I held the manila envelope in my hand, grateful for the transfer back to sea duty. Now that my daughter had gone off to university last month, I had felt… quite alone. My house was empty, and the portraits of my long-dead relatives stared at me in judgement.

"Admiral Haswell, it's a pleasure to meet you. I cannot express my gratitude in choosing the Javelin as your flagship," Captain Michael Douglas' expression was usually stern, but he could appear friendly when he wanted. I would be in command of the 5th Destroyer Flotilla.

I looked around HMNB Devonport one last time, knowing it would be some time before we set foot here again. A rueful grin overcame me as I surveyed the vessels under my command. Even time cannot fully heal some wounds…

I suppose the mundane day-to-day life would be quite boring to most. An Admiral's life is not a difficult one by any means and left me with plenty of time to build and maintain a physique exceeding that of a man in his twenties. Despite being 42, I prided myself on not looking a day over 30.

We suffered no defeats, though there were times when we had to make tactical retreats, luring daring U-Boats into traps. Our primary mission was to protect supply lines, and stick to that mission we did. The Americans were taking their sweet time in joining the war effort, pretending not to notice the insanity of the Reich.

"Bloody yanks…" I muttered, looking at the chart in front of me.

"Sir?" A rating looked up at me.

"It's nothing, son. Plot a course south by southwest following this lane…" I ran my finger along one of the major shipping channels.

"Aye aye," he responded, and I remained on the bridge for a while longer before they requested my presence in the officer's mess.

For weeks everything was normal. Yet, I couldn't help but notice a static charge in the air one evening. It felt… unnatural, and despite everyone else feeling it, we dealt with it like everything else… British stoicism was an admirable quality.

Yet, when I awoke, something seemed… off. The ship was utterly silent, no voices, no faint vibrations of the engines… this all put me on high alert, and I rose, swiftly splashing water on my face and dressing.

I saw no one in the passageways, nor in the officers' mess. The bridge was empty, as was the engine room. In fact, it was only when I walked onto the bow that I finally saw someone. A young woman had her back turned to me, wearing clothing I did not recognize.

"Excuse me, young lady… might you tell me what seems to be going on here?" I called out to her as I got closer. She turned, her bright smile and lovely eyes capturing my attention. Purple hair and green eyes… a strange javelin in her right hand.

She smiled, a bright, cheerful thing… I felt a little at ease despite the strangeness of my situation. Her voice had a soft accent, intelligent and refined without being posh. A lovely example of our accent. Mine was a bit harsh, if I was to be honest, but a career in the military will do that to one.

"Commander, I am glad to see you're awake! I am Javelin, though none of my sisters have shown up yet…" She raised her Javelin in salute, and I smiled, despite myself. I looked around to see that we were, in fact, alone.

I felt… uneasy. Being alone in a destroyer is not an enviable situation. Plus, one with no crew… I collected my thoughts.

"Javelin, it is a pleasure to meet you. Interesting, that you should share a name with this vessel. Respectfully, I am an Admiral in His Majesty's Navy and wish to be addressed as such. Admiral August Haswell, at your service," I said, foregoing the use of a more commanding tone.

Javelin grinned, "This is my… or, rather… I am this ship. Also, seeing as you command a ship, or ships… wouldn't that make you a commander?" She cocked her head.

"You're… the ship?" I asked, hardly hearing what she said after that.

"How about August, can I call you August?" She asked, taking a step forward. Her stature struck me as… not suited for military life. She was petite, though she frankly was very much a young woman. To be twenty years younger again…

"If you're the ship, then you may address me however you like," I said, trying to imagine her in command of a ship.

"Yay! I can play!" She grinned, and as if summoned from nowhere, a strange vessel unlike anything I had ever seen came over the horizon. With a jolt, the Javelin jumped forward, her engines screaming as we plowed towards it.

I held my cap down in the sudden wind, "Javelin! What is the meaning of this! In all my years, I've never abided such tactics."

"Don't worry, August! They're just pawns! Weakest Sirens… hardly worth the time," She giggled, and then something incredible happened. One second, she was just this odd girl, and the next…

She had a framework of steel coming out from behind her, supporting the exact same guns and torpedoes the ship had. Yet… they were suddenly no longer on the ship had. She jumped into the water and raced towards the vessel, gliding smoothly along the surface, dodging its attacks before getting close enough to launch her torpedoes.

Her guns thundered as her agile form ducked and weaved, avoiding the return fire as she reversed course away from the ship as her torpedoes detonated it. A fireball grew as the black ship quickly sunk beneath the waves. When she hopped back on board, the torpedoes and guns were where they originally were, and she sighed, wiping her forehead.

"W-what… I…" I tried to say something, anything. I was just… shocked. Awed. Utterly discombobulated. How could I rationalize what I had just seen?

She smiled, "How about some breakfast? I'll make you some tea."

She took my arm and led me back to the officer's mess, where she hummed to herself, and food just… appeared.

"You really are the ship…" I said, swallowing as I tried to clear the lump in my throat, "Where is everyone else?"

She came over to me with a mug, lifting a teabag out of it as she set it in front of me, "Here you go~. I told you, August! I am the ship!" She said, wagging a finger at me, "How do you not know that? I am a kansen, after all."

Tea… bags… in… my… officer's… mess…

I took a deep breath. This was a girl, who was a ship, who could, at will, equip its entire arsenal on her person… I forgave the tea bags.

"Much obliged. What is a kansen?" I asked, sipping the tea. It was… good. Surprisingly good.

"Wha…? You know… shipgirls?"

"Yesterday I was leading the fifth destroyer flotilla and attacking the u-boats preying on the shipping lanes between the United States and Great Britain. Today, I am having tea with a girl who is also a ship…" I explained. It sounded loony out loud.

"Um… what are the United States and Great Britain?" She asked.

"I… what? You're a British ship!" I said, unbelieving.

"I am? I'm a member of the Royal Navy though," She said, looking confused.

"Yes, the Royal Navy, presided over by His Majesty the King of England," I pressed.

"Him? Don't you mean Queen Elizabeth? She's very authoritative, but super cute too!" Javelin giggled. I had never heard someone refer to a sovereign as cute before, even a long dead one, and had to stifle a chuckle of my own. I decided not to press the issue for now, as a more urgent matter had arisen…

I found I was starving and tucked into the meal in front of me. A full English, done to perfection. Though thankfully she substituted pork sausages for blood sausages… I couldn't stand the bloody disgusting things.

I looked up at her, "This is incredible, Javelin. Are you not going to eat?"

"Hm? Oh, sure," She sat down across from me and a plate just… appeared in front of her. As well as tea.

"You can just… make things appear?" I asked her.

"Oh, it has to come from whatever's stored on the ship. The galley has to be functioning but… yeah. I'm glad you like it…" She blushed slightly.

"The last time anyone cooked something like this for me was my daughter. For my birthday she made me breakfast in bed," I said, savoring each bite.

"That's lovely… where is she now?"

"University," I said.

"Your wife never cooked for you?" Javelin asked. Her ignorance was understandable, and it had been nearly two decades… I suppose there was no reason to hide the truth.

I took a drink of her tea, gathering my thoughts, "I lost my wife when she brought our daughter into the world. It wasn't easy at first, but I have done all I can to honor her memory, and to raise our daughter despite my oath to serve the crown."

Javelin's small hand covered mine, her expression suddenly mournful, "August… I am so sorry."

I smiled at her, "Things happen, Javelin. I suppose I may still be in shock over this whole affair… where is the rest of the flotilla?"

"Jersey should be here any second with Jupiter, but there's just the three of us," She explained.

"What about Jackal? Kashmir?" I asked.

She shook her head, "Never heard of them. I'm sorry… if you like, we'll be returning to Devonport soon later today. You can ask the Com… Admiral there."

"Colchester," I said.

"Hm?"

"Your accent. It reminds me of the time I spent in Colchester. It's lovely," I said, not entirely sure why. She was quite the striking young lady, after all. I felt a sort of… energy being next to her.

A ship's horn sounded as we were finishing breakfast, and we went out to greet the other two destroyers.

More shipgirls… kansen… I needed to talk to another human.

I sat across the table from the Commander of HMNB Devonport. He was senior in rank to me despite easily being nearly twenty years younger, and there was a maid by his side. This was almost too much.

"Belfast, can you fetch the Admiral some tea?" He said.

Belfast? Like… Northern Ireland Belfast? Wait… is this another kansen? Why was she wearing a maid outfit, and why did she have a choker on with a chain coming off it? I was… at a loss. The way this young man looked at her… and the way she regarded him…

I could tell they were an item. However, discretion was the better part of valor, and I graciously accepted the offered tea. After the first sip, I knew I had never had tea of this caliber before!

"So, I hear you have questions… only natural. It's quite odd for another Commander…" He looked at my rank insignia and cleared his throat, "Apologies, Admiral."

I nodded, "Not to worry."

"Right… so, it's very rare for another human to come in so suddenly, and attach itself to an… ah… low priority flotilla. The destroyers tend to operate pretty independently, and I could use a new commanding officer aboard Wales, but…" he sighed, "You will stay with Javelin. We have tried to move human officers around before and… it just doesn't work."

That added so many more questions than it answered. But most importantly…

"You mentioned Wales? Like, the Prince of Wales?"

"She's here, yeah… why?" He raised an eyebrow, as though I had some ulterior motive.

"I served aboard her… the actual ship," I clarified. He nodded.

"Yeah, that would make more sense than… ah, whatever," He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Alright, you should acclimate yourself. You're not the first and you won't be the last, and I know it's strange to report to someone as young as myself, but… you'll find there's not much of that either. Just be nice to the Queen, she likes to make my life miserable."

"Understood. I'm sure you're quite capable, to hold this position. I prefer to be in the thick of it, myself," I said, a wry smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.

He returned it, and I was dismissed. Javelin met me outside, and I sighed, "I still have no idea what's going on, Javelin. Care to give me the tour? Maybe I'll figure it out along the way."

"Sure thing!" Her excited response elicited another smile from me. She grinned back and continued, "I'm not annoying, am I? You seem like a quiet person, and I worry I'm getting on your nerves…" She blushed slightly.

I shook my head, "Not at all, Javelin. I find it refreshing to be in the company of someone with such a zest for life. I am who I am, but something tells me I could never resent you for who you are."

"You're so nice… I'm glad you arrived on my ship, August. I'll take you to the shipyards first. Maybe you can recognize some of them? There's bound to be some other kansen around as well. Speaking of…"

We stopped as a tall, beautiful woman approached us, her short blonde hair curling slightly at her neck, the deep red of her eyes standing out against the alabaster of her skin.

"Hey there~," Her voice was sultry, decadent… and it awoke feelings in me I hadn't felt in years. I felt Javelin take an almost protective stance as the woman swiftly approached. "Hmm… you look young, but that rugged countenance… I'd guess you're a man with some experience, yes? Someone who knows how to take care of a woman~."

"Wales… back off," Javelin warned.

I stuttered a bit, "Wait, you're the Prince of Wales?"

"Indeed. Just call me Wales. Darling works as well~," She smirked.

I was starting to see why the Base Commander thought I had… ulterior motives to meet her.

I pressed my arm against Javelin's reassuringly, "Well, Wales… I served aboard you for some time."

She seemed to relax a little, "I hope I performed well?"

"Extremely. It was my honor," I said.

"Such a proper gentleman… I'm sure you'll take excellent care of our little Javelin," The battleship patted the destroyer on the head. Javelin brushed her hand away halfheartedly.

"Come on, Wales…"

"Oh, I'm just having a little fun. Anyway, I need to go see the Commander," She excused herself, waving as she left.

"I thought he was…"

"We call him the Commander. You'll get used to it," Javelin said, setting the pace as we headed towards the shipyards. Yet, it was what was beyond them that caught my attention.

Rows upon rows of ships pressed together. Silent, empty hulls, bereft of armament. I pointed to them, "Why?" Was the only thing I could muster. There was just… so much wrong with the picture in front of me.

"Hmm…" She began, but I cut her off.

"That's the Scylla, and the Phoebe, and… the Anson, the Liverpool and Manchester, the battlecruiser Furious, and the Courageous, and…" I felt shaken… where was the might of our fleet? The active shipyards here seemed almost… barren, compared to whatever this was.

"Hey, August… calm down, please? You're shaking, are you ok?" Javelin was looking at me worriedly, and I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, forcing myself to calm down.

"I… I can't believe our mighty Navy is…"

"They just haven't come to us yet. I have… a lot to explain. About wisdom cubes, and kansen… we're much more capable than you might think despite our relatively few numbers. Now, do you want to meet some more kansen, or maybe have lunch? I made something for us, if that's ok with you…" She produced a basket filled with food, and I discovered she had a knack for cooking.

We sat down on a bench along the pier and she unpacked what she had brought. She handed me a sandwich half and urged me to try it. When I did, I never knew something so simple could be so delicious!

"This is amazing, Javelin… did you make this on the ship?" I asked, accepting a cup of tea from her as I finished a sandwich half.

"I made this by hand this morning when you were with the Commander. I'm thrilled you like it!" Her infectious smile spread to me, and I took another sandwich half, enjoying it thoroughly.

"You have a remarkable skill," I said, and we chatted idly during our lunch. Mostly about the various ships in active service, and she would point out kansen I didn't yet know. Then, she explained to me the nature of their existence, and the wisdom cubes, and how humans played into all of this… I just enjoyed watching her speak with such passion! It was a delightful time, and it stood out among the other parts of her tour. We were due to set sail tomorrow morning, the three destroyers part of a larger attack fleet against what she called a Siren Stronghold.

That night, I awoke to voices outside my door, but I couldn't make them out before they faded away and exhaustion overwhelmed me…

I sat back in the officer's mess, Javelin beside me. I felt exhausted, and I couldn't imagine how she felt. For the last six hours we had been in constant combat, engaging fleet after fleet in engagements that left me in utter awe of the abilities of these shipgirls…

I watched as Monarch and Duke of York pummeled enemies with an utterly incomprehensible amount of firepower, their enormous rigging stretching to either side of them, utterly magnificent as the water caved beneath them, though they remained unaffected.

Illustrious brought her aircraft to bear with a deadly grace, their attacks annihilating whoever she focused on. It was… unbelievable! Yet I was busy myself, guiding Javelin, Jersey, and Jupiter as the three destroyers made quick hit-and-run attacks, effortlessly dodging return fire and lining up their torpedoes with perfect precision.

I felt her head rest against my shoulder, and I felt myself wrapped in her soft, gentle scent.

"August… I've never been so effective! Your ability to identify and exploit weak points is amazing! I would have never done that well alone," Javelin said. I smiled at her words of praise. However…

"Javelin, a commander is only as good as those at his command. Jersey and Jupiter performed admirably, but you are by far the most capable individual I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Your skills are as crucial, if not more so, than my ability to tell you what to do."

"You really don't take enough credit, August… but thank you~," She made a happy noise, and soon her soft snores told me she drifted into a light sleep. I leaned my head back and decided that I would follow her example…

"Aww, they're so cute," I opened my eyes to see Jersey and Jupiter snickering, and saw that Javelin was now passed out, her head in my lap. I took a pillow and lifted her head, resting it on that instead of my thigh while I favored her sister ships with a look of admonishment.

They quieted down, suddenly shy at my scrutiny, "I'm sure you two have a reason to be here?" They grinned, nodding.

"Yeah! We wanted to play," Jersey said.

"You just fought a gruelling battle, and…" I sighed.

"Nah, it's ok, we won't bother you. Javelin looks way too cute sleeping on your lap. Aren't you a bit old, though? You don't look it but we can tell…"

I raised an eyebrow, "What are you insinuating?"

They giggled and left, and we were alone once again. The teasing of those shipgirls didn't concern me in the slightest.

Right?

Hi there! Hope you've been enjoying the fic~ A big thank you to my supporters, and if you'd like to know more about my discord server, feel free to reach out to me on discord at delusionalcookie#1414! You can also find me on reddit at r/ or u/delusionalcookie~