill will, the Pirate Queen did not take kindly to being refered to as 'Frenchie'.

"Call me that again, see what happens."

Her warning lacked any form of hesitation or formality. Usually, Arleigh's first instinct when threatened would be to push back with twice the ferocity, but somewhat uncharacteristically, she responded with courtesy.

"Feisty... I like it. Now I really wanna see ya in action, Miss Corsair."

In spite of Arleigh's neutral remark, there was a lingering sense of indignation within Jean's mind at being labeled by the destroyer with another one of her nicknames.

"It's either Captain Jean Bart or Jean, nothing else, got it?"

She glared sharply at Arleigh throughout their exchange.

"Well, there's really only one person who I'd ever call 'captain' and she's not here at the moment, Jean."

The soaked destroyer retorted with a hint of defiance as she turned and headed towards her docked vessel.

"Where do you think you're going exactly?"

The acerbic tone of her sister's inquiry did little to prevent Arleigh from leaving their vicinity.

"To get a change of clothes; I've got a buncha extra uniforms on my ship. By the way do me a favour, if that dumbass shows up before I get back, slap her as hard as you slapped me just now."

"Good grief... it's only 0900... and I already feel drained..."

Stout sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that day as she watched Arleigh walk away; sea water dripping from her hair, sleeves and skirt.

"You're... the younger one, right?"

The Corsair questioned Stout, her vision still fixated onto Arleigh's shrinking visage.

"Yes... I know, it doesn't seem that way but as fate would have it, I am."

"The lord truly does work in mysterious ways. Still, you have a great responsibility upon your shoulders; keeping your sœur out of trouble, and you're fulfilling it well, mon amie.

"Thank you for your encouragement, Cardinal... I can't say that I completely detest her antics though."

Stout responded to the French Kansen's comments about their dynamic before the resounding clacks of leather boot heels against concrete from her left drew the group's attention.

"Ahh... good morning Richelieu, Jean and... Stout, where's your sister?"

The long awaited Commander Nimitz questioned Arleigh's lack, a steaming mug of coffee in hand as she probed.

"She just left to change her clothes, she shouldn't be too long."

Stout answered Nimitz's question with even more stifled irritation at the fact that she was this casual about being over forty minutes late to the meeting.

"Hm, may I inquire as to why she needed a change of attire?"

At that, Stout's responsible nature took the wheel, attempting to take accountability for the absence of her sister.

"It was my-"

"She fell off the harbour and into the sea, don't ask me how because I don't know."

Jean intervened before Stout could take accountability for smacking her sister off the docks, sparing her from an admonitory reprimand.

"I see... well then, looks like we'll have to begin without her for now."

Aboard the USS Arleigh Burke

The heavy steel door to the captain's quarters swung open with a gusto matching that of the woman who kicked it; a sopping wet Arleigh.

"Whew, finally back in here ey?"

The single LED hanging from the ceiling was more than bright enough to illuminate the room with a sterile glow; an almost empty, vapid, pale effulgence.

"Can't say I miss the ambience."

She commented on her room's lifeless lighting as she strolled over to the drawers attached to her standard issue desk, crouching down to open the middle drawer.

"Alright, shirt, check. Skirt, check. Underwear, check. Wait a minute, I don't remember leaving my stuff this organised... Who the hell has time to fold their shit anyway?"

The lone destroyer commented on the unexpected tidiness of her clothing as she picked out her change of attire. Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something; a subtle movement in the shadows, darting from beneath her desk to the underside of her bed.

"Woah- aight, nope. I've seen enough horror movies to know where this is going. I'm not playin' that shit."

Instinctively, she extended her open hand outwards before a blinding cerulean radiance permeated the room, signalling the summoning of her sword. With her blade now in hand, she pointed its accusatory razor sharp tip towards the bottom of her bunk.

"Here's how this is gonna go, imma count to three, if you're not out by then I'm cleavin' the bed in two with you under it."

Her ultimatum seems to have failed in compelling the unknown intruder to reveal themselves, seeing as there was no following movement from under the bunk.

"Alright then, one... THREE!"

Without further fanfare, she lunged at the cot, her sword nearly scraping the ceiling before it descended upon on the innocent bed. The blade's edge struck the sheets, rending them apart. Before the ruthless blade could continue further into the mattress, however, a panicked chirping caught the unyielding Kansen's attention.

Slowly, the shivering silhouette of a fearful Manjuu exited from beneath her bed. It's quivering form conveyed the raw fright it had received from Arleigh's heavy-handed approach.

"Oh shit... How'd you get in here little guy? Wait... hold up... that hat..."

She paused her line of questioning as she noticed a little black cap that the terrified bird was wearing. The profile of a red bull's head and crimson tipped horns had been embroidered onto its face. The design sported an unmistakably crossed look on the bulls features along with the tagline 'Chicago Bulls' beneath the logo.

"No way, Oscar!?"

The hapless Manjuu bobbed its head frantically, gradually returning to a more calm demeanor after his near death experience.

At that, Arleigh relinquished her sword, its steel body hitting the ground with a resounding clang before it vanished in a blue burst of light.

"How? Why? You're... here?"

She questioned as she scooped the oversized chick up, nearly tearing up at the sight of her old friend.

"I've missed you so much!"

The sentimental destroyer proceeded to pull Oscar into an ardent embrace, uncaring for his belligerent squawks and flaps. After a long moment, she finally released the poor thing.

As a result of Arleigh's rough handling, he spun around dizzily after she set him back on the ground. His fragile feathers very much ruffled and wet.

Shortly after he regained his composure, he released another tirade of chirps, his tone admonitory as he complained about being as moist as Arleigh's attire was.

"Ah... sorry buddy, but seriously though, how'd you end up stuck in here?"

Oscar proceeded to let loose a torrent of chirps and squawks, as if eagerly recounting events from day one of his imprisonment within the captain's quarters.

A few minutes passed before the chick fell silent, struggling to catch his breath after his lengthy rant.

"So you're tellin' me that you wandered onto my ship a week before we left the port with Mandy and the others to fight the Sirens in the Atlantic? First off, sorry 'bout gettin' ya killed. Well... we're still alive but anyway, what made ya think it was a good idea to clamber aboard in the first place?"

After Oscar had caught his breath, he replied to Arleigh's question with a series of enthusiastic tweet. Puffing up his chest in pride beforehand.

"Huh... So you're saying that I looked down in the dumps lately and you thought that sneakin' onto my ship and cleanin' would help cheer me up? Okay that's, pretty sweet of ya. Sorry for making ya worry, I guess? Wait... you're the one who folded my clothes?"

A triumphant chirrup sounded from the proud Manjuu at her question, confirming his considerate intentions.

"Hm, guess I can't complain. Well, imma get changed, wanna come with me to see Stout and some pompous ancient Kansen?"

Oscar nodded, albeit perplexedly at Arleigh's suggestion.

"Sounds like a plan then."

She stated before unceremoniously shucking off her thoroughly soaked clothes. Prompting Oscar to rapidly turn away with embarrassment.

"Hey! Cover your eyes, ya perv!"

She teased, knowing full well that the only one she had to blame for the Manjuu's peeping was herself.

Chapter Text

0900 Hours, five nautical miles west of Azur Lane HQ

The seas were calm—eerily calm. The ocean's surface was stagnant, not a ripple or wave disturbing the peace. Shrouded in dense fog, a lone figure stood motionless upon the hauntingly tranquil Pacific.

Her dress and gloves were embellished and accentuated by the familiar shades and hues of the Ironblood—crimson, black, and gold.

The dreadnought's massive twin-dragon rig provided ample shade to the imposing maestro.

Her expression remained impassive.  A hushed hum. Then, gentle, deliberate strokes of her regal baton.

On cue, the ocean rose—ever so slightly—before falling at the behest of the authoritative conductor's wand.

The tides, the gale, the birds, the denizens of the deep—all lent their voices to the Iron Matron's orchestra.

For an ephemeral moment, nothing broke the carefully crafted harmony of the astute maestro.

It was perfection, the rhymes and rhythms of the sea entirely in sync. All before the voice of her nation's flagship echoed through the fog, shattering the spell of her symphony.

"Guten Morgen, Friedrich. Am I interrupting something?"

With that, the Iron Matron gradually lowered her baton before turning to face Bismarck.

"Ach, mein Löwe~ No, you're just on time, in fact. You sought my counsel?"

"Ja, a matter of great significance has been plaguing my mind for some time. I hoped that you would be able to shed some light on my... problem."

The flagship sighed as she ended her statement, followed by a knowing grin from the calculative maestro.

"Mein Kind, so bound by duty~ Tell me, is this 'problem' of yours related to the fair maiden you so tenderly smooched several days ago?"

At that, Bismarck lit up like a signal flare, her composure crumbling in an instant at the matron's inquiry.

"F-Friedrich! How-!?"

"Tsk tsk, Bismarck, Bismarck~ You should know by now... you may veil your emotions in as many layers of felt and briars as you desire, nothing eludes my gaze."

She paused, taking in the rare sight of Bismarck's stoicism collapsing under her reminder.

"Though I must say, the Royal Gardens were a rather... open, venue for such amorous acts. If you intended for your little tryst to remain unknown."

"You think I intended for those events to transpire in such a public setting? She was the one who chose the gardens and so that's where we met. It was meant to be a cordial discussion but-"

She was cut off before she could further deflect her embarrassment and salvage her reputation.

"But you got lost in her eyes? Is that what happened, mein Kind?"

"NEIN! I only meant for us to talk! But... things got out of hand alright? Before I knew it, I swore—upon any and all means and upon everything that I am, that I would always stay by her side..."

She admitted to her vow to Hood before breathing an exasperated sigh, her shoulders tensed as she looked to the wise conductor before her for advice.

"Hmm, an oath of great promise indeed..."

Her tone shifted dramatically. No longer were her words of playful condescension, nor were they kind. Now, it was clear that the flagship was being adjudged by the Iron Matron.

"Tell me truthfully mein Kind, do you intend to honour your vow to Lady Hood, or were you merely hoping to brook her mirth in that moment?"

"I meant every word I said to her. I just... I just don't know how I could ever be worthy of her..."

A pause, a moment of deep thought for the matron to consider her flagship's troubles. She mused, resting her fingers against her chin before finally replying.

"So, your duty to Deutschland is not the source of your hardships, rather it's... self-worth."

The matron remarked after taking a moment to process Bismarck's plight, an understanding frown crossing her lips before she looked her compatriot in the eyes and spoke once more.

"Bismarck, your issues stem not only from self-worth, but from guilt. You still hold yourself accountable for her near death despite kismet deciding against a greater bout between you both."

She stated, unraveling the flagship's deepest grievances without a hint of trouble.

"You know this, Lady Hood has long since accepted this reality as well, otherwise she would be... uncompelled to kiss, no?"

The flagship remained silent, her expression unreadable as the maestro continued her reinforcement.

"She extended her forgiveness on that day while you stood beneath the pavilion. However, that won't suffice for you, will it? Now you must learn to forgive yourself; learn to love yourself as much as you love her, mein Kind."

There was a pause, a brief moment of clarity before Bismarck posed her next question.

"How?"

A single word responding to a hundred. A single question cementing the flagship's doubt.

"That, I cannot tell you, my dear."

The maestro admitted.

"Why?"

The flagship questioned, vexation taking form on her features at the matron's ambiguity. Friedrich however, looked to her with patience before further clarifying the path to self-absolution.

"Matters of the heart are difficult, Bismarck. There exists no straightforward answer to your predicament."

She halted her speech, allowing Bismarck a brief pause to absorb what she was telling her.

"Let me ask you this: when Beethoven lost his hearing, how did he continue to compose? How did he know the notes and how they would sound when played without the sense necessary for such a career?"

Bismarck thought for a moment before responding.

"He put a pencil in his mouth and rested the other end on the piano to feel the music, he also memorised a great deal of the notes he played over the years."

"Genau."

The maestro smiled as if telling Bismarck she had found the solution. The flagship's gaze narrowed before she continued.

"Are you implying-?"

"Yes, much like how Ludwig van Beethoven composed his ninth whilst nearly lacking his hearing entirely, you too must strive to forge your own path forward alongside your beloved; your very own masterpiece."

The silence following her comparison felt awfully despairing. Bismarck, once stoic and proud, now hung her head low.

"Is that so..."

The flagship felt dejected at the knowledge she had obtained from the matron. For once, she appeared defeated. Defeated, but determined.

"Chin up, mein Löwe. Where you lack emotional expertise you compensate for with sheer tenacity. When have you not done far more with less, I ask."

Friedrich remarked, moving closer to her flagship.

"We have all witnessed your conviction, Bismarck; time and time again when all odds were against the Ironblood, when all was nearly deemed lost by fate, you stepped in. You brought hope, and victory followed in your wake."

She cupped Bismarck's chin, affirmatively directing her gaze onto her own before continuing on.

"There's no doubt in my mind that you will tame this daunting turmoil within your soul. However long that may take, you have my guidance and your willpower pushing you forward. Mein tapferes Licht des Eisenblut~"

With a proud smile, the Iron Matron proceeded to pull Bismarck into an assuaging embrace, emboldening her to pursue her trying task with growing resolve.

0915 hours, docks

The bustling crowds of Kansen going about their business did little to drown out the ecstatic whistling of a now dry Arleigh. Oscar was comfortably nestled on her shoulder, chirping along with her tune.

A few paces away, the Commander was just wrapping up her briefing with the newly formed main fleet composed of Stout, Richelieu and Jean Bart along with Enterprise—who was not present among them.

The three Kansen stood at attention whilst their Commander spoke, only to be interrupted by the nonchalant whistling of Arleigh and Oscar. Nimitz paused, turning her attention to the overly insouciant destroyer before raising her wrist to check her watch.

"Arleigh Burke, how nice of you to join us. Tell me, when I said we were meeting at 0820 did you hear 0920 instead?"

She inquired with the sarcasm of a superior officer reprimanding their subordinate, though her tone lacked any real disappointment.

Still, her quip obviously pissed Arleigh off seeing as she only arrived after forty minutes worth of delays, coupled with the fact that she had a warm mug of coffee in her grasp.

"Well did you confuse 08 and 09 ya twa- hey! wha-?"

She was cut off by Oscar delivering a soft, frantic headbutt to her cheek before she could make an even bigger fool out of herself. He squaked, something along the line of 'Shut the hell up dumbass!'

The ghost of a grin pulled at the corner of Nimitz's lips before she went back to chastising Arleigh.

Stout, was about to speak up and take responsibility for her sister once more before she caught sight of Oscar. Her eyes widened in shock, it took a lot for her to stay silent at her old friend's serendipitous presence.

"I'll admit, I'm not a punctual person and I'm sure everyone you ask would be eager to corroborate that fact. But if you're even later than me, what exactly does that say about you?"

The Commander asked, amused. Arleigh, on the other hand, was on the verge of losing it at Nimitz's playful hypocrisy.

Her jaw clenched, her fingers twitched at her sides and a sharp retort sat on the edge of her tongue.

The only thing holding her back was what Stout had been telling her time and time again during their stay, 'Don't provoke them, don't cause a scene.'

She sighed, taking a breath to calm herself before looking her Commander in the eyes and replying.

"You're right, Commander."

It practically burned to admit.

"My apologies for being late to our first fleet meeting. I have no excuse."

She nearly choked on her words  before noticing Stout's gawking at her restraint. She was even more surprised with her control than Oscar being here.

"Don't let it happen again, now get in line so we can get this over with. Cleve and Shangri-La are waiting for me in the office and I happen to miss them."

Nimitz stated with a shrug and a soft smile as Arleigh stepped over to Stout. She took her place at attention beside her sister before Nimitz continued.

"Ahem, as I was saying, you're all dismissed, bye~"

She practically bit her lip to stifle a laugh as she turned to leave. Walking away with a beaming smile at Arleigh's expense.

"Oh hell..."

Stout whispered to herself, preparing to do something that she hasn't had to do in a while, even Oscar sensed the impending explosion and braced for it.

"Wait... you son of a-hey! Let me go ya-Mhh!"

Arleigh nearly yelled before Stout jumped her, covering her mouth and restraining her as she fumed at Nimitz reprimanding her in front of everyone for no reason other than to screw with her.

"Jesus! Calm down Arleigh! She was just messing with ya!"

Stout reasoned as she held back her enraged sister, all while Oscar clung onto Arleigh's shirt for dear life, chirping like mad.

"Oh god, quit whining will you? We have a sortie in ten minutes. Pipe down and get ready to leave."

Jean intervened, unimpressed with Arleigh's temper.

After a brief scuffle, she finally let up with an annoyed grunt. With an abundance of caution, Stout tentatively released her experienced hold on her sister as she finally cooled down.

"Hm, I believe you both would benefit from coming to church every once in a while. The Lord will certainly welcome you with open arms if you spent some time in our house of prayer."

The Cardinal proposed, her smile sincere as Arleigh grumbled from being so badly outmaneuvered by the Commander.

"Thank you for the suggestion Cardinal Richelieu. We'll consider it, but for now, we have to check on our ships before we leave."

Stout replied with another small bow as they left to prepare for the operation. She did however, have to drag her sister by the collar just to get her gaze off Nimitz's shrinking form.

A moment later, after they were well away from the Commander, Oscar didn't hesitate, he leapt from Arleigh's shoulder to Stout's in excitement at their reunion as they walked.

"Oh, Oscar! How did you end up here?"

He began to sing, in quick, exultant chirps and tweets as he explained his situation.

"Uhm, do you mind slowing down a bit? I'm not fluent in... Manjuu."

Stout requested before Arleigh stepped in as a translator.

"He snuck aboard my ship while we were in port a week ago before... y'know..."

She informed, reluctant to talk about the day they lost damn near everything they knew and loved.

"Ah, I... I see..."

Stout muttered under her breath while Oscar looked confused as ever.

"He also asked about those Kansen and Nimitz just now, by the way. So... how are we gonna tell him?"

Arleigh asked which only served to perplex him further. Stout sighed, trying to find the best way to break the news, one small problem; how does one explain to a bird that everyone and everything they knew was gone? That they've been thrown 80 years into the past with little to no hope of ever returning to their family? On second thought, that should work.

"Oscar... this is gonna be really confusing but I need you to bear with me here, alright?"

He nodded, still blissfully unaware of the implications surrounding the unknown Kansen all around them and the mysterious new Commander. Did she replace Commander Lisa? Why was he not told about this abrupt change in leadership?

Stout proceeded to explain, as concisely as she could, everything that transpired over the past three days. They both watched as the colour slowly drained from Oscar's features, his former jubilation was gone, replaced by dread as he was told the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

After she was done, Oscar looked like he'd seen a ghost. He took a slow, shaky breath, then he proceeded to pass out, dramatically falling off Stout's shoulder like he'd been poisoned. Luckily, Arleigh's reaction time was impeccable as always, otherwise Oscar would have been kissing concrete in his sleep.

"Oscar! You okay buddy?"

She inquired, her tone filled with worry as she held the Manjuu firmly in the palms of her hands, jostling him around lightly in an attempt to wake him.

"Just let him rest Arleigh... we just dumped a lot of heavy info on him, the poor thing has completely shut down."

She stated, looking down at the hapless little bird in her sister's hands with pity as they walked.

"I feel sick..."

She remarked sadly as she finally tore her gaze away from Oscar.

"Someone had to tell him; I'm not good at this stuff."

She informed as she cradled the unconscious Manjuu in her hands with care.

"By the way..."

The older destroyer paused for a brief moment, exhaling heavily before speaking.

"I'm... sorry that I overreacted earlier..."

At that, Stout perked up, her gaze met her sister's in astonishment at what she had heard.

"Excuse me, do you mind saying that again?"

She teased, Arleigh merely scoffed at her sister's dig before continuing on.

"Listen, I know, you said not to do anything stupid around Nimitz, but in the end ya still had to hold me back..."

She took a deep breath, steeling herself before furthering her apology.

"I get it, it was just a joke and I shouldn't have let her get under my skin so easily."

She solemnly admitted the error of her actions as she continued.

"Again, I'm sorry sis... I know, it's a real pain to deal with my bullshit every single day we're together. I promise that I'll get my act together. Try to keep my temper under control and all that..."

She said that last part softly, barely a whisper in the midst of a crowd, but that doesn't mean her sister didn't hear it.

"Holy shit, okay... wow. I really didn't expect that out of you. It's... alright I suppose... as long as you promise to keep that promise."

Arleigh chuckled at her sister's guarded reaction, as if Stout was expecting her to go, 'Sike! April fool's dumbass!' at any moment. But it never came.

"It's a deal then—I'll do better, and in return, you've gotta stop stressin' over everything as much, 'kay?"

Stout crooked an eyebrow at the new hidden clause in her sister's promise.

"Since when was that part of the contract? Was it in the fine print or something? Can I put that part under a line-item veto?"

"Wha-? The fuck are you talking about? What's a line-item veto?"

Arleigh questioned while Stout simply snickered with amusement at her sister's question.

"Forget it, our ships are right over there so let's proceed with our inspections yeah?"

"Alright... line-item veto, where have I heard that before..."

She muttered as they approached their ships. A moderate crowd, mostly destroyers and a few battleships, had gathered on the docks surrounding the two Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, as if they were tourist attractions.

Countless murmurs emanated from the crowd, a few mentions of them only being equipped with a single cannon. A few more asking what the strange looking vehicles that seemingly had large, bladed fans atop their canopies, perched on the sterns of their ships were.

"Sheesh, you'd think the hype would die down after a couple days, nope, apparently not."

Arleigh raised Oscar up to her breast pocket before gently lowering him in. She sighed, preparing to wade through a couple dozen Kansen to get to their ships.

"Christ, s'cuse me, move it will ya- damn it c'mon... Gah! Finally!"

She exclaimed after crossing the crowd successfully.

"What took you so long?"

Stout asked, already standing on the bow of her ship. The Kansen gathered around, looking on in wonder at Stout as she waited for her sister to climb aboard her own ship.

"How'd you get past them so quickly?"

She asked with confusion after leaping onto her deck. Stout offered her a confused glance before gesturing towards a clear path that was meant for them to bypass the crowd without the hassle of going through it. The path which Arleigh was too blind to see apparently.

"Oh..."

Her only response to her own tunnel vision.

They proceeded to head up to the respective helms of their ships to run routine inspections and recalibrate their systems before their first sortie.

"Stout, can ya hear me?"

She asked over their communication line.

"Loud and clear Arleigh, comms are good."

She responded as they moved onto their radars and weapon systems.

"Everything looks normal from my end, how about you?"

"Yep, all good sis.

She flashed her younger sister a thumbs up through the window as they prepared to start up their engines.

Twenty minutes later, the sisters were out of the harbour. Heading southwest to join their fleet.

"So, you gonna tell me what Nimitz said in the meeting earlier? What's this whole thing about?"

The brash destroyer inquired over comms as their keels cut through the great blue Pacific.

"Oh right, you weren't there, it's quite an ambitious operation. Here's the gist, our job is to rendezvous with Azur Lane forces stationed in US Naval Base Solomons and take part in an offensive to free up the waters around Australia and New Zealand with the ultimate goal of alleviating pressure on maritime trade with the added benefit of forcing the Sirens to make a move."

"Solomons... Wait a minute- that's more than 3500 miles away from here! Is she out of her mind!?"

Arleigh's bewildered voice boomed over the channel. Stout responded calmly.

"Closer to 3600 nautical miles actually. In regards to our assignment, it wasn't her call. US Navy High Command found out about us and they wanted to see how we would fare in an extended campaign. We're being monitored."

"I'm gonna pound those damn lunatics to a bloody pulp when I get my hands on them! We haven't even been on a simple sortie near HQ to get used to working with our new allies, and now they want us to take part in this crazy assault? They're batshit insane if they think this'll work out."

Stout took her seat on the bridge of her ship as they closed in on their fleet, mulling over her sister's concerns for a moment before responding.

"That's surprisingly analytical of you Arleigh. I'm afraid that you may be right, we have close to no knowledge or experience with how our colleagues fight and strategise. This is a poor choice of a first mission for us."

"So why didn't Nimitz say something? She should've at least tried to reason with those dumbasses upstairs."

She asked irritably, attempting to make sense of their predicament.

"She did try, Arleigh. They wouldn't listen, she even aplogised to me in front of Captain Jean Bart and Richelieu during the meeting for not being able to influence their decision."

"Great, glad Nimitz has got some sense at the very least. High Command on the other hand, might be full of ret-"

She was cut off by a voice that was practically oozing impatience over the open channel as they approached the fleet.

"You two done dilly-dallying yet? If so, get in formation, it's going to be a very long journey. So if I ever have to remind you to not be a nuisance, I will not be kind."

The Pirate Queen stated, a warning to Arleigh in particular to keep her attitude to herself during their travels.

"Loud and clear Jean, we get it. You're the boss around here."

Arleigh remarked dryly before switching to a private channel with her sister.

"Pss, sis, you didn't tell me who's in the fleet with us other than Jean and her sister."

"Ah, I forgot to tell you about them. It's quite an exciting opportunity to work alongside legends."

She mused, getting caught up in her own imagination yet again.

"That doesn't answer the question genius, who's in the damn fleet?"

The older destroyer asked with sarcastic flair.

"Right, sorry... the fleet composition is as follows: USS Enterprise, IJN Takao, IJN Atago, HMS Belfast, and lastly, KMS Prinz Eugen."

"Oh damn, we get to see the Grey Ghost in action? Sounds fun, plus Eugen, she's great too."

"Again, you're only saying that because she treated us to drinks yesterday, am I correct?"

"Absolutely."

Stout sighed, this was really how her first operation in the past was gonna go huh? Ten whole days at sea with nothing but her truculent sister, military rations, and a group of strangers. Welp, may as well take the opportunity to build some bridges between them.

Stout thought as their ships came to a halt side-by-side in the newly formed task force. Shielding them from either side were the massive hulls of Jean Bart and Richelieu, while Enterprise sat in the rear of the fleet, behind the sisters.

Their vanguard, composed of four ships, had been arranged into an arrow, ensuring that any Siren looking to target the sisters would have to get through them first.

All in all, the formation was similar to a diamond, in which the Burkes sat at its core, protected from all sides. It was a tight encasement with little room between each ship, underscoring the absolute safety of the newest and potentially most valuable assets within Azur Lane.

"0943 hours, Task Force Paradox making final preparations before departure. All ships are in formation, skies are clear and seas are fair. All ships, status reports.

Jean ordered over comms, every Kansen in the fleet, including the Burkes, responded to Jean's announcement with formal acknowledgement before the Corsair carried on.

"All ships report positive readiness, good. On my mark, increase speed to fifteen knots and hold formation."

A mere moment later, the whole fleet sailed as one, bidding farewell to the elysian paradise of Hawaii as they departed on their odyssey.

"Task Force Paradox has officially begun its first voyage."

Jean declared with the gravitas of a seasoned leader from the helm of her dreadnought.

"May the Lord bless us all on this arduous journey."

The Cardinal prayed as Hawaii disappeared behind them. The high seas now greeted them with a cool, almost comforting wisp of salty wind. Beckoning them onwards to the Solomon islands with a deceptive kindness.

Stout sighed wistfully as she stood on the bow of her ship, allowing the saline zephyr to wash over her frame and carry her long, golden hair up into the air.

"How long has it been since we last experienced peace on the high seas?"

She lamented silently, longing for the halcyon days of order before the Siren's scourged the seas once more. A sense of hurtful hiraeth claimed the destroyer's mind.

Melancholy memories of their family, of their exploits and failures back home swept through her head in a cruel maelstrom, leaving a mild migraine in its wake.

"Ugh... I really need to stop overthinking things..."

She groaned, rubbing her temples in exasperation before she heard her sister's voice behind her.

"I second that thought."

Stout whirled around sharply, startled by the sudden advent of Arleigh aboard her ship.

"Ah-! Arleigh! When did you-?"

She didn't even get to finish her question before Arleigh pulled her into a warm, sentimental embrace on the ship's bow.

"Nevermind that, you looked like you could use a hug."

She remarked knowingly as she held her little sister tight, one arm around her waist whilst the other rubbed gentle circles into the back of her head.

It wasn't long before Stout melted into her touch, burying her head into Arleigh shoulder with a content hum as the chilling wind surged past them.

"This is... nice..."

Stout mumbled as she returned her older sister's embrace, wrapping her arms around Arleigh as she sighed at the massage she was receiving.

"Anytime sis, just ask."

She replied with a warm smile as the candescent light of Sol radiated through fractured clouds in the morning sky.

Chapter Text

Task Force Paradox, Day 1 of travel, 1247 hours

Their voyage has been all but uneventful thus far. The seas were and the winds following—not so much as a passing gull in the skies as the fleet moved through the Pacific.

Now, the scorching sun lay obscured behind massive clouds—their caliginous forms threatening to mire their course in savage storms.

Uneasy waves crashed against their hulls, as though nature itself was cautioning them of what was to come.

The sea breeze, once warm and serene, morphed into a howling tempest, carrying the chill of oncoming rain.

Their formation held firm in the face of nature's harrowing trial as the Corsair radioed her subordinates.

"All ships, this is Captain Jean Bart, reporting adverse weather conditions. Adjust course, 35° starboard. Maintain current speed and formation. Acknowledge."

No protests from the fleet, only uniform responses all at once.

"Acknowledged."

The task force proceeded to pivot off their planned route, gradually shifting their course until they were out of the hurricane's path.

"Hehe, hear that sky? We ain't playin' with ya today."

The familiar, derisive tone of Arleigh broke through the ensuing silence as she taunted the unyielding welkin, her sister's forewarnings notwithstanding.

"There she goes tempting fate again."

Stout deadpanned, dutifully observing her instruments in the bridge. She wore a pensive expression whilst examining her radar.

Over the next few seconds, dozens of bright crimson diamonds and triangles appeared on the digital display beyond the horizon all around them, indicating Siren warships and aircraft, tearing through portals to encircle them.

Without hesitation, she warned the battlegroup of the impending ambush before Enterprise's combat air patrol spotted the danger.

"All ships, USS Stout reporting. At least six dozen hostile contacts on radar—both surface and air. Enemies are twelve nautical miles away bearing 180° and 360°."

"They're bringing the fight to us then."

Jean mused, looking over to Enterprise on her flight deck. A firm nod followed by a curt confirmation were the Grey Ghost's responses to the Corsair's gaze.

"She's right, I'm receiving reports from my recon squadrons. The Sirens are making their move."

"Well, I suppose it can't be helped then~"

Belfast chimed in, winking at Enterprise from the stern of her ship.

"I do believe it's high time the Sirens learnt a hard lesson on etiquette—wouldn't you agree, Miss Enterprise?"

The Grey Ghost remained silent, lowering her cap ever so slightly before turning away from the head maid.

Eugen chuckled, amused by the head maid's theatrics.

"Hah! And here I thought you royals were all as uptight as my darling Wales! Atago, Takao, meine geschätzten Freunde—do ensure our cargo remains unharmed throughout."

Before the Sakuran sisters could respond, Arleigh interrupted once more.

"Y'know, usually I'd say somethin' snarky or clever, but I'm way too bored at this point. Sis, I'm takin' 360, you can have 180."

"Copy that, Arleigh. Target acquisition successful, ready when you are."

Stout replied just as Jean cut in.

"What do you two think you're-"

"FIRE!"

Arleigh yelled, massive plumes of flame erupted from the decks of both destroyers. This, of course, jolted Oscar awake; talk about a rude awakening.

The Manjuu chittered furiously as he peeked out from her breast pocket.

"Oh, sorry lil' buddy. Forgot you were there for a sec'.

She apologised flatly as her sister mused over the open channel.

"Hm, aerial threats demand SM-2s—interceptors launched."

A cacophony of rocket motors roared across the seas, leaving the task force in awe of their sudden coordinated barrage. Even the ever unflappable Belfast was at a loss for words as she watched, eyes wide as saucers.

"Inconceivable..."

"You'll get used to it."

The Grey Ghost stated dryly.

Dozens of missiles left the battlegroup, arcing over the horizon in both directions—their fading contrails quickly becoming the only evidence of their launches.

"USS Stout reporting, enemy targets neutralised. Sixteen aircraft shot down, seven surface vessels critically damaged, eight sunk."

"Heh, I win. Twenty planes and sixteen ships on the tally!"

Arleigh boasted while the rest of the group hung in stunned silence.

"This isn't a game, Arleigh. Focus, new contacts bearing 090°."

Their radars registered dozens of new returns, surface and air once again. Arleigh smirked, thinking of a way to challenge her little sister anew.

"Yeah, yeah, I see 'em."

She grinned, looking to Stout in her bridge.

"How about we spice things up a little, huh? Let's see who has the highest kill count by the end of the battle. Oscar's gonna keep tally,"

She looked to the ever-ready Manjuu, uncapping a black marker while standing in front of a small whiteboard next to her controls.

"If you beat me, I'll listen to ya for a whole day—no questions, no refusals, just pure subservience. But if I win, you'll be my subordinate for a day."

Stout paused, thoroughly considering her sister's wager before responding.

"Counteroffer: should you win, I will do as you please for the next three days. Should you lose however, my reward shall be 72 hours of apodictic obedience from you."

"What does—"

"Absolute, Arleigh. It means absolute."

"Oh ho! Upping the ante now are we? I accept-"

The moment Arleigh obliged, twelve missiles propelled themselves from Stout's deck, streaking through the skies with lethal precision.

"HEY! That's cheating!"

Arleigh protested, launching her own missiles.

"Hm? You never stipulated a countdown as a clause before you so eagerly accepted. You should really be more careful, making bets without underlining conditions beforehand."

She smiled innocently as she counted—twelve shots, twelve kills. Even more explosive pylons rocketed away from the fleet as the sisters' competition roared.

Oscar punctiliously kept tally on the whiteboard, scribbling their names with the counts beneath them. He chirped with competitive spirit every time he added a count. At the moment? 12-9 in Stout's favour.

"Mon Dieu... I'm not quite sure how to feel about this."

"Sit back and enjoy the show, meine liebe Kardinalin~"

The heavy cruiser laughed heartily as she leaned back in her seat, attentively observing the sisters' tactical prowess. Although others were less amused.

"Turning war into a children's game... how immature."

Takao huffed as she watched the missiles' blinding flares burn across the skies before blooming in distant pulses of light on the horizon.

"Ten more for me, Oscar!"

Arleigh smiled as the tireless Manjuu swiftly checked her radar with a tweet to confirm before tallying—25-19, still in Stout's favour. Her confident smile dropped instantly, a small scowl in its place.

"Damnit! How the hell are you firing so fast?"

"Seems you forgot about Quick Draw."

Arleigh's face paled.

"Shit..."

"Maybe if you bothered to remember the abilities of your closest allies you wouldn't be making half-witted wagers like this."

Stout proclaimed, voice dripping with satisfaction as more of her targets disappeared off radar.

"And that makes 36. How many for you, Arleigh?"

The destroyer gritted her teeth, glaring at her smug little sister through the window.

"You... You knew. That's why you raised it to three days."

"Be glad I didn't raise it to a week, because I know you would have accepted regardless."

Arleigh stammered furiously as she attempted to think of a retort.

"This—this is... this is entrapment!"

Stout chuckled at her sister's tongue-tied pride in action as five more Siren vessels were hit by her own missiles.

"Well, for this to be entrapment, I'd have to be working for the government—which happens to be what we are currently doing. However, consider the fact that I neither work for law enforcement nor are you being interrogated."

She countered, giving her integrated display a once over knowing she had already won.

"USS Stout reporting, enemy forces fully neutralised. The final count, sis?"

A long beat of silence descended upon their comms before Arleigh finally spoke up.

"57... to 44."

Stout hummed, finally looking over to her sister.

"Let this be a lesson, Arleigh. Don't mindlessly make bets without knowing your opponents' capabilities. Arrogance gets you killed."

Shortly after Stout's little lecture, the channel erupted with Eugen's ecstatic laughter.

"Oh scheiße, das ist gut! The younger sister humbles her elder, I never thought I'd see it!"

"I thought we were friends, Eugen..."

Arleigh muttered sadly. Oscar was back on her shoulder, rubbing and patting her on the cheek as consolation. She smiled, thanking the Manjuu with a small nod before responding to Stout.

"Alright Redcoat, I'll admit, I got too cocky there. Guess I'm your slave for the next three days."

"Guess so."

Stout replied simply before Jean interjected.

"You both have some serious issues to sort out."

Richelieu agreed with a nod.

"To wager your freedom, even in jest, is far beyond reason. Please, reflect upon your thoughts and actions during this journey."

Several Minutes Later, Aboard the IJN Takao

Takao was too busy being tormented by her sister to say much about the Burkes.

"These ears of yours are too cute, Takao~"

Atago remarked melodiously as she pinned Takao down, stroking her furiously flattened canine ears.

"Ugh! Atago, get off! Can you not see everyone watching?! Have you no sense of dignity?!"

The indignant cruiser struggled fruitlessly under her younger sister's weight, trying to push her off as she was forcibly cuddled against the deck.

"Aww, is it a crime to dote upon my own big sister now?"

"It is if you do it against my will!"

Takao yelped as Atago furthered her assault. Fortunately for her, it was Jean to the rescue once more.

"IJN Atago, release your sister and return to your ship, immediately. This is a high priority escort operation, not a damn snuggle fest.

The Corsair commanded, glaring at Atago straddling her sister from the bow of the dreadnought.

"You've been warned, any repeat offense will result in severe punitive action."

Atago exhaled loudly, disappointed but unsurprised. Gradually, she shifted off the unfortunate cruiser, finally allowing her to sit up and breathe.

After one last tight hug and a few more curses from Takao in their native tongue, Atago headed back to her ship.

Silently, Takao thanked her captain, casting a grateful glance towards her ship.

Simultaneously, USS Enterprise, Flight Deck

Eugen seemed to have her own brand of recreation in mind. And that was, apparently, attempting to get a reaction out of the ever stoic Grey Ghost.

"Guten Tag, Big E—wie geht es deinen Schwestern? I hear Frau Yorktown has recovered well after the Coral Sea~"

The union carrier did not deign to meet Eugen's gaze, her expression impassive. One thing was certain however: she hated that name.

"Don't call me that and don't bring up my sisters. If your intention is to foster resentment between us, it's working. Very well."

The German cruiser beamed, completely unrepentant.

"My, my, how sad. Meine treuester Kameradin thinks so little of me~"

"I think you seek attention from those around you at their expense—and from what I'm hearing in this brief exchange, that belief holds true."

Enterprise retorted, voice leveled and calm—utterly refusing to be the subject of Eugen's harassment. Unfortunately for her, this only emboldened the German cruiser to dig deeper.

"You believe that you see through me, am I correct to assume that?"

"You act as though you hold all the cards regardless of the situation, that's what I know."

She finally locked gazes with Eugen, eyes emanating the quiet conviction of a woman who would not be mocked by the likes of her.

Eugen's grin widened ever so slightly, clearly deriving amusement from her unspoken indignation.

"Well—you truly are as perceptive as they say. Nicht schlecht, Grauer Geist. Wirklich nicht schlecht. So nice to finally work alongside someone with your resolve~"

Eugen goaded, taking an unsolicited step towards Enterprise. Barely concealed agitation pulled at the Grey Ghost's features as she eyed the slowly approaching German.

"I must say, you appear even more enthralling up clo—"

Her unfavourable complement was cut short by the fierce, piercing screech of enduring freedom. Its source? Grim. The Grey Ghost's familiar, circling overhead once, twice—before diving out of the sky and perching upon the shoulder of his vaunted master.

Silently, he regarded the insouciant German with disdainful scrutiny, staring through her being with battle honed vigilance.

Eugen merely chuckled at the intervention, unfazed and undeterred by the fearsome avian's presence.

"Ah, how nice of you to finally join us—pet."

"Enough of your games, Prinz Eugen. If you have nothing constructive to add, I suggest you make yourself scarce on my ship this instant."

She opened her mouth to speak yet again, only to be interrupted by the serene voice of Belfast echoing from behind her.

"My apologies for interceding, Prinz Eugen. Might I trouble you to grant Miss Enterprise and I a moment of privacy?"

The head maid of the Royal Navy inclined her head gracefully before resuming.

"There are... delicate matters I wish to discuss with her, away from prying ears."

Eugen turned to face Belfast for a moment, then back to Enty, her expression beyond smug. Slowly, with the grace of cobra slithering in to deliver the kiss of death upon its prey, she leaned into the Grey Ghost's ear and whispered:

"Don't have too much fun together now, we wouldn't want tongues wagging about how... thorough, Her Majesty's servants can be, nitch wahr~?"

Enterprise all but recoiled at what the Ironblood cruiser was implying, taking two involuntary steps backwards. With a Herculean effort, she managed to veil her disgust, though a phantom scowl coloured her features.

Grim stood firm on her shoulder, wings flaring as he glared at the brazen woman before them.

Eugen laughed—hysterical and indulgent in equal measure at the crystal clear discomfort she had caused the Grey Ghost.

After a brief moment of revelry in her psychological triumph, she finally conceded, wiping away a stray tear as she teased Enterprise one last time.

"There she is. Behind all that quiet dignity lies a prideful, fiery Kansen. We're much alike, you and I."

"I'm nothing like you."

She snarled, quietly cursing herself for letting Eugen get the better of her.

"Deny it all you want, deep down, you revel in the hunt, just as I do. You enjoy witnessing the meaningless struggle of our adversaries—you relish in the thought of snuffing out their repulsive lights while they flee, helpless against your power."

The deceptively incisive German proposed, her expression uncharacteristically earnest.

"Face it, Grauer Geist—you want nothing more than to bask in the glory of victory. The only difference between us is that I don't bother masking my delight in the Sirens' failure under the guise of duty and discipline."

With that, she turned to leave the carrier's flight deck with nary a glance to spare.

Enterprise stood in silence as she left, turning away with a wary sigh. She fixed her gaze on the horizon, as though distance could erase the echoes of Eugen's words.

After a brief moment, she extended a hand outwards, beckoning Grim to alight upon her forearm.

The great raptor lowered his head, meeting his master's gaze with volucrine concern.

"It's alright, my friend. She knows nothing."

The Grey Ghost whispered, lowering her forehead to his, a quiet communion between warrior and familiar.

"Miss Enterprise?"

A deep breath, then, the solemn veteran gradually lowered her arm, prompting Grim to ascend—slowly at first, his talons skimming the sea before soaring into the azure skies.

"Belfast, I'm sorry for the wait."

She turned, facing her genteel caretaker as she approached—every step deliberate, every smile immaculate.

The royal maid now stood face to face with her charge, gazing up into her blue bell eyes.

"It's no trouble at all, m'lady. I dare say I've grown rather accustomed to waiting for you."

Belfast intoned playfully as she reached for Enty's hand, grasping it with a frivolous hum.

"You appear stressed, tense. Tell me, shall I impart a stern lecture upon that provocative woman for her gratuitous remarks?"

"That... won't be necessary, Bel. Thank you, but I can defend my own honour."

The Grey Ghost demurred, averting her gaze from Belfast's own as the head maid gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Hm, I suggest you rely more upon your peers rather than insisting on shouldering the burden of war alone. Your sisters and I are always willing to lend an ear."

A gentle affirmation, a quiet sigh—then:

"May I ask you something, my lady?"

Enterprise offered a contemplative look, deeply considering the request before nodding once, slowly—cautiously.

"Please answer honestly. Do you truly believe your life serves no purpose beyond war? That you neither require nor deserve anything else? No laughs, no banter, no connection..."

A beat, then:

"...no love."

They stood together like that for a long moment, no words uttered between them, no sea breeze to break the heavy air. Just them, present—silent.

Soon, after an evanescent eternity of quiet thought, the Grey Ghost lowered her gaze upon the slovenly sea below, before responding to Belfast—a barely audible whisper.

"I don't know..."

She admitted softly—wistfully, suppressing a grimace as she laid herself bare before the head maid.

Silence took root once more. Belfast stood in pensive rumination for a short, fleeting moment before taking a careful step towards her charge, then, another—until she was barely an inch from the Grey Ghost, staring up at her with a knowing curve of the lips.

"Then perhaps... I may be of service to you yet again."

Enterprise watched intently as Belfast drew closer still. Then, in a slow, certain movement, she wrapped her arms around the troubled woman's taller frame, before gently resting her forehead on her shoulder. The solemn veteran stilled—wide-eyed and stunned by her sudden action.

"Bel..."

She murmured, attempting to reciprocate the royal maid's affection, only to hesitate—her hand hovering in place over Belfast's waist before drifting back to her side.

She felt it all, the subtle shift in Enterprise's shoulder, the warmth of her hand just above her dress, the return to form. Yet, she was not disappointed in the slightest.

She neither saw weakness nor failure in the Grey Ghost's dubiety—she saw progress, an infinitesimal fracture in her armour.

Eventually, she pried herself away from Enty's shoulder with a reassuring smile whilst her arms remained looped about her tense form.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Shh... it's quite alright, my lady."

The loyal servant hushed, her gloved index barely pressing on the union carrier's lips.

"I understand. Please, take all the time you need. I swear upon Her Majesty's grace—I shall always await your requitance~"

At last, the head maid closed the distance, resting her head upon the somber Grey Ghost once more—and for the first time in what felt like decades, Enterprise allowed herself to relax.

The feeling was foreign—selcouth, but a far cry from unpleasantness. This feeling, this warmth, its only equivalents were the short-lived moments she was allowed with the few she truly cherished.

Yet this was different, deeper—as though the elegant maid's promise had touched something within the Grey Ghost that nothing else had ever reached.

As though a gentle flame had been rekindled within her from the dying embers of her heart, and Belfast—graceful, patient Belfast—would guard it against the world, nurturing its candescent glow with the reverence of a palace gardener tending to a perfect rose, ensuring that it would never again fade into darkness.

An Hour Later, 250 Nautical Miles North of the Task Force

Upon the shore of an insignificant islet, no more than several barren rocks and shale deposits, stood two high-ranking Sirens. One, euphorically unhinged and all too volatile, the other, underhandedly calculating and conniving.

A feral grin graced the lips of Purifier as she watched the fleet travel through a holographic display.

It levitated just above her—a large, mechanical hammerhead with black and yellow embellishments. Its menacing form reinforced by nearly a dozen high-powered laser cannons and a pair of sleek attack drones. Furthermore, its pitch-black fins seemed sharp enough to hack through solid steel with ease.

She turned to her tentacle-clad colleague, eyeing her with barely contained excitement.

"Observeeer! Can I go play with them yet???"

The radge Siren questioned her compatriot as Observer α relayed a message to Tester β.

"Tsk, always so overzealous. You should know full well by now that we act only in accordance with the Arbiters' will. Though, I suppose a little experimentation never hurts."

Her synthetic voice echoed from her very being, oscillating back and forth between human pitch and tone to octaves beyond alien.

"Our future selves certainly have a sense of humour—sending us a pair of outdated destroyers for testing. No matter, take care not to damage them beyond repair, Purifier. We need them alive and functional for data collection, other than that—go play~"

The manic Siren's grin grew disconcertingly wider at that. Her lithe, scantily clothed robotic form all but trembled in glee before blasting off the islet and unto darkened waves at velocities in excess of Mach two, thrusters roaring as she rocketed towards the task force.

"Hm, perhaps I should adjust her personality driver. Her exuberance is becoming vexatious."

The guileful Siren mused before turning away from the rapidly shrinking visage of Purifier. She snapped her fingers once, and a violent rift in space-time tore through the air before her.

Observer stepped through and the ethereal wormhole closed the instant after, leaving the islet as it was, as if no one was there to begin with.

Task Force Paradox, 1400 Hours, USS Stout, Bridge

The dutiful destroyer resumed her as work as Arleigh kicked back with her feet on the command console, whining to Stout, as she always did.

"Siiiis, I'm bored."

Arleigh drawled as she lounged on her little sister's chair, Oscar rolling about on her lap.

"Arleigh, zip it. That's an order."

Stout commanded, and Arleigh begrudgingly obeyed. Silence, graceful quietude, at least her older sister knew to uphold her end of the wager, she thought.

Unfortunately, the transient tranquility was quickly drowned out by the piercing blares of emergency alarms. Arleigh fell off her chair with Oscar nearly screeching as Stout dashed to her radar.

Then, she saw it. A single, red diamond hurtling towards them at frightening speeds.

"All ships! USS Stout reporting high-ranking Siren a hundred nautical miles out and approaching fast, bearing 360°!"

"Shit! Who the hell is it?!"

Arleigh cursed, snatching up the bewildered Manjuu before lunging off Stout's bridge and back to her ship as the entire task force prepared to engage their riggings.

"This is Captain Jean Bart, all ships—general quarters."

A blinding flash of blue consumed the seas as the massive, metallic hulls of eleven battle-hardened Kansen disappeared in a brilliant hurricane of Wisdom Cubes, reassembling into miniaturised cannons, armour, engines and anchors connected to the warriors' forms in short order.

The Corsair spoke yet again, eyeing the horizon with seasoned suspicion.

"Hold formation and protect the Burkes at all costs. I want every gun we have from AA to cannons ready and firing on the bastard the moment she shows her face."

"This should prove interesting. Sagt mir, meine lieben Kameraden, who do you think they have sent to die today~?"

Eugen asked rhetorically as the rest stood upon restless waves in tense formation. Yet, the German cruiser kept talking.

"Observer? Perhaps Purifier. With Tester... I have a score to settle. Wie aufregend, hehe~"

"Eugen?"

"Ja? My dear Pirate Que—?"

"Shut up."

The Corsair scoffed as she awaited the advent of their mortal enemy, turning to the younger destroyer.

"Stout, how far out is she now?"

"She's accelerating, ten nautical miles... Eight... Six... Three, Two, One—! She's right on top of us!"

They peered around frantically—nothing but open water and eerie silence for miles.

"I don't see a damn thing out here. What about you, Oscar?"

Arleigh sneered at the clouds as Oscar peeked out from her skirt's pocket, visibly shaking at being so close to danger.

"You better hold on tight, buddy."

She warned, zipping her pocket partially to keep the Manjuu inside while allowing him to breathe.

Half a minute passed and still—nothing. Could the radar have been bugged? Stout thought, only to be jolted from her contemplation by a distorted, maniacal laugh.

"Right above you!"

A storm of lasers followed the hysterical cackle from the heavens, raining down upon them as divine wrath.

"Evasive action!"

Jean barked, the eleven breaking formation, avoiding lasers and returning fire with their own AA: 40mm bofors, 20mm cannons and 50 calibre MG fire—streaking across the skies with marksman accuracy.

Yet, none struck true, effortlessly avoided by the elated Siren, her gaze locking onto the sisters in the middle of the fleet. She dived, skimming the waves as she assaulted the task force with immeasurable speed.

"Scheiße! She's going for the cargo!"

Eugen warned as Purifier burst past her and Atago, ignoring them entirely.

"You're the main course~!"

She lunged towards them, closing distance at breakneck speeds.

"Fuck off!"

SM-2s and the like erupted from the riggings of Arleigh and Stout. They track Purifier's trajectory, locking onto her with lethal precision.

She initially evaded them with ease, however, the guided missiles circled back around, resuming the chase.

"Hah! Missiles! How fun~!"

She chuckled, weaving between the sisters' attacks while having the time of her artificial life.

The rest close in, surrounding Purifier as best they could before firing upon the aggressive Siren.

"Psychotic freak!"

Jean shouted, her massive cannons roaring in tumultuous revelry.

Bombs and kinetic arrows from Enterprise along with shells and AA fire from the rest zip past Purifier. Massive geysers tear open the surface of the sea as bombs miss their mark.

"Come now! Let's have some real fun!"

She yelled, barreling towards Arleigh. The destroyer barely drew her blade in time to counter before Purifier crashed against her like the tide.

Arleigh's sword ground against Purifier's forearm, not leaving a scratch even as the Siren pushed her back. She gritted her teeth in frustration, locking gazes with the Siren.

"Alien scum!"

"Aww, is that how you speak to your new master~?"

She grinned—and stout drew her revolver in the blink of an eye.

Six shots, six hits, no damage. The bullets fell from Purifier's frame as flattened disks. She laughed once more in frenzied mirth, unfazed by Stout's fire as she bore down on Arleigh further.

"Pathetic! Truly, I expected mo-!"

Just then, an SM-2 slammed into her from the right, silencing the elite Siren and flinging her over a dozen meters away.

"Did ya get her?"

Arleigh snarled, sword raised.

"I don't know. Be ready."

Stout warned, launchers primed while the rest of the fleet took aim at the cloud of smoke obfuscating Purifier's form.

"Takao, Atago, flank her. Eugen Belfast, get closer to Arleigh and Stout. Enterprise, sis, with me."

The fleet assumed their positions at once as the smoke gradually cleared, revealing a perfectly unharmed Purifier—smiling from ear to ear.

"Ahh... weak."

The Siren taunted, a spherical, transparent field of cerulean hexagonal plates surrounding her—partially cracked and bleeding light where the missile had hit.

"Fire!"

The Corsair commanded, prompting the entire fleet to loose everything they had on the deranged Siren. Cannons, MGs, torpedoes, bombs and missiles—an overwhelming cacophony of foudroyant impacts and thunderous explosions against Purifier's shield.

This time, she stood perfectly still amid the chaos, watching in cruel amusement as her barrier absorbed, deflected and redirected every attack while sustaining minimal damage.

Hairline fractures crept across the surface of the field, leaking a barely luminous radiance. Yet the shield held firm as their guns grew silent.

Now, every one of them had to reload and allow their weapons to cool or risk their ammo detonating in their guns.

Purifier grinned, darker than ever before—a shark sensing blood in the water. Her battered barrier faded, then, with minacious calm, she extended a cold, metallic hand—and a single fin detached from her rigging, floating into her palm as a razor sharp cleaver.

"Please... do entertain me—!"

In a blur of motion, she lunged, thrusters roaring as her blade collided with Jean's cutlass in a flash of sparks, pushing the Corsair back as she struggled to keep Purifier's cleaver away from her throat.

"Bastard—!"

"Jean!"

Purifier chuckled as Richelieu rushed to assist her sister, a single thrust of her gilded rapier forcing the Siren to disengage for a brief second—then, she was instantly on the Grey Ghost, her blade pummeling the archer's bow as Enty was forced to give ground, guarding and parrying every one of her baneful blows.

"Aww... c'mon! I expected so much more from humanity's finest!"

Arleigh charged in, attempting to alleviate the pressure on Enterprise while the rest followed, encircling the vicious Siren once more.

"Get off her!"

The destroyer slashed for Purifier's head—she simply ducked, and without looking back, delivered a brutal back kick to Arleigh's gut, sending her careening across the waves.

"Arleigh, are you—"

"I'm fine! Help her!"

The baleful Siren kept the pressure, pushing the Grey Ghost to her absolute limits, cracks marring her bow with every strike as deafening clangs of steel resonated through the air.

"Atago, Takao! GO!"

The Corsair ordered, following them with a white knuckled grip on her cutlass, knowing full well that the Grey Ghost wouldn't last much longer.

The next slash caromed off Enterprise's bow with a resounding impact, leaving a massive fracture in its wake.

Purifier's eyes widened in savage schadenfreude as she raised the cleaver up high before descending upon the Grey Ghost's bow with the force to rival a hurricane, shattering her weapon into two.

"ENTERPRISE—!"

Stout shouted in alarm, taking aim and firing at Purifier in unison with Richelieu and Jean as Eugen, Arleigh, Atago and Takao raced to support her.

"Too little, too late~"

The Siren laughed in pitiless exultance as her shields reactivated, rendering their fire benign.

"Now... DIE—GREY GHOST!"

She lunged once more, swinging for the Grey Ghost's neck with sadistic delight.

Too close—far too close, a split second before Enty's head would have been cleft from her shoulders, Belfast stepped in, guarding against the killing blow with her bracers.

"Hehehe... how sad. I really wanted to see the waves turn red~"

She giggled as her death-dealing blade dug into the steel of Belfast's bracers.

"Miss Enterprise... run... ghh—!"

Belfast struggled as vermilion ichor flowed from her wrist in viscous streams down her arm, dyeing her gloves and attire a sanguine hue.

"Bel!"

Enterprise moved, darting towards the Siren and sending her flying with a thunderous roundhouse. Purifier reeled, truly staggered for the first time. The rest of the fleet charged in whilst the Grey Ghost tended to the head maid's wounds.

Purifier grinned as Eugen restrained her, holding her wrists fast and allowing her comrades to lay waste to her robotic frame.

"Face divine justice—foul heretic!"

Richelieu declared with conviction. A furious thrust of the rapier leaving an insignificant scratch on the Sirens cheek, followed by a tiny cut on the side of her neck as Arleigh swung her blade with everything she had.

Jean's cutlass then joined the melee alongside Atago and Takao's katanas, shredding through the paltry clothing of the Siren and leaving superficial gashes across her back and torso.

Stout then blasted her square in the head with a naval calibre M1 Garand, creating a barely visible dent in the Siren's metallic forehead.

"Heh, I almost feel sorry for you... almost~"

"Just die already—!"

Arleigh howled, burying her blade with all her might—sinking it a hair's breadth deeper into the Siren's neck.

Just then, Purifier tensed, her eyes going wide for a split second before an irritated growl emanated from her.

"Hah... time's up. How annoying."

She pirouetted once, effortlessly flinging off the enraged Kansen, as though they were no more than ants to her, before rising into the skies, a deranged smile colouring her features.

"I'll see you all again very soon—my little playthings~"

With that and a final, trailing laugh, the Siren vanished through a portal, leaving the fleet to lick their wounds and pick up the pieces of their shattered pride.

"Fuckin' android w***e..."

"Arleigh!"

"What? I can't demean our enemies now?"

Jean breathed a tired sigh of reprieve as she scanned her subordinates for injuries. Besides Belfast, everyone was physically unharmed, good. Although Enterprise was now disarmed, bad... but it could be worse.

"Mademoiselle Belfast… vous allez bien?"

Richelieu asked with worried regard, sheathing her rapier as she approached the head maid and Enterprise.

"Je vais bien, Cardinal. Merci de vous en soucier."

Belfast replied through an ersatz smile, subduing a wince as she attempted to preserve her noble dignity—even whilst Enterprise tried, and failed, to wrap a bandage around her bleeding wrist.

"Bullshit."

Arleigh asserted, strutting up to the pair of wounded veterans with the grace of a belligerent badger.

"That shit doesn't look very 'bien' to me. Stout, you've got the better infirmary—you know what to do."

Stout responded with a nod, disengaging her rigging in a brilliant pulse of light and ushering her comrades aboard.

"I truly am alright, I can nurse the wound by myself—"

"Liebchen, over the course of my life, I have told countless lies and half-truths to veil my true feelings believe me when I say that you are horrible at it."

Eugen chided, whistling for Takao to help haul Belfast into the infirmary. Then, Eugen restrained her arms, taking care not to grip her injured wrist.

"H-huh? Unhand me this instant you uncultured ruffian—!"

Belfast squirmed as Takao grabbed her legs, hoisting her up and walking in time with Eugen.

"Injuries, however minor, should be attended to. Self-reliance and decorum, while necessary, can only bring one so far."

The imperial cruiser advised as Atago followed her into the ship's lower deck with a smile.

A/N: Sorry for the delays. This took way longer than anticipated and my IGCSE exams are in 2 months. Probably should've spent the time studying instead of writing this but I regret nothing. Please help me out by pointing out anything that doesn't sound right in the chapter, proofreading 5600+ words on my own is hard 🫠

Chapter Text

1450 Hours, USS Stout, Med Bay

"My apologies, I fail to see how this... device is monitoring my vitals."

The quiet air of the room held the patient bemusement of the head maid's incredulous statement along with a soft, steady beeping from the monitor next to her bed.

Its screen glowed with shifting graphs and readings—heart rate and rhythm—all collected and compiled by a tiny, unassuming clip on her index.

"Sorry, I can't exactly explain it. I'm not too knowledgeable on the subject either. All I know when it comes to medical matters is what was taught to us by our superiors."

Stout smiled, abashed—checking on the bandage around Bel's wrist.

"How to switch these machines on, how to administer first aid, emergency evac..."

Enterprise sat beside Bel in a steel chair, her gaze distant as she peered down at the royal maid's injury.

Belfast noticed—of course she would notice. Sighing softly, she turned to their benefactor.

"Miss Stout, I thank you for your aid and your graciousness in granting us respite aboard your vessel. However, would you be so kind as to afford my lady and I a moment of privacy?"

A pause, then Stout gave an insightful nod.

"Very well—please try not to exert too much force with your left hand until the damage is fully healed."

Stout shot Enterprise a glance. She was still staring blankly at the bloodied bandages.

"If either of you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

With that, the destroyer took her leave, footsteps gradually fading as she left the room.

"My lady,"

Belfast called, turning to look at the pensive carrier—nothing.

"Miss Enterprise..."

Silence.

"Enterprise."

The Grey Ghost jolted in place, as though she'd been wrenched from a trance.

"Ah. Sorry, I was... thinking."

"About what, exactly? Nonsensical what-ifs? About me, felled by that monster's blade, in your place?"

She rebuked, the ghost of a glare flickering in her gaze, nearly causing the carrier to look away in shame.

"Enterprise, you did what you could and you did so with valour. You are not at fault for this. No one, and I truly mean no one, blames you for this outcome."

A beat, then the Grey Ghost replied, her voice a murmur.

"You could have lost your hand..."

"You would have lost your head."

Belfast countered, exhaling heavily before reaching out to her charge and grasping her calloused hand once more.

"Enough of this rueful rumination. You are the second ship in the Yorktown-class of carriers. A proud Kansen of the Eagle Union and an example to us all. You are Enterprise, the vaunted Grey Ghost—"

The maid's hand darted to Enterprise's tie, yanking her closer—until their faces hovered mere inches apart.

"—and I shall brook no self-reproach whilst you are under my care. Understood?"

A solemn admonishment, a whispered assuagement. Yet, none of it felt overbearing or patronising to the dumbstruck carrier.

"I..."

Enty spoke—or attempted to, her words faltering under the intrepid royal's heavy gaze. She settled on a single, hesitant nod of acceptance.

"Good."

Satisfied, the head maid released her hold on Enty's tie, settling back into the bed with a tactful smile.

"Now, if you are quite done brooding for the next hour—would you care for a cup of tea?"

The Grey Ghost blinked—several times—squinting at Belfast like an eagle spotted a trout treading land.

Tea...? Where? When did she—?

Bel chuckled, mild, befitting of a proper lady.

"Surprised? You should know by now—a royal maid must always be prepared to serve."

At that, she raised her blanket, unveiling a small, black lacquer box embellished with intricate Japanese designs—cherry blossoms, winding streams and gentle hills—all in gold. It sat nestled in the maid's lap, resting over her medical gown—tempting.

"It is an exquisite powdered green tea bestowed upon me by Lady Nagato herself during a diplomatic visit to the Sakura Empire alongside Her Majesty."

She raised its lid, revealing a bright, emerald powder beneath—its leafy fragrance permeated the room, beckoning them to indulge.

"Maybe some other time. There are more important matters for me to attend to."

Enterprise tentatively declined, prompting Bel to crook a curious brow.

"Such as?"

"Reconnaissance and patrol."

The head maid smiled—akin to a prosecutor pinpointing a fatal flaw in the defendant's assertion.

"M'lady, the skies have long been saturated with your combat air patrol—"

On cue, the thunderous roar of a Dauntless dive bomber's powerplant shook the windows of the med bay.

"Furthermore, the Burkes can detect enemy vessels and aircraft far beyond the horizon."

Belfast tilted her head ever so slightly—a gracefully smug gesture.

"Moreover, your weapon was destroyed by Purifier nary an hour prior. In our current states, you and I would be liabilities to the task force during close quarter engagements."

The Grey Ghost attempted to respond, only to find that she had no points left to refute Belfast's arguments—no excuses.

With a soft grunt of resignation, she acquiesced to the insistent maid's offer.

"Wonderful. If you would be so kind—I require hot water to brew us a batch of tea. Could you perhaps inquire as to where Miss Stout stows her kettles and drinking water? Wait—is that...?"

She paused, staring at what looked to be an oddly shaped kettle on a counter directly opposite her bed.

"I've never seen anything quite like it. Miss Enterprise—?"

Belfast needn't ask, she was on her way.

The small black kettle was already filled with water when Enterprise picked it up. On its side was a transparent gauge with little, precise measurements from the base to the top.

It seemed sleek, modern—wrong. Nothing like the stovetop kettles they were used to.

Upon closer inspection, the puzzled carrier discovered that it fit atop a disk-shaped stand with a little nub at its centre that appeared to house a thin metal coil.

The stand itself also came with an unfamiliar cord at the end of a meter-long cable.

She brought the peculiar device over to Belfast for examination, setting it down on the wheeled bed table in front of the maid.

"Fascinating—is this how water ought to be boiled in the near future?"

The shrewd maid mused, exploring its plastic and metal frame with keen curiosity.

She reached the cable—jutting awkwardly from the base of the disk platform upon which the kettle rested—tugging on it lightly before examining the cord at its end.

Three prongs extended from the cord's end—a single, round prong at the bottom and a pair of smaller, flat, parallel pins above it.

"Hmm... similar to a coffee percolator or a table lamp. We must find an outlet in which to insert this cord."

Enterprise looked beside the medical bed, discovering three unused sockets right there. Hesitantly, she took the plug from Bel's hand, lining up the prongs with the three holes in the wall before gently pushing in.

The plug clicked, prompting Enty to withdraw her hand. It stayed firmly rooted in the wall, a success.

"Now then—is it this button to start...?"

Belfast tapped the button on the base, and a dim red light flickered into being next to it.

"Is it working?"

The Grey Ghost questioned, both Kansen staring at the kettle—incredulous silence reigning for a brief moment.

"Perhaps it requires time. Those I have worked with all these years certainly—oh... it's boiling already?"

Steam rose in languid clouds from the kettle's mouth as furious gurgles of frenzied bubbles sounded from within.

"That was quick—too quick—surely this can't be safe."

A few seconds later, the button popped back out on its own with a final click, startling both Kansen.

"It ended the process on its own. Just how does this remarkable contraption operate?"

Belfast probed, eyes locked onto the kettle as though it were a potential threat. Beside her, Enterprise poked at it with growing suspicion.

"I don't understand... I have witnessed Siren technology that bordered on magic. I have seen the Burkes launch giant homing rockets from their decks and riggings. I have watched as entire generations of Kansen were summoned into this plane of existence—and yet, a kettle stumps me?"

The bewildered carrier rambled, holding her hand just above the miraculous device's mouth to find that yes—the vapour was indeed hot.

She retracted her hand as Belfast cleared her throat, regaining her unflappable demeanor.

"I suppose we may inquire with Miss Stout about this device later—it would certainly simplify serving tea to Her Majesty and the noble ladies of the Royal Isles if water could be boiled in mere moments."

The head maid reached for a couple of paper cups from the stack at her bedside, followed by a pair of disposable plastic spoons.

"I shall apportion each cup with the proper amount of tea—would you mind filling them?"

"Tell me when."

The carrier grasped the kettle's handle as Belfast measured out several small spoonfuls of powder into each cup.

"Now will do. Pour slowly—take care not to add too much water, lest the tea be diluted."

Enterprise obeyed, gradually tilting the kettle and allowing the hot water to flow in a gentle, steady stream.

When the water rose just past halfway, Belfast nodded once in approval.

"That will do. Now, the other cup—just the same."

After that, the head maid taught her charge the ancient art of whisking matcha—sans the whisk.

"Traditionally, we would make use of a chasen to whisk the tea and drink from a glazed earthenware bowl. Unfortunately, we must make do with flimsy spoons and paper cups for now. Stir slowly—until bubbles rise to the tea's surface and its texture turns creamy."

She observed Bel for a moment before mimicking her technique, gently stirring in circular motions until jade froth crowned the liquid's surface.

Belfast watched as Enterprise—the imperturbable warrior—struggled to make tea, her brows furrowed in concentration. The thought drew a faint curve to Belfast's lips.

"Is this alright?"

She asked, presenting her cup to the head maid.

"Hm? Yes, well done."

A soft hum of praise, then, a smile.

"It is customary for matcha to be savoured in three, deep sips. Together now. Do not gulp it down, simply allow the tea to flow over your tongue. Taste every note, relish its fragrance."

In unison, with both hands clasped around their cups, they raised them to their lips—warmth seeping into their palms as steam, rich with grassy earth, curled towards their faces.

The moment it hit her tongue—bliss. Warm, sapid tea flowed past her lips, gradually sliding down her throat in languorous streams.

There. The first sip had been savoured to its fullest.

"Well? What do you make of it?"

Belfast asked, offering Enterprise a playful simper as she awaited the stunned carrier's response.

"It's... I have no words—it's delicious."

A second sip, hurried—brimming with impatience.

Belfast watched with pride as the Grey Ghost enjoyed matcha for the first time, already scheming to replace every last grain of instant coffee in her room with tea.

1953 Hours, USS Arleigh Burke, Captain's Quarters

The lone destroyer sat at her desk under the dismal glare of a single light, idly scribbling over whatever she could find in her drawer: scrap paper, old receipts, even official documents. They were all meaningless now—painful reminders of a world ripped away.

She sighed, reaching for a framed picture of her graduation from the academy, tucked in the far corner of her desk.

Normandy and a few others in the Ticonderoga-class made up the back rank, towering over the Burkes with flawless decorum.

Arleigh, foremost of her class, sat front and centre with Stout and Carney by her sides. The rest were spread about.

Everyone who truly mattered to the morose destroyer condensed into a single, old photograph.

She held it close, cherished memories of her sisters drifting through her mind like shards of broken glass.

She recalled those days she'd spent with Porter in her workshop, tinkering with hazardous materials, cobbling together crude explosives and rudimentary radios.

"I've kept it close—all this time..."

Arleigh murmured, clutching a welded steel keychain in her pocket—a gift, handmade by Porter.

All those nights she had gone to random bars and restaurants on base with John and Ross where she'd get hammered and the next day, wake up safe and sound in bed next to them.

"Heh, I still owe ya twenty bucks for that sandwich—Jones..."

A single tear fell upon the glass pane of the photo frame, then, another as she slid a gloved thumb over the figures of John Paul Jones and Ross, their faces filled with hope. With joy. A sharp contrast to their oldest sister in the present.

Her lachrymose gaze fell upon Barry next. Their playful banter over comms while on sortie never failed to earn them reprimands from Normandy.

"I miss your voice. I'll never forget what you told me in Scapa Flow."

'If we don't see another sunrise after this, we'll just have to chat some other time.'

The words lingered, as though she was standing right next to Arleigh this very moment.

"Yeah... some other time."

Her voice was a choked sob, coming apart under the weight of remembrance—of longing.

They were gone.

Those heart-rending memories were the only trace of them now.

The halcyon days of laughter and sisterly camaraderie were well—and truly—over.

Except—

Chirp chirp, chirrup!

From her pocket, Oscar emerged once more, looking up at his closest friend to find her weeping in silence.

Instantly, he pulled himself out from the comfort of the garment before leaping onto the desk. Standing all of four inches tall before Arleigh, he chirped once.

"It's... it's alright. I'm alright. No problem at all."

She forced a smile, wiping away her tears as she met his worried gaze.

The tiny Manjuu wouldn't be fooled so simply. Slowly, he scurried over to her tear-damp hand resting on the desk, placing a fluffy wing atop her faintly trembling knuckles.

"Oscar, buddy... I'm fine, really. You don't have to—"

A swift, belligerent squawk cut off her insistence.

A beat, then a deep, shaky exhale.

"I'm not fine—everything's gone to shit... and it's all because of me."

A stifled sob, then:

"I got us here. I rushed into the enemy and you and Stout paid the price for my reckless ass."

Gently—with quivering hands—she scooped him up, bringing him to eye level.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry—we wouldn't be here if I'd just waited for once. You wouldn't be separated from the rest of the Manjuu Corps and... Stout wouldn't be stuck here with my unbearable self if I wasn't an arrogant idiot with something to prove."

Oscar listened—he always listened—to the destroyer's plight from the palms of her hands.

After a brief, silent moment, he spoke once again, asking to be brought closer in the form of soft tweets and chirps.

Arleigh complied, bringing the oversized chick closer to her cheek.

As soon as he was close enough, he waddled towards her, hugging her cheek as fully as his tiny wingspan would allow—which was not much, but it was enough.

A soft gasp escaped the weeping woman as the Manjuu quietly embraced her—his gentle fluff soaking up her remaining tears, his minute heat warming her skin.

She opened her mouth to speak, but soon closed it in favour of nuzzling the Manjuu in return for his comfort.

Arleigh chuckled softly, her tears finally ceasing as she clasped her hands together around Oscar, sealing him against her cheek in her own delicate embrace.

They remained like that for a few evanescent minutes, both individuals content on being the other's support in this old, unfamiliar world.

With an abundance of care, the destroyer set her companion down on her desk. Though, he chose to remain beside her hand, never breaking eye contact with Arleigh.

"Thanks, Oscar. I don't think anyone other than Stout would've been willing to be here for me right now."

A heavy exhale followed.

"I really needed that, bud. Guess I owe ya a couple snacks now, huh?"

Before the Manjuu could squeak in excitement, a familiar knock sounded at her door—three distinct impacts, each two seconds apart.

Stout.

Oscar perked up instantly at the realisation.

"Arleigh, may I come in?"

"Yeah, it's not locked."

With a metallic groan, the heavy door cracked open to reveal Stout on the other side. Her expression was of deep thought before her gaze landed upon her older sister's face.

"What happened?"

She approached Arleigh with haste, resting a hand on her damp cheek, worried.

"It was nothing. I was just thinking about... them."

Stout followed her gesture to the photo frame, glimmering beads still clinging to its glass.

"Oh... Arleigh—"

"It's alright. Oscar here already talked some sense into me—gave me a tiny lil' hug on the cheek, pulled me back from the brink. This little guy..."

The Manjuu chirped once, saluting Stout with a wing to his forehead, prompting a warm, demure giggle from her.

"Well, aren't you always the reliable one? Our stalwart little technician."

He tweets in elation as Stout pets him, gently stroking his head using her index finger.

The little bird nearly fell over in jubilation when Stout reached into her pocket and pulled out a U.S. MRE pound cake, vanilla flavoured, Oscar's favourite.

She smiled sweetly as she opened it, leaving it on the desk for him to nibble and peck away at.

"Heh, adorable lil' rascal."

Arleigh and Stout watched the happiest Manjuu in the world for a long moment before Arleigh spoke.

"So... a lil' weird for ya to come aboard my ship, huh? Normally it's the other way 'round."

Stout gave Oscar a final tap on his head before turning back to her sister.

"I have a few thoughts that I would like to share with you—urgent thoughts. But first—bed, now."

She punctuated her words with a firm grip around Arleigh's wrist, yanking her off her seat and towards the built-in, untidy bed against the wall.

"H-huh? Now? I mean... not that I'm complainin' but Oscar's right there—"

Stout turned back to meet her gaze, glaring.

"Oh, get your mind out of the gutter! I want to discuss our next move and I don't want to stand while doing so."

At that, Arleigh smiled. The shadow of sorrow was expunged from her features altogether. Now, mischief takes its place.

"I don't like that look on your face. What are you plotting?"

Stout asked, suspicion and dread mounting as Arleigh took a step closer.

"Ya don't wanna stand, right? Yes, ma'am!"

In the blink of an eye, Stout found herself ensnared in the steel shackles that were her sister's arms. She attempted to squirm free, only to find that she would be falling backwards in short order.

"Arleigh! Let go! Wait—no, NO—AHHH!"

The sisters landed on the bed in a tangle of limbs and hair with Arleigh atop Stout.

"Ughh... ahh... Ar... leigh..."

"Hehe—yeah, sis?

"Get... off..."

Reluctantly, she rolled off her long-suffering little sister, lying beside her while chuckling like an idiot for a short, gleeful moment.

"You sadist... What is wrong with you?

Stout questioned rhetorically, struggling to catch the breath that was so rudely squeezed from her.

Soon after, both sisters gazed at the ceiling in silence, not a word uttered between them as they lay sprawl on the bed—until Arleigh spoke.

"Ya said ya had somethin' to tell me, spit it out. What's on your mind?"

Stout blinked once, sighing softly before turning to her sister.

"Do you feel... weaker ever since we were sent back here? That fight against Purifier earlier—she shrugged off our attacks as though they were minor inconveniences—even without her shields, she attacked with impunity."

Arleigh groaned, leaning back into the mattress—eyes closed as she replied.

"Tell me 'bout it—like tryna' chop down a redwood usin' a damn branch."

The veteran reached out towards the ceiling, summoning her blade in a burst of cerulean light. She held it above her, examining its razor edge with professional scrutiny and a tinge of frustration.

"This thing's never failed before this. Everything it touched would be cut in two—I lopped off Compiler's head with this sword. So why—why didn't it work this time?"

Stout watched as her sister sighed before releasing her hold on the blade, allowing it to dematerialise.

"Have you tried using any of your abilities that don't involve ranged attacks from our riggings? The ones that enhance our physical attributes and physical stats instead of our firepower."

"Yeah, tried activating my shields and funnelin' power into my sword when that crazy bitch showed up, no dice. I chalked it up to a software issue, thought I'd have you and Oscar take a look after."

A contemplative silence descended upon the room for a few, brief seconds before Stout sat up and responded.

"I have a presumption on the problem then..."

Puzzled, Arleigh looked up to her sharp little sister, keen on her response.

"Well, what is it? Can't exactly find an answer if I don't even know the question."

A beat, then Stout met her gaze once more, her expression a mix of dread and wonder.

"We have been weakened—crippled, in a sense."

"What d'ya mean 'in a sense'? You sayin' we got nerfed or some shit?"

"That's one way to put it."

Silence.

"Hey! Don't just go quiet all of a sudden! Expound."

"Oh, I'm surprised you know what that means."

"Before I strangle you—"

"Alright! Alright!"

Stout chuckled at Arleigh's threat. Lying down once more, she moved closer to her sister, resting her head on Arleigh's shoulder and receiving her quick peck on the cheek before posing her theory.

"Over twenty years ago, our entire class of destroyers was retrofitted with advanced Siren technology that R&D managed reverse engineer. You remember this, right?"

"Yeah, gave us a buncha new shit and powers to work with."

"Including almost sixty percent of our additional abilities, yes?"

"Yeah. Where are you goin' with this?"

"The two of us were outfitted with Siren technology and that gave us a myriad of extra skills on top of the ones we were summoned with. My 'Quick Draw' is an example of a skill I had before the retrofit, and it worked just fine during our little bet earlier. Remember?"

"...I'm still salty over losin' that by the way."

Stout rolled her eyes at Arleigh's fatuous soreness before resuming her explanation.

"My point is, the skills we had that were enabled by integration of Siren technology into our Wisdom Cubes have been completely disabled, likely the moment we were sent back."

A pause. Stout's voice caught, an almost imperceptible breath, her features darkening as she carried on.

"That's why my bullets and missiles did almost nothing against Purifier. That's why your blade failed to cut through her armour, and that's why we're just as weak as Kansen who would be consider obsolete in our era. Our upgrades have been stripped away."

Arleigh, to her credit, lay quiet—eyes fixed on the ceiling as her mind gradually parsed the information. After a brief moment, she slowly turned her head to meet Stout's calculative gaze on her shoulder. Unfortunately, that would prove to be the quiet's denouement.

"Excuse me... WHAT?!"

Abruptly, her sprawled form shot up from the bed, prompting Stout to do the same.

"It's just a hypothesis for our current situation—a shot in the dark. It's not necessarily true, but I think it's the most likely—"

"I don't give a shit if it's true! Just the thought that while we were passed out on the water, a random Siren scum stripped us, pulled our cubes out and took back their tech before putting them back is fucking terrifying!"

The veteran's eyes were wide, her breath shallow with mounting horror as she pondered the unspeakable possibilities of gruesome violation their mortal enemies could have subjected them to in their sleep.

"Oh God—no. No..."

Stout, seeing Arleigh's growing panic, pulled her into yet another firm hug.

"Sis, calm. It's okay. I'm sure it's not that bad—I really, really hope it isn't..."

A thick, suffocating silence gripped the sisters—an almost nauseating quiet.

"Well... there's really only one way to find out."

"What are you thinking?"

Arleigh's fingers balled into white-knuckled, trembling fists in her skirt.

"We check our cubes. If the Sirens had their way with our souls... there might be some signs."

2000 Hours, MNF Jean Bart, Bridge

The backdrop of shimmering moonlight upon darkened waves proved to be a poor distraction from the Pirate Queen's infuriated recollection of their humiliation at the hands of Purifier. She paced about the bridge, muttering enough curses under her breath to make a sailor blush.

"Connasse de démon, putain de salope mécanique! I'll carve that damn grin off her face next time."

The Captain seethed, her pacing speeding up momentarily before finally taking a seat at the console with her arms tightly crossed.

She stared out of the forward bridge window, over the foredeck and her massive turrets to the sea's pitch dark horizon, promising darker days still.

A prolonged spell of silence ensued. Jean's breath gradually steadied as she regained her composure. Though, her leg bounced incessantly beneath the console, a restless rhythm betraying her agitation.

The Sirens' actions thus far indicate that the sisters have indeed piqued their curiosity. Purifier had largely ignored them during their first engagement—she'd went straight for Arleigh and Stout. 

"Damn fools—they're marked for death if we can't protect them..."

She scoffed, tearing her gaze off the horizon as a knock sounded from the door.

"Jean, je peux entrer?"

The Captain stood, walking over to the door before opening it to her older sister. Richelieu's expression was one of thinly veiled concern as she took in Jean's tense features—her lips pressed into a thin line, her brows knitted together.

"You seem troubled, sœur. Do you need someone to talk to?"

The Captain sighed, nodding once before stepping aside for the Cardinal. Richelieu obliged, entering her sister's bridge before Jean shut the door behind her with a quiet—click.

"Go ahead, sit. Can't bring myself to stay still after that shitshow of an engagement."

She met Richelieu's gaze, offering the captain's chair to her sister while leaning against the nearest wall.

The Cardinal shook her head, taking up position next to Jean before speaking.

"I will not sit. Not while your knees buckle under the burden of leadership."

"Suit yourself."

She replied simply after a moment of thought.

For a long while, nothing was said, silence reigning in the room before Jean abruptly spoke—leaning on her older sister for guidance at last.

"I don't know our next move. Belfast's injury is one thing, but Enterprise's disarmament? We're missing a large portion of our firepower. Then, there's the fact that the Sirens know our exact heading."

She let out a soft groan, burying her face in her palms. A rare gesture of defeat from the flagship of the Vichya Dominion.

"We aren't enough, sis. We don't have the power to stop those alien bastards from taking Arleigh and Stout from us, and today was proof of that fact."

She met Richelieu's gaze, desperate for something, anything at this point.

"Please, help me out here—because if there's really a way that we can make it to the Solomons in one piece, I don't see it."

Richelieu, listening to her younger sister's plight, grasped Jean's shoulders before pulling her into a grounding hug.

"What...?"

Jean questioned, confused and utterly at the mercy of the Cardinal's embrace.

"I understand. I am unsure of what the future holds for this fleet as well—but know that you are not shouldering this burden alone. There have been times where I too was at a loss while overseeing the Iris. There have been times where I have questioned the Lord himself, begging for answers to a seemingly impossible situation."

Jean remained unmoving. Yet, her shoulders relaxed infinitesimally as she responded with skepticism.

"Yeah? How did that work out for you?"

"I lost nearly everything I held dear. The Orthodoxy shattered overnight. I lost half of our comrades. I lost the respect of all those under my command..."

A pause, Richelieu's embrace around Jean tightening gradually as she continued.

"...I lost you."

The admission hit like a punch in the gut. A soft gasp escaped Jean, her eyes widening fractionally before she returned her sister's embrace at last, resting her head on Richelieu's shoulder.

There they stood, a pair of lost souls, clinging to one another as though it was the only thing keeping them from being swept away by the swift rivers of Fate.

A long moment later, Richelieu spoke yet again, refusing to let Jean go.

"I am no longer the naïve woman I was back then. I now realise that the Lord will never solve your problems for you. I know that blind faith will bring only pain. True faith is not just the belief in a deity or religion—it is the belief in oneself and in those around us. The belief that there is always a solution to every problem, their severity notwithstanding."

Jean let out a weary chuckle at that, her own arms tightening in sympathetic response to her sister's.

"That's a little idealistic, wouldn't you say?"

"Yes. Does that make me a fool in your eyes?

A beat, then Jean smiled.

"No... just a bit optimistic."

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of quiet reassurance, the sisters released their holds on one another.

"Maybe a little bit of optimism is exactly what Task Force Paradox really needs. A flagship who's never afraid of asking questions or making small mistakes here and there in favour of getting us where we need to be—someone who's always looking on the bright side of every horrible situation."

"Sœur?"

"Yeah?"

"You will not—do not think of transferring leadership to me."

At that, Jean laughed, loud and spirited.

"Heh, damn. It was worth a shot."

2023 Hours, USS Arleigh Burke, Captain's quarters

Hollow moonlight filtered through the porthole above Arleigh's bed.

The crashing of waves against the ship's hull did little to silence the quiet weeping of Stout as she lay curled into a trembling ball on her sister's bed.

Arleigh remained seated upright at the edge of the bunk, staring blankly at the softly glowing cube, the vessel of her very soul, nestled in her palm.

It seemed normal at a glance. Yet, upon closer inspection, it was incomplete.

Bits, tiny, rectangular pieces on the cube's faces, were missing—the mark of a violation that ran deeper than flesh.

Similarly defiled was Stout's cube, cast aside next to her sorry form. Arleigh looked to her little sister, quietly sobbing into the blanket, and joined her.

Wrapping her arms around Stout, she eased herself beneath the covers before pulling her little sister into her chest from behind.

"A shot in the dark... huh...?"

A sardonic chuckle followed as Arleigh's arms tightened their hold unconsciously. Stout whimpered, her tears gradually ceasing as she felt the solid wall of Arleigh's chest, the warmth she so desperately needed, against her back.

Arleigh whispered, her voice quivering before her own tears resurfaced.

"What do you want me to say... bullseye...?"