Sand And Ashes

by Noobbula

Decades after the Siren War, a young soldier returns home to find that peace cannot last. The drums of conflict beat again as a forgotten superpower emerges from the shadows, and the darkest wartime secrets come to light. A war that could wipe out millions must be stopped, or else it could wipe out humanity for good.

Sand and Ashes, Part One

Author's Note:

As a deviation from my previous works, my goal in writing up this story was to make an interesting Azur Lane story in my own style. As such, that entails significant story tweaking.

Enjoy,

Noobbula

Afrika Deregulated Zone, 2025

Stabsgefreiter Eldric 'Dric' Lang stepped out of the barracks, fastening the field cap on his head. The brutal and unforgiving sun shined upon the thawing Ironblood outpost, regional temperatures having dropped to near zero during the previous night. Soldat Engel, who had been waiting outside, waved a tanned hand.

"Good morning, Lang. I trust you had a good night's sleep?"

Lang dismissively gestured at him.

"Yes. Stop slacking off and get to work already."

"Right away, Lang!"

The young twenty-something Soldat slung his Mauser 2019 Series rifle over his shoulder, scurrying away as if he were a mouse. Lang shook his head before pulling out a pair of pocket binoculars. Pressing them to his eyes, he scanned the vast savannah around the handful of tents that constituted the outpost, carefully scanning for any discrepancies in the barren landscape. But, as always, there were none. Just blowing sand and shifting shrubs. Lang was about to put the binoculars down when Engel tripped and fell face first into the ground. He arched his eyebrows.

"Soldat?"

Suddenly a thunderous crack burst his eardrums, and Engel's upper torso detonated into a fine pink mist. Lang almost stumbled backwards as his brain processed what his eyes had seen. In the outpost behind him, startled cries rose from tents.

"Was war das!?"

"Feinde?"

Several more projectiles silently shredded through the tents, followed by an almost comical explosion of the occupants inside them. Lang unholstered his pistol and scrambled behind a nearby generator. Men and women stumbled outside, their disheveled uniforms splattered in blood as they struggled to insert magazines into their aging rifles. Another Soldat thrust himself into cover beside Lang.

"Where's the fire coming from?"

The panicked NCO tripped on his words.

"Everywhere!"

"Everywher-!?"

The Soldat never finished his words before his helmet crumpled inward, turning inside out into his skull. Lang watched in horror as the mangled corpse fell into his lap. In the chaos and confusion, someone had knocked a kerosene lamp to the ground, and a raging fire began to gnaw away at tents, equipment, and soldiers alike. Coughing and choking in the smoke, Lang was flushed from the relative safety of the generator and blindly ran out into the open. And, as if it were an inevitability, his leg abruptly ceased to exist, causing Lang to topple over and drop his pistol. His vision blackened as more of his comrades dropped like flies. But eventually the muffled impacts of rounds halted, only to be replaced by dozens of composed footsteps converging upon the outpost. Lang reached out for his nearby pistol with a cut and scalded hand.

"I'm going to have to stop you right there, mate."

A booted foot kicked the pistol away, followed by a heavily armoured man crouching in front of him. The man's vest was covered in radio cords and neatly arranged ammo pouches, a far cry from the standard issue webbing soldiers of the Ironblood wore. Blood and spittle dripped from Lang's mouth.

"Who.. are.. Y-you?"

Glowing embers danced in the reflection of the set of tactical goggles staring upon him.

"I wish I had the time to explain, but we've got places to be, and a world to change."

The man pulled out his own sidearm and aimed it squarely at Lang's head, pulling the trigger without hesitation.

Bavarian Territories, Ironblood

The sudden jostling of the troop transport roused Eliza Schmidt from her sleep. The vehicle was on an unpaved road, which meant it was getting closer to the dropoff point. Her dropoff point, to be exact. The soldier across from Eliza tapped her shoulder.

"Excited to be going home?"

She nodded.

"Yeah.."

It was hard to believe that two years had passed in her time away. But her war was finally over. Eliza took off her helmet and ruffled her brown hair, letting the spring breeze warm her up. Honorably discharged from the front lines half a world away, she had served Ironblood faithfully and obeyed every order, only leaving when 'prolonged exposure to combat conditions' rendered her unfit for service. In that regard, Eliza felt a sense of disappointment. The truck came to a halt, and the soldier faintly smiled.

"See you on the other side, Elsie."

Eliza grabbed her duffel bag and rifle from under her seat.

"On the other side, my friend."

She rose from the bench and hopped out into the light.

Eliza trotted alongside the dirt path, her muddied boots treading upon verdant green grass and blooming flowers. Their scents almost overwhelmed the veteran, who had become accustomed to the constant smell of diesel and smoke from months of convoy duty. But they made her grin regardless. Turning off the 'highway', Eliza faced a decrepit wooden sign nailed to a tree.

Willkommen im Piemont

Welcome to Piemont.

A small town with around 100 occupants, Piemont was what most would consider a backwater. But to Eliza, it was home. She walked past the sign and onto an even smaller path. In her mind's eye, Eliza saw a younger version of herself walking the other way along this same path, eager to go through basic training after seeing the exploits of Ironblood 'shipgirls' on public broadcasts. Their heroics inspired a fierce national pride in one's core, and Eliza was no different. A column of smoke reaching into the blue sky snapped Eliza out of her trance. It originated from behind the rolling hill in front of her, and she cringed slightly. Things had evidently changed in Piemont. For the better or worse, Eliza didn't know. The grass underneath was slowly fading to the same dead grey shade of her uniform as she trudged up the hill. Her heart began to beat at a pace rivalling that of the one it had set during the most intense of fire fights. When Eliza reached the top and looked down, her stomach instantly sank.

Piemont was little more than the few empty husks of houses present, the rest burned to the ground.

Numerous aid workers, aiding the displaced with sheltering and food nearby, all briefly looked up at the crestfallen soldier on the hill. Eliza took a shallow breath and went down the other side, approaching the nearest worker.

"What happened?"

His eyes told of pity, which Eliza needed least of all.

"The Empery soldiers raided this town. We were too late to stop them, I'm afraid. Here, let me take your bags. I'm assuming you live here?"

"Yes."

She placed her duffel bag in his arms, her own hands firmly gripping her rifle as if it were a stress release. Among the aid tents was a shipgirl, HSK Komet. The adolescent-looking vessel was handing out drinks to those who needed them. Eliza stared at her as she followed the man, still too shocked to utter more than a few words at a time. Stopping at a vacant (and pitifully small) tent, the man placed her bags inside.

"Here. This is all we can afford until further notice, I'm afraid."

"Thanks."

Eliza's face was as blank as ever.

Her face contorted into an anguished mix of tears and snarling as she took her helmet off and hurled it at the nearby tree.

"Verdammt! Scheiß drauf!"'

Eliza stomped over and snatched up the helmet, thrusting it into the tree trunk over and over again.

"Verdammt!"

"Verdammt!"

"Verdammt!"

Bark and twigs snapped off as she sank to the ground and began to cry furiously. It was as if her legs had been knocked out from under her, as if this was the war's final insult before it let her go. All was deathly silent in the forest she had secluded herself in, giving the impression that even the wildlife felt her aura of darkness. A single branch snapped. Instinct took over. Eliza racked her rifle and spun around, taking a kneeling position.

"Wait! Don't shoot."

A female aid worker held up her hands, approaching Eliza with a measured confidence. A pair of puffy black ears twitched on her head. Clearly of Sakuran descent.

"Please, how can I help you? It'd be.. upsetting to see you go."

Eliza lowered the rifle, but not by much.

"Who are you? Why do you care?"

"My name is Kara, but the details don't matter."

She brushed aside Eliza's weapon and wrapped her in a firm hug, the intimacy of which shocked the veteran. Eliza was barely able to speak at more than a whisper.

"Kara.. I'm.. Eliza."

Kara shushed her, continuing to embrace her for at least another minute, before standing.

"I hope that helped."

And before anything else could be said or done, she completely about faced and left. Eliza watched her walk away. Yet, she could not bring herself to call after her. All words were caught in her throat. Her world had stopped spinning. And most of all, the darkness had stopped dead in its tracks.

Eliza still hadn't fully figured out what had happened in that forest by twilight, so she continued to dwell on the subject as she stripped down and hung up her gear on a makeshift clothesline. She hadn't even seen Kara since then, much less talked with her. Why did she care? Eliza's affairs were for herself only, but this intrusion somehow wasn't bad at all. Perhaps it numbed her to the consequences of Piemont's razing. Consequences that Eliza didn't want to think about. Her worn tunic hanging to dry, Eliza sat down and watched the falling sun. Maybe it would all be ok in the end. She would move on, get a job, start a family perhaps. She would forget. Eliza stared blankly, her eyes colored the pink hue of the sky above. All the sounds of the camp around her faded away. The terrible maelstrom that was her mind consumed her.

It was dark by the time that Eliza looked up, vaguely aware of a droning noise in the distance. A small fire crackled and popped nearby. Aid workers sat around idly, periodically checking up on those that needed them. Eliza stood up, stretching her arms and yawning. She never thought she would miss the rationed beer of the Landwehr, but here she was. A single light shined from the forest nearby. Eliza paid this no mind, her vacant thoughts going back to the alcohol. Several more lights flared to life, accompanied by the silhouettes of running men. This time her interest was sufficiently piqued. The workers took notice too, confused looks on their faces.

"I thought there was nobody else around here for miles."

"Yeah, me too. Maybe it's the authorities?"

Suddenly, a large armoured vehicle burst from the treeline, smashing through rotting fences and fallen trunks. Eliza's eyes dilated in a surge of adrenaline. The enemy. Masked men and women disembarked from the vehicle, moving along with the infantry vanguard to approach the town. Eliza scrambled into her tent, slotting a clip into her rifle and pulling back the bolt. Two soldiers set down a crew-served weapon on the top of the hill and began to set it up. By the time Eliza emerged, men in unfamiliar combat gear were filtering through the hollow buildings and tents, only stopping when they noticed her weapon. Multiple barrels were instantly trained on her.

"Drop the weapon! Drop it, now!"

A harsh light shined in her face, and her fingers began to tremble. Eliza looked down. Why was she shaking?

"Drop it!"

The rifle began to jitter and bounce in her hands. Her resolve, too, vanished with her steadiness. Eliza began to realize what this was. The soldiers were screaming at this point.

"DROP IT! Shit, open fire!"

The two men began to open fire in measured bursts with incendiary rounds, shredding fabric and burnt plaster alike. Eliza dropped the rifle and dived for cover, crouch walking behind several crates. She could hear innocents cry out and scream as they were shot point-blank, along with soldiers rifling through tents and shelters.

"Where's that malacker?"

"Fan out, find her! We can't afford loose ends in our advance."

She was responsible for this.. Eliza temporarily dismissed the thought as she stopped at the far end of the camp. She looked behind at the advancing soldiers, sweeping the area in a neatly arranged line. Eliza wanted to stay and help, but the fluttering sensation of strong yet controlled panic within prevented her from doing so. Her only option was to run.

It was the only choice.

As the soldiers were occupied with searching a particularly large tent, Eliza leapt from cover and bolted out of the camp, her untied boots flailing about. The soldiers quickly realized their error and gave chase.

"There she is!"

Eliza ducked her head as bullets whizzed past, pulling a sharp turn into a patch of woods. The soldiers stopped at the treeline.

"Ramirez, Meyers, go around and encircle the target. I'll chase her directly."

"Got it!"

"Righto."

Eliza hopped over low branches and rocks, the moonlight above lighting her way. The soldier copied her every move as he pursued her.

"Can't run from me forever, Ironblood! Let's see how far those steel veins will carry you!"

She slammed head first into a thicket of branches and twigs, their sharp ends cutting her face and arms. Her foe passed through them effortlessly. In her haste, Eliza misjudged her foot placement, and stepped on a slanted surface with all her might. The ankle in her left leg instantly broke, causing her to tumble to the ground. Eliza groaned in pain as the soldier straddled her and pulled out a knife.

"I'm going to make this worth the effort.. Gah!"

Eliza snapped his wrist in return, wrestling the knife from his grasp. The soldier thrust his knee into her soft abdomen and reached for his sidearm.

"Come on.. I'll have to put you down with a bullet."

"Stop talking."

"What?"

Eliza struck hard and fast, slashing the veins on the inner side of his thigh before repeatedly plunging the knife into his chest. The soldier toppled over as Eliza rushed to her feet, the pain in her foot of little importance. She was still in danger. Stumbling up a slight vertical incline, she found that the two others had noticed their leader's death and were coming to engage.

Eliza backed away, only realizing her error when it was too late. That vertical incline led to a sheer drop, the depth of which was hard to tell in the darkness. Bullets striking the ground around her, Eliza lost her balance and fell backwards. Whistling wind. The sensation of falling. The crunching of bone and tearing of flesh.

Bremerhaven Naval Base, Ironblood

The ten officers and vessels gathered around the conference table observed the projection on the wall, as well as the person before it. Kommodore Nikolaus Werner tapped on a map of Europe. As well as the African continent below it, it was littered with red arrows and blue circles.

"I'm afraid there's no time for pretenses. As I'm sure many of you have observed in your own commands-"

The representatives from the other nations of the Azur Lane coalition flashed half-smiles and nods, as if this assumption on the part of the Kommodore was correct.

"-Every single one of our outposts from Oceania to the Austrian territories have gone dark overnight. All attempts to hail them over satellite and other means have failed, and our aerial observation only yields more distorted signals. This cannot be a coincidence."

HMS Hood, attending the meeting on the behalf of the Royal Navy, seized on his pause.

"Our inland bases in the Middle East have gone offline as well. Though I may add, the first outages started at our port in New Zealand."

Kommodore Werner grimly nodded.

"Indeed, that brings me to my point."

He brought his finger down to where all the red arrows came from, the continent of Australia.

"Our analysts have all come to the same consensus. The signal blackouts have all come from the Oceanian Republic. There is no other explanation."

The representatives and officers displayed a mix of both muted shock and solid concern, briefly talking amongst themselves. The Republic was known amongst all of them to be a solitary nation, having retreated from the world stage immediately after the Siren War of 1943. It raised a wall around itself, cutting off trade and placing priority on heavy industrial expansion. It was a move many considered to be suicide at the time. But the quiet and unassuming Republic was the last entity they had expected to be the culprit.

Gusty currents and torrential rain had come over Piemont and the surrounding forests the next morning, the fires of the nighttime carnage extinguished. Mutilated bodies decayed on the grass. Belongings were scattered around. All essential medical supplies were taken. And, nearly two miles away, the pouring rain turned red from the trail of blood left behind by a wounded Eliza Schmidt. She lay crumpled on the ground, her left leg now bent completely sideways. The pain forced her mind to drop all illusions as she feebly cried out.

"Oh mein Gott, warum ich! Mother.."

But her mother couldn't help her. Her mother was dead, along with everyone she loved in the burned-out husk of Piemont. To make matters worse, she killed the rest with her acts of cowardice, refusing to fire when it mattered most. She had gone soft. She'd betrayed the values of Ironblood, and now she was a writhing mass on the dirt. Footsteps approached.

"Lookie, she's alive!"

"I know."

Eliza froze at the sound of the second voice, only to be doubly shocked when Kara loomed over her, alongside Komet.

"You came back for m-me. But I deserve to die.. It's my fault."

Kara squatted down and picked up Eliza by the shoulders.

"No, nobody deserves to die."

The aid worker's uniform was stained a deep shade of red, but she seemed unfazed. Komet hopped by them.

"Yeah, that's right! Although those bad guys do.."

Eliza drifted in and out of consciousness at this point, her eyes lazily swaying about as Kara's soft yet firm arms pulled her away. Such kindness to a stranger was something Eliza couldn't really understand, but there was little she could do about that in her current state. They eventually reached an area protected from the rain by a boulder, squeezing in underneath. Kara set Eliza down and began to take off her field jacket.

"Keep resting here. I think it's safe."

She laid it on top of the veteran, as if she were tucking a child into bed. As close as a soaked jacket could come to a bedsheet, that is. Eliza grunted as Kara began to go to work with bandages and antiseptics from her pouch.

"Hold still. This will only hurt for a little bit."

The cuts and tears on Eliza's face did sting with the application of rubbing alcohol, but the aid worker's soothing reassurances softened the pain.

"How.. How are you so calm? Your friends died. How'd you even survive? Why do you care so much about me-?"

Kara gently put her hand over Eliza's mouth, still focused on addressing the latter's wounds to the best of her ability.

"If you must know, I served just like you did. I know the pain you feel. So please, just let me take care of you."

These short words were enough to put Eliza at rest. A veteran just like her.. It did make sense. In fact, she scolded herself for not recognizing it earlier. The commitment to professionalism, the trained physique under that cozy body. Kara felt out Eliza's leg for torn muscles and broken bones, causing a small jolt of pain.

"Hm. I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about the leg, not with the equipment I have now."

"Alright.."

These were Eliza's last words before she passed out for good.

Kara Arisu watched the heavy rainfall from under the boulder. It was fast and random, the raindrops certain to hit a different branch or leaf every time. Kara liked rain. Rain reminded her of spring at home. Home.. Kara looked down at Eliza, who was still fast asleep next to Komet. The soldier had no home left, and Kara had seen what the ensuing downward spiral had done to those unfortunate enough to experience it. No support net of family and friends, no bouncing back. Alcohol. Drugs. Suicide. She'd witnessed it all in her time with the aid workers. And yet, she'd never gotten the chance to truly help until now. Kara stared at Eliza. When this unfamiliar war ended, she would make sure that the veteran would live a happy and comfortable life. Softly lifting Eliza's head and putting it into her lap, Kara began to stroke the latter's hair. If she could trade her own life to truly save another's, she would do it.

The rain had stopped. This was the first thing Eliza Schmidt noticed upon waking, the second being that she was resting on the softest pillow she'd ever slept on.

"You're awake."

Kara's eyes hovered over Eliza.

"Mm. Not yet."

"I wish that were the case, but we have to move."

The pillow slid out from under her head, and Eliza gradually realized that the aid worker was just a little too close and personal for her comfort.

"And.. why was I sleeping on your.."

"Shush."

She looked at Komet, who simply smiled and pressed a finger to her lips. Kara ducked as she exited the shelter, checking their drenched surroundings.

"I don't know who those men were, but I figure going north would be the best bet."

She then turned to Eliza.

"And since you can't walk under your own power-"

Eliza yelped as she was lifted up by Kara, her leg screaming in protest.

"-You're coming with me."

The trio ventured out into the woods, severe winds buffeting their faces as they trudged on. Eliza weakly covered her face with her arms. This sort of torrential weather was highly unusual for the region, and even under Kara's jacket Eliza was still soaked and chilled to the bone. Komet held on to a tree for support.

"Oh my! It's really windy!"

Their misery was briefly interrupted when a gargantuan ship, roughly the size of two buses side by side, floated by overhead, vaguely reminding Eliza of the strange Sirens that she had read about in the history books. Kara dared to look up as much as she could.

"And it appears we have company."

Eliza squirmed slightly in her arms.

"There's no way we can outrun them, not with me at least."

"Are you insinuating that I should leave you behind?"

"No.."

The ship proceeded to touch down on a nearby pasture, swinging open its rear doors to disgorge a contingent of soldiers. They fanned out across the landing site, covering each other with their blocky and modular rifles. Kara quietly nudged Komet.

"I count about a dozen. Do you think you can handle that if things go sideways?"

The Kriegsmarine vessel suddenly sprouted a series of mechanical arms and braces, all culminating in two cannons over her shoulders. She smiled.

"Yeah!"

"Alright, that's good."

They crouched low in the underbrush as soldiers slowly filed through the forest, rifle-mounted flashlights swerving from tree to tree. Eliza observed complex hand signals among the men, not that dissimilar to the ones she was familiar with. Their uniforms sported patterns of small repeating squares. Strange mounts protruded out of their helmets, and the portable radios on their thick vests crackled with static. Who were these guys?

"Pelican 3, this is Hound Actual. I count all present here. Meet us back at 1000 hours."

"Hound Actual, this is Pelican 3. Good copy, see you soon."

The ship flared its red hot thrusters before jerking into the air, using its brute strength to fly against the wind and into the distance. Kara set Eliza down on the ground, ears flattened so as to reduce her profile. The veteran spoke in hushed tones.

"What are you doing? We can't fight them."

"It's either that or they find us, Eliza. Komet?"

Komet nodded her head, cannons at the ready. The soldiers briefly turned to look at their transport leaving, with Kara using this opportunity to slink out of the foliage. She slid up against a nearby tree as they advanced in a spaced line. Eliza watched on from safety, bandaged face covered in grime. One of the soldiers pulled out a chirping device from a pouch on his thigh.

"Something's trippin' my motion sensor."

The leader of the line hastily turned to look at him.

"Is that the trees, or.."

"Human life, sir."

"Rifles up! These are the targets!"

The advantage of surprise still present, Kara leapt out from behind the tree and placed her hands on the nearest man's head and collarbone. With minimal effort, she cracked his neck, retreating into the forest as he crumpled. Komet popped up with her cannons and fired, decimating unlucky several soldiers with explosive rounds. The rest of the men scattered.

"Take cover!"

"Man down!"

Eliza spotted one of their rifles laying on the ground, and began to crawl out of the thicket to reach it. Hands on the grip, she fumbled with what looked like the fire mode lever, switching it all the way up to full auto. Kara, who had just finished pummeling another soldier, motioned for her.

"Eliza, take them!"

Eliza nodded and set the rifle down on a thick root for support before squeezing the trigger. The weapon let out a series of repetitive and fast cracks like she had never felt before, mowing down enemies in a pink haze. She howled as her ears began to bleed.

Danube Checkpoint, Ironblood

3rd Kavallerie Leutnant Addler Brandt scanned the horizon out of the hatch of his Puma armoured car, the Danube river crossing slowly fading away behind him and the convoy to his rear. Dispatched from the Nuremberg Landwehr garrison, his orders were to investigate the radio silence coming from Munich and Füssen to the south. The comms receiver in Brandt's ear buzzed.

"Leutnant, Regional Command detects adverse weather conditions headed in our direction."

"Danke. Could be the reason for the transmission failures."

"I'm thinking the same th-"

The comms abruptly cut, replaced by a hissing static. Brandt slapped the receiver to no avail before turning to the communications car further back. The commander shook his head, just as confused as he was. Brandt sighed and took off his bulky headset. He didn't like this already, but that was the side of him that had fought for five years in Imperial Mongolia. It wasn't like an anti-tank missile was going to come fly at him out of nowhere. The cloudy skies overhead had turned a sour dark grey, the first droplets of rain beginning to fall on his pale face. Brandt lowered himself into the main hull and gently kicked the gunner, shouting over the rumble of engines.

"Do you see anything on the periscope?"

"Nothing yet, Leutnant!"

The procession of Pumas continued down the country road, the lead vehicle turning on its headlamp. Up ahead, the path narrowed into a single lane ensconced by forest, something Brandt utterly dreaded. He descended into the armoured car for good this time, shutting the hatch.

"All of you, be prepared for minimal visibility. Loader, I need a round on stand-by."

The crew glanced at each other only for a moment before attending to their duties. Despite armed incursions by the Empery into southern Ironblood territory, they were very small, and none had ever dared to come close to the major cities. Thus, a sense of foreboding came over them when their superior expected combat. Heavy rain slammed against the Puma as fog closed in. Brandt peered out of the hatch slits, ignoring the water slowly coming in. The forest seemed to have come alive in the torrential conditions, trees swaying and bushes bristling. Shadows of local wildlife darted away from the war machines as they rumbled by. And for a brief period, all one could hear were diesel engines, rain, and wind. A sudden clang of steel and rubber behind the Puma caused Brandt to almost jump in his seat. The loader looked up at his commander.

"Combat?"

"No.."

Brandt popped open the hatch and looked back at the convoy. The armored vehicle behind him had slid into a roadside ditch, and obscured the way for all the others that were following it. The Hauptmann of the convoy ran up to Brandt's vehicle, waving his arms.

"Leutnant, proceed with the lead Puma! We'll catch up!"

"Understood, Hauptmann."

Brandt kicked his driver twice, and the Puma began to move again with the guidance of the lead car.

Eliza Schmidt watched Kara scrounging through soldier's bodies and vest rigs for ammo, her black hair shifting in the howling wind.

"We're going to get found out, Kara!"

"Stay calm, we'll be fine if we lay low."

The aid worker slid both arms under Eliza's body and lifted her up with minimal effort. As they moved away, the radios on the soldier's corpses began to crackle to life.

"Hound Actual, this is Pelican 3. I just lost your team signals on my end.. Hound Actual?"

".. Hound Actual, do you copy? I'm coming back to the drop zone ASAP, hang in there."

Leutnant Brandt, completely drenched in rainwater, lowered himself into the relatively dry hull of the Puma.

"Blutige Hölle…"

Lights from instrument panels and buttons illuminated his face in a ghastly shade of red. Visibility was at an all time low, and his driver was completely reliant on the rear lights of the vehicle up ahead. Brandt kicked the gunner.

"Did you spot anything with the periscope?"

"With all due respect Leutnant, I can't see for shit."

"Very well."

Paranoia crept into the recesses of Brandt's mind as he squinted through the hatch slits. The circumstances were stacked against him and his vehicle, with poor visibility and muddy roads rendering his greatest assets useless. Not good. Not good at all. A deep, guttural thrumming began to rattle the Puma ever so slightly. Brandt listened closely, straining his ears to block out all other noise. The thrumming was unlike anything he had heard before. It sounded.. Mechanical. Brandt forcefully kicked the driver.

"Stop the vehicle-"

The lead Puma suddenly exploded in a violent burst of fire and steel, heavy wheels flying into the air like toys.

"Reverse, reverse!"

The driver gripped the clutch and shifted it backwards, the Puma beginning to move in the corresponding direction. Coming to a stop above, a huge shape struck down from the darkness, pelting the charred corpses of the lead vehicle's crew with machine gun fire. Brandt shifted his leg and kicked the loader and gunner.

"Aim forty degrees upward, fire on my order!"

"Understood!"

While the loader slammed a round into the firing breach, the gunner hastily raised the turret elevation by turning a wheel. Brandt popped the hatch and watched the 75 millimeter barrel slowly rise to face the craft. It had begun to move on from the lead Puma, training its half-visible array of weaponry at the vehicle behind. The gunner tapped Brandt's leg.

"We're ready!"

The Leutnant thrust his arm forward in the howling rain and billowing fire.

"Fire!"

A distant popping sound caused Eliza to turn her head in Kara's grasp.

"That's twice now.."

A secondary pop sounded out, followed by a violent roaring and brief gust of wind. Kara almost lost her footing as the shockwave hit home.

"The Landwehr has arrived. We only have a little farther to go."

Eliza, firmly clutching the rifle in one hand, fished a magazine from Kara's belt with the other. She slotted it into the weapon and slapped it firm.

"But you don't think carrying me is still a liability? What if you get tired?"

"Trust me, I won't."

Eliza decided to trust Kara's soft-spoken words.

Brandt shielded himself from the flying parts and wires that fell off the spiralling ship, the barrel of the Puma still smoking. Vaguely reminiscent of a cross between Siren and helicopter, the craft drunkenly fought to maintain control before it descended into a nearby patch of woods, throwing up more fire and debris. Brandt leaned over and kicked the driver.

"Soldat, I'm leaving you in charge while I inspect the wreckage. Stay alert."

"Aye."

Pulling out his compact pistol, Brant lifted himself up and out of the Puma, his boots hitting the muddy path below. The armoured vehicle's turret slowly followed him as he proceeded into the forest. Barely visible among the rainfall and glowing embers present was a shattered cockpit, the mangled body of an aircraft behind it. Brandt located what looked to be a sliding door and grabbed it with a gloved hand. Pistol ready in his opposite hand, he forced open the door, only to find the mangled corpses of several soldiers inside. All wearing bulky gear and odd aviation helmets, they had perished when the Puma round had struck their aircraft. The weak groaning of a woman caused Brandt to flick his eyes towards the cockpit.

"Danube Overwatch.. This is Pelican 3.. squad lost, encountered resistance on way back to rendezvous. Dropship down.."

A pilot laid crippled in her seat, barely holding on to the radio in her hand. Blood came forth from a gaping hole in her side.

"Coordinates.. are.."

Brandt stepped in, snatching the receiver from her hand.

"Who are you?"

The pilot attempted to pull a sidearm from her chest-mounted holster, but Brandt was quicker, and knocked the weapon away before training his own pistol center-mass.

"Answer me. Who are you?"

Managing little more than a weak gargling of blood, the pilot fell limp, her bloodied head rolling backwards. Brandt lowered his pistol.

".. Scheisse."

He placed the receiver down and began to scrounge through the pilot's pockets and chest rig. Besides regular maps of southern Ironblood, she also had in her possession another map of local units and planned maneuvers, all illustrated with dotted lines and different symbols. Jackpot. Brandt stuffed the papers and two-way radio in his coat pocket, exiting the craft as quickly as he had come in. The Puma was still waiting for him when he returned. The Leutnant scrambled up the rain-slicked surface of the vehicle and hopped inside, issuing orders without delay.

"Make for the thickest patch of forest you can find. We'll attempt to make contact with the convoy from there."

Wheels grasping for traction, the Puma lurched off the main road and into the darkness nearby.

Eliza was finding it harder and harder to withstand the brewing maelstrom of wind and rain that enveloped the land, despite Kara's best efforts to shield her from the elements. Komet waded through ankle-deep mud beside them.

"This is really bad.."

The aid worker, uniform several shades darker with dirt, remained steadfast.

"Easy, Komet. Staying calm is the key."

"Right."

Their march was interrupted when the growling of an engine pierced the storm. Kara immediately crouched, placing Eliza in a prone position next to her. The vehicle was somewhere in the thicket before them, but Eliza's shot ears had a hard time pinpointing exactly where. Komet began to extend her cannons again, whispering to the others.

"C'mon, I can take them-"

"No."

The vessel turned to look at Eliza, who had set her rifle down.

"What?"

"I think they're friendly."

The distinct clattering sound of the V-12 Tatra engine was one Eliza knew by heart. It was a Puma. Following the idling of the engine, a hatch popped, and several men could be heard moving about. Eliza cupped her mouth with her hands and hollered,

"Freundlich?"

The men paused briefly before calling back.

"Freundlich!"

Kara glanced at Eliza.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch on.. What did they say?"

"They're friendly."

Needing no further words, Kara once again picked up Eliza and headed towards the Puma, Komet in tow.

Brandt held out a steady hand, signalling his crew to lower their weapons as three shadows emerged from the forest. One of them was carrying a woman that looked to be a Soldat, judging from her standard-issue trousers and combat boots. And the other was a..

"KMS Komet?"

All of the Puma crew threw a salute, despite her not actually having a formal rank in the Kriegsmarine or the Landwehr. Komet smiled wearily and threw a passable salute back.

"Hail Ironblood, my friends!"

Brandt, regarding her as if she were some sort of god, carefully approached the bunch.

"Komet, do you know what's going on? I've been separated from my convoy."

The vessel gestured to the Soldat in such a casual manner that Brandt was caught off guard.

"Ask her. I've only been following them."

Brandt regarded the Soldat, who was being carried by the tall Sakuran half-breed. Her right cheek was heavily bandaged, and her leg appeared to be twisted in some way.

"What is your name, Soldat?"

"Eliza.."

She scanned the rank insignia on his collar.

"My name is Eliza, Leutnant. Hail Ironblood."

"Hail Ironblood. Who are these men attacking us?"

Eliza thought about that for a moment.

"I don't know, but they are very coordinated. They also have these portable radios that they can carry in their hands."

Brandt pulled out the radio he had recovered from the crash, twisting the dials.

"It appears that we don't have much shared knowledge about these attackers, then. We were going to contact our convoy before you came."

"Convoy.. As in more Pumas?"

"Yes. What are you getting at, Soldat Eliza?"

"We're going to need all the backup we can get. I don't know how many of them are out there, or what's exactly happening, but even individual soldiers can field miniature machine guns."

She shifted the rifle-like object in her arms, to which Brandt felt a sudden chill go down his spine.

"We were ordered to investigate signal blackouts south of here. My own comms cut just before we were attacked.. From what you have said, I believe those blackouts may not just be a work of the weather. We might have an invasion on our hands."

Eliza nodded.

"More or less what I was thinking, Leutnant."

The crewmen of the halted Puma convoy were idly milling about in the light rain, smoking and talking amongst themselves, while several soldiers attempted to push the stuck vehicle out of the mud. Suddenly, several fat-bodied cargo helicopters raced overhead. A car commander stamped out his cigar and spoke over the thrumming of blades to his driver.

"What's going on?"

"It's been several hours since Leutnant Brandt moved on. You think he made contact somehow?"

"Not sure.."

Much to the crewmate's surprise, the driver of the communications Puma popped out of his hatch and ran up to them.

"The signals are working again! Hostile enemies are present up ahead, we have orders to engage."

The commander went wide-eyed.

"Enemies? As in Empery soldiers?"

"I don't know, but we have to move!"

The crews scattered and hopped into their vehicles, closing hatches and loading fresh rounds into their breaches. With extra help, the stuck Puma was also on its wheels too within a few minutes. The presiding Hauptmann of the convoy leaned out of his hatch and motioned for them to start their engines.

"Let us ride! For Ironblood!"

The respective commanders of each vehicle echoed his cry before setting out.

Azur Lane Rhine Command, Vichya Dominion

The radio operator took a bite out of his croissant, the array of tuning dials and switches laying dormant before him. Despite the Rhine Command facility arguably being the greatest military hub the Coalition had constructed since the Siren War, it had gradually shrunk in size and funding due to a number of reasons, the biggest being that the nations of the Coalition eventually found each other only slightly more tolerable than the Sirens. Thus, one could expect a relatively quiet post if they were assigned to the Rhine Command. But that would change today. The radio set crackled and sputtered to life, a tinny voice breaking through the airwaves.

"Rhine Command, this is Berlin High Command. Hostile forces of unknown affiliation have been found in Bavarian Territories. Initiate Article 5A."

The operator almost leapt out of his seat, picking up his microphone.

"Berlin High Command, say again?"

"Rhine Command, initiate Article 5A. We need reinforcements immediately."

"Copy that, Berlin High Command. Initiating Article 5A."

Hanging up on Berlin, the operator switched over to a local frequency and began to notify the long list of other operators and officials that the protocol dictated.

Within minutes dozens of Dominion troops ran out onto the Rhine Command tarmac, fastening their helmets and cloaks as they boarded several helicopters. Cargo and transport trucks, ready to pick up local reservists, lined up at the facility gates. Eagle Union sailors hurried out of their barracks and rushed to their patrol boats. Revving their engines, the crafts sped down the Rhine towards the combat zone. Whoever was waiting across the border would have to face the full might of the Azur Lane Coalition.

Eliza Schmidt laid prone on the rear end of the jostling Puma, Kara and Komet riding alongside her. After contacting the nearest base, Leutnant Brandt had been told to return to the Danube Checkpoint, only a few miles away. Still, the situation was no less dangerous. Eliza's eyes darted across the treeline on both sides of the dirt road. From the sounds audible through the storm, it was clear the enemy was catching up, and fast. Kara laid her hand on Eliza's shoulder.

"I see lights to our right!"

The veteran shifted her position. Busting through the thicket on the road behind them was a positively menacing APC, sporting angular armor and a swerving searchlight. A soldier popped out of its top hatch and took hold of a weapon that looked almost like a rotary gun. Eliza forcefully pushed Kara's head down.

"Get down!"

The soldier opened fire with indiscriminate bursts, denting the Puma's armor around them with bullets the size of thumbs. Eliza propped up her rifle and began to exchange shots. Her own rounds plinked harmlessly off the pursuing vehicle. Komet knelt down behind her, cannons protruding out of the vessel's back.

"Take this, meanies!"

Chunks of armor blew off the APC, but they only revealed another layer beneath them. The soldier spun up his gun again as he established a direct line of sight. Eliza felt her heart momentarily drop while staring into the barrels spinning before her. There was no cover on the back of the Puma, and all three of the group were about to be turned into red paste. But Eliza didn't back down. She trained the rifle sights on the soldier's head, the rotary gun being aimed at her own. Their fingers found their triggers and fired. But instead of Eliza's head being utterly crushed, she found herself flying upwards as the Puma jerked off the path, the weapon in her hands floating as if it was in space. Directly in front of where the Puma would've been was Brandt's convoy, their wheels screeching and sparking in an effort to stop. And as she began to tumble in the air she saw the APC also attempting to come to a halt. But it was all in vain. Eliza hit the ground hard, tons upon tons of steel tearing and bending behind her. The APC, unable to get out of the way, was tossed aside like a toy. Meanwhile, Brandt's Puma ran headfirst into a thick tree in front of Eliza. Men and women from both sides shouted above the flames.

"Casualty reports! Brandt!?"

"Spread out and encircle!"

"My arm.."

Soldiers staggered out of their smashed transport, duking it out with the Puma crewmates in hand-to-hand combat. Faces were caved in with gloved fists. Knives pierced uniforms and skin alike. Amidst all the carnage, Kara, who had held on, rushed to Eliza's side.

"Eliza!"

".. I'm here. Just a few scrapes."

Their interaction was interrupted when more enemies arrived in their transports and combat buggies, gunning down hapless Ironblood soldiers as they swarmed the area. Brandt leapt out of the Puma hatch, crew in tow.

"We're going to be overrun, follow me!"

Kara picked up Eliza and began to run. Landwehr helicopters and reconnaissance aircraft buzzed overhead, their fuselages subject to intense shoulder-launched rocket and small-arms fire. Despite this, they attempted to provide assistance to the convoy on the ground, the door gunners spraying rounds with their MG 1A3's. Eliza was almost tempted to close her eyes when the sickening sound of a bullet passing through flesh reduced her hearing to little more than dull ringing. She tumbled out of Kara's arms as the Sakuran examined a gaping hole in her upper chest.

"Hm.. I've been shot.."

Brandt spun around, eyes wide as Kara crumpled to the ground.

"Soldat Eliza!"

He rushed back to Eliza, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her backwards. She struggled against his grip.

"Kara! Kara! No, we have to go back, Leutnant!"

"We can't go back! Come to your senses!"

Kara weakly smiled at Eliza, blood sprouting from her mouth.

"Go with him, Eliza. I'm going to keep my promise.."

Eliza, flailing in Brandt's arms, thrust her elbow into his nose and fell to the ground. She feebly writhed on the dirt.

"What promise, Kara!? What promise!?"

Kara got to her feet and limped over to the wrecked Puma, slightly bowed over as iron rain slammed against her surroundings. Brandt had several of his crewmen restrain Eliza, holding her arms firm while they fled. Kara dropped into the open Puma hatch and began to spin the turret. Dread came over Eliza as the realization dawned on her.

"No! No! Let me go-!"

The faint clang of a round being inserted into a breach came from the Puma, followed by several minute adjustments to barrel elevation. Aimed at the foremost hostile APC, the cold Puma muzzle stared its target down with violent intent. Kara was going to clog up the road and halt the enemy. Eliza stopped struggling and let the men drag her backwards. Soldiers spotted the Ironblood vehicle among the flames, pointing and shouting into their radios.

"Somebody's still in that Puma! Where's our fucking anti-tank!?"

"On my way!"

A woman with a massive rifle hit the ground, tripod digging into the dirt road. The Puma prepared to fire. Eliza watched from a distance.

"Come on, Kara!"

The soldier hastily slotted a round into the chamber as the Puma turret remained locked on the lead APC. What was taking Kara so long? Eliza screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Fire, dammit! Fire!"

At that exact moment, the Puma fired its load, and the APC simply vanished in a fiery detonation. Snapping the chamber shut and pulling back the bolt, the soldier lifted the anti-tank rifle scope to her eye. Crouching several yards away, her squad leader motioned at her.

"Aim for the center of the turret and blast that fucker!"

"Aye aye, sir."

She pulled the trigger, and a slug careened through torrential rain, raging flames, and suffocating smoke towards its target. The sloped armor of the Puma was no match for it, and something slumped over and collapsed with a clumsy thud inside. Eliza was unable to do anything, her lips trembling.

"Holy shit.."

But Kara had done her job. The dirt road was completely blocked by burnt out Pumas and APCs, dead soldiers and crewmates littered throughout. And from beyond the Danube Checkpoint, dozens upon dozens of Landwehr soldiers disembarked from their transports, rifles ready and faces uncertain.

Australian Outback, Oceania, 1946

Amidst the closing months of the Siren War, several reports of unusual activity in the Northwestern Outback work their way up Oceanian Joint Command. Unidentified craft. Strange lights at night. Sky-high radiation levels. With the majority of their conscripts engaged in brutal fighting against Siren forces over in Europe and the Pacific, OJC decides to deploy the 78th Arrernte Volunteer Regiment to the region. They are equipped with specialist equipment for the dangerous conditions, as well as briefed on the Sirens they may encounter. They are also assigned the newly converted HMAS Quickmatch, given human form by one of the wisdom cubes the Azur Lane Coalition had procured during 1940. The cubes' inner workings are unknown, but the ships they produce are both land and sea capable, and seem to be turning the tide.

On May 5th, 1946, Quickmatch and the 78th make their approach into the specified region under the cover of night. Almost immediately upon their arrival, an intense storm descends on the area and completely nullifies visibility from the outside. Observers and research teams are unable to make radio contact, and teams sent on foot or vehicle do not return.

At 5:10 PM on May 7th, a storm cloud forms over the exact same area, and radio contact with the 78th is re-established, as well as with those who had gone missing on the 5th. Their officers and Quickmatch are flown to OJC headquarters for debriefing.

Two weeks later, the Oceanian Republic officially withdraws from the Azur Lane Coalition without warning, citing a need to focus on their own nation for the time being. Troops begin their departure from battlefields worldwide shortly after.

The Black Country, Britannia, 2025

Five months after the 'Bavaria Blitz'

Kaigun-chūsa Tani Seiichi stared out of the cab window at the bland countryside, rolling hills and vast farms cast in darkness by a gloomy sky. But his mind was on the conflict in Ironblood, and perhaps around the world. In the opening days Sakura had lost two thousand men and women holding the Danube against a first-class enemy, not to mention the valiant death of former artillery loader Kara Arisu. Seiichi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Arisu wasn't exactly the greatest mind in the Sakuran Army, but her physical prowess had more than made up for that. Maybe that was due to her birth from a converted vessel and human male, which was another topic in of itself. No matter. She was a good soldier in the end. But Seiichi had lately been working with the Navy R&D division, and despite being a corpse, Arisu would prove useful once again. The cab turned onto a paved road, it being one of the few left intact after the Siren War. Seiichi continued to look outside, his attention shifting to the one he had flown across the world to meet. Eliza Schmidt. The Ironblood Soldat present with Arisu from the start of the Blitz to her untimely demise, Schmidt knew more than anybody else the tactics and unit structures of the Oceanians, secluded and secretive as they were. In fact, he had decided to dig a little more into Schmidt's story on the flight to Britannia. Born and raised in the countryside, Schmidt served in the Landwehr Reserves for two years before fighting in Imperial Mongolia for another two. She was present at every major battle that had occurred during her tenure there. During those engagements, Schmidt was hailed for 'composure and competence under fire' and 'gallantly fighting under adverse conditions.' If Seiichi knew anything from having been in Mongolia himself, it was that Empery had made fighting a living hell for the Coalition forces deployed there. No wonder Schmidt was sent home on grounds of insufficient mental health.

The cab pulled up at a small and decrepit apartment, depositing its passenger before rolling away. Seiichi straightened out his white uniform as he looked around at his surroundings. There was literally nothing except farms and fields around the apartment. Azur Lane insisted in putting displaced soldiers and civilians in locations like this for some reason. Sighing, he pushed open the front door. The elderly man at the front desk waved at him as he passed by, climbing the rickety wooden stairs. Emerging on the residential floor, he checked a small slip of paper in his gloved hand.

"Room 10.."

Seiichi proceeded down the hall, knocking on the second to last door.

"Ms. Schmidt?"

Objects thudded and fell to the floor inside.

"I'll be right there.."

The door opened, revealing a half dressed woman, sweater haphazardly put on. Schmidt tried to flash a smile. Seiichi stared at her, expressionless.

"Hello, uh.."

She didn't seem to know how to address Seiichi (or even know who he was), so he filled in.

"Commander Seiichi."

"Sure. Alright, it seems like you're here on official business of some sort, so you might as well come in."

Holding the door open, she let Seiichi step inside. Her room was in a limbo between neatly organized and horribly cluttered, with empty pizza boxes methodically stacked on top of each other and a few books laying atop a freshly made bed. A pair of dusty crutches sat in the corner. Seiichi took off his peaked cap and held it in his hands, quietly observing Schmidt grab a soda from a mini-fridge.

"Want one? They're pretty good over here."

"No, thank you."

She leaned on the fridge, nodding her head.

"Ok.. Why are you here? I've already been debriefed more times than I can count. We've come to the conclusion that the baddies are Aussies, ja?"

"I've come on the behalf of the Sakuran Empire, and I have a proposition."

Schmidt narrowed her eyes.

"Sakuran Empire?"

Flipping the cap in his hands, Seiichi elaborated.

"The other member nations of the Azur Lane Coalition believe the Oceanians can be dealt with by sheer numerical advantage. Of course, we are vested in protecting the interests of the Coalition, but a few of us in the Empire think this issue can be resolved in a different way."

"And? How does it involve me?"

"We're assembling a small team of Ironblood and Sakuran soldiers and vessels to break through the Oceanian side of the Danube. And we want you to be the commander."

Schmidt visibly recoiled, putting down the soda can.

"No. I've said it before, I'm done. No more."

"KMS Komet and Leutnant Addler Brandt asked specifically for you. They said you were the one for the job."

She stared at him for a long time.

Reutlingen, Ironblood

Eliza Schmidt slid out of the Transportpanzer Fuchs, duffel bag hanging from her shoulder as she debated if letting that spook persuade her to come here was the right idea. Looking around, Eliza noticed that Reutlingen was exceptionally small, a jumble of stone commercial buildings and more traditional tudor-style homes. Blame the Sirens for that. The metallic clanging of a vessel's apparatus from behind briefly startled her.

"Kommandant Schmidt?"

KMS Prinz Eugen serenely floated towards Eliza, boots softly touching the ground as the thrusters on her back spun down. Eliza was tempted to take a step back.

"Kommandant.. "

A career foot soldier, she felt almost uncomfortable being addressed as anything other than Soldat.

"Call me Eliza."

She held out a hand, and Eugen took it. Clearly the KMS vessels were not very familiar with a formal command structure. Eugen eyed her with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Eliza, hm. You look.. more normal than I thought you would be."

Eliza frowned. Dressed in a set of plain fatigues, she was in sharp contrast to Eugen's dress uniform from days gone. She adjusted her bag strap and tried to reset the conversation.

"I heard the Kriegsmarine is re-activating the big guns for service again. What's it like?"

Eugen lifted herself off the ground, not even bothering to walk as she led Eliza down the empty road.

"It's strange. They have things like 'satellites' and 'mobile phones' now. And the chocolates taste like shit."

"Huh."

"You know, I think you're sort of interesting."

Eliza raised an eyebrow at Eugen.

"I thought you said I was normal."

"Precisely. Your blandness fascinates me."

Unable to decide whether the vessel was digging at her or being genuinely serious, Eliza didn't answer. Eugen had led her to a small building, folding away the thrusters on her back to fit into the doorway. She made a slight gesture.

"This is it, Eliza."

The inside of the building consisted of a table surrounded by cheaply made plaster and boxes, not counting the sleeping bags and cots in the corners. Seeing as Reutlingen had been evacuated, keeping low was paramount. A small cheer came from those seated at the table.

"Eliza! Good to see you've recovered."

Leutnant Brandt stepped forwards, clapping Eliza's back.

"Are you doing alright?"

"As close as I can get to it, Leutnant."

"Good.. I hope this mission isn't too much to ask of you. I would've led, but I'm no good outside of a Puma."

Eliza surveyed the table, dropping her bag.

"Understandable. I'm no good at rotting in an apartment myself."

Brandt took her bag and tossed it into the corner before returning to the table.

"Eugen's already acquainted herself with you, so I'll do the rest. My driver, Soldat Kyle, is over there. You might remember him from last time."

Kyle waved, snug in his tanking attire.

"And here's Karlsrühe.."

The youthful vessel waved, her beret placed haphazardly upon her head.

"You can call me Karl!"

Brandt moved on.

"Here's Aoba. You can answer all the questions she's been asking."

The Sakuran heavy cruiser looked up from her notepad and smiled.

"Oh, you're the Commander! The people at R&D want to know a few things about you."

Eliza crossed her arms.

"We can talk later. What about the other guys?"

FN FALs leaning on their chairs, a few men and women with puffy kevlar vests played a game of cards. Brandt hovered over them.

"I picked them from my unit, they're good at what they do. I also procured the Eagle Union's latest gear for their use."

"Yes, the PASGT, I've heard stories about it. Did you pay for this out of pocket?"

"Indeed."

Shaking her head, Eliza turned to Brandt.

"Jesus, this is really tight-knit. And obviously the people here are very capable, but how are we supposed to fight Oceania all on our own?"

"We're not. Tomorrow, Landwehr forces will cross the Danube to the east and attempt to retake Munich. We'll cross in conjunction with them from here."

"And?"

Brandt unfurled a map from his pouch, laying it flat on the table. All those around him stopped their activities as he pointed to a big symbol several miles south of Reutlingen.

"Sakuran intel has informed me that this location has been identified in intercepted chatter as 'Leutkirch Interference Station.' Now, they also believe that these stations are responsible for the adverse weather and signal issues."

Kyle raised his hand.

"But Leutnant, how is changing the weather even possible?"

"We thought that technology like that was a whim of fiction. But the Oceanians didn't, apparently. The point is, we get to Leutkirch, we blow up whatever we need to, and then we come back."

Brandt backed away from the table.

"We need to rest for tomorrow. The attack will begin at 0500 hours."

The group got up from their chairs and nodded, leaving to attend to their gear.

Colored gray by the dark skies, the figure of Kommandant Eliza emaninated distinctly solemn aura, which truly piqued KMS Prinz Eugen's interest. The way she stared into the distance for long periods of time, the way she went through the motions as if she were on autopilot, the way she never smiled but instead projected an air of detached neutrality. Eugen wanted to know why. And, if anything, the vessel usually got her way. Approaching the river overlook that Eliza gazed out from, she twirled her silk gray hair.

"Something on your mind?"

Eliza turned her head slightly.

"Hm? Oh, nothing. Just looking..

What's up?"

"Just observing you."

She stepped up to Eugen, despite being slightly smaller in stature.

"What's your deal, arschloch?"

"Of course, you immediately raise your defenses. I should've known."

Eliza exhaled a tired breath, seeming to deflate briefly, before turning back to look at the distant Danube.

"I.. I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry."

Eliza was a mess, that much was obvious. But why was she here? And was she worthy of her commander status? Eyeing her over one last time, Eugen turned away without a single word.

Eliza Schmidt fastened the dark green PASGT ballistic helmet on her head, moving her hands down her body to fasten the body armor that covered her flecktarn underlayer. It was 0300 hours, and the town of Reutlingen was still submerged in midnight darkness. A modified Achtrad eight-wheeled armoured vehicle sat idle in the street, Brandt peering out of the commander's hatch.

"Ready, Kommandant? Everyone's loaded inside."

Eliza slung an FAL over her shoulder and looked up at him.

"Yeah, let's go."

She walked around the Achtrad and entered the bulging troop compartment, closing the thick hatch behind her. Vessels and soldiers alike sat together in the dim lighting as Kyle put the vehicle into gear. Eliza glanced at each one of them before strapping into a seat. The troopers wore unflinching poker faces, no doubt acquired in years of war. On the other hand, Karl still seemed half-asleep, while Aoba flashed a nervous smile. Eugen stared at Eliza with a burning gaze, abandoning her laconic persona from before.

"Would you care to restate our mission, Kommandant?"

Eliza briefly stuttered while everyone turned to look at her. Still in the mindset of a line infantryman, she suddenly felt the crushing responsibility of command starting to weigh down on her.

"Uh.."

She swallowed, then leaned in.

"Alright. Right now we're headed towards the Danube. Once we get there, we'll wait until 0500, when the main Coalition force will attack.

And when they do, we cross the river and reach Leutkirch as quickly as possible."

Eugen pressed further.

"And? What then?"

"Search for that station, and when we find it, we blow it to reich komme."

Eliza patted a satchel of explosive charges in the corner of the troop hold, and Eugen nodded, satisfied.

"Good.. enough."

The Achtrad rolled to a stop at the water's edge, rear hatch popping open shortly after to disgorge its occupants. Eliza stepped onto the rocky riverbank and surveyed the land. All around her was sparse forest dipped in rolling mists, and the other side of the Danube was virtually impossible to see. Rifle cradled in her arms, she snuck a glance at her watch.

04:58

Eliza began to stride back to the Achtrad.

"Two minutes."

Waiting at the hatch was Eugen, draped in a camouflaged cloak.

"It's almost time."

As if to emphasize her point, a series of pops and thumps began to sound out from down the river, signalling that the attack was beginning. Brandt lowered a set of goggles over his eyes before descending back into the armoured vehicle.

"That time is now. Saddle up!"

After everyone else had piled inside, Eliza slapped the side of the Achtrad before moving on to the river ahead. Despite Eugen's protests, she had given herself the task of finding an area of the Danube shallow enough to cross. Stepping into the chilly knee-deep water, Eliza carried on, the Achtrad slowly following behind her. Momentary flashes of artillery fire to the east pierced the mist as she waded through the waters step by step. Brandt dared to momentarily raise his hatch.

"Can we ford it?"

"I think so. Go ahead."

Eliza almost missed the sudden bristling of foliage on the other side of the bank, the quiet clinking of a belt being slotted into place. The racking of a bolt. A trap.

"Gun emplacement on our one o' clock! Schnell, schnell!"

A hailstorm of steel came flying in their direction, Eliza romping through the river to get behind the Achtrad. She fumbled to unhook her stielhandgranate, crouching low to the water as she raised her arm.

"Grenade out!"

Eliza unscrewed the cap at the end of the stick and lobbed it in the general direction of the gun emplacement. With a resounding thump, the gunners' position ceased to exist in an explosion of dirt and detritus.

The sun was beginning to illuminate the grey skies by the time Kommandant Eliza had clambered back into the Achtrad, her leggings caked over with mud and soil. Due to the overly waterlogged conditions of the land, the group had been slowed to a crawl. Prinz Eugen, hunched over a small map with Karl at her side, suspected the same was true for the Landwehr vanguard miles down the river. She looked up at the Kommandant. Eliza had proven herself to be a leader from the front, but it was simply a fact that many of that kind had died rather quickly.

"What do we do now, Kommandant?"

Eliza sat down in the seats across from the vessels.

"We've crossed the river, so that part is over. But the Oceanians know we're here, which means that we're going to have to speed up somehow if we want to make it."

Turning around in his driver's seat, Brandt sighed.

"I don't think that'll be possible. The mud is way too thick for the wheels of this thing."

"Well, that rules that out."

Aoba, who had briefly paused in her note-taking (What was she even writing about?), appeared slightly distressed.

"Then what? We're stuck and trapped."

Eliza nodded.

"That's right. But.. uh.."

She looked at Eugen.

"I saw you floating on your rig earlier. Can you fly?"

The vessel was caught slightly off-guard by the unorthodox suggestion.

"Fly? Yes, I suppose I can."

"Could you carry me while flying?"

Eugen's incredulous face stared at Eliza's stoic expression.

"What are you getting at? You mean you want me to carry you all the way to Leutkirch?"

"That's right. Flying low to the ground, hitting them where they won't expect us to be."

Even Kyle was staring at them.

"You can't be serious, Kommandant."

Eliza Schmidt proved to be true to her word as she mounted Eugen's back, finding her grip on utility handles and suitable foot holds. Not wanting to strain the vessel too much, she had removed her armour. Eugen turned her head.

"Ready?"

"Let's go already."

"As you wish, Kommandant."

Brandt and his crew stared on with slack jawed awe as Eugen propelled herself a few feet into air before truly taking off in a fiery flash. Eliza immediately had to hold on for dear life, narrowly dodging an overhead branch whizzing by. She was starting to get the feeling she might've gotten more than she had gambled for. Trees and trees and trees fell behind the duo as Eugen expertly weaved her way through the forest, thrusters flaring and roaring with a beast-like quality. Eliza leaned forward and shouted over the howling wind.

"How far have we gone?"

"At least a mile, Kommandant!"

They streaked by a thundering Oceanian mobile artillery battery, soldiers whipping their heads around in confusion.

"The hell was that?"

It took several more minutes of careful high-speed maneuvering before Prinz Eugen came to a halt, her cloak coming around with a dramatic flourish. On the other hand, Kommandant Eliza dropped off of the vessel's back and onto the forest floor, hyperventilating as if she had run a marathon.

"Are you having difficulties, Kommandant?"

"Just help me up."

Taking Eugen's gloved hand, Eliza got to her feet and drew her sidearm, a finely crafted Luger.

"Is this Leutkirch?"

"This is as close as I could get undetected."

Situated at the foot of an imposing mountain range, Leutkirch was relatively unaffected by the Siren War, sporting several concentric circles of fields and farms around a small cluster of homes and buildings. While beautiful to an untrained eye, Eugen's gut screamed danger. Wide spaces and irrigation ditches suitable for holding ground were any defender's dream. Moreover, the marshy ground meant only the most off-road capable vehicles could advance on Leutkirch if they didn't take the main road, which she was positively sure was blockaded. Eliza's face mirrored her exact thoughts.

"This looks.. Difficult."

The smaller human retrieved a set of binoculars from a messenger bag, pressing them to her face. She immediately grimaced, a deviation from her usual neutrality that made Eugen curious.

"What, Kommandant?"

"Take a look."

Eugen raised the binoculars and followed Eliza's outstretched hand. Within the town several boxy and heavily armed vehicles cruised the streets, while entire platoons of soldiers milled about on the inner fields. Beyond them were several howitzers, barrels trained on the lands surrounding Leutkirch. Even if Eugen did try to engage at range, they would no doubt counterfire and kill her. The situation was truly grim. Eliza gazed up at Eugen.

"I'm going to go in. By myself."

"Kommandant, you can't just-"

"Listen here. I'm going to reach those howitzers and destroy them using some of the charges. When that happens, you'll fire on everything you see. I'm assuming civilians won't be a problem."

"Kommandant.."

"I'm going to be fine. And while you're doing that, I'm going to find and also blow up the Station. It's simple, right?"

Eugen had little time to react before Eliza had entered the fields. She didn't find Eliza's almost suicidal tactics that appealing (The morbidity of Landwehr soldiers in general appalled the other Ironblood armed forces), but she couldn't help but be slightly impressed with her assertiveness. After all, a firm grip needed to be placed on one's subordinates.

Eliza Schmidt stayed low and close to the hedgerows, finger off the trigger as she silently advanced. She felt like she had spent an eternity crawling through slick mud, scraping branches, and overfilled irrigation ditches. Slow progress was progress nonetheless. Eliza dove face first into the ground as an Oceanian soldier walked by, rifle slung casually over his shoulder. One minute. Two minutes. When his back did eventually turn, a shadow rose from the bushes and slinked away. Survival and evasion techniques were never taught to line soldiers like Eliza, but she had been in more than a few patrols gone horribly wrong deep in Empery territory. And she had never forgotten the experiences. Knife in one hand, pistol in the other, Eliza approached the last of the fields to Leutkirch.

Barely a mile away, Oceanian Corporal 'Dragoon Actual' inspected her gear inside the rumbling Hawkei scout car. Despite earning several commendations for taking out the Puma armoured car that had threatened to eliminate her entire team, she still felt like she had work to do. A job to finish. Pushing her personal feelings aside with trained ease, Actual looked over at her squadmates, Dragoons 6 and 7. All of them belonged to the Dragoon Anti-Armour/Anti-Personnel squad, hence their namesake, and they all travelled where needed. In this instance, Mobile Artillery Battalion 446 had spotted something moving at high speed towards Leutkirch. Not a missile or any of that sort, but fast. And if that something intended to hit the interference array, the air cover for the entirety of the Oceanian vanguard would simply vanish. And that in turn was very, very bad. The Hawkei was waved through a checkpoint and continued on into Leutkirch, rolling to a halt at the first of the fortifications around the town. Actual and her team burst out of the vehicle, specialist weapons strapped to their backs, as they ran to their positions of choice.

Eliza Schmidt sided up to the sandbags of the artillery pit, her serpentine movements exact and precise. While the fields were heavily patrolled, there were only a few gunners loitering around inside the pits. She thumbed her bag open and produced an explosive charge, only a little bigger than the palm of her hand. Eliza dropped down into the pit and crouched in the shadow of an ammo crate. Immediately, she got to work, quietly stuffing charges into the open breaches of the artillery pieces. The gunners, none the wiser, continued to play their game of cards off in the corner.

Actual set her rifle down on a solid slab of concrete, extending the bipod and flipping open the scope caps. She toggled her radio.

"6 and 7, are you in position?"

"Aye."

"Affirmative."

The grey fields before her were still, but she knew that something was out there. Her finger restlessly caressed the trigger guard.

Eliza rolled back over the sandbags, detonator in hand. The explosives themselves were of a smaller calibre, but they would be enough to destroy the artillery and signal Eugen to attack. If Eugen was still out there, that is. She clenched the detonator before going flat on the ground, hands planted against her ears.

Actual had only just suspected something was wrong when an artillery pit on the outskirts was suddenly launched into the air, ammo crates cooking off in the immense heat and force. She swerved her rifle in the pits' direction and placed her finger on the trigger.

Prinz Eugen dug her feet into the ground and arched herself forwards, cloak flying away as numerous cannons emerged from her back and fired.

Eliza hopped back into the ruined pit as the sky became filled with shells, each one slamming into an armored vehicle or column of soldiers. Her unprotected ears rang from the deafening explosions. The idle gunners were gone, replaced by a smoldering crater. Eliza was about to advance deeper into the actual town when the overwhelming force of an anti-tank round struck the ground next to her, blowing her off of her feet. She rolled into cover, pistol in hand. Snipers were always a pain in the ass.

Actual cursed at herself for missing the shot before snatching the radio from her chest rig.

"This is Actual, I want the both of you to engage the target at close quarters while I have overwatch. Understood?"

Both 6 and 7 replied affirmatively, and Actual pressed the rifle scope to her face once more.

Eliza ducked into the narrow alleyways of Leutkirch, gunning down any stragglers in sight. While part of her wondered where the Oceanians took all the civilians, the other part revelled in the clear-cut action. A section of wall vanished in a cloud of dust beside her, and Eliza rammed herself into a nearby home. That sniper had a clear line of sight on all of the town. She racked her mind for buildings tall enough in Leutkirch before realizing the sniper must've been in the church presiding over the area. That complicated things. She only had a brief respite before a figure clad in Oceanian fatigues forced open the door on the other side of the home, brandishing a shotgun. Shit. Eliza vaulted over the kitchen counter beside her as wood and metal alike bent and exploded into splinters with each blast of the weapon. Eliza popped out from cover with her Luger, but the man was faster, swatting away the pistol with his shotgun stock before firing another set of pellets where Eliza's face had been. She dropped to the floor and scrambled to unsheathe her knife before the soldier fired yet another errant shot, putting a crater into the wooden floor next to her body. Eliza rolled to a kneeling position and slashed at the man's midsection, causing him to double over and drop the shotgun. She followed up the strike with an uppercut to his abdomen, forcing the air out of his lungs, before plunging her knife straight into his jugular, driving the man all the way to the opposite wall and pinning him there. The thump of a grenade being lowered into its firing tube outside registered in Eliza's ears. She dove to the ground as two circular objects crashed through the streetside windows, rolling to a stop right next to her.

"Fuck, fuck!"

Eliza stumbled to her feet and all-out sprinted for the front door. She had only just leapt out of the house when it exploded behind her, sending her face-first into the cobblestone street. Glass shards rained down on her as the soldier before her dropped the grenade launcher, brandishing a long weapon that Eliza had only seen in the TV shows. A massive, bloodstained, kukri. She charged at him, not wanting to be caught in the long arc of his swing, but he raised a knee to meet her. Eliza's head reeled back, blood flowing freely from her mouth. The soldier swung his kukri at her, but this time Eliza caught his wrist, separating hand from arm in a single motion. He screamed as his bones crunched, kukri dropping to the ground with a resounding clatter. Eliza stumbled backwards to catch her breath briefly. Despite her lengthy training and experience, she still could get tired, and both the sniper and the soldier almost certainly knew it. The soldier struck back with a flurry of punches and kicks, but Eliza met all of them with lightning-quick blocks and offered a few swings of her own. He swerved and ducked, mashing his knuckles against Eliza's temple. Her head throbbed at the sudden pain. She roared, wrapping her arms around his body and lifting him, the show of immense strength running contrary to her medium frame. Eliza tossed him through a flimsy storefront door, bringing down the wooden frame along with it. A small, chippy tune played as she entered the breach, the terrified man desperately trying to crawl away from her.

Actual descended down the spiralling staircase of the church tower, anti-tank rifle in her hands. 6 and 7 were not responding, which she had to assume meant they were dead. That also meant she had to defend the interference array by herself. Actual exited the stairwell and jogged through the main church hallway. A cluster of soldiers had taken up positions behind several overturned pews, stacks of ammunition boxes next to their machine guns. Actual passed them and ventured into the grey outdoors.

Eliza shoved the body of the soldier aside, readjusting her bag. If the station was anywhere in the town, it would most likely be in the center. She limped down the street while producing another explosive charge. Injuries would be attended to another day.

Actual skidded to a stop at Leutkirch's central square, the tangled mess of glowing blue wires and machinery that was the interface array pumping behind her. She slung the rifle over her shoulder and drew her sidearm.

Eliza ran faster and faster, wounds screaming as she progressed through the winding streets and alleyways. She felt a strange sense enveloping her. It felt incredibly powerful, as if energy was throbbing in the air. She knew she was drawing near to the station.

Actual was almost unprepared when a figure leapt from the shadows, knocking her over with a two-boot kick. She slid backwards on the cobblestone, pistol skittering away, as the figure attempted to stomp her face in.

This one was smarter than the others. Eliza hit the ground after the soldier swept her legs out from under her, placing both hands on her neck and squeezing. She coughed and struggled to breathe as the two rolled around the square, buildings still toppling all around them from Prinz Eugen's shells.

Actual tried to clamp her hands around the woman's neck, but she headbutted the Oceanian, causing Actual to flop over on her back. The pistol was close by, and she reached for it.

Eliza reached for the pistol at the same time, their hands swatting at each other for dominance. Eventually the soldier wrapped her arm around Eliza's neck and placed her in a chokehold, face red with exertion. Eliza reached inside her bag, feeling the charge in her hands.

Actual heard something click in the woman's hand, and she looked down to see a live explosive, fully primed. She released the chokehold on the woman and scrambled for safety.

Eliza tossed the charge at the station and ran for her life, but she wasn't fast enough before a deafening explosion lit up the square, enveloping both of the combatants in a wave of smoke and shrapnel.

Prinz Eugen had ceased firing for a full ten minutes before Kommandant Eliza had emerged from the fields, half of her covered in soot, the other half in blood. Eugen raced to catch her as she stumbled and fell.

"Kommandant! Are you alright?"

Eliza was limp in Eugen's arms.

"The mission is complete. I.. I'm fine."

Eugen set her down on the forest floor, caressing her dirtied hair.

"Rest for now. You're not fit to fly just yet."

"Eugen.."

"What?"

"You actually are passionate for something other than war. Nice.."

Something close to a smile came across Eliza's face, revealing a slightly chipped tooth or two. Eugen scowled.

"Kommandant, I am not passionate for you. We are simply comrades."

Despite this, she continued to sit by Eliza's side, running a gentle hand through her hair as the heavy clouds above Leutkirch began to drift away.

One cracked rib, an ankle sprain, several arm lacerations, and a bruised neck. That was what the field medic had said to Eliza as he escorted her out of the aid tent, her team waiting outside. All in all, there wasn't much damage that the healing fluids couldn't fix. Leutnant Brandt came up beside her as the medic returned to his duties.

"Feeling good?"

"A little sore, but yes."

"Excellent."

He pointed to the clear sky.

"Thanks to your stunt, our friends were able to cross the Danube and secure Füssen. Apparently they almost made it to Munich too."

"Munich?"

"Indeed. Oh, and Komet sends her regards from the front."

Brandt handed her a picture, depicting the tiny vessel posing with some other soldiers. Despite their muddied clothes, they appeared to be smiling. Eliza gave the picture back to Brandt.

"Nice.."

Before long, they had boarded the Achtrad, headed south.

Actual watched silently from her nest as the last of the Oceanian soldiers left Leutkirch, their trucks and armored cars rattling against the rudimentary roads. She grimaced under her hood. The first setback of the campaign was inevitable, but that it had to involve her was disgraceful. Add to that the death of two of her own, and Actual could not lift the burden from her shoulders. She would find that saboteur. And she would kill her.

Munich Outskirts, Ironblood, 2025

One week after the Leutkirch Evacuation

Oceania had turned Munich into their fortress. Surrounding the city were miles upon miles of earthworks and minefields, with cannons hemmed in by sandbags at regular intervals. From what aerial surveillance had shown, every street and alley had been turned into a killzone. Hundreds of tons of ammo were being stocked in town squares. And worst of all to the generals and admirals at Bremerhaven, word had reached them telling of thousands of civilians being held hostage in enclosures, Oceania's trump card against bombing. The story was little better on the ground. Eliza Schmidt freely breathed in smoke as she watched tanks rumble down the main road to Munich, headed towards a staging area only a few miles from the city proper. She turned and walked back into the command truck nearby. Karl was hunched over a planning table, consulting a map of Munich with Brandt and his people.

"No, you see, I can go up here and you can go there. That way, we cover more ground, and the more ground we cover, the more we win!"

"That's not how it works, Karl.."

Prinz Eugen sat impassively in the back, appearing as if she wanted to fall asleep. Eliza strode to her side.

"Staying awake, Eugen?"

She suddenly sat upright.

"Hm? I've been listening. Not like they've gotten anywhere."

"Why don't you say something? I'm sure you can come up with something better, especially given your years of experience."

Eugen seemed to briefly scowl at the mention of her age, but returned to her neutral expression.

"My plans usually don't work. It's always been that way, I suppose you could call it an unlucky streak."

Owing to the fact that she was trained in the art of killing and not soothing, Eliza had little to no idea how to deal with other's personal issues.

"Well.. Uh.. I think I'm lucky to have you on the team. You're a great teacher and tactical asset."

Something seemed to twinkle for a moment in Eugen's eyes.

"Thank you."

So that hit the mark. Maybe there was something to offering aid for a living. Like Kara. Eliza grinded her teeth together upon thinking of the Sakuran and everything that had happened. She had held back tears every night for weeks on end. The regret consumed her. Suppress. Suppress. Suppress. Then it occurred to Eliza that she had been staring blankly at Eugen for almost a full minute. She backed away.

"Sorry. I'll go now."

Eugen shot out a pale hand with unnerving speed, grasping Eliza's wrist.

"I think I might be lucky to have you, Kommandant."

Eliza didn't know what to make of the vessel's words.

Aoba, who had also been in the command truck, observed Eliza leave Eugen, the vessel's gaze following her. Interesting. Very interesting. Interesting enough to jot this interaction down in her notepad. The small details always mattered to her. They did for Seiichi too.

Eliza had spent the rest of her day drafting and scrapping plans with Brandt, Eugen occasionally pitching in to voice her opinion. Their general directives were to evacuate the citizens held captive deep within Munich before Azur Lane forces could bomb it, but the issue they kept circling back to was the matter of actually infiltrating the city. Brandt maintained that nothing short of an all-out advance could breach the defenses, while Eliza insisted on keeping a low profile. It was during one of their tense exchanges that Kyle spoke up in his deep voice.

"This might be a little dumb, but..

What if we just went under the defenses? I remember seeing the massive sewers Munich had in the cable shows."

Brandt frowned.

"That's actually a pretty good idea."

Eliza exhaled a tired breath.

"There you go. We get in, snatch the civvies, get out. It's that easy."

"Not necessarily. The sewer system below the city is a verdammtes durcheinander. It'll be a nightmare to get through all the sealed compartments and the like."

Kyle dared to pitch in again.

"I know a few people in the sapper division here. Maybe they can help?"

Eliza and Brandt looked at each other. Maybe they had truly settled on a plan.

The next day, under the cover of a moonlight night, Eliza had successfully managed to round up a few combat engineers to join her on a little probing of the sewer systems. Following her were Eugen and Karl, with Aoba tagging along at the back. She approached the round iris hatch of the system. The hatch itself was a relic from the Munich of ages gone, when the city had sprawled over many miles of land. Now, it sat alone in a field. One of the engineers immediately got to work, pulling a little device from out of his chest rig and plugging it in to a socket next to the hatch. Lines upon lines of code flashed across its screen before it finally chirped. As if on command, the hatch begrudgingly opened, rusted panels scraping against each other to reveal a ladder. The engineer put the device back in his rig and gestured to Eliza.

"After you, ma'am."

She obliged, mounting the ladder and slowly descending down its rungs. The air in the sewers was positively noxious, causing her eyes to tear up and nose to revolt. Making a mental note to bring a mask next time, Eliza dropped down the last stretch of the ladder and pulled out a flashlight. Sludge enveloped her ankles as she took in her surroundings.

"Come in! The water's fine."

Karl was the first to follow, evidently upset at Eliza's attempt at humor as human waste clung to her boots.

"Kommandant, I thought you were serious!"

Eliza ignored her complaints, proceeding down what looked to be a straight corridor, lined with decaying pipes and utility valves across the walls. What control panels remained were cracked and unusable. The cones of light illuminating the sewers multiplied as the rest climbed down the ladder, Eugen making haste to catch up to Eliza. Her hands clutched a faded map.

"If we continue walking this way for three miles, I think we'll be more or less under where the civilians are being kept."

Eliza frowned.

"Three miles will be difficult in this.. substance."

"Are we still going to proceed with the contingency plan, Kommandant?"

"Yes."

One of the engineers carried a spool of high-yield detcord on his waist, unfurling it as he walked. Another hefted a folded up machine gun, and another was laden with ammo boxes. Their equipment rattled as the corridor abruptly ended, a thick hydraulic door blocking the group from further progress. Dopping his gear, the lead engineer paced around the door, feeling out every crevice and angle with his hands.

"This is from before the war, so my skeleton key can't open it. Eric, get the cutter."

An engineer behind him brought forth what looked similar to a flamethrower, except the nozzle ended in a fine, soot-covered tip.

"I suggest you look away."

Eric lowered a set of goggles over his eyes, and Eliza covered her face with her hand as a white-hot flame lashed out from the cutter, turning the metal it touched into molten slag. It was going to be a long night.

Over the next five hours, they had cut and burned their way deep into the sewer system, stopping just short of their destination before turning around. After that, they had spent another hour making sure all the checkpoints and contingency measures were properly set up. Then Eliza had immediately stripped and taken a shower (She was of half a mind to burn the boots she wore in the sewer) before finally settling in for sleep. So she lied still in her bunk, eyes open. It was the silence that hurt her the most. Just being alone with her thoughts, and not the constant noise and overlapping voices that she had become accustomed to, really did unnerve her. Eliza slipped out of her covers, deciding she couldn't sleep.

Prinz Eugen read on the map table of the empty command truck, flipping the page every two minutes or so. Modern tactical theory was far different from that of her time, probably for the better. A shadow passed by outside. Eugen raised her head, only to find Eliza already inside the truck. She was dressed in minimalist sleepwear (A far cry from the pajamas that vessels wore during the dog days of the Siren War) and appeared a little tired. Eugen put down her book.

"Greetings, Kommandant. Not sleeping isn't good for one, you know."

Eliza heavily sat down next to Eugen, reviewing the map she had drawn up earlier.

"Can't sleep."

"Or is it that you seek my company?"

The Kommandant seemed genuinely confused with that remark.

"What? No. Reviewing our plans would be the most productive use of my time."

"You will never cease to amuse me, my Kommandant."

"I aim to please."

With that, an awkward silence ensued, Eliza obliviously flipping through papers while Eugen snuck small glances at her.

"Maybe you could sleep with me."

Eliza looked away from her papers, as if she had heard a noise.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"You said something. What was it?"

Eugen looked sheepishly away.

"Hm? I don't know what you're talking about."

"You literally said something about sleeping with you."

"Uh.. I mean, I was just saying."

Eliza processed this for a while. She seemed to drift off, immersed in her own thoughts like the day before. Then she abruptly returned to reality.

"Maybe later. I must look over the plans."

Eugen scoffed. For all of the Kommandant's good looks, getting into her one-track mind was proving difficult.

Eliza Schmidt had spent the previous night awake, trying to make something out of Eugen's comments. Was the vessel really trying to make advances on her commander? Eliza had rationalized the situation to herself, figuring Eugen was simply just being overly eager. Besides, there was still much more work to do, and good relations between the members of a unit raised overall morale and productivity. Being a veteran in her own right, Eugen must've known that. Eliza dismissed these unimportant thoughts and looked out towards Munich. Smoke rose from multiple points within the city, and numerous Landwehr aircraft circled overhead, unopposed by any aerial resistance. It reminded her of a 'Mexican standoff.' Both sides were ready to draw, but if no-one intervened, both sides would face catastrophic failure. For Eliza and her team, failure meant the wholesale slaughter of innocent civilians in the crossfire. But the small things came first. Today, Eliza once again descended into the sewers, wading through corroded power cables and waste water to the very end of the corridor. Accompanied by Karl and Aoba, she gazed up at a hatch above her. Shafts of light pierced through the bent and torn metal. Karl looked down at her map.

"I think the spot we want is here. But how do we get up there?"

The vessel's question was a valid one; There was no ladder to speak of. Eliza grasped Karl's shoulder.

"Can you lift me on your back?"

"Uh.. I think so."

Karl bent down, allowing Eliza to effectively hold on to her back and reach up to the hatch.

"Thanks."

Under Eliza's body and gear, Karl bent her knees.

"You're heavy!"

Once again ignoring Karl's complaints, Eliza grabbed the hatch iris with both of her hands and pushed with all her might. Reluctantly, the hatch opened just enough for Eliza to lift herself through it. Opening up on the corner of a city block, the hatch entrance itself was protected by little to no cover at first glance. Eliza dared to lean forward and get a better view. At least two Oceanian soldiers patrolled up and down the sidewalks in both directions. Down the street closest to her, a sandbag barricade had been erected, housing three machine guns. An armoured car sat idle on an intersection. And down the opposite street was a wall of razor wire, accompanied by four others like it to form a massive five block long containment pen. Civilians milled about inside, anxiously pacing or consoling the young among them. Fear gleamed in their eyes. Eliza slid back inside the hatch, jumping off Karl's back in the process.

"It's bad. There's a section where they're keeping the civilians, just to the left of the hatch front."

Aoba was jotting her words down in that little notepad of hers.

"And how many?"

"About a thousand, maybe more."

Karl slightly cringed at the high number.

"How are we going to fit them all in the sewers? I figure we could fit at most ten people side-by-side here at max. It'd be a stampede!"

"We'll have to keep it orderly somehow. Let's get back to the truck."

They turned around and began the long slog back, Eliza glancing one more time at the hatch before moving on.

Four days of all-night planning, exploring sewers, and reconnaissance. It was much less time than Eliza would've liked, but it was all the team had. The higher-ups above her paygrade were getting restless, and the Landwehr would smash into Munich soon if nothing was done. Eliza strapped on her ballistic vest and helmet in the command truck. Next to her, Eugen stood tall in heavy warplate, a dated set of armour meant for battle in the close confines of bunkers and tunnels.

"Are you ready, Kommandant?"

"Yes. You?"

"I'm ready."

Eliza checked her pistol before securing it in a chest-mounted holster.

"We're going to break that unlucky streak today, Eugen."

The vessel froze momentarily before resuming her movements. There was an extra bounce in her step.

"As you say, Kommandant."

When she was done gearing up, Eliza pushed open the rear truck doors, hitting the ground with her combat boots. Brandt and his men were waiting outside, looking slightly out of place on foot.

"It's time?"

A single nod from Eliza told him all he needed to know. Brandt raised a fist in the air.

"We're going to kick some Oceanian arsch!"

The soldiers cheered and whooped, falling in line behind Eliza as she strode towards the sewer hatch. Landwehr tanks rumbled to life and began to slowly trundle forwards out of the staging grounds. Feeling imminent action in the air, leaders turned to their soldiers.

"Fix bayonets! Fix bayonets!"

Artillery gunners began to heave shells onto their shoulders, loading them into the breaches of cannons. As Eliza and her team went under, the tides of battle were already in motion.

Actual lowered her binoculars. The Landwehr was finally making its move, and the Oceanians couldn't hide behind the captive civilians for much longer. Part of her felt a certain uncomfortability with the idea of holding innocents hostage, but they were the only thing keeping Munich from being burned to the ground. Actual backed away from the house window. The saboteur would be here soon, and for all she cared Munich could be wiped from the map if she could get the chance to settle the score. Her radio buzzed.

"Actual, this is 3. We've got eyes on the streets around the enclosure."

"3, this is Actual. Stay there until I say otherwise."

Actual set down her radio and examined her rifle. It bayed for blood, and she couldn't help but oblige.

Eliza came to a halt, gear stained an ugly shade of brown from splashing in the sewer water. The team had reached the end in record time, and Brandt shoved a crate directly beneath the street hatch so she could reach it. Eliza hopped on top of the crate before turning to face the others.

"Remember your trigger discipline! I want every single one of those civilians alive and out of there, got it?"

The team voiced their affirmatives. Eliza reached up for the hatch without another word, using her upper body strength to pull herself up and over the metal rim before flopping out onto the street. The nearest Oceanian soldier spun around to face the clattering of gear, and he was immediately greeted by two bullets to the chest. As he toppled over the nearby civilians screamed in terror. The armoured car crew, gathered outside for a lunch break, dropped their rations and hopped into the vehicle. Eliza got to her feet and began to run.

"Eugen! Get that car!"

"On it!"

Eugen flew up and out of the sewers, touching down on gilded boots. Two of the plates on her back retracted to allow for cannons to emerge, locking on to the car. Eliza slammed into the side of a postal box for cover just in time to see the vehicle burst into flames. Eugen stomped down the main street, bullets pinging off of her thick armour as Brandt and his men took cover behind her.

"You're clear, Kommandant!"

Eliza produced a set of wire cutters from her hip, emerging from behind the postal box and dashing over to the razor wall. The bullets of marksman rifles snapped at her heels, and she ducked her head as her team fanned out, Karl and Aoba taking out rooftop positions while Brandt and Eugen dealt with the machine gun nest. Eliza had reached the razor wall, hastily cutting one strand of wire at a time while hands desperately clawed at her sleeves.

"She's letting us out!"

"Move! Move!"

Eliza brushed aside the torn wire, and a steady flow of civilians poured out from the enclosure as she shouted directions.

"Get to the sewer hatch and go down it! Go, go! Keep your heads down!"

She had only just finished saying those words before she had identified where the marksman was, her sharp eyes spotting a man on the second floor of a building across the street. Eliza dropped the cutters and pulled out her sidearm, firing off three shots. The man promptly crumpled and vanished from sight.

Actual gritted her teeth together, the stock of her rifle against her cheek. The saboteur was directly in her sights, but the clamoring masses made a clean shot impossible. She toggled her radio.

"3, do you have eyes on? I can't get a good shot."

Only dead static came back. Actual cursed, squeezing the rifle grip. Typically, throwing more men at the problem was overkill, but this saboteur wasn't just some problem.

"4, 2, and 6, this is Actual. Meet me at our rendezvous. We are going to engage at close-quarters."

Actual picked up her rifle and hustled out of the room.

Eliza slammed another magazine into her pistol before pushing another civilian onwards.

"Into the sewer! Lós!"

She knew it would be chaotic at best down there, but it was all she could do to get them out of harm's way. Eugen crouched behind a metal rubbish bin next to Eliza, the plates on her chest and shoulders smoking hot.

"There's a lot of them coming! We need to move!"

Down the street were three more armoured cars advancing at a slow rumble, infantry massed behind them in the dozens. Eliza looked back at the torn razor wall. It was almost three-quarters of the way empty, but it wasn't emptying fast enough for her liking.

"Leutnant, hold them off as best as you can!"

Brandt nodded and unhooked a grenade from his belt.

"Fire in the hole!"

He primed the grenade and lobbed it over his cover, the charge landing almost right under one of the cars. It detonated in a ball of fire and blood, temporarily halting the Oceanian advance. Eliza had only just raised her hand to shield herself when Eugen cried out a desperate warning.

"Kommandant! Behind you!"

She turned to find four kitted-out Oceanians pushing their way through the crowd, submachine guns held high.

"Get out of the bloody way! Actual, I see her!"

As the civilians thinned out, Eliza took aim and put a short burst into the lead man, causing him to stumble and fall onto the cobblestone street. She wasn't able to turn fast enough before the next soldier was on top of her, hand firmly gripped around her collar. The barrel of his weapon pushed into her stomach.

"How about this, you little-"

"Duck, Kommandant!"

The man's head exploded with force, splattering blood all over Eliza's face. Eugen touched down next to her, cannons glowing red.

"Do you need assistance?"

"No, help Brandt. I'll take care of this."

"As you wish."

Eugen flew off, leaving Eliza alone with the two Oceanians. She lashed out at the closest one, jerking the gun out of his hands before sweeping his legs out from under him and putting a boot onto his neck. The soldier spasmed in his death throes as the last Oceanian, the so-called Actual, lunged with a kukri at Eliza. As their eyes locked, she recognized the soldier as the one from Leutkirch. Hard to kill, apparently. Eliza backed out of Actual's strike before shoving away the blade with the back of her hand. The soldier growled.

"You fucking bastard!"

Actual moved quickly, dodging each and every one of Eliza's blocks before pushing her all the way to the edge of the razor wall. Eliza felt the soldier's hands on her face, forcefully tilting her head towards the sharp metal barbs. But she had an ace up her sleeve. She produced a butterfly knife from an equipment pouch, skillfully twirling it into position and plunging it deep into Actual's upper leg. Actual howled and backed off enough for Eliza to push her aside and run towards the sewer hatch. By this point, nearly all of the civilians had escaped, and she unhooked a flare gun from the other side of her belt, raising it high in the air. Time to call in the cavalry. She pulled the trigger, and a brilliant red ball flew into the sky above, buzzing with a series of cracks and pops. Over Munich, the sun was blotted out by transport helicopters and gunships, all headed for landing zones and bombing targets designated by aerial surveillance days earlier. Eliza shouted over the increasing din.

"Team, get in the sewers! Go, go, go!"

Eugen and the other vessels took a knee, providing withering cover fire while Brandt and his cohort leapt down the hatch. Eliza sprinted over and slapped Eugen's shoulder.

"Brandt is in. Your turn!"

Eugen nodded and backed into the hatch without looking. Just as she was about to follow, Actual charged at Eliza, knocking the both of them to the ground.

"I'm not done with you!"

Eliza pressed her hands against Actual's face.

"Will you ever shut up!?"

Overhead, three fighter jets streaked by, bomb-laden wings releasing their lethal payloads. Eliza leaned forward and headbutted Actual, causing the soldier to groan and roll on the ground as explosives rained from the sky. A clock tower looking over the intersection took a direct hit at its base, and it shuddered briefly before beginning to tilt forwards. Eliza was enveloped in its shadow as she crawled towards the hatch. Suddenly, Actual snapped back into focus and latched a hand onto Eliza's leg, stopping the both of them.

"We're both going to die here, you and me!"

Actual flashed a bloody grin as the first bricks began to fall and fragment on the street.

Brandt waited until the next batch of civilians ran by before he fired another burst with the machine gun, bullet casings sizzling in the sewer water. Kyle crouched next to him, holding the ammo belt steady.

"We have to blow the tunnel! There's too many!"

He was right; Oceanian stragglers were advancing down the tunnel en masse, either in pursuit of the civilians or simply to take refuge from the bombing topside. Brandt squeezed the trigger again.

"The commander.."

He looked back to Prinz Eugen behind him, who looked more than saddened, but bore grit in her eyes.

"Do it, Leutnant."

Brandt backed away from the machine gun, whistling and twirling his hand in the air.

"Team, get out! We're going to detonate the tunnel now!"

Eliza wrestled with Actual, desperately trying to escape the soldier's grasp in the lee of the collapsing tower. Wood splintered and stone cracked above them as the support structure of the tower spilled out onto the open. Eliza had only just managed to throw Actual aside when a small support strut fell straight on top of her, pinning her to the ground. She struggled to lift her body, but to no avail.

Brandt was last out of the other side of the sewer, detonator in hand. Nearby, Karl was pushing the civilians along to the waiting transports.

"Everybody's here, Leutnant!"

Feeling the blood pumping through his body, he lifted the safety cap on the detonator.

"It was a pleasure to serve with you, Kommandant."

He pressed down on the red button with his thumb. Almost instantaneously, a series of fiery eruptions threw chunks of street and earth up into the air, starting from Munich and heading to the field they stood in. Brandt took one step back before he realized the true yield of the explosives the engineers had laid. By the time all of the cord had gone off, a line of fire had split Munich in half.

Eliza had been enveloped in darkness for a while by this point, the wooden strut keeping her in place. But besides a few bruises, she was mostly unharmed. What was more concerning was the immense heat drawing closer to her body. Eliza knew that Brandt would've been forced to set off the det-cord, which would explain the fires. But it meant little good for her survival. Smoke was pouring into the crevice Eliza was trapped in, and she took one big breath before she was completely submerged. Something cracked and crunched outside. Footsteps.

"Eliza.."

Eliza almost gulped down a mouthful of smoke. It couldn't be. She must be already hearing things.

"Come back to me.."

The burden on Eliza's back became lighter, and golden light shined through the rubble. No. Not that voice. Eliza shuddered as the heat faded away from around her. Was she dead? With one effortless swipe, the strut pinning Eliza down was pushed aside. A figure stood tall over her.

"You're hard to kill, Eliza. Both you and me."

Eliza turned over to face the figure, and almost choked on her words.

"K-k.."

With a flourish of the mechanical wings on her back, Kara smiled.

"I'm here for you, Eliza. I told you I would keep my promise."

In that moment, Eliza couldn't hold it back any longer. She burst into tears as she was gently lifted out of her grave.

Oceania, 1961

Oceania had cut off all ties with the nations of the Azur Lane coalition following a recent proliferation in Oceanian drilling companies, especially in Africa and southern Ironblood. But once their projects were completed, they immediately folded and closed up shop. All of this activity went unnoticed by the West, who were preoccupied with rebuilding their lands as well as dealing with aggression from the Northern Parliament and the Empery. But in the calmer waters of the South China Sea, Oceania began to foster a relationship with the local countries. In exchange for territory on the Sakura Empire's doorstep, Oceania lended personnel and resources from their seemingly endless stockpiles, and even some of their coveted Irrigation/Civilian Issue weather engines to supporters in Borneo. These marvels of technology used the same Wisdom Cubes that powered vessels, altering the weather to produce more favourable conditions for farming, as well as ensuring the forests of the region remained healthy and vibrant. No one ever asked how Oceania procured these Wisdom Cubes.

Transit Base 15A, Somewhere In The Republic of Poland, 2025

"Borneo? What does that do with anything?"

Eliza frowned as she leaned on the table of the briefing room, Kara standing stock still behind her. A metal vertebrae ran down the Sakuran's back, and her upper chest was encased in a skin-tight power suit. From what Eliza had been told from Seiichi, it was keeping Kara animated, even though she was still technically dead. It was all morally dubious to Eliza. Aoba crossed her arms at the other end of the table, snapping Eliza back to reality.

"It's a neutral territory with claims from both the Sakuran Empire and the Oceanians, so that's the reason Brandt was transferred. Can't have overt soldiers there, eh? Seiichi believes that if we set up shop there, we'll be in more of a position to learn about our enemy."

"But it's still dangerously close to Oceania."

"That's the point, commander."

The door to the room rattled with a polite knock, to which Aoba stood to answer.

"Oh, and despite me and Seiichi's protests, the Royal Navy insists that one of their own must supervise your actions."

Aoba unlocked the door, and a woman walked through. Of small stature and a slight frame, her deep blue eyes pierced through her golden hair.

"Greetings, commander. My name is Eva Beckman, Servant Second-Class of the Royal Maid Security Corps."

She offered a small bow. From what Eliza had known, the Royal Maid Security Corps had very few actual vessels in their ranks, instead employing regular humans conditioned from birth to serve as personal entourages for officials in the Britannian government. So having such a highly-trained warrior in her team's ranks led Eliza to get the idea that the higher-ups were more than concerned about her mission. Eliza stood up and approached Eva. She was dressed in a finely pressed green tunic and wore knee-high boots (One of which bore a concealed revolver), a ceremonial saber hanging from her belt. Eliza held out her hand.

"Well, glad to have you with us."

"My pleasure. I'm looking forward to working with you."

Eva flashed a curt smile and shook it.

Prinz Eugen eyed Eva in the transport plane, mouth curled in a scowl. Normally, she thought of herself as above competition, but there was little choice here..

"You're upset about something."

Kara sat next to Eugen, sitting upright in the wall-mounted seat. Eugen looked up at her.

"Hm? I don't think so."

"You've been staring at Eva since we've boarded."

"No, I haven't."

"You have. I was watching you too."

Eugen frowned, looking down at the ground.

"Shit, I keep getting busted at this stuff, even by the dead woman."

Siding up to Eugen (In a rather close manner), Kara smiled.

"I know how you feel. I love the Kommandant too."

The vessel almost leapt out of her seat, shoulders raging against the restraints. Blood rushed to her cheeks.

"Y-you can't just say that, Kara! So blunt.."

"But are my assumptions right?"

Eugen's heart pounded against the wall of her chest.

".. Yes. You are right."

"We love the Kommandant for different reasons, but we love her all the same. By extension that means I love you too."

Kara embraced Eugen, her expression that of satisfaction.

"I don't know how this stuff works in Sakura, but.. Uh.. I guess it'll work. For now."

Eliza Scmidt half-slept as Kara practically tackled Eugen, Karl giggling a few seats away. Eva watched with an air of curiosity.

"Commander, you have yet to explain the metal apparatus on Arisu's back to me."

Eliza opened her eyes only the slightest amount.

"Seiichi didn't fill you in?"

"I don't think he likes me much. Said I wasn't needed."

She considered Eva's words briefly before continuing.

"Kara is legally dead, I'm pretty sure."

"Huh?"

"I watched her die. That spine on her back keeps her alive, or something close to it. Look.. I feel uncomfortable talking about it. Maybe later."

"Understood."

Eva stopped speaking and continued to sit in her unnaturally disciplined way, but she was still looking at Kara. As Eliza drifted off to sleep, it occurred to her that she had never served with such an odd team before. Interesting times.

Borneo Neutral Zone

Eliza felt a blast of warm air rush up to greet her as she descended from the boarding ramp of the transport plane, clad in civilian clothes along with the others. Due to the strict policies of the local government, on-duty soldiers from both sides of the conflict were barred from entry. Eliza smirked. No place was truly neutral, and she had little doubt the Oceanians were doing the same thing as she and her team were doing. Aoba approached a nearby SUV, fashioned in the style of the exploring vehicles of old, and opened the door.

"Our new base will be a signal outpost from the Siren Wars. It's old, but the Oceanians don't know where it is."

Eliza entered the passenger's seat next to her, everyone else battling it out for space in the back of the car.

"How far is it from the airfield?"

"It's about a forty minute drive, give or take."

The SUV rolled out of the airfield and onto a dirt road, the dense jungle and wildlife getting progressively closer around it. Pressed against Eva and Karl by Kara's larger form, Prinz Eugen leaned forward in the backseat.

"I've never been in a place like this before, Kommandant. It feels very moist and humid. I don't know if I like it."

Eliza herself was sweating a little already. Despite the grey skies, it was stiflingly hot.

"I don't like it. It'll be hard to fight in this weather, not to mention weapon upkeep."

Aoba kept her eyes on the road, but tapped Eliza on the shoulder.

"About that. If the Oceanians hear about gunfights near towns in the Neutral Zone, they're definitely going to forget their agreement and invade. Out in the country, I guess guns are fine."

"What does that mean for us?"

"Hand-to-hand only. That means stun batons, clubs, etcetera."

Eliza grimaced. She was all too familiar with that kind of combat, and she had gotten her sufficient fill of beating people's skulls in with a bloodied trench mace in Imperial Mongolia. Eva glanced at Aoba by way of the rearview mirror.

"You mentioned stun batons, not regular batons. Are we aiming to neutralize instead of kill?"

"The lines are all murky here, so Seiichi doesn't want to risk it."

"Very well."

Eliza was beginning to take a liking to Eva. Her observant and proper mannerisms reminded the soldier very much of herself two years prior. Eliza remembered those days as a Landwehr recruit; Dressed in a sharp uniform, perfectly disciplined, willing to follow any order no matter how suicidal or absurd. She wasn't sure if she was that same person anymore, despite still being just as young physically. Eliza turned in her seat to face Eva, much to the dismay of Eugen.

"Have you seen combat before?"

"No. I have been trained extensively in non-lethal martial arts and ranged weapon simulations, however."

"Define non-lethal."

"Most blows and pellets were enough to knock you out in a few hits."

"That's pretty realistic."

"Indeed."

Eugen abruptly chimed in.

"So, Eva, are you going to be following the Kommandant around all the time while you're here?"

Slightly off put by the vessel, Eva turned to face her.

"Yes. It's my duty to observe and record so that the Royal Navy can form a unit like this in the future."

Focusing more on 'yes' than the words that followed, Eugen scowled and crossed her arms, Kara stroking her shoulder and speaking in a soothing manner.

"Deep breaths, like we talked about."

"Hmph."

Eliza chuckled and turned back around in her seat. She wasn't totally socially inept, and she could see that Kara had convinced Eugen to join her little Commander fan club. Eliza was vaguely reminded of two wolves baying for a singular hare.

The SUV ground to a halt at the edge of a clearing, the engine giving one final rattle before it shut off. Aoba opened her door and stepped out.

"This is it, guys."

She slammed the car door shut and put her hands on her hips.

"It isn't much, but I think it'll work."

A large circular patch of deforested ground surrounded a squat concrete bunker, solemn features half-buried beneath the soil. Karl gave an exasperated sigh.

"Booo! Not as awesome as I thought it would be."

As Eugen smacked her on the back of the head, Aoba strode forward.

"Oh, but it is. I've taken the effort to throw out most of the useless stuff and pack a bunch of goodies in there."

She bent down and lifted up a heavy steel door, descending several feet down a sharp staircase. Eliza followed and felt the heavy air be replaced by that of an air conditioner. In what could be called the main 'lobby' of the bunker, a couch and television set equipped with multiple gaming consoles sat off to one side. On the other end, a little kitchen sat ready, stocked with all sorts of ingredients. Breaking the almost homely vibe was the presence of a military-grade radio set, replete with buttons and dials. Eliza was not surprised by much, but this was something different.

"This looks more like a vacationing home than a listening post to me, Aoba."

"I have something for you too, commander. Follow me."

They proceeded onwards from the lobby, past what looked like a set of bedrooms and showering quarters, until they reached a dark room. Eliza strained to see.

"What? What's in there?"

Aoba simply flicked on a switch. An LED light fluttered to life to reveal a truly massive array of pistols, rifles, machine guns, flamethrowers, and even explosive weapons like grenade launchers. Besides their assorted ammunition, several shock batons and light riot gear hung from the wall.

"My god.. There's enough weapons to keep an entire company equipped. How did you pay for this?"

"I have my connections."

Aoba smirked before leaving Eliza to gawk at the collection.

Little more than thirty minutes had passed before Eliza and Aoba exited the bunker, followed by Eva. The Sakuran vessel hopped into her car once again, revving up the engine.

"We're going into town. Just getting the lay of the land, eh?"

Shock baton concealed in her trousers, Eliza slid into the passenger's seat.

"As long as we don't intend to start anything, I think it'll be fine."

Once Eva had gotten in, the SUV drove down the narrow track that led to the bunker, smoke belching from the rear exhaust. Eliza wiped her forehead with a handkerchief as the vehicle bounced along the ground.

"Is it this hot all the time?"

Aoba reached into the glove compartment, rummaging around for a bit before producing a canteen.

"Afraid it is. You might want to drink some of this."

With a resigned sigh, Eliza unscrewed the cap and took a small sip before handing it off to Eva in the back. She had no issue with dead heat, but tropic environments with all their humidity and insects were almost unbearable.

After what seemed like an eternity traversing over dirt paths and what barely passed for 'roads', Aoba pulled the SUV into what appeared to be a small town. A sign greeted them on the main avenue.

Welcome to Siren's Regret!

KEEP IT CIVIL

Parking the car next to a bar (Odd choice), Aoba put the gear in park and turned off the engine.

"We're here."

Eliza hit the muddy road with her hiking shoes and sweater, looking more or less like an average tourist, while Eva sported a buttoned-up shirt with tan drill trousers ending in leather boots. She wouldn't look out of place on the battlefields of the First World War. So the distinctly dressed trio pushed open the doors to the bar, clothes slightly blown by the indoor fans. All the patrons turned to look at them, drinks set down and laughter abruptly coming to a stop. Eliza felt highly uncomfortable with so many eyes on her.

"Aoba, aren't we supposed to be low profile?"

"Act natural."

Aoba took action, striding towards the bar and pulling out a stool for herself and Eliza.

"Three bottles of Arrack, bartender. They're on me."

Eliza sat down next to her, Eva stiffly following suit. The conversation and liveliness was slowly returning back to the bar as they settled in.

"What's Arrack?"

"It's the Indonesian drink of choice nowadays; Come on, you ought to try something other than Budweiser or whatever you drink in Ironblood."

"Budweiser comes from the Eagle Union, and we drink lager.."

Three cups of dark red liquid were promptly pushed forward to them, and Aoba raised the glass to her lips.

"Drink!"

She tilted her head back and gulped the drink while Eliza watched.

"I thought we were here to observe, not to fuel your alcohol addiction."

"You have to understand, commander-"

Aoba set down the drink.

"-Lots of people come and go at bars, and we might snag some Oceanian operators."

"Convenient."

Behind them, Eva took a tiny taste of her Arrack glass, made a sour expression, and put the glass down. Eliza turned away from Aoba and took a survey of the patrons inside the room. Most were obviously natives from the island itself or the surrounding region, but some were of Western descent, and others had the finely tanned skin and fierce features of Oceanians. She felt strange seeing them at such close range while unarmed in any real way. One shock baton couldn't take down a bar's worth of people, but empty bottles would make for a good throwing weapon to keep them at bay-

"You're already strategizing, aren't you?"

Aoba clapped a casual hand on Eliza's back.

"Take it easy. They won't kill you in public, they'll just stab you to death in a back alley."

Her words were of little reassurance.

After watching Aoba down her fill of Arrack glasses, Eliza escorted her out of the bar alongside Eva. But as they were on their way out, the doors swung open in front of them, and they moved aside to let the newcomers through. And as Eliza looked over all of them, there was one set of eyes she couldn't forget. Actual. In a violent burst of energy, the Oceanian took several broad steps towards Eliza and grabbed her by the collar, whispering in her ear.

"I'll fucking kill you, ya hear?"

"Loud and clear."

Actual abruptly moved on, shoving Eliza aside and acting as if nothing had happened. Eva, with a concerned look on her face, tugged Eliza and Aoba outside the bar.

"Commander, do you know her?"

Eliza nodded.

"Yeah. Killed a few of her men back in Leutkirch and Munich a couple months ago, but I thought she died both times."

"That's a problem."

After shoving a mumbling Aoba into the backseat, Eliza stepped into the driver's seat of the SUV, gunning the engine as Eva subtly cracked her gloved knuckles.

"Let's get the hell out of here."

Eliza stomped on the gas, and the car rocketed down the avenue.

Ryanne Myers eyed the vehicle as it raced off, eyebrows arched.

"Are they the guys you hired us to deal with?"

Actual stood behind her.

"Yes. We'll deal with them soon enough."

Glancing down the street one last time, Ryanne followed Actual into the bar, the fans overhead easily blowing through her tank top. Born and raised in the Eagle Union heartland, she had made a living playing semi-professional baseball before having a small stint in the Marine Corps, eventually leaving after a year of boring stateside duty at the age of twenty. Ryanne sat down at a booth, only half-listening to Actual order some drinks. Despite only being in the private contracting business for a short time, she had never gone on an assignment as strange as this one, on an island far away from the warzones of Europe. That and the substantial pay offered to her was what sealed the deal. She was snapped out of her inner thoughts when a glass of ice water was pushed in front of her.

"What the hell is this? We're at a bar."

Actual frowned.

"You're barely over the drinking age. Besides, I can barely handle you sober."

Ryanne growled as she drank the water, staring daggers at the Oceanian. She slammed down the empty cup.

"I think I'm capable of handling drinking."

"You think?"

"Yeah, go fuck yourse-"

"Listen, we could go round and round all day, but the point is I'm paying you money to go fast and kill people. Can you understand that?"

Ryanne flashed a toothy grin.

"I understand."

The base of operations for the 'Dragoons' wasn't that far from Siren's Regret, only ten miles away. Despite that, it was purpose built for independent operations. The structure consisted of a series of deep dugouts covered by camouflaged wooden planks, the barrels of machine guns poking out from the leaves and brush. A man in Oceanian Multicam BDUs emerged from one of the trench hatches, nodding at Actual.

"How was the recon, ma'am?"

"Good afternoon, Sixteen. We had an encounter today, so we know that they're in the vicinity."

"Any sight of the weapon?"

"No. I want Twenty and Fifteen on rotating watches in Siren's Regret, we have to keep looking."

Actual stepped past Sixteen and descended into the trench, followed by Ryanne. The mercenary had known about this 'weapon' from the briefing back in Oceania. Apparently, intel had suggested that a project had sprung up revolving around the corpse of a vessel-human hybrid, harnessing the residual Wisdom energy for two parts. One of them the Dragoons knew for certain was a weapon with massive destructive potential, and it was here on Borneo. But Ryanne secretly suspected Actual was more focused on carrying out her vendetta against the woman from the bar. She located her meagre sleeping bag and sat down on it, LED light illuminating her dirty-blonde hair. Another thing about working with the Oceanians was their advanced technology, and their seemingly limitless reserves of it. Ryanne had seen things beyond her wildest dreams in Oceania; Angular buildings and vehicles, things called smartphones, jets that hovered in place, medicine capable of healing to degrees even more than diluted Wisdom fluids, and a communications system dubbed the 'Internet' that connected every single citizen to each other. And even though the historians' and engineers' explanations for these advances were flimsy (The superiority of the Oceanian state, internal development projects, etc.), they themselves seemed to believe it along with the entire populace.

"You sure you don't want the C.H.I.L.L. blanket?"

Sixteen had entered Ryanne's private little corner, a black cloth in his hand. She smiled and took it, pressing the cool fabric to her arms and legs.

"Thanks, man. It's so fucking hot out 'ere."

After sufficiently cooling herself down, Ryanne handed the blanket back to Sixteen, who had sat down against the trench wall and pulled out his camera. She remembered him making an offhand comment about being a photographer or something before the war, and he was constantly taking pictures. Provided, of course, that the subject of said picture wasn't classified. Sixteen aimed his camera at Ryanne.

"Mind if I take a picture? The lighting is incredible here."

"Sure."

He hit a button, and the camera flashed before snapping shut. Sixteen got up and examined the picture as Ryanne blinked a few times.

"Looks good.."

Sixteen wandered off, leaving Ryanne to finally lay down and stare at the wooden ceiling above her.

Eliza trudged across the field to the listening post, helping Aoba stay upright while the sun set on Borneo, casting the clouds a faint shade of pink. Eugen popped out of the entrance hatch.

"Everything go alright?"

"More or less. Here, help me with her."

The vessel grunted as Aoba flopped into her arms, carefully descending down the steep stairs afterwards.

"Kara! We need you to actually do your job."

The healer appeared in the main lobby, wearing her usual passive smile. She extended her arms.

"Of course, my love."

Eugen passed off Aoba to Kara, who carried her with little effort. Eliza put her hand on Eugen's shoulder and leaned in close.

"What did Kara mean by 'my love?'"

She didn't respond, save for blood rushing to her cheeks. Eliza, getting the vague message that this wasn't her business, backed off and began to walk to her room. Eventually, her mind drifted back to the events at the town. Actual was here with her. She didn't know why or what for, but it didn't matter. The Oceanian would be hellbent on getting her revenge. Eliza entered the spartan bunk room, her few personal belongings still in their bag. She ran her hands through her hair and yawned. The cot of the bunk bed, despite being little more than a blanket over a thinly padded cushion, appealed to Eliza's heavy limbs. She stumbled forward and fell in, burying her face in the pillow. A gentle rapping on the wall ended her reverie.

"Commander?"

Eliza sat upright, only to find Eva standing in the doorway. A bag hung from her shoulder.

"Hm? What's up?"

The Royal Maid appeared a little flustered, but composed herself.

"I was wondering if I could take the top bunk here.. No-one else was willing to let me sleep in theirs."

"Huh. Put your stuff up there, I won't mind."

Eliza was less concerned about Eva than the general hostility of the team towards her. As the weary gospel of the veteran line-men told, a soldier shunned from the unit was alone, and a soldier alone was a casualty waiting to happen. Eva hefted her bag onto the bunk on top of Eliza's, exhaling an exasperated sigh.

"Being proper and upright all the time becomes hard when you're rejected by half the people here.."

Her lead-laden words somehow struck a chord with Eliza.

"I know what you mean. They'll eventually come around once we're in real combat, they're dependable."

"Of course. Please excuse my dismal mood there, it comes and goes."

Eva made to leave, but paused before exiting the room.

"But.. Thank you."

Eliza thought about Eva's words as she leaned against the shower wall, letting the hot streams of water gently hit her back. Her thoughts were disturbed when she sensed someone enter the showering quarters. No, make it two someones, both speaking in hushed tones.

"No, we're not-"

"Oh! There she is. Now's our chance."

"I hardly feel comfortable doing this with you alone, never mind the Kommandant."

Frowning, Eliza stood up straight and turned around.

"What are you guys doing?"

Both Eugen and Kara were in the quarters with her, and probably naked from what she could see in the steamy air. The Sakuran tilted her head and smiled pleasantly.

"We would like to take the opportunity to shower with you, Eliza."

Eugen looked down at the floor behind her, redder than ever. Nonchalantly shrugging her shoulders, Eliza turned back to the shower.

"As long as you don't try anything funny."

Kara happily nodded and moved in close, practically rubbing shoulders with Eliza, before embracing her in a hug.

"What did I say about trying anything.. Ah, fuck. I've been through worse."

Eugen stood timidly off to the side, opening her mouth as if to say something.

"Kommandant.. I wanted to say something."

"What?"

She twirled her long, undone hair in her hand.

"I have feelings for you, Kommandant."

Eliza briefly struggled to make sense of her words. She didn't feel physically attracted to Eugen, but she couldn't deny that the vessel was practically family by this point.

"I guess I do for you, in a way. I imagine Kara feels the same?"

Kara stroked Eliza's back.

"I just want to see you happy, Eliza."

"Uh.. Well.. Wow. The thing is, I love all of you guys. There hasn't been a team that I've been more proud to be with."

Eugen blushed and smiled.

"Glad you feel that way, Kommandant."

"Great, but can I go now? We've been standing here for a few minutes, and all this soppy stuff is tiring."

Kara promptly let go of Eliza, who grabbed her towel and slung it over her shoulders. During the plane ride earlier, she had been right; These were pretty damn interesting times.

The fading sunset over the Dragoon outpost had given way to dark and cloudy skies, a light drizzle starting to fall on Actual's hooded shoulders. As was archetypal of her lot, she was perched high in a tree, anti-tank rifle cradled tightly in her arms. But she could not sway the heavy emotions hanging above her. That bastard of a woman.. What was her name? Eliza. She had taken everything from Actual; Her status, her team, her dignity. And now Actual was posted on this godforsaken island, far from anything relevant and looking for a weapon that didn't exist. As if on cue, the satellite phone in her chest rig suddenly chirped. Actual flipped up the antenna and pressed it to her ear, covering the receiver with one hand so rain didn't interfere.

"Dragoon Actual speaking."

But instead of the laid-back voice of a dispatcher or soldier, a gravelly rumble came through the earpiece.

"I have found your resonance to be worthy.."

"Excuse me? Who's this?"

".. The key to defeating your adversary lies on Low's Peak. Do not stall."

"What the fuck, what are-"

The line went dead, leaving Actual confused in the rain.

"Hello? Hello?"

She tucked the satellite phone back into her rig. If she remembered correctly, Low's Peak was the summit of Mount Kinabalu, which itself was the highest mountain on Borneo. That was another problem entirely, but she focused on the words. The key to defeating your adversary lies on Low's Peak. No-one knew about her rivalry with Eliza (Save for possibly the mercenary, but Ryanne wasn't smart enough to connect the dots), much less anyone on the dispatch network. And yet, the voice had a familiar, enticing quality to it. Actual knew this would go against her better judgement. But if it meant killing Eliza, the trek would be worth it.

Eva Beckman flipped the page of Peter The Great: His Life And World in her bunk, eyes darting across the dimly lit sentences. She never had much free time between writing down notes and other duties, but little she did have was often spent reading. With little warning, Eliza stepped into the room, stripped bare save for her towel. Eva almost recoiled at the sight.

"Commander-!?"

"Cover your eyes, I guess."

Eliza tossed the towel aside and slipped into some drab sleepwear. Her eyes seemed weary as she ducked into her cot.

"Good night, Eva."

"Sleep tight, Commander."

The kerosene lamp illuminating the room flickered and died, leaving the both of them only in darkness and the sound of rain hitting the concrete roof. Eva shut her book and pulled the cot blanket to her chin. The commander by herself was interesting, but the way she acted around Eva, like a mentor, was really considerate of her. Perhaps that was common decency. Yet, common decency was something that was rare nowadays, even in the Royal Maid Corps (although that was more down to the extreme strictness and discipline). She considered this train of thought until something stirred in the bunk beneath her. Quick breathing. Agitated, quiet mumbling. Eva groped around in her bedsheets, producing a glow-in-the-dark wristwatch. It had been less than five minutes since the light had gone out, and Eliza was already having some sort of turbulent dream. Eva set her watch down and stared up at the ceiling. She could hear Eliza's slurred words despite the now heavy rainfall.

"Contact... contact right.. Hol die Ficker.."

Eva couldn't make heads or tails of the following bursts of German, but she was more than a little concerned.

Ryanne Myers opened one eye as Actual dropped into the shelter, camouflage coat soaking wet.

"Is it my watch already?"

"Shut up and get out there, Myers."

Ryanne grunted and lifted herself out of her sleeping bag, grabbing the sawn-off shotgun (Affectionately named 'Buddy') by her side. Actual had opened the nearby equipment chest, pulling out a rucksack and several other supplies.

"Going somewhere?"

The Oceanian did not look back.

"Yes, and I'm taking the ATV. Twenty is in command, so please do try to listen to her."

"Uh-huh. You make it sound like you're going on a little expedition."

"What did I say, get outside on watch now instead of later."

Ryanne threw on her poncho and climbed up and out of the trench, muttering under her breath.

"Yes, ma'am. Understood, ma'am. Fuck you, ma'am."

Watching from the lookout nest high above, Ryanne observed Actual mount her bags on the sides of the rugged ATV before getting on and gunning the engine, headlights shining brightly in the dense fog and rain. Then they moved off, descending down the local trail before vanishing altogether. Ryanne drew the poncho close around her thin body. Wind-driven rains and poor visibility plagued Borneo nightly, and she was pretty certain Actual made her go outside just to spite her. Nevertheless, Ryanne settled in for her cold and miserable night with Buddy.

Eliza silently emerged from her dreams, a singular tear making its way down her cheek. She had seen her mother again. They always stared at each other in a windowless office room, neither displaying any sort of emotion. And, despite not being overtly disturbing in any way, it frightened Eliza to her core. It made her crave the hellish cacophony of gunfire and pained screams that visited her nightly. She sniffled and got out of her cot, beginning to pace barefoot around the room. Over long months of campaigning and convoying, Eliza had attempted to develop ways to mitigate and cope with her nightmares, one of them being simply walking around. But the claustrophobic nature of the bunker wasn't doing her any favors. She wiped the tears off of her face and sat back down on the cot, neatly tying her boot laces even in the complete darkness. Fastening a rain cloak over her sweatshirt, Eliza exited the room and proceeded down the hallway. Soon enough she ascended into the open air on the surface, raindrops stinging her face. The suffocating fog enveloped her body. The winds clawed at her clothes, trying to find any way in. Her heart ached at the thought of those she hadn't even grieved for yet. She didn't know if she could last many more of these nights. Maybe her story would end on this one. Her knees felt weak. They wanted to give in; She obliged. Eliza briefly tilted forwards before collapsing, legs buckling and her face hitting the dirt. The sense of panic in her mind receded as her muscles convulsed before relaxing. Something clambered up the bunker stairs. It was calling for her.

"Commander! Commander!"

Eva hovered over her, shaking her shoulders.

"Stay with me. Look at me. Look at me, Commander!"

Initially struggling to lock eyes with Eva, Eliza eventually focused her gaze.

"Yeah, I'm here.."

The Royal Maid exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Bloody hell.. I mean, you should get medical attention, Commander."

"No. Just stay here for a second. Please."

Eliza realized how weak her voice sounded, and cleared her throat before speaking again.

"I'm sorry, I usually sleep alone. It's my fault."

Still grasping one shoulder, Eva shook her head.

"It's alright. If I wasn't there, what would've happened to you?"

"You act like you care."

"Why shouldn't I?"

That was a valid point. Eliza laid her head back down, closing her eyes.

"Please, don't tell anyone about this, or about what I'm going to say."

"What?"

"I.. I.."

"Say what you need to."

"I need help. I hate it, but I need help."

Eva appeared only briefly shocked before smiling.

"Of course!"

"Wait, what? What do you mean by 'of course?'"

"I'm a Royal Maid first and foremost, even if shooting people is my specialty."

She softly gripped Eliza's hand.

"We can do this together. Now, how about we go inside?"

Eliza's eyes glistened in the rain. She was reminded of her mother once again, not as the grey husk that dwelled in her dreams, but as the lively and caring woman that raised her in Piemont.

Actual gunned the ATV down the dirt road, headlights piercing the morning mist. It had been over five hours and many miles since she had departed the Dragoon outpost. And now here she was, at the Mount Kinabalu base. Well, she would be, if it wasn't for the security checkpoint that stood before her. Actual grinded the ATV to a halt as a nearby guard came to her side.

"You have a clearance for the research station here?"

"No. I thought Kinabalu was open to visitors."

"Sorry ma'am, that hasn't been the case since the beginning of this damn war. Wouldn't want some Oceanians sticking an artillery piece up there, huh?"

Actual sighed and reached into her jacket pocket.

"Fine, then."

She pulled out a full-length silenced pistol and stuck it into the guard's chest, caving bone and muscle inwards with two muffled bullets. He gargled for breath as she got off the ATV, kicking down the door of the small security office he had resided in. With a mechanical click, the fence blocking her way retracted. After coming back outside Actual patted the still guard with a leather-gloved hand.

"Looks like I have clearance now, huh?"

Settling down on the saddle of the ATV, Actual lowered her riding goggles back over her eyes and sped off.

Karl snored on the couch, blanket firmly on top of her. She had been mildly interested in the sleeping quarters the night before, but everyone had rejected her even harder than that Royal Maid, so she was put on couch duty. It wasn't like she minded that though. Karl's sleepy thoughts were interrupted when the radio chirped in the back of the lobby.

"10-999! Civil Officer down, I repeat, Civil Officer down at Kinabalu Base Checkpoint!"

She threw off her blanket and leapt over the couch, trying to make sense of all the knobs and dials of the radio set when she got there.

"Uh.. Eugen! Eugen, wake up!"

An annoyed moan came from one of the rooms, and Eugen stumbled out in full lingerie (Why?) while trying to slip on a sweater.

"What is it, du kleine Scheiße?"

"Someone's been shot on the radio! It's gotta be the Oceanians!"

Eugen's expression went from lazy annoyance to laser-focused concern, and she ducked back into her room.

"Kara, wake up. The enemy is up to something at Kinabalu."

"Mmmhpm. Come back to my arms, Eugen."

"I'm serious!"

"Ok.."

Meanwhile, Eliza emerged from her room inexplicably dressed in full combat attire, strapping on her helmet as she took confident strides.

"I want everybody equipped with firearms! The Kinabalu checkpoint is fairly deserted, so no tasers or any of that stuff. And somebody go wake up Aoba!"

As those around her nodded their affirmations, Eva stopped Eliza with a hand to the chest.

"Are you sure you're alright, Commander?"

"Yeah. Are you going to be fine? You look like you're about to charge a trench."

Eva frowned and literally rattled her saber.

"If it's tried and true, why fix it?"

"You're going to make one hell of an impression for your first battle. Come, let's load up the car."

Dozens of miles away, Ryanne strapped on her thigh holster, slotting Buddy inside it. Off to the side, Twenty, a young and trim woman, tried to control the hectic chaos.

"We have gunfire at Kinabalu, it's probably Azur Lane forces. I want your best kit on, and an extra mag for everything. Let's go, Dragoons!"

Sixteen grasped his Steyr AUG battle rifle with one hand, tapping a magazine against his helmet before slotting it into the gun.

"You ready, Ryanne? I'm sure Actual didn't hire you just for your attitude."

"Hell yeah. We're gonna get some blood today!"

Smiling a devilish smile, Fifteen lumbered over and patted Ryanne's shoulder.

"That's more like it, 'Ami.' We're going to make a proper Oceanian out of you!"

Bearing a Minimi light machine gun, he sported a bandolier of high-powered ammunition across his chest. Once Twenty saw that everyone was more or less ready, she began to climb out of the covered trench.

"To the carrier. Move, move!"

The Dragoons followed her lead, piling into a re-fitted Bren Carrier with Twenty at the helm. Without further delay, she ignited the carrier and hit the gas.

While Kara and Eugen helped with loading equipment into the SUV (With Kara doing most of the heavy lifting), a hungover Aoba attempted to get into the driver's seat while Eliza held her back.

"Seriously! I can drive."

"No, it's too-"

"Commander, I'm fine. Shipgirls are known for their alcohol tolerance, eh?"

Eliza let go and looked at Eugen, who shook her head. But when all was said and done, the team squeezed into the SUV and shut the doors. Karl anxiously kicked the driver's seat.

"Come on, come on! I want action!"

Aoba gripped the steering wheel and smirked.

"I'll be happy to oblige."

Actual jostled on the ATV as it skipped up multiple flights of worn stone stairs and busted through fences meant to keep hikers on the designated trail. She wished she had more time to take the scenic route, but intercepted radio chatter from the Civil Officers indicated they were converging on her from all points on the mountain. The hardest part would be getting through the Timpohon trail gate, which was coming up fast. Actual reached into the bag mounted on the side of the vehicle and produced an impact grenade, priming the circular device with her thumb. A trail sign passed her in a blur.

Timpohon Gate (CLOSED!)

Up ahead, several Civil Officers had gathered around a red structure, presumably the gate. When they saw the ATV coming at them at full speed, they raised their sidearms and rifles, shouting in various dialects of Malay, English, and Chinese.

"Berhenti!"

"停止！停止!"

"We will shoot if you do not stop!"

Actual did not flinch as bullets began to fly, creating craters in the ground and shredding trees to little more than stumps around her, and calmly tossed the impact grenade with an underhand throw. The resulting blast eviscerated those around it with deadly concussive force and shrapnel pieces, tearing limb from body and skin from bone. Actual rode through the carnage, her clothes now coated in a new livery of human blood. The ATV held fast as it smashed through thin metal gates and information stands, tourist maps scattering into the air, before emerging onto a steep downwards flight of stairs. Actual, if only for a moment, felt a sense of dread come over her.

"Holy shit!"

The saddle chafed wildly against her inner thighs as ATV rattled down the stairs, Actual thrusting it left just in time to avoid flying off the trail and into the abyss below, and sped into a narrow footbridge. After she crossed it, another sign sped by.

SUMMIT TRAIL -

Actual almost lifted herself off the ATV as it descended down another steep decline, this time sharp branches and foliage cutting at her clothes and skin. To her right was a low ravine, while to her left was a jumble of rocks and trees that would instantly kill her should she collide with them. Actual flew up into the air before crashing back down on a wooden deck and pulling a sharp ninety-degree turn onto another footbridge, this one adjacent to a waterfall. This time a sign that she passed read:

CARSON FALLS

Stray droplets of water pecked at her goggles as she roared through the bridge and up another set of stairs. But this one was different. This one had a boulder protruding almost directly in the middle of the path. Actual hit the brakes, but she was too late to stop the ATV from smashing into the rocks, sending her cartwheeling headfirst into a tree.

It wasn't long before a pair of Civil Officers found the remains of the quad bike, wheels still spinning. One of them toggled his radio.

"Penegasan. We found it. No sign of the intruder."

As he put it away, his partner bent over and picked up a dented helmet, scrutinizing its features with her hands.

"Look at this. Oceanian standard issue."

"What's going on here? Hold on, I'm going to call this-"

Just then, Actual dropped in from above, striking the Civil Officer on the neck and snatching away his radio.

"I don't think so."

As the other began to raise her pistol, Actual grabbed her hand and twisted it to the side with one hand while knocking her out with two repeated strikes from the radio. Both Civil Officers crumpled, twitching and convulsing on the ground. Actual, scoffing, walked over to the ATV and retrieved her rucksack, clipping it to her back.

"Fucking jokes.."

She also pulled out her silenced pistol, inserting a new magazine and checking the ammo well. And then she shot both of the officers in the head.

The midday sun cast a harsh light over Borneo as the Bren Carrier rolled to a stop at the security checkpoint, the occupants leaping over the metal sides. Twenty pulled out a pistol and kept her head low.

"Fifteen, Sixteen, secure the area. Ryanne, on me."

As they nodded and fanned out, Twenty crouched down and inspected the body of the Civil Officer, Ryanne beside her.

"Whad'ya think, Twenty?"

"This lad was caught by surprise, that's for sure."

Twenty moved on to the guard shack, leaving Ryanne to stare at the corpse. But there was something else beside him. Tire tracks. A narrow set of tire tracks. To be specific, those could only have been left behind by an ATV.

"Yo, Twenty!"

The Oceanian walked over, pistol at low ready.

"What's up?"

"Actual took the ATV.. Do you think this was her?"

Ryanne pointed at the tracks, and Twenty considered this possibility for what seemed like an eternity.

"She did say she was off to do something, but I don't know if she'd be this careless. Murdering a local government employee isn't conducive to neutrality."

Twenty looked up at Kinabalu itself, which reached into the clouds.

"I have no idea what she would want up there, but I'll see if I can hail her over the sat-phone."

"We'll have to be quick. I'm not familiar with Borneo's 5-0, but I'm certain this place will be crawling with cops in a few hours."

"Yeah. It'll only take a minute."

She had only just produced the device from a pouch when Sixteen snapped his gun forward.

"Vehicle on your six!"

Twenty yards behind them, a dust-covered SUV emerged from the dirt road, with multiple armed figures exiting the vehicle. Ryanne dove behind cover and pulled out Buddy, slotting shells into it with speed. Twenty took cover in the guard shack nearby.

"Keep 'em pinned, Fifteen!"

"Gotcha."

The burly gunner fell into a prone position, pressing the machine gun stock against his shoulder and squeezing the trigger.

Eliza leapt into a drainage ditch beside the road as the first rounds whizzed by, shattering the windshield of the SUV and denting the grille with ferocious force.

"Eugen!"

Popping up briefly from the foliage, Eugen awaited orders.

"Kommandant?"

"I need some suppressing fire!"

"Alright!"

Eugen took a kneeling stance and bowed forward as she began to unleash a barrage of shells and micro-missiles. Meanwhile, Eva sided up next to Eliza.

"Are we moving up, Commander?"

"Yes."

"Then I'll take the lead."

Eva unsheathed her sabre and sprung forwards.

"Wait, no-!"

Eliza scrambled to follow, pelting positions down the road with gunfire from her rifle as she followed Eva.

Ryanne was not ready when she found herself the subject of a charge, emerging from cover only to narrowly miss the sharp tip of a sword.

"What the fuck!?"

A uniformed woman, about her height, skidded to a stop nearby and angled herself for another thrust.

"Si vis pacem, para bellum!"

Ryanne parried the next strike with Buddy before leaping to the side and firing off several slugs. But the assailant was too fast, sidestepping the blasts and unleashing a flurry of swings followed by a kick. Ryanne dodged the sword, but the last kick caught her in the gut. She composed herself and tried to get a little more breathing space by quickly backpedalling.

"Eat lead, bitch!"

Ryanne fired slug after slug, scalding hot shells falling to the ground. And yet the woman ducked and dove through every single one of them, taking one final leap as she closed in for the kill.

Meanwhile, Kara and Eugen found themselves trapped behind the SUV by a volley of rounds.

"Kara, you're gonna have to follow my lead for once.."

Eugen dared to peek out from behind the vehicle, but almost had her face blown off and ducked back into safety.

".. I'm gonna fire, and you're going to get into that ditch."

"No, dear."

"What?"

In a flash of blue, a staff suddenly materialized in Kara's hand.

"You sleep with me, and yet you don't know my true potential."

"Huh? I mean, the Kommandant doesn't sleep with you."

"Now is not the time for your envy, I love the both of you. Observe."

Kara gently brushed Eugen aside, stepping out onto the middle of the road.

"No, what are you doing!?"

With one tap of the staff, a shimmering blue shield appeared before Kara, blocking every single bullet that touched it. She turned around and smiled at Eugen as a pair of wings unfolded and flexed on her back.

"We're bulletproof, dear! Follow me!"

Eugen was dumbstruck.

"Holy shit.."

As they advanced together up the road, Karl and Aoba looked on with awe.

"It's.. Wow!"

"Nice one!"

Eventually, they also passed Eliza, who was laying prone in the dirt.

"What the.."

She turned back to look at the team, then back at the shield.

"What are you guys doing? Follow them!"

Together, the collection of vessels and soldiers defied hundreds of high-caliber bullets, each one simply pinging off the front of the shield.

Ryanne staggered backwards as she blocked the sabre blow with Buddy, sweat dripping down the side of her face. The woman seemed tired too, giving up on the sabre and pulling out an antiquated revolver. Ryanne lunged to a safe spot behind a tree, quickly loading three shells into Buddy, before rolling back out into the open. Some distance away, one of the hostiles hollered out to the woman.

"Eva, need help?"

Eva nodded and took aim with her revolver, firing off two errant shots.

"Negative!"

Oh, she was going to need help pretty soon. Snarling, Ryanne ran up to Eva and leapt into an acrobatic front-flip, narrowly missing a slug shot at the apex of her jump. Eva made a large step forward and missed the impact crater, firing her revolver one-handed as Ryanne bounced and ducked around her.

"Bleeding hell, why can't you stay still!?"

"Sorry, can't help it!"

Eva crouched as she fed a speed-loader into her revolver, Ryanne soaring by overhead with a missed kick. Shouting over the pounding of blood in her ears, Twenty called out to Ryanne.

"Fall back! Fall back!"

As a parting gesture, the mercenary swiped away Eva's handgun before firing Buddy into the air several times as she retreated. Finally, she had met her match.

Eva Beckman wiped from the sweat from her face as she kneeled, laying down her sabre and holstering her revolver.

"You did pretty well. I saw some of those moves you pulled."

Eliza stood behind her, helmet clutched in one hand.

"Hell, I might want to learn some of that stuff someday."

The soldier sat down in a cross-legged position as Eva smiled.

"I can teach you, if you'd like."

"Nah, I'm not that flexible."

"Ok. I do want to ask you something, though.."

Ruffling her hair, Eliza nodded.

"Shoot."

"How long have you been fighting for? I'm just judging by your skills and your.. Uh.."

"My dreams? Yeah. Honestly, I feel better just talking to someone about it than keeping it hush."

"I see."

Eva looked on as she stared off into the blue skies.

"If you're asking about total time in combat, I'd say about two years. It was short, but it was fucking hell."

"Oh.. Did you get to go home by the end of it?"

Eliza shifted her gaze to Eva.

"By the time I had came back, it had been burned to the ground. The survivors were killed when the Oceanians came."

She looked as if she were going to say something, but had difficulty putting it into words. Eva patted her shoulder.

"And?"

"I ran away. I didn't do anything to save them. Not even Kara knows this, and I think I'll regret it for the rest of my life."

"Listen, I might've not been there, but I don't blame you. I understand. We're both soldiers, right?"

Eliza began to stand up, extending a hand to Eva.

"Yes. But you have a whole life ahead of you. What I'm really scared of.."

"Hm?"

"Nevermind. Come on, let's go back to base."

Eva took her hand and stood up, dusting off her uniform and hooking her sabre to her belt.

"Agreed."

Actual unclipped her rucksack and set it down on the ground, checking her watch. It had been three hours since she crashed. Sighing, she reached down into her pack and pulled out a water bottle, taking a long sip. By her reckoning, she probably had covered little more than a mile of rough, uphill terrain.

"Shit.."

Darkness had fallen upon Kinabalu, and heavy clouds circled overhead. Rain was highly likely. Actual spun around several times, scanning her surroundings. None of the trees in the vicinity were thick enough to scale, which meant that she would have to sleep on the ground. She turned on her chest-mounted flashlight and began unfolding her simple sleeping bag. But something suddenly began to gnaw at her conscience. Something tugging, pulling, persuading. Actual looked up as a light drizzle began to fall.

The route lies in plain sight..

She pulled out her pistol in an instant, aiming blindly into the trees and leaves.

"Who's there?"

Was there, is there, will be there.. It makes no difference. The route is near.

A flash of familiarity struck Actual, and she started to walk off the hiking trail. She knew something was there, something was waiting. The voice urged her on as she cleared her way through branches and leaves.

It is beneath your feet..

Actual paused and looked down. Her boot had stepped on a metallic surface, distinct from the soil around it. She paused and bent over, wiping the dirt off the surface with her hand. A stamped inscription became clear.

PROPERTY OF THE OCEANIAN ARMY, SIREN WARFARE DIVISION

Actual had never even heard of the Siren Warfare Division, much less knew it had locations here on Borneo. Beneath the inscription was a handle, which she promptly pulled. Rusty hinges gave way to her strength, and the panel opened, revealing a dimly lit blackness below.

"In too deep to back out, I guess.."

She leapt inside the hatch without a single thought.

Actual landed on her feet, bringing in clumps of wet soil and roots down with her. She appeared to have fallen into some kind of pristine hallway, with a neatly applied concrete floor beneath her feet and drab walls steeped in red emergency light. It was a surprise that even emergency power was working in this bunker after seventy years of disuse. Actual moved forward with careful steps, pistol swaying from one end of the hallway to the other. The voice guiding her previously was completely gone, but the air still felt heavy, and something was lurking in the periphery of her mind.

"Hello? Hello!"

Her cries echoed throughout corridors seen and unseen. Distracting herself from the eeriness of what she had just done, Actual stopped at a steel office door inscribed with MANUAL STORAGE, trying the handle. It didn't budge. Frowning, she stepped back and blasted the lock with a bullet. This time, the door swung wide open, giving access to a pitch black room.

There are objects of interest to your right. Open them.

Actual couldn't believe she was following this voice in her head, but it was a means to an end. And, even if she didn't understand the meaning of it, it seemed to be an effective means at that. She turned right, focusing her light on a pair of filing cabinets, and sliding them open. Inside were dozens upon dozens of folders.

"Ok.. Now what?"

By a force not entirely of her own, her eyes were directed to one set far in the back, labelled WISDOM CHAIN-LINK TETHER CONNECTION, FACILITATED.

Actual pulled out the folder and read its contents, finding mostly a lot of technical language that she could not understand.

"What.. What is this? I thought the key was on Low's Peak."

I am only making your journey easier for you.. Follow my instructions.

Her eyes were once again directed to a line of text within the folder, all sentences around it blurred beyond recognition. Main generator must be active for in…

Actual shoved the folder into a pocket and stood up. It seemed like she would be taking a short detour.

Ryanne restlessly rolled around in her sleeping bag, squeezing a plastic ball in her hand.
"Damn, I should've been able to beat that crazy lady with a sword. I mean, bullet beats sword, right?"

Nearby, Sixteen was thoroughly cleaning out and disassembling his camera. Much to the annoyance of Twenty, he had wanted a group picture after returning from Kinabalu.

"Not necessarily. They could have a Royal Maid with them, and Maids are exceptional with melee."

"Aren't those the busty Brittanian ladies in dresses? Hot, but I don't think so."

"There's more to them than that.."

Twenty stopped by, hair undone and messy.

"That was a little crude, but she's right. Let's be honest here, I don't think there's some superweapon or bomb with us on Borneo, nor would there be any reason to have a Royal Maid here. Aside from that shield trick they pulled I think they're just grunts like us."

"I expected to receive some sort of affirmation from my superior, not for her to team up on me."

"Dream on, Sixteen. I'm turning in for the night."

She walked off, leaving Ryanne to flash a smug grin at Sixteen.

Prinz Eugen shifted her position on the couch, frowning.

"Kara, please stop spreading your legs like that. You take up enough space already."

The Sakuran did not attempt to make any moves, but lustily eyed Eugen.

"Mm. I'm feeling a little tired after today, would you mind being my pillow?"

"Don't even start- No, nein-!"

Kara pinned Eugen on the couch and went limp, crushing the vessel under her chest. Behind them, Aoba heartily laughed along with Karl.

"Look who's getting all cuddly-wuddly! Ha!"

"Sleep tight, Eugen."

Eliza watched as they jeered and chuckled, a record of Queen playing in the radio set nearby. After deploying the shield Kara had appeared to be more drowsy than usual, but it probably wasn't of any concern. Besides, it didn't seem like anyone save for Eva was actually paying attention during the debrief a few hours earlier. Eliza dismissed these thoughts and continued to look on. She had never experienced this sort of fraternity in her former unit, even when on holiday.

"Greetings, Commander. Why so reticent?"

Eva had come to make something in the kitchen, pulling out an electric kettle. Eliza half-smiled in a failed attempt to act natural.

"Ah, just watching."

"Oh, is that so? Are you sure it's because you don't know what to say? I may be kind, but I'm not dumb."

"No, it's not that. I mean, I'm not saying that you're dumb, but-"

"Admit it. You have problems talking."

Grabbing two cups while the kettle was heating up water, Eva continued to speak.

"But that's ok, I don't talk much either when I'm not around friends. And frankly, I don't have very many friends. Although I do think I'm taking a liking to you."

Eliza watched her trained motions, putting two tea bags in the cups with one stroke of the hand.

"What does that mean?"

"I'll leave it up for you to decide."

Eva gestured at one of the cups.

"Care to join me for tea?"

"Uh.. I've never had tea before. When I drink at night, it's usually something powerful. Preferably enough to put me to sleep too."

"I would say abstaining from drinking is the best course of action, but.."

The Maid leaned in close.

".. I sneak a few pints in here and there sometimes."

For the first time in a while, Eliza felt something like a chuckle come up her throat.

"There's nothing to worry about there. When I served, our commander told us we drink as much as we wanted, so long as we were able to get up for convoy duty the next morning."

"And? Were you?"

"I drank until I vomited the lager back up and passed out. Of course I was able to get up the next morning."

"Is that sarcasm I hear?"

"No."

"Oh.. My lord, you're really something."

They both sat in silence for a few minutes, watching Eugen struggle for breath under Kara's crushing embrace. Eventually Eliza nodded.

"Sure, there's a first time for everything. I'll join you."

Eva smiled and went back to the kettle.

"Excellent! I'll be waiting in our quarters."

She walked off, looking fairly content with herself.

Actual proceeded down the hallways at a light jog, hand firmly on her hip-mounted holster. Through some contrived means, she had a vague idea of where the main generator was, but this damn facility was so massive it had already taken ten minutes to get to where she was. A large text panel was inscribed on the wall next to her.

MAIN GENERATOR / CAUTION! AUTOMATIC SECURITY IN PLACE

Actual realized those words were true when she took one step further. In that instant, a motion-sensing tripwire was set off by her feet, sending an electric current travelling 300,000 kilometres an hour to four sets of hidden sentry turrets, all miniaturized Bofors autocannons. She was momentarily paralyzed as they rose out of the walls and floor.

I suggest hiding..

"Crikey. You gotta be fucking kidding me!"

Actual dived out of the way just in time to avoid being shredded, plaster and dust from high-caliber bullet impacts covering her face. She scrambled across the floor and came to a stop behind the nearest corner.

"How do you want me to get to that generator now, Casper!?"

My influence is limited as of now, but I am able to electrically disrupt the cannons for a short period..

"God damn, why didn't you say that earlier?"

The Bofors faltered in their fire for only a split second, but it was enough to let Actual slip a flash grenade into their midst. The device exploded, temporarily illuminating the hallway, and the guns' algorithms were scrambled by the sensory overload. She stepped out of cover with her pistol, systematically destroying each one's firing mechanisms as she advanced. The Bofors tracked her but were unable to do anything other than impotently click and sputter. Actual smiled as she holstered her pistol.

"We make a good team."

Indeed.

END OF PART 1