"I-Is that…the commander's daughter?!" What remained of the first swarm of drones had begun retreating to regroup. Kirishima took the chance to wipe her glasses on her miko outfit and did a second take, but that was definitely who she thought the screaming Fleet Girl speeding towards them was. No one had seen her in months, not that much anyone cared sadly. The glasses-wearing battleship didn't really approve of her older sister's methods of gaining the commander's adoration, but it was effective she had to admit, and her sister was beyond stubborn when it came to matters of romance, there was little she could've done. Trying to look for a bright side, the naval base was no place for non-combat and non-maintenance personnel like the commander's daughter anyway. Kirishima had originally thought the daughter simply stopped going back to her "hijacked" home and stayed at the boarding school, that was the logical conclusion, but seeing her here at the battle was the last thing her calculations expected, much less her menacing Abyssal firearms and Fleet Girl water-walking abilities.

"Nani-desu?" The British-Japanese Kongou squinted through the storm. "Huh, yes it is! Agh, always a thorn in my side desu! I always knew that brat would be trouble, now I have proof! I bet Admiral will praise me more once I get rid of that delinquent once and for all!" Kirishima gawked at her older sister's complete disregard of the situation's impossibility in favor of looking for more reasons to be adored by the commander. It was…to be expected, she supposed, Kongou always had a one-track mind. More importantly, the daughter was getting closer, and it was very clear she meant all the harm in the world. Questions could be asked later, but only after they defeat this unexpected newcomer.

Sakuri skidded to a halt a few meters from her sworn nemesis, sniper rifle strapped to her back, hands on the holsters on her sides. "Remember me, bitch?"

"How could I forget a baka like you? The undeserving brat who weighed down Admiral with unnecessary responsibilities and gave nothing in return?"

"Still a spiteful little skank, aren't ya? Always pretending to be this bigger person looking out for your superior when all you are is an insecure possessive bitch. You even act out a stupid air-head persona just to get people to like you! Your retarded mix of Japanese and English words, your perpetual fake smile, your tape-on ahoge… all to hide your desperation for attention. Well, *snicker* maybe the stupid part isn't an act."

Kongou's smile faltered for a second, though it was quickly recovered, however forced it was. "WHAT…did you say about my ahoge?"

"H-hey, wait a sec, both of you!" Kirishima tried to intervene. "I'm sure we can come to a peaceful solution…" She evaded the incoming shot by the skin of her teeth, making her miss her own ambush shot at the pseudo-Fleet Girl.

"Stay out of this, four-eyes! Unless y-" Sakuri's threat was interrupted by yet another violent coughing fit, drops of dark red blood splattering from her mouth into the churning ocean. "Of all the times…no matter."

"This kuso-brat is right for once!" Kongou waved her younger sister away. "Go, protect Hiei-chan and Haruna-chan! Watashi can more than handle this girl myself desu!"

"I-If you say so…" With some hesitation, Kirishima turned around and ran back to aid her incapacitated sisters' retreat. With no one else around but Admiral's abandoned daughter, Kongou finally let her cheery smile be replaced by an annoyed grimace.

"Finally dropping the façade, huh?"

"No one's around to be scared by me right now desu. Oops, slip of the tongue."

"Implying anyone would be scared of YOU, big-head bitch."

"Still as disrespectful of your seniors as ever I see. Admiral should have rinsed your foul mouth with arsenic."

"You sure are old enough to be a senior. Better get some botox, daddy doesn't like wrinkles much."

The insults continued to fly for a good while.

"So, how did you get your Fleet Girl powers? Did you beg the Abyssals to make you more like strong, lovable Kongou, hmm?"

"You wouldn't be able to get it through your thick skull anyway, but I guess you deserve to know before I smash it open. *shrug* Self-administered operation. Thanks to you I was practically universally ignored, which gave me some stealthy benefits, like sneaking cameras into the 'construction' bay and nabbing materials. Of course, I couldn't replicate everything on my own. This right here, is the product of an incomplete process on an imperfect subject. Little physical benefit and a drastically reduced lifespan, but some advanced Abyssal tech makes up for the former!" Sakuri patted the sniper rifle that mauled Kongou's sisters. "I thought I'd at least last a year, but looks like I overestimated myself on that. Good thing YOU showed up on time, numbskull!"

"Wait, you estimated a year? You knowingly threw away your ENTIRE life just to try getting your dad back from me for what, a month, a week before you die? And you call ME a possessive bitch?"

"Dad can go burn in HELL for all I care! He gave me up so easily in favor of some tits and ass, I don't even want to SEE him anymore! And who even CARES about the rest of my life? I have no home, no family, no friends, no money, no future! There is NOTHING left for me to lose. So why not accelerate the end and get some sweet revenge while I'm at it?" She whipped the two revolvers out of their holsters, now fitted with vicious bayonets, twirled them around in the air and aimed them at the battleship. "But enough talk, it's time to make dad single again. I bet he's gonna hate me SO much for doing that twice!"

"In your dreams, brat!" The Fleet Girl lowered her cannons at the Admiral's daughter. "Admiral will praise and adore me forever while you rot at the bottom of the sea! A BURNING LOVER was what he needed, not some bothersome baby to take care of!"

"Oh you'll BURN alright!"

The two mortal enemies opened fire at the same time, their battle cries both a single word demand: "DIE!"

While her destroyer comrades kept the Harbor Princess occupied, the fist fight between human and Fleet Girl raged on. So far she had refused to user her cannons in order to apprehend the enemy Admiral alive, but it was increasingly evident the outcome of her decision was not going her way. The man had displayed speed and power far greater than she anticipated of a human, and she was slowly getting worn down from the flurry of heavy blows; for someone who claimed to be her father, he really wasn't showing any mercy right now. Even worse, Lebe and Max weren't faring much better, barely able to approach the Princess as her Demon constantly unleashed horde after horde of fighter and bomber drones; the horned Abyssal herself had stayed defensive so far despite her advantage, but a single swipe from those claws would be the end for the fragile destroyers. She had to end this, and fast!

Compromising to her earlier decision, she jumped back as soon as a gap appeared in her opponent's onslaught and lined up her cannons, firing a volley at his right arm; caught off guard by the sudden but inevitable use of firearms, the Admiral managed to evade 3 of the shots, the last striking against his forearm, tearing away the synthetic skin and revealing the steel armor and circuitry beneath. That explained his inhuman strength, the battleship thought.

The bearded man gave an uncaring glance at the minor damage on his prosthetic and dashed forward fists raised once more. Bismarck braced herself for yet another round, the battle was far from over.

The lights flickered on around him, dispelling the darkness. The first thing he noticed were the advanced equipment, far beyond what they had available upstairs; holographic displays and monitors, inactive cryo chambers, what appeared to be large computer servers and countless other machines he couldn't even guess were. Compared to the research facility above, this was like some alien mothership!

The second thing he noticed were the unexpected residents.

"…Faeries?"

About a dozen of the tiny humanoids were there, some ushering the released nanite swarm away into canisters, some watching live footage of the surface battle, and others sitting on chairs and equipment, observing the band of intruders who fell from the ceiling. Before what Harrison discerned to be the main control panel, the captain's chair swiveled around, revealing the mysterious speaker and her pet cat. Unlike traditional villainous masterminds however, the little faery was sitting on the white feline instead of stroking it.

"Yep, 'faeries', at least that's what we named ourselves in your planet's languages. Surprised? You should be, otherwise the others may be in a spot of trouble!" The captain faery petted her pet. "This is Elizabeth by the way, I got interested in these domestic felines after consulting your planet's internet and decided to get one. She's as adorable as all the images showed, but considerably inconsiderate at times!" *meow* "Oh stop now, I'll bring you some fish later alright?"

Harry was too occupied trying to process the very presence of the faeries to care about her explanation of the cat. "I…I don't understand, isn't your kind supposed to be fighting the Abyssals? Or was that all an elaborate lie to sabotage our military?" No wait, that didn't make sense, if they wanted to sabotage the humans they wouldn't teach us how to make Fleet Girls in the first place, so were these betrayers of their own kind just as he and his colleagues were to humanity? But then why were they hiding so deep in the base?

"I can see you have a lot of questions there Sir Harrison, understandably so. Well, since you're here, why don't you stay awhile and listen? I have a story to answer all your questions, it's only fair after what you and your colleagues have done for us."

"Our race once lived on Xanqueous, an aquatic planet many lightyears away from Earth. My name is Era, once High Empress of Calypso, one of the 4 Kingdoms. Unlike your race, we had achieved world peace many centuries ago, but unfortunately it was to be an external threat that became our undoing.

"The Abaroths had lost their home planet after their sun died out, and thus roamed the galaxy as space nomads, looking for a new place to call home, or so we were told. One of their colonies landed on our planet and requested sanctuary. Of course 'requested' was an extremely lenient way of putting it. For a band of 'space nomads' they sure had some jaw-droppingly advanced military technology, and they weren't exactly shy on showing them to our ambassadors. It wasn't a request, but an ultimatum, let them stay or they'll take over by force.

"With a lack of better options we gave the unexpected migrants the benefit of doubt and agreed to let them stay. Both our species were amphibious, but due to our incompatible size differences we allowed them to settle in the less populated lands instead of sharing in our cities. You see, they were about the size of what your kind would call 'dwarves', miniature by your standards, but to US they were giants. Either way, if we had any doubts about their civility they were quickly dispelled; the Abaroths were definitely greedy, violent miscreants. Within weeks they were demanding more resources, more land, and they were very disrespectful to our kind, very disrespectful indeed! But we had to tolerate and compromise as best we could, at least until we could develop our long neglected military technology to stand a chance in case of conflict.

"Well, they became impatient earlier than anticipated. After several years of preparations and intelligence gathering, those savages decided to do away with us entirely and take the entire planet for themselves. At the time we thought we could at least put up a fight, but the Abaroths had a secret weapon: an army of nanites capable of converting both creatures and machines into cybernetic lifeforms, living weaponry, and whatever they converted, they also enhanced by fusing the technology of our two races, sometimes creating things even beyond what the Abaroths originally had. Their most lethal feature however lay not in their firepower, but their regenerative ability. Excluding the few extremely rare cases where we were able to obliterate these constructs in one strike, they almost instantaneously recovered from any weapon we had at our disposal, not to mention their unnatural resistance to damage minimizing the effect of even our best explosives and energy weaponry.

"It'd be no surprise to me if these nanite-infused beings could actually be made indestructible, but the Abaroths weren't entirely ignorant, and left a weakness they could exploit in case of rebellion. The special black alloy which armored the cyborgs could also act as an inhibitor to the nanites' regenerative function, allowing weapons and ammunition made out of said alloy to do staying damage. Unfortunately for us, more advanced technology such as firearms using said alloy had a mysterious property we couldn't comprehend at the time: despite structurally functional, they refuse to activate, as if we were lacking some form of energy to power them, an energy only present in the Abaroths and their nanite-infused cyborgs. Yes we could use bows or blades forged from the material, but that wasn't exactly viable against enemies capable of generating energy barriers and firing ion cannons, sadly.

"In the end despite minor victories and successful capture of nanite samples, our last strongholds were overrun and those of us surviving were forced to flee into space, scattering amongst the cosmos. The other Kingdoms had fled in different directions than mine. Sometimes I wonder what became of these others…

"As for us, we traveled for many years, warp driving from one star system to another in search for hospitable planets. Aboard the ship we spent the time studying the samples of nanites we had captured, slowly learning what made them tick. Eventually we were able to hack their allegiance programming and deciphered other basic controls, soon before we discovered your planet. We would've stayed in orbit for a while longer and formally contacted your governments for a plead of sanctuary, except our mothership's engine failed after collision with one of your many satellites and we crashed through the atmosphere into your oceans.

"Us passengers had thankfully survived the landing with minor damage to the ship, but a breach allowed much of our nanites to leak into the open waters before we could repair the damage. Unbeknownst to us, these nanites began self-replicating and converting ship wreckages they found at the bottom of the sea, and before we knew it they had already begun self-reproduction protocols, attacking ships and humans for assimilation. Thus the 'Abyssals' were born.

"It was at this point that my people and I had a disagreement. Most of them wanted to aid the humans, who clearly lacked the technology and knowledge to face the nanite creatures, reigning in the Abyssals and co-existing with humans in harmony. Well, as you can see, I had…other, ideas.

"Now I'd like to clarify first before misunderstandings are made, I had nor have any intention to wipe out or enslave humanity! It's just that while I'm more than willing to co-exist with your species, I, well, simply don't TRUST your kind to do your part in maintaining balance and harmony! I'm sorry but you humans can barely get along with EACH OTHER, much less an alien race! It's really nothing personal, but if we're going to co-exist I'd much rather it be on OUR terms and governance! Of course it was highly unlikely your kind would simply agree to this decision, so a little force had to be applied to urge a surrender.

"Those of us wishing for peaceful integration left to aid the human military on their own. I let them go as they wished, they had the right to decide what to do with themselves, and so the rest of us remained here, converting our mothership and the other spacecrafts into functioning headquarters for the Abyss creatures, working in secret so you humans will trust the rebelled faeries, but as you can see, there aren't exactly a lot of us left, the ones you see now are all the faery staff here, and there's even fewer in the lesser bases…not much of an Empress anymore with only several dozen subjects worldwide, am I? Unless you count the Abyssals themselves I suppose. They take orders only from me and those I delegate authority to, so I suppose they do count.

"But back on topic, with ourselves greatly understaffed and the Abyssals none too bright, there was only so much we could do in terms of research, engineering and organizing the war effort at the same time. That was why I decided to hire you and your colleagues, brilliant minds and people neglected by society that we had great use for. Zero regrets there I must say! For that I assure you once more, you will all be rewarded vastly for your help, and once humanity surrenders authority to me, I will definitely lead both of our species to a bright prosperous future, just you wait and see!"

"So now here we are. Any ques-" *meow* "Alright, sorry, here, you can have some fish for not interrupting my story." One of the faeries lifted a fresh tuna to the cat, which chowed down on it satisfyingly. "Anyway as I was saying, any questions?"

"Not really, that explained much everything." Her one human audience shrugged. A lot of his questions had been answered, and it was quite a relief to know the commander of the Abyssal Fleet wasn't a madman hellbent on destruction at least.

"Wait, no questions on where your manmade Princess went?"

"I figured you just ordered her off, since you have complete control over the Abyssals afterall."

"It's not COMPLETE control but yes that's pretty much what I did. Smart man." Era looked bemused, losing her chance to brag about saving their lives from the rampaging Abyssal. "Well either way I'd appreciate if you keep what I just told you a secret, in case of unforeseen consequences to the human-affiliated faeries if word spreads. Now, there's an ongoing evacuation you want continued, no?"

"Wait, you're just letting us leave?"

"Why of course, just like with my former subjects, even more so in fact considering you mean my cause no harm! I dislike forcing people to do things unless it's an absolute must for the betterment of all parties you see. We will even arrange a new abode for you and your…adopted children. It's not like the rest of us are staying."

"What- Ah, I see." Even if they manage to fight off this siege, with their coordinates known it'll just be one onslaught after another. Better to evacuate to another base before the military resorts to nuking the entire place.

"Well, even if we manage to- aww." The faery empress was bemused once more for having her chance at exposition taken away again. "Ah let's just get to it. I've ordered some Abyssals on site to round up the other humans for evacuation. Mind carrying your friends over there to the teleporter before they wake up? I'd rather none of them see us, especially Madame Victoria, her experiments are a bit too…scientific for me."

Fear and loneliness were the first emotions she came to know.

She was one of the firsts, of the human-like weapons known as Fleet Girls. She couldn't remember anything of her past, not that she even knew there was anything to remember, so the naval crew were her only family, essentially. Well, it would've been a stretch to call them "family". She couldn't even get them to be her friend, for they couldn't see her as one of them, despite all she had done for them since her construction. Saved many lives that no one else could save, sunk many enemies that no one else could sink, one would think she'd be revered as a hero. That'd be too naïve, as she learnt. The humans respected her power, but also feared her for it. To them she was a weapon of great destruction that could potentially detonate at any time; they needed her, but they didn't like having her so close by. Always kept their distance, always, and being the one and only of her kind at the base, there was no one like herself to confide in at all.

So every day was the same routine. Get up alone, practice or sortie alone, have meals in a corner of the mess hall alone, bathe alone, go to sleep alone. No one would talk to her willingly beyond orders, some wouldn't even make eye contact. An isolated island amidst a bustling sea of activity, ignored.

One man however was different. They had met during her first ever international practice battle with other Fleet Girls, an Admiral Satoshi of another naval office. He had greeted her so warmly while crossing paths in the halls, even invited her to chat over a cup of tea, a gesture which while simple to others had meant the world to her after over half a year of neglect. For the first time in her memory she managed to have a conversation with a willing partner, and it felt so wonderful to have someone listen to her speak her heart out; the exciting sorties, overheard gossip, repressed emotions, everything she just wanted to share with someone, even though for what reason she couldn't say, just that she wanted to tell another person. Not only did she share her own stories, but also his: the interesting people he works with, the stress of his duty as an Admiral, his hopes and aspirations; and in listening to his tales, she almost felt as if she had gone through these experiences WITH him, and she would love to do so for real.

After more Fleet Girls were constructed, she was successfully transferred to Admiral Satoshi's naval base on his request. Afraid that the others may see her as a threat like her old crew, she even created a goofy persona so people would take her less seriously. Yet despite being with a much friendlier crew and even getting sister ships, all of whom she treasured from the bottom of her heart, none of their company she had preferred over the Admiral's. As they spent more and more time with each other, friendship soon sprouted into love, for her anyway. She believed the Admiral would definitely feel the same way for her, if only he wasn't so stressed and busy all the time. Naval duties such as sorties she would gladly take care of for him, and with her by his side he will never have to grieve for lost men ever again! But there was one other source of stress not so easily dealt with.

His freeloader of a daughter. The brat did nothing but take up space and money, the Admiral had even built a library just for her! He could've spent that money on a much-deserved vacation instead, but it went to the undeserving brat! Same went for her education fees and that damn expensive gaming computer! Time he could have spent resting were spent entertaining the little runt on field trips to the amusement park or museums! And what did the kid do for him in return? NOTHING! She didn't cook meals for him, she rarely even did the CHORES, the janitors deal with that for her! All she does is loiter around the library or play video games whenever she's not at school or taking up the Admiral's precious time and money with her stupid little gadgets made out of stolen resources! The brat was a burden on the Admiral and she had to be removed, for HIS sake!

She did what she could to accomplish that goal. Yes she may had resorted to some low methods but it was in her Satoshi's best interests! And voila, once she convinced him to dump the brat at a cheap boarding school the two of them became so happy and romantic! He finally had the money and time he worked so hard to earn for himself, yet he'd choose to spend it together with her instead, such a sweetheart! She loved him and he loved her, two ships supporting each other in dangerous seas, no longer the isolated island she once was! Once the war finally ends, they'll spend the rest of their days together, a properly married couple! That was why she jumped at the opportunity to help siege the enemy base to speed up the process. The last thing she expected was seeing HER there as well.

The battleship didn't have time to recount all the moments she had shared with her Admiral as her deadly duel with the half Fleet Girl continued. She ducked another shot while returning a salvo of cannon fire, none of which found their mark. As Sakuri had said, she lacked the physical strength and resistance of even a destroyer, a single successful strike from cannon or fist would be enough to kill her outright or at least destroy a limb, but her small frame and agility made up for her frailty. In comparison, Kongou had the endurance to survive multiple direct hits from an anti-tank rifle caliber firearm, but her slower speed and clunky cannon fit-out made her an easier target, allowing her opponent to land more frequent hits despite each dealing only minor damage. Still, the toll was starting to add up, the Fleet Girl could feel her body getting heavier and harder to control with each hit she took.

The vengeful daughter noticed this as well with glee, making a u-turn back straight towards the battleship to finish her off. Another salvo of cannon fire, another miss as the intended target jumps and flips over them. The girl was just showing off now, Kongou concluded, which meant she was extremely confident the match was hers. Far too confident! Speeding aside to avoid the incoming bayonet whirlwind strike, the Fleet Girl returned with a mean right hook, simultaneously followed by cannon fire underneath her fist where she thought the girl would duck. Instead she had used gunfire recoil and the thrusters on her shoes to negate forward momentum and jump backwards, evading both strikes before circling behind the battleship, slicing and carving in a mad whirl at her turret mounts. Kongou managed to ward her off again with a quick backhand, but 2 of the cannons were already damaged, leaving her with 4 left functioning.

"How does it feel, chucklenuts? Ya can't even TOUCH me!" Sakuri skied circles around the battered battleship, taunting. "Face it, you're gonna die alone at the bottom of the-" She suddenly lost her balance, skidding to a halt as she retched again, unnaturally dark blood spilling into the ocean. Too late did she even realize this was the opportunity her nemesis needed.

"ALL GUNS, FIRE!"

A pain-filled scream accompanied the splash of her severed leg hitting the water. The girl fell to her remaining knee, wincing at the gushing stump where her limb was. It was almost over. With victory assured, the battleship dashed forwards before launching herself high into the air, aiming to crash her fist down upon her supposedly defeated opponent. A fitting finisher, she thought. It was almost as glorious as a holy story, an angel descending from the heavens to punish the sinner, and soon the angel shall return to her loving god to spend eternity in each other's embrace.

Yet something wasn't right. Two revolvers sunk beneath the waves as the sinner whipped the sniper rifle out from behind. A demonic red aura radiated from the firearm and her hands, blazing crimson fog emanating from her right eye, a face no longer of anger or spite, there was no more room in her mind for that, but of resolve and determination to finish the job she dedicated her life to.

"SEE YOU IN HELL, BITCH!"

"Hang on, we're almost back to safety!" Kirishima struggled to support her two other sisters back behind the coalition fleet's frontline. Having continuously fought off waves and waves of enemy drones and the Abyssals themselves while towing the two heavy Fleet Girls had left her at her limit, though she would never admit to the later part in front of her rescued sisters.

"Haruna is sorry she became such a burden…"

"No don't say that, it was my fault for not including the sniper in my calculations! You did great, Haruna, I'm sure big sis has nothing but praise for you! But for now we need to get you to a repair crew!"

"K-Kongou onee-sama…is she…alright?"

"This is big sis we're talking about here Hiei, what do you think? Of course she'll be-"

It was at that moment that everyone across the battlefield could see a bright crimson beam launch all the way from the ocean into the sky with a thunderous resonating roar, parting the storm clouds above, a streak of brilliant red in the dull gray sky before it slowly thinned and dissipated away. Most others assumed it was just another attack from a Demon, but the three battleships instantly felt the truth within their hearts.

"…Let's keep going. For big sis' sake."

Water was filling her lungs, yet surprisingly she felt no pain, contrary to how terrible drowning's supposed to feel, from what she heard anyway.

The recoil from the blast had knocked the breath out of her and sent her deep beneath the surface, though that wasn't even taking into account the blood loss, her deteriorating body and spending every last ounce of energy into the last attack. She should already be dead 4 times over.

Still, it was worth it she supposed. Dumb git thought she'd won just because she got lucky, never expected THAT reversal! Not even sure there were any pieces left! If only she could see her stupid dad's face after hearing his waifu got completely owned by his abandoned daughter, but she couldn't have it all she supposed.

The depths of the ocean were…surprisingly warm actually, not at all cold and foreboding. Before she sunk into complete darkness, the last thing she saw was a layer of black goo creeping up from her fingers.

The German battleship only briefly acknowledged the laser streak on the other side of the island, too occupied in her own battle. She had resorted to breaking one restriction on herself, firing cannons at the enemy commander's limbs still in the hopes of a non-lethal takedown, but the situation had barely improved. Now that the man was prepared for ranged offenses, he became more defensive, nimbly evading shots until an opening appeared for him to close in for another barrage of fisticuffs. To some degree it was almost as if the man could read right through her, and it was both impressive and disturbing for Bismarck. For what it was worth, reserving strength became easier for her, though she was no closer to winning. Not that she had much strength to reserve by then, if she didn't do something to change things around soon…

"GAAHHH!"

A scream from her close friend was enough to break her concentration and turn around to check. A bomber had managed to land a hit on poor Lebe's back, knocking her to the water and exposing a terribly burned and bloodied wound. Max had also been distracted by her wounded ally, allowing a squad of fighter droids to riddle her legs with bullets. The Harbor Princess winced and looked away, covering her view with one of her massive claws, but if there was mercy to be found in the Princess' soul, there was none in her Demon's, and the drones swooped in for the kill.

"LEBE! MAX!" The battleship only just noticed the incoming gauntlet about to cave her skull in at the last second. There was no time to consciously react…but combat reflexes took over instead.

BOOM.

Hot crimson liquid splashed against her face. She could register a metallic taste as some found its way into her mouth. The event had left both the Princess and Demon in shock, confusing the drones and saving the two destroyers in the nick of time, but even the safety of her friends wasn't the first thing on Bismarck's mind at that moment.

"W-What…what have I done?"

He had heard the news from a sympathetic nurse, but by then it was far too late. Months had passed before he even awakened.

The media had said she volunteered to honor his sacrifice. The media was a liar. They had threatened to withhold medical support unless she signed the contract, that's what the nurse overheard. After everything he did, they were still hungry for more. So they manipulated her selflessness, forced her into it to save her father's life, no matter the risks involved. She must have thought he'd live a prosperous life afterwards at least, a hero's life, one she thought he deserved. She was naïve, and he had lived indeed, but at the cost of everything he was fighting for. He fought so hard against the invaders, gave so much, so that she could one day live in a peaceful world. He had focused too much on the outsiders, and did not see the enemies already around him.

He wasn't a religious man, but he prayed every day since hearing the news, praying for her health and safety. He escaped the hospital as soon as he could walk again, to look for his daughter, see what had become of her. Joy and relief upon seeing her from afar was replaced with a foreboding emptiness and anguish upon seeing her up close. Her eyes told the truth, they always did. The one standing before him was a slate wiped clean. Abigail, his Abigail, was gone.

They soon "diagnosed" him with severe PTSD and discharged him from his position. So he returned home, jobless and armless. But not aimless. He would take his daughter back from those snide schweinhunds no matter the cost, even if he had to sell his soul to the devil himself. Compared with that, working with the Abyssals wasn't even a hesitation. The prosthetic arm was just a nice plus.

He would've needed a lot more than a prosthetic arm to survive this one. The battleship held the Admiral in her arms, a gaping hole in his chest.

"You've grown strong, Abigail."

"Not at all, father dearest." A single tear rolled down her cheeks. "I've failed my comrades, my mission, and you."

"You've always blamed yourself too much. I was your enemy, and you did what you must to protect those who entrusted themselves to you. That was all that happened, and I'm proud of you for that."

"F-father…"

"Lady Darwin, as my last command as Admiral, I order this battleship and the two destroyers to be spared, and for you to return to headquarters to aid the wounded…understood?"

The Harbor Princess nodded solemnly, and even her Demon could only call back its drones with a disgruntled growl of mild protest. The Abyssal gave her Admiral and his daughter one final salute before diving back beneath the surface.

"So…this is it then, Abigail…continue to protect those you hold dear…with the bravery and resolve you've shown today…whatever the cost…that is all I have left to remind you…as a father…"

"I will heed your teachings with all my heart."

"Farewell…Abigail…"

Bismarck gave the Admiral one last embrace before gently laying him down on the water, saluting as his body slowly sunk beneath the waves.

"Farewell, father dearest."

She had not miraculously recovered any memories of her human life, but simply acted the role to give the dying man some peace of mind. Had he noticed and simply went along with it? She couldn't be sure. It had all come to her naturally enough, even calling him "father dearest", for reasons she had come to understand and accept. Father or not however, his parting words rang true with her heart. Wiping the tears and rainwater from her eyes, she picked up her wounded comrades and sped away under the thinning storm, shafts of golden light piercing the gray clouds, revealing the beautiful yet saddening sunset.

Den awoke to find herself lying on a thin mattress. Pushing off the soft covers, she quickly surveyed her surroundings. Miss Tenryuu and the others were there with her, some awake doing their own thing, some still unconscious. Even the others who weren't at the rampaging Nagato incident were there, such as the engineers and the Admirals. Tatsuta had also brought the surviving submarines and the other chimeras, bandaged up, some in casts. Even Noel and Tannah were there, still totally out cold. They were all tightly packed into what seemed to be a submarine (non-Fleet Girl variety, of course); had Mr. Harrison successfully organized the escape? How had they gotten out of the pit? What had happened while she was knocked out?

As if to answer her questions, though they didn't actually do so for awhile, Harrison and Alexandrea climbed down from the hatch. "Alright everyone, orders have been sent out and the escort team is waiting, time to move out!" The female Admiral declared.

"Hey wait, what about Sakuri and Anton?" Trales asked innocently. The researchers knew little of the two, but their fellow engineers and Admirals simply gave a moment of solemn silence.

"They're…not going to be coming along." Alexandrea tipped her hat, hiding her eyes.

"Wha? Wh-"

"Just be quiet, sweetie. Now's not the time." Noticing the rest's reaction, even Vicky and the other researchers had quickly caught on to the summary, if not the details.

"Right then." Recovering from her brief moment of grieve, the female commander continued her task. "The general escape plan is as follows."

After a few more hours and the appearance of Light Cruiser Mechs along with the Ironbottom Sound Princess (the military weren't very creative with their naming) and her lobster-like Demon, the heavily diminished coalition force began a retreat to regroup and treat their vast amounts of wounded. Contrary to what they expected, the Abyssals didn't give chase, but began their own mass retreat, escorting the wounded and salvageable corpses out in groups. Lacking the forces to intercept them properly, the Fleet Girls could only let them get away, chalking it up as a tactical victory as they still succeeded in taking the base itself. At least, they thought so until the base self-destruct after the Abyssals' full retreat. Barely anything left was salvageable.

A distress signal was soon received from a nearby island. The respondents found and rescued the survivors of the air and sea infiltration squads, who briefed them in turn of what they'd discovered, though the whereabouts of the escapees were unknown to them.

As for the Chimeras and humans, it was guessed that they had traveled to one of the other bases to continue their work, though no one but the Abyssals and themselves knew for sure what shenanigans they were up to next. Whatever it would be, it'd probably mean more trouble for the Fleet Girls and humanity, but that is a tale for another time.

Or is it?

Author's Note – This is not really the last chapter, there is still one more. What is it about? You'll just have to wait and see!