Chapter 7: A Flicker of Hope.

The Azur Lane Coalition is created with the idea of common goals, shared vision and the pursuit of mankind's continuous existence by removing all the boundaries shackling the nations on Earth. By far its main purpose is solely that of military one especially for naval branch, though not limited it may involve the intervention of a more subtle combat group such as direct human action under the order of NAVSPECWAR, and if needed external sources. Essentially, all positive and necessary combat methods shall and must be utilized in hope to achieve total supremacy against the Siren.

The Commanding Officers in this instance are chosen after numerous tests and evaluations. There will be 5 Commanding Officers in total, each representing their assigned territories and have absolute authority over any naval unit in his/her area whether conventional or a more strategic one such as KANSEN, especially KANSEN. Their rank is only surpassed by the Assembled Admiralty of the United Nations Naval Special Warfare Global Maritime Security Responders or the acting Commander in Chiefs of their respective nations.

Azur Lane aim for united joint operations across the globe, free and abundant jurisdiction in terms of operational rights for all naval forces regardless of their allegiance, and above all complete support for civilian trade and transportation affairs among security.

"The Siren threat is real, you've seen the news, the destruction and the ruin of our old world. We must rise and deal with this threat accordingly, how else other than to join hands together and push forward to the seas? Those are our lifelines, our veins and blood, we have the rights to sail our own waters not those Sirens"

"So gentlemen, gather your ships and sailors, form fleets under this banner, for we shall know no boundaries within our world, let us fight together side by side forever"

-August the 1st 1950, 5 years after the end of the Old War and 4 years after the official start of the Siren War. Azur Lane Coalition introduction to the general public during UN strategic meeting in New York, Eagle Union.

"It's too quiet"

Deep inside hostile territory, obscured by piles of rubble of what was once a sturdy concrete wall, hidden from their enemy's eyes and patrol aircraft stood Cleveland and Columbia, bathing in eternal darkness of a worn down former apartment building.

Both blondes had seen better days, their riggings were marred with scorch marks with some of the guns being straight up destroyed, judging from the shape of the explosion marks they definitely fell victims to some well placed bombs and the small holes gave away as strafing runs results. Cleveland no longer had her signature white cape, she disposed of it a few days ago when it caught fire back on their assembly point, all she had now was her blue and white open cut dress which also was not in very good condition anymore, while Columbia white shirt nearly had its whole front burned to crisp exposing her bandaged midriff.

The second eldest sister of the Cleveland-class barely survived that one certain night encounter with their adversaries, she literally received a chestful of Siren directed energy weapon fire before Cleveland managed to shove her to safety a little too late, as a result she got her abdomen burned and an ugly red scar had settled there since then. Columbia didn't say it but she barely could take a deep breath without feeling her lungs screaming at her with angry white pain.

"Where is that Carrier?" Columbia asked through gritted teeth, kneeling down beside Cleveland as they squeezed past a hole on another broken down wall they hardly fit thanks to their equipment. She had run out of gum to chew since two days ago and the anxiety and the pain were eating her alive, especially with the way her movements contracting with her injuries. A quick look on Cleveland's back, however, kept her complaint at bay.

Columbia... Was not the only one injured during that incident, her older sister in particular also received similiar injury on her back specifically between her shoulder blades going vertically down. Columbia didn't need to know how agonizing it was compared to hers since upper body movements heavily affected the muscle around that area and Cleveland moved, a lot, yet she endured it all without as much as a wince.

There were times when Columbia realized no matter how Cleveland usually acted she was still their reliable older sister and she took it upon herself to always put her little sisters before her even if it meant risking her life. Times like those were moments where Montpelier's admiration suddenly made sense and Columbia would have never found the most appropriate time to call Cleveland with her title as big sister other than in those times.

Of course while Cleveland laid back attitude and happy go lucky behavior themselves were easy to take a liking of, her serious mode was also a great factor that made up her character. She took almost a complete change whenever she was in such mode, so much it's almost scary. Cleveland was a great strategist, pacifist and above all an excellent fighter. Each factors representing her ability to command a unit, having technical 27 sisters with zero loss was an achievement on its own and while the Independences and Fargos were considered as separate classes by the Navy they still held so much respect towards Cleveland as their distant sister.

Following their 'revival' as KANSENs, Cleveland was responsible for her sisters during the early days of the Siren War. She managed to bring them all back alive through the fierce battles, 20 ships in total, since then they received the title 'Radiant Knights of the Sea' which the sisters knew fitted Cleveland more than anyone else.

"I don't know, you don't think she can fit through these ruins, right?" The smaller blonde responded urgently as she continued to navigate through the cramped corridor of a former building. Her steps were light, and the half drowned floor below mitigated whatever sound she might make with her heels, Columbia knew Cleveland chose this route specifically because of that and her question was nothing but a half heartedly delivered afterthought.

"I don't think so" She looked around the dimly lit room, thinking to turn on her lights before deciding against it considering how they were practically sneaking under their enemy's nose. Still, it didn't stop Columbia from making a comment full of mischief. "Although I must ask, are you sure this place is not haunted? Because I see a door opened by itself over there"

Cleveland stopped dead on her track before turning around and glared at her younger sister, but her paling complexion made her pointed look less pointy. "Don't joke around like that! This place has been abandoned for years!"

"Which is exactly why I said that" Columbia retorted with a grin, but it was short lived since the moment she noticed the subtle disapproving glare she received from Cleveland it faltered out of existence immediately. The message was clear, this was not an appropriate place nor time to make such joke, this very same building they were on was probably someone's final resting place, someone and probably not just one did die there. "Right, sorry"

Cleveland shook her head before continuing her march and Columbia silently followed her, they went through a series of junctions that connected the corridors, often they had to make a detour when the hallways revealed a collapsed section by going through destroyed walls, going rooms by rooms and in one occasion a hole in the floor. None of them said it out loud but it's obvious they didn't like the damp air surrounding them when they entered the lower floor, that along with the permanent darkness and coldness gave away a nightmarish setting of post-apocalyptic world.

"We're close, only a few blocks away to the clock tower" Cleveland's voice echoed in the air, drowning the rhythmical clicking of their footsteps in a series of repetitive responses. At that moment Columbia suddenly became aware how silent everything was, not even the wind made any sound.

"Do you think Denver and Montpelier have arrived?" Columbia queried mostly to fill the silence with something, anything, rather than in need for information. She knew both Denver and Montpelier had arrived back to their make-shift base, probably hours ago even, unlike she and Cleveland they didn't have to sneak around and evade their enemy recon units.

The four Cleveland sisters were originally a single team, their mission was to keep the Crimson Axis busy by conducting hit and run attacks. They'd been utilizing such tactic since days ago before Hornet was incapacitated, going back and forth to behind enemy lines and nitpicking at whatever target they could. But last night the sisters got separated, and Cleveland thankfully had foreseen the possibility, ordered her sisters to randezveous back at the clock tower in case it happened. Cleveland also made sure she drew the most attention to give her two sisters a time and easy escape. Columbia meanwhile was glad she got to accompany Cleveland because God knew she would have done the same even when she was alone.

She was there when they had to fend off the enemy, and Columbia sure while Cleveland was a great ship it was beyond the scope of her capability. They barely survived afterall, and there were two of them.

Their supplies had also been getting low, especially their ammunition. They didn't expect their operation would drag on to such length so they decided to travel light, it's a good thing Edinburgh and Sheffield had prepared a ration box they buried somewhere near the area so they didn't need to worry about food. Those Cloak and Dagger fellows were no joke when it came to mission preparation, they had a month worth of rations prepared for a whole fleet!

Well, Columbia was not a fan of energy bars but damn the MREs were quite good in contrary to what people said. It could be just the situation speaking in spite of her stomach but whatever.

"They're fine" Cleveland replied without a hint of doubt in her tone, she ducked low and pushed her head through a hole in the wall, glancing around the next area before retreating back. "Montpelier can take care of herself and Denver will listen when time is lean"

"That little piece of work only picks on me, I'd rather listen to Montpelier's rambling about her mighty and coolest dear sister Cleveland than to talk with Denver" Columbia nearly growled in annoyance, blowing a strand of hair away from her face. "I swear one of these days I'm going to throw that girl into the ocean"

"She's the youngest of all four so let her act her part, you on the other hand should start acting as a big sister you are"

"Yeah, no, it's your role and I don't want to fill that shoe"

Cleveland smiled and turned towards Columbia, the darkness made it hard to ascertain her exact expression but Columbia swore she detected a hint of bitterness in that gesture. "That might change one day, you know. Wouldn't be the first time either for the second ship to take that title"

A shiver ran down Columbia's spine as she watched Cleveland push a broken down bookshelf away from behind a door with ease, the piece of furniture creaked loudly as it scraped against the floor before it collapsed with an aggravated groan. "Why would you say that?" She asked the moment Cleveland disappeared behind the haphazardly put make-shift blockade, and reluctantly she followed suit.

She pushed through the door and instantly felt uncomfortable with the atmosphere. The air was stale, it smelled like a forgotten pile of laundry that had been sitting for weeks, and the floor was practically filled with water and moss all over the blown off surface.

Columbia found her sister squatting near a wall and decided to join her, all the while swiveling her head around to see the area better. She was glad she did so because since the first time she stepped in she finally noticed the supply boxes on the corner and the mattress near it, there was also an old oil lamp sitting above one of the wooden crates along with what seemingly a battery powered radio but she wasn't sure since the room was too dark to see clearly, despite her naturally good vision.

"Cleve...?" The blonde called out reluctantly when Cleveland barely made any acknowledgement to her presence. There was something wrong with this room that made Columbia feel uneasy, not in a way a foreign presence might give but in a way that made her feel like she was intruding.

She closed in, peered through Cleveland's shoulder and abruptly jumped back with all her might.

"Th-that's-!"

"Yes"

That's a human skeleton. Was what Columbia about to say before the word failed to come out, leaving her slack mouthed.

It was positioned against the wall, bony heap of a former person. Tattered blue shirt and black khaki pants covered it along with a small formerly white blanket, specks adorned its surface in which none of them sure whether they were blood stains or something else but it didn't matter much anyway because he or she had died for a long time judging by the condition of the bones.

Columbia needed no more than 3 seconds to put one on one together. "They used this place as a shelter" from what was left unsaid, they knew what, always the same answer. "Did you know? about this place?"

"I did, I oversaw the evacuation progress back then. Sakura Empire didn't want us to intervene but they asked us to help transport the refugees, Takao told me about the situation" The gloomy tone in Cleveland's voice was punctuated with constant tremors, it told a story in itself. "Shops were burned, buildings collapsed, schools and hospitals were bombarded. The elderly, men, women, children..."

When it was apparent Cleveland wouldn't say- couldn't say- anything more, Columbia decided to finish the sentence for her.

"All were slaughtered. The Sirens didn't discriminate their target, anything and anyone standing before their cannons were all objects for eradication, not even a slightest of mercy"

The silence following it was deafening. It stretched long, longer than any of them liked. Idle times meant more time to think, and thinking at times like these was a recipe for unwanted thoughts. For Cleveland, her mind wandered to that one specific day this city was under attack, she remembered it awfully clearly since it was one of the major Siren campaigns in the world.

She was young back then, not in a sense of age but experience, everyone knew the prospect of age was relative for Ship-girls. Still, Pacific Campaign was a painstaking struggle for humanity. Every day they pushed forward was a day another frontier fell to the Siren's hand, the sheer size of the Pacific Ocean threatened to swallow them whole. This city was just one of the less lucky places to be near a defenseless open water, a dish served in silver plate for the Sirens, it didn't take them long to ravage it and little more time to lay waste upon a formerly proud trading city.

When the first bomb hit the ground, Cleveland was among the first few who received the report. She was in a middle of gunnery training back then, exercising to get a better understanding of her new form, Helena was also there along with her sister St. Louis and together they set course towards this land, eager to help and beat some Siren after a long day of nothingness.

At least, that's what they hoped until Pearl Command ordered them to stand down, exactly when they were about to enter the city's outskirts.

The reason was simple, Sakura Empire were yet to join Azur Lane back then so they couldn't just enter their territory without some long authentication procedure and permit acquisition, added with the fact they already had forces on the city and they being there might cause confusion and unwanted incidents. Cleveland had no choice but to watch helplessly from the distance at the flashing orange lights on the horizon, a clear indication of cannon fire and explosion. That was until they were contacted by Sakura Empire Cruiser Division 4 leadship, Takao herself, that they needed extra space for civilians.

Despite the reluctance, Takao was more than willing to sacrifice whatever sense of perverse to get their help, and the 3 out of place Union Light Cruisers were more than willing to do anything and get rid of their hapless predicament. It was then Cleveland finally succeeded in acquiring the knowledge of what actually was happening.

She regretted she ever asked about it.

"What else do you think?!" Takao nearly snapped at Cleveland, but there was no hostility in her tone, at least not one directed to Cleveland. It's just a loathsome filled voice and pent up frustrations mixing together. "It's those Sirens again"

The blonde didn't say anything in return, silently pondering Takao's answer as she watched a bunch of civilians move about to board her. Takao's metal form was parked on her starboard side, a small make-shift bridge connecting them both acting as a path for the civilians. Thankfully Cleveland was carrying with her a few dozens sailors, they were to monitor her performance during the training but now they were responsible for caring the refugees, good thing Helena and St. Louis also had their own complements.

"How... are you guys holding up?" She asked tentatively, shifting on her feet to get rid of her anxiousness.

"We'll be forced to abandon the city, that's for certain" Takao replied venomously, glaring at a distant place they knew where the city was.

"That bad?"

Instead of answering, Takao pulled out a picture from her pocket and showed it to Cleveland, the effect was instantaneous as she saw the Light Cruiser recoiled in shock. "This was taken from a recon plane one hour ago, as you can see the streets are literally on fire" she pointed out bitterly.

"W-we should have helped more! I must contact Central and get us a permission"

Takao shook her head in an obvious display of disagreement and respite, smiling ever so slightly to Cleveland. "We were once enemies but here you are now offering whatever you can give to us without a second thought. My people are still a bit reluctant to let foreign powers inside, that's why we are yet to join Azur Lane" She paused then, eyes growing distant as she stared at a sailing merchant ship heading into the city, followed by another and another. "You've done enough, your people and superiors have done their best to help so don't condemn yourself. Maybe, after this we'll finally get to fight side by side"

The blonde followed her gaze, her own hazel eyes still somehow downcast, filled with untold sorrow. Those merchant ships were ones of few who got the request sent by Central, when Takao said their best they literally did what they could by telling all available ships to help the evacuation including the civilian ones. "Yet it takes one city to fall and many needless deaths"

"Reasons and actions, humans need a driving force, a cause, to take actions. Death and tragedy happen to be a great driving force..."

The memory faded to the back of Cleveland's head, a long time conversation she hardly remembered the details. It'd been decades since then, and Cleveland was sure she wouldn't recall it had it not for their current predicament.

It was a bitter moment, one that she would rather forget these days, but alas what Takao said was undeniable and Cleveland couldn't forget it even if she wanted to. Following the attack there was a large uprising in Sakura Empire, people weren't happy by their government's policy to stand around doing nothing for the last few years before the attack and they called a military armament on side of nationwide recovery, so far all they did was defensive actions to protect their mainland.

Sakura Empire had always been in a tight spot, their technical lost during the Old War added with the Siren War really put them in a pinch. They almost had no military force at first, decimated in the last war, so when everyone was busy protecting themselves they got nothing to fight with. In one year time contact was lost with Sakura Empire, it was the preliminary Siren War, a whole nation seemingly swallowed by darkness with not a single beacon of light could be seen. Only when Eagle Union had restored most of her Naval force in a form of KANSEN did they finally decide to attempt a contact, by that time almost half of Earth had been reduced to radioactive wastelands to prevent the Siren from advancing forward.

Cleveland was ashamed to admit it and she was aware it was not her country's fault when they practically abandoned them to fend for themselves, but their actions nearly cost dozens of millions deaths in Sakura Empire, civilians and whatever armed forces they had left.

It was a direct punch to the face for the world, especially after what happened to almost every nations.

Relief plans were drawn immediately and in the next week a total of 200 ships set sail towards Sakura Empire under the banner of Union 7th Fleet, carrying with them whatever kind of materials and helping hands they needed for quick recovery. After making sure they were stable enough, Eagle Union Navy decided to make a permanent establishment in Sakura Empire and the 7th Fleet stayed there until their recent withdrawal to Pearl.

Of course, things didn't go as smoothly at first, there were a lot of controversies regarding their seemingly good willed actions. And Sakura Empire were reluctant if not wary when they arrived on land, it couldn't be helped especially after what happened just years prior.

And Takao... She was furious when she learned what happened to her beloved country, she happened to be one of those Sakura Empire ships that got revived earlier.

"We dance around death everyday, our duty demands us in the way of harm" Cleveland muttered something that oddly sounded like a prayer before getting up to face her sister. "I want you to be prepared for when the time comes, when that happens you will be the one making the call"

"Why me...?" Columbia breathed out as Cleveland stood right before her, she was in shock and barely able to process her thoughts. She vaguely felt Cleveland grabbing her hands and clasped it between her's, bringing it high to chest level.

Despite the size difference, it was clear who was the eldest between the two.

Up close, Columbia could clearly see the solemn smile on Cleveland's face. "I entrust you with my sisters' safety, Columbia, and yours is my duty to keep".

"Then keep it! Don't talk about death so easily to me! It's your duty as the eldest to guide us and keep us safe, until the day when this war ends I want you to lead us all". Maybe it was the stress, maybe it was the fatigue from the endless fighting they endured, but Columbia sure she meant what she said from the bottom of her heart, no matter how selfish that sounded. "Where did this talk come from? How long have you been thinking about it? All these years you never had such thoughts so why so suddenly?"

At first it was apparent Cleveland hesitated to answer her question, she didn't say anything as she started to walk once again, leaving the room without as much a word. Columbia kept her gaze on her sister until she disappeared behind a wall, with a sigh full of frustration and a final glance to the skeleton below she then decided to pursue the subject.

"Answer me, Cleve!" She practically hissed out as she jogged to catch Cleveland up, sprinting through hallways until Cleveland's silhouette came into her view again. "What's with the capricious turn of thought?!"

"It's nothing, it's just a little piece of advice for you"

"Piece of advice my ass! I know something is bothering you!" Cleveland grimaced and was about to dodge the question again when Columbia yanked her by the hand, flaring up a sudden spike of agonizing white pain from her back. It didn't compare with the fierce glare Columbia gave her though. "Spit it out, Cleve".

She opened her mouth, then closed it again when no words came out, after a long period of silence Cleveland finally sighed in defeat. "We are being watched"

Columbia blinked once, and then twice, a single word left her mouth when she finally registered what Cleveland said and her face morphed from a scowl to confused. "What?"

Her older sister began to explain. "We are being followed, the enemy know where we are all this time" She jabbed a finger down the hallway, and Columbia's gaze followed it. "Over there is a stairway, it leads towards the first floor of this building and the exit. After that, there's approximately 20 meters gap to the next building, a clear open gap perfect for ambush whether from air or surface which they obviously will take an advantage of"

"But how do they know of our position? I thought you took this route because it protects us from enemy aircraft" Columbia whispered in shock, shuffling on her feet.

"Exactly what I said and exactly what I meant. This building protects us from enemy aircraft, not conceal us. The moment we step outside there will be bombs and bullets raining down on us, you know we wouldn't survive further air raid" Cleveland raised her rigging to show Columbia her destroyed main battery as if to emphasize her point. "We've got Shōkaku and Zuikaku on our tail, Supercarriers both of them, and they are notoriously known as Enterprise's rivals"

We are no match Was left unsaid but Columbia knew it was there along the sentence.

She was not aware of their situation, Columbia thought they were safe but no it was proven as a big red wrong. Travelling down the ruins was simply to prevent air strike, that fact itself shook her to the core, it meant they'd been walking on the verge of death and they-or rather, she- was not aware of it.

One wrong turn and they would have their ceiling fallen down on them, burying them alive under rubble and forever leaving them as another relics of a broken past. It was only thanks to Cleveland's planning they managed to relatively be safe.

"So that means, the only things keeping us alive are the ruin and our size that allows us to squeeze through?"

"Partially? yes, the rest? I'm not sure. They could have some Destroyers going through just as easy but they didn't, I'm honestly more disturbed by that"

The Iron Blood and sakura Empire respectively had their Destroyers scattered around the Area of Operation and inside it, they acted as some sort of buffer forces to stale Hornet's team. They were nimble, fast reactive, and in Iron Blood case, packed a lot of firepower. While the Cruisers such as the Clevelands had no trouble evading their fire and torpedo attack due to their mobility, a surprise attack in confined place was an entirely different matter. Columbia had lost count how many sudden close calls torpedo attacks she got when fighting on those accursed canals, at one time a Long Lance barely missed her stern by inches only, she could still feel the pure oxygen trails it left behind spiking her Sonar acoustics up.

Still, it didn't answer her previous question, at least not until it clicked on her mind. "But what does it have to do with... No... You're not doing that" Columbia cried out, horrified.

"It's the only way, I'll be the decoy and you'll run for it"

"I'm not abandoning you!" She argued back almost in a yell.

Cleveland merely shook her head in response before smiling. "I'm not telling you to abandon me, I'll lead and be the decoy while you work your way out. It'll be Empress Augusta Bay all over again"

"You do realize you almost took like tons of enemy fire back then, right?"

"Eh, we all did"

Columbia scowled, then it faltered and a frown replaced it instead. "And just like back then, we'll weather this together. Don't try to act by yourself, I'm here you know?"

Cleveland didn't even try to hide her weariness at that, sighing deeply before replying. "You busted your Radar"

"I know"

"You can hardly fire at air target without it"

"... I know"

"So then you know you have better chance to survive if you race it"

"I do"

"Then listen to your big sister and do as she says, alright?"

"I refuse" Columbia deadpanned. "Look, it's either gonna be us doing this together or us arguing over this together, third option is to just take our chances and sprint it together, no fourth option where you end up dying"

Cleveland groaned in response, pinching the bridge of her nose exasperatedly. "I have no intention to die here, and could you just agree for at least once in a while?"

"No"

"Is that really all you had to say?" Despite the lack of any light source, Cleveland could still make out how those hazel eyes which were so similiar to her's turned a darker shade as Columbia glared at her. Among the four sisters, Columbia's eyes had the deepest hue compared to her older sister or Montpelier, while Denver's were a different color altogether which was sapphire. The difference was subtle but it's definitely there.

"You scared me with all those talks about death and continuing your burdens, what did you expect me to say? That I am so selfish by wanting you to stay alive?"

She really didn't have the answer for that so Cleveland merely sighed and changed the subject. "If we really are doing this together then I need you to listen to me" She said eventually, her tone had taken a more professional turn so Columbia knew her sister was being serious.

"I'm listening"

A nod. "With your accuracy reduced, we'll need to devise a plan that puts us on equal ground with the enemy. To put it simply, if we can't hit them so won't they"

It was not entirely true, though. Union ships were equipped with independent fire control systems on each guns even the smaller Anti-Aircraft artillery, and that included dedicated built-in Radar. Losing the main sensory system wouldn't impede their air defense, what it would hinder was their ability to detect targets at longer range.

In Columbia's case, she got her whole tower shot off resulting in absolute destruction of her communication and Radar suites. She had been operating blind the whole time and had it not because of her sister she would be lost by now, both metaphorically and literally speaking.

"So... smokescreen?" She proposed reluctantly in which Cleveland agreed.

"Smokescreen, you'll be on front and doing it. Meanwhile I will be repelling enemy air attack from behind, I can still see with my Radar even when I'm practically blind"

"Then let's do this" Columbia said with a renewed resolve, hopping between her feet to fuel herself with adrenaline. If that was what her sister ordered her to do then it's what she'd do, she had learned since long time ago to not second guess Cleveland's judgement

"Alright, then here's what we're going to do..."

"This place reeks death..."

The sharp edge hidden in her sister's seemingly offhanded musing caught Zuikaku's attention and she slowly craned her head to her left where her sister was, watching as those beautiful silver hair fluttered with the wind. They were sitting on an edge of a building top, or in her sister's case standing, waiting for their preys to show up from their hiding, the preys they'd been hunting for the last few hours.

"They dare to defile this tomb with their filthy footsteps, disrespecting the dead by disturbing their rest" She nearly growled in response, glaring at the flooded street below her as if to blame the rubble and ruins. This city was off limits, nobody was supposed to enter it if it's not to pay their respect, and those Azur Lane girls decided to use it as a rally point for them to escape their wrath not aware they invoked it now more than ever. "If those two Cruisers even as much to show their bows I will blow them up to smithereens"

And it was not a joke. The foggy sky made it hard to spot the squadrons of torpedo bombers and dive bombers high above, but they were definitely there. Almost a hundred aircraft took off from both Shōkaku and Zuikaku, a hundred aircraft targeting 2 mere Light Cruisers, waiting and searching for the slightest of presence. Maybe it was an overkill, but Zuikaku deemed it necessary to make her point across, afterall they didn't learn their lesson after they took out their flagship.

The corners of her mouth twitched slightly, not upwards but downwards into a frown. She was disappointed, immensely disappointed. When she saw that silhouette from above she thought she was up against her rival Enterprise and she got elicited beyond anything only to learn it was just her younger sister Hornet. As expected, she was no match against the two of them even though she put up a fierce fight, and while the tactics she incorporated were very peculiar- and Zuikaku had to admit, quite good- it became predictable and once they took down their communication it practically became useless. The youngest of the Yorktowns received at least 5 direct hits from Zuikaku alone, 3 from her dive bombers and 2 from torpedo bombers, she was not sure how many hit Hornet received in total but it was enough to keep her burning and incapacitated for days to end.

If not crippled for the rest of her service.

She vaguely aware with the gnawing sense of dread she felt whenever she thought about what Enterprise would do when she learned about her sister's well-being but she pushed it away to the deepest corner of her mind. If her rival wanted revenge then let her come then, she would entertain her the best she could.

"We are no different either" Shōkaku muttered, just hard enough for her sister to hear it, when Zuikaku gave her a confused look she then began to explain. "We're here in search for our enemy, while we carry with us our true enemy"

"Who?"

"Who of course the Siren" Shōkaku threw a pointed glance to a certain direction where they knew a Siren Destroyer was residing, hidden from view ready to ambush the Light Cruisers.

Zuikaku almost forgot about them, aside from her and her sister they also had a couple of Siren Destroyers hunting the Clevelands. It was not entirely her fault because however she looked at it, those Mass Produced Sirens were just different, in fact all Siren steel-hull ships were different compared to human made ships. It was difficult to explain but if she was to put it roughly it's almost like all Siren ships were... empty, both in literal and metaphorical sense.

Usually there was this buzzing, subtle and hardly recognizable hum of something, a KANSEN would feel at the back of their mind whenever they set foot on man-made ships. It's hardly passable as normal but it was not strange either, instead it felt like an unknown wave of energy meeting with their thoughts and mingled together resulting in a sense of comforting familiarity. Maybe, just maybe it was those ships' yet to be revived souls welcoming them but it was just Zuikaku's own hypothesis.

But these Sirens... They lacked those. There was no buzzing, no feeling of comfort and there was definitely no familiarity. It was like touching a cold metal surface, which exactly what they were, with their bare feet whenever they made contact. Empty, unforgiving cold and most of all lifeless, a bone-chilling experience neither of them enjoy.

That's why many of them were still wary with the idea of working side by side with a Siren, no matter how much control they had over it. Zuikaku was not an extremist but she would always try her best to keep those dark colored ships at sword length if she could help it.

"But, Dear Sister, we must utilize whatever advantages we can gain in a battle field" She tried to convince her sister, no matter how unconvincing her own words felt to herself.

"You know better than that" Shōkaku responded almost scolding. "Do not let your guard down near any of them, be wary but don't be hasty so when the time comes they won't catch you unprepared. Don't forget what they did to us, what the Sirens had done in the past. I'm sure you understand because you are standing on it" She shuffled on her feet, subtly addressing the building they were on.

Zuikaku wholly agreed.

"Then what does that make us?"

"What do you mean?"

A sudden realization and a wave of uncertainty washed over Zuikaku, for the first time since they conducted their search she sheathed her sword back to its scabbard, giving her full attention to her sister. "If... We are fighting alongside Sirens, doesn't that make us their accomplice? Doesn't it feel like we are spitting on the people who died during the war? Our people? And if so, doesn't that mean we are the bad guy here?"

"Akagi is a fool" Shōkaku almost spat her disdain, her expression darkening with each word she spoke. It surprised Zuikaku with how much venom her sister uttered in those words. "Her love is blinding herself and she is not aware of it, it's misleading and one day it will drown us into the abyss"

Yet nobody had thought of stopping her, somehow she managed to convince Nagato to agree with her ideals, putting her in a solid position where nobody might oppose her. She truly lived up her appearance as a Tamamo no Mae, The Beautiful Fox Witch who deluded people with false love.

It disgusted Shōkaku.

She always had a strong feeling when it came to the Carrier Division 1 girls, especially Akagi and Kaga, but she never took them as a bunch of idiots who openly tried to start a new war by themselves. What happened to Amagi was unfortunate for certain, but they wouldn't be the first few who lost their sisters, and it's certainly not enough reason to play with the fire that was Siren either.

"But I guess I'm a bigger fool myself for following them" Shōkaku finished after a long pause, her once disdainful look was now replaced with empty longing. "What do you think the Commander would do if she was still with us?"

A pang of sorrow filled Zuikaku's chest and her gaze inadvertently dropped to her feet. "I would never be able to speak on behalf of a such wonderful person".

Shōkaku hummed. "Maybe. But I'm sure things wouldn't be as intricate as it is, she managed to keep the foxes at bay all those years afterall" She closed her eyes an exhaled deeply, a ghost of smile flickered on her lips. "How unfortunate, to think she was a good friend to Lord Allenforth, yet here we are now".

"Not just the foxes, the entire nation too. She did not support the idea of working with the Siren either" Zuikaku added in which her sister agreed.

"Tell me, Zuikaku, where did those years go?"

A flash of gold caught Zuikaku's attention, she peered through the ledge of the building to down below and saw their targets finally making a move. Pulling her sword out, she then replied. "Along with her I suppose"

And just like that she jumped down as the first torpedo from her Nakajima B5N Torpedo-Bomber splashed into the water, heading straight towards the Clevelands.

"We found them, Takao, move out to intercept"

"Understood, we're heading out to your position"

"Understood, we're heading out to your position" Takao reported back through her radio before turning to her three sisters. "Chōkai and Maya will be heading out North to cut their escape route, Maya be careful with your wounds and don't engage in close quarter battle. Atago, you're with me"

Atago's extra pair of ears perked up at the mention of her name, she immediately stood up to face her sister and stored the white cloth she had been using to clean her sword into her pocket. "Lead the way"

Takao nodded and the four sisters split up to two groups, each heading to their own directions. Atago kept her golden eyes trained on Maya until she disappeared behind a building before addressing Takao. "Have you made up your mind?" She asked rather suddenly, earning a brief glance in return.

"I don't have much choice, do I?" Takao retorted almost begrudgingly. "We've got our orders, I'm sure I'm not the only one who dislike it"

"You can always speak up, better than to suffer from regret for the rest of your life" Atago didn't need to see it but she was sure her sister was grimacing. "What exactly do you see in Cleveland?"

"An excellent strategist and a great force to reckon with, a top tier warship which posses-"

Atago cut her off and rephrased her question, feeling slightly annoyed with the way her sister dodged the question. "Not as a ship, but a person"

Takao fell silent instantly, for the first time since they began their operation she seemed lost for words. "She's... kind, and cheerful, and a loving girl. She loves her sisters dearly, she treats people with the same kindness she shows to her own and she likes taking care of small things, anything she feels like doing"

"And you?"

"... she helped me, a lot"

"She is not unlike you" Atago corrected her but all she received in return was a snort full of indignation.

"Oh? how so?" Takao bit back a frustrated groan, opting a sigh instead. "Things have not been the same"

"And they will stay like that for a more while so you should make your resolve soon" Atago sped up, now she was sailing next to her sister. "Can you kill your friends knowing they did nothing wrong except staying true to their goals? The goals we deviated from?"

Can she?

When Takao said Cleveland had helped her a lot it was not an exaggeration. In fact she had worked together with many Eagle Union girls in the past, Cleveland in particular was among those she worked with intensively. They had fought, bleed, cried and laughed together, sharing the same burdens they felt on the battlefields on their shoulders. Cleveland taught her how to lead her sisters, a quality Takao learned was natural for Cleveland, and thanks to her they managed to survive so far.

She admitted, she admired the blonde Cruiser for her tenacity and good character, and it was not misplaced.

That's why while Takao never showed it, she's probably the number one person who's against this operation, against this pointless conflict. She honestly didn't understand why they fought in the first place, and why they had to complicate things. She liked it better when all they had to worry was the Siren.

Now? They committed not just one mistake but two. They'd betrayed their own oath by breaking their alliance and working with the Siren for one and two they had committed a crime against humanity itself by attacking and opposing Azur Lane, a coalition created to restore mankind to its glory and counter the Siren. Fair said they were not in the wrong, whatever Akagi and Kaga were hiding in that cave must have garnered them enough attention and value level to have the Azur Lane infiltrating their base, that added with the fact Akashi was now in their side gave an unsettling possibility.

The Techship was an easy going albeit a bit obnoxious type of person most of the time, but she was not an idiot. There's a reason why Takao trusted her to do all the repair work, she was honest and knew what best for her and others, and she would never go AWOL without proper reason.

Whatever she saw in that restricted cave must have startled her.

That cave... Takao always had her suspicions about that cave, for one why did they restrict that place from other Ship-girls to begin with. She had seen some whitecoats from the Navy Research Institute entering that place, not just once but often whenever regular base inspection happened. She knew Lady Nagato knew what's inside, she knew Kaga and Akagi influenced whatever was happening inside there greatly and it was frustrating as it was worrying. Rumours on base had it flying around there was a Siren inside, what kind was not specified but Takao sure it's not their normal Mass Produced Siren kind.

Though she wouldn't rely too much on hearsays.

An explosion tore her attention to the battle at hand, she spotted a black pillar of smoke steadily growing into the sky and grimaced. There had been a steady stream of anti-aircraft fire coming from their destination before, undoubtedly courtesy of Cleveland and her sister, but now the guns had gone silent with Shōkaku and Zuikaku's planes dominating the air. There were two possibilities, neither of which Takao liked.

Soon, they arrived at the battleground. The first thing Takao noticed was a headful of moist blonde hair, and then the red water surrounding her, and finally the crimson liquid falling from her body from many fresh wounds, particularly a large gash on her left arm going vertically down.

Cleveland.

The Light Cruiser noticed her, through her frantic breathing and pained face. She was clutching her arm now, desperately trying to keep her precious life source inside her but it bore little to no fruition. When their eyes met however, her expression hardened and she straightened up, her rigging groaned in protest as she forced her last remaining main battery to traverse.

"Takao" Cleveland greeted dully if not grimly, fully understood there was no escape from the Heavy Cruiser.

"Cleveland" replied Takao, still scanning her up and down only to realize they missed someone important. "Where's your sister?"

"Somewhere, though she's currently not in her best condition"

"Columbia's over there" A voice suddenly announced, turning her head Takao saw Zuikaku and Shōkaku walking towards her. The former pointed at a certain building behind Cleveland, its only visible entrance way had collapsed down burying the only path to inside unfeasible. "She threw her sister there when I attacked them"

"An act of bravery" Shōkaku commented only to earn a snort in return from Cleveland.

"An act of desperation" She retorted, spitting a mouthful of blood. "I didn't have much choice did I?"

Takao's hand twitched on her sword.

Zuikaku scoffed angrily, obviously not appreciating Cleveland's rather disrespectful reply to her sister. "You sealed your own fate when you lot decided to intrude into our territory and steal our valuables, now you must pay with your blood and eternally be basked in regret"

The venom latching with those words should have made anyone receiving it tremble in fear, but Cleveland merely laughed in response. "I have many regrets in my life but doing what I think right is the least in those" She declared between chuckles, somehow finding the idea amusing. "Besides, we make our own fate"

That was the last straw for the brunette Carrier. She flicked her sword to get rid of Cleveland's blood sticking on it, lowered her body in a stance and readied herself to deliver the finishing strike. With Cleveland's condition, it should only take one well placed slash to end her right there, consequences be damned.

"Wait" Takao stopped Zuikaku right before she dashed forward, earning a frown from the Carrier. "Please allow me" She finished, brandishing her own sword.

"Takao-"

"It's alright" She interrupted Atago, knowing full well if she finished her question she would be doubting herself again. They had their orders and she was there to execute them, just like a good soldier she was. "I shall take the honor myself"

"... if you say so"

Her feet carried her forward, faster than she could anticipate and not long after Takao was already standing before Cleveland, parted by a few meters distance only. They eyed each other as the world blurred between the two, their focus narrowing to just what before them.

"Duty, diligence and dignity. Those are what define you" The blonde mused, her secondary guns zeroed in to Takao while a series of clicking signaled her last operational main battery finally finished being reloaded.

"I could say the same to you"

"... bring it on, Takao"

"Here I come, Cleveland"

The Heavy Cruiser jumped forward, her sword poised low ready to cut anything she desired. At the same time, Cleveland's 152 and 127mm guns exploded in a salvo aimed towards the incoming target.

A deafening boom resonated through the air and the water before them exploded to countless, sparkling droplets. Takao weaved through the line of fire, dodging and deflecting bullets with her armored rigging while her speed allowed her to close the gap in a matter of seconds. It certainly didn't take long before she reached sword range.

With one mighty thrust, her sword tore through a soft resistance. A sickening wet crunch followed it, and Cleveland's guns fell silent almost immediately.

Takao didn't dare to look up, even when a steady trail of blood dripped down to the hilt of her sword and began to paint her hands red. Her teeth were chattering and her legs shook, her emotions were all over the place and she had no control over them.

She didn't like this, she hated everything that had been happening. This was not how it was supposed to be, they shouldn't be killing each other like this. These were their friends, people they'd been fighting together with while those Sirens were their enemies, things they'd been fighting against. Why were things no longer making any sense?

She... she hated it.

"Ugh..."

Takao's eyes shot up when she heard Cleveland groaned weakly, at that moment she finally noticed the moistness in her eyes was not from the sea water but... something else, something far more natural, something she hadn't had since years.

"How-" How were you still alive? Was what Takao was about to ask but she cut herself short.

"A simple... final effort" Cleveland breathed out a deep shuddering breath, one of her hands reaching out to grasp Takao's in a futile attempt to ease her pain.

"You dodged it" The disbelief was clear as day in Takao's tone as she stared at her sword, lodged deep to the base exactly above Cleveland's chest, the tip glinted from the Light Cruiser's back piercing right through her rigging.

She made sure to aim at her heart for an instant killing blow, didn't matter whether you're a human or KANSEN but a strike onto your heart or head would guarantee a death no matter what, and Cleveland's move had been sluggish at best so to have her dodge her lightning fast strike was just... unbelievable.

"N-not really" Cleveland wheezed out. "You... S-still got me"

Even with such a narrow miss, Takao's strike was still lethal if left unattended. It, however, was not her intention. She wanted to grant Cleveland a quick painless death, not a long suffering by blood loss.

That's why she decided to fix her mistake, and quickly at that.

Planting one of her feet to Cleveland's front, Takao pushed the Light Cruiser forward and pulled her sword out of her body. She ignored that disturbing sound of flesh being torn open and Cleveland's cry of agony, focusing on the one and only thing on her mind instead.

Complete her objectives.

The blonde fell on her side where she then inadvertently curled up, tears streaming down her eyes as she desperately tried to lessen the searing hot pain on her ruined left side to no avail. Cleveland was barely aware with the way her blood was gushing out like a broken faucet, more so when Takao kicked her so she now lay sprawled on her back.

"I promise I won't miss this time" Takao said as she pointed the tip of her sword to Cleveland's chest, this time exactly at where her heart was.

Cleveland didn't have any strength left on her so she decided to just... let go. There was nothing else she could do aside from staring back to the blurry outline that was the Heavy Cruiser and the red glint that was her bloodied sword, her blood she vaguely noted mentally, while trying to keep her fading consciousness within her grasp at the same time. The pain on her chest area had been reduced to a pulsating dull aching sensation, a clear sign she was no longer in a shape to maintain any proper basic mental functions due to blood loss. Thinking was hard, and that couldn't be good.

So when she saw a blur of blue falling from the sky that oddly resembled a certain Light Cruiser she decided her mind had finally succumbed to a delirious state.

... Is that a cannon flash in the sky?

"Enterprise here, the drop is successful, I'll be joining with you shortly"

This was a crazy idea.

Never in her life Helena thought she would be jumping out from an aircraft that was travelling at 300 kilometers per hour, at 100 meters altitude in nothing but her rigging. Her stomach churned just from the idea yet here she was, plummeting down to the ground so fast her hair had been waving around like crazy behind her.

The wind, oh God the wind, was rushing all around her, almost drowning the muffled sound coming from her headsets. She barely comprehended the transmission. "Okay, I'll do as planned"

"We will do as planned" Came in San Diego's reply through the radio. "I will take care of Chōkai and Maya so don't worry!"

Helena aimed her guns at the Carriers below her and fired her forward battery, followed by her secondary cannons and 40mm Bofors as addition. They didn't see her coming so she had the advantage of a surprise attack, and catching your opponents off guard was the easiest way to win a fight.

The shells flew through the air and impacted on both Shōkaku and Zuikaku right on their flight decks, knocking both Carriers off balance with the sheer momentum and angle the shells came from. Atago, meanwhile, jumped away the second the Carriers were hit and turned around looking for the attacker, only to realize too late she should have looked up when Helena finally landed next to Takao and Cleveland.

"Stay away from her!" The blue haired girl barked out, firing her rear battery at Takao to force her to back off. Helena barely had enough time to orientate herself after the fall but she quickly grabbed Cleveland from the ground and dragged her to safety, utilizing the chaos she did at its best potential.

When the dust settled, all that left was a red pool of bloody sea water and a trail leading somewhere into a building.

"Zuikaku! Are you okay?!" Shōkaku shouted almost frantically between her coughing fit, trying to reach her sister out.

"I-I'm fine! Where the hell did she come from?!"

"Doesn't matter! How is your deck?! Can you launch aircraft?!"

Zuikaku took a bit longer time to answer as she inspected her rigging. "I think I still can"

"Good! At least we-"

Boom!

For the second time, they were knocked off their feet when the Siren Destroyer behind them suddenly exploded in fiery red flames, sending a hot shock wave all over the place.

"Wh-wha...?"

"This is Battleship Yamashiro! Our Siren escorts have just been taken out!"

"Nürnberg speaking! We also lost the screening Siren Battleships!"

"Niimi to all Destroyers, do not get anywhere close to your Siren pair! Something is destroying them!"

"Akagi here" The frantic Battle-net fell silent the moment that sultry almost coy voice suddenly spoke up, Zuikaku in particular despite her dislike to the foxes she still found herself listening to her. "The attack is coming from the sky, all Carriers report back and maintain air superiority. All Siren Carriers have been reduced to pieces of junks, I expected no less anyway. Keep your fighters up and there shall be no problem, the enemy just caught us off guard nothing more..."

"... She's wrong" Shōkaku muttered, catching Atago's attention. The Heavy Cruiser was confused, very confused with their current situation.

"What?"

Zuikaku suddenly straightened up "I... just lost contact with my fighter squadrons" she said, perplexed. "Dear Sister...?"

"Mine too"

Atago looked at Shōkaku, then Zuikaku, and then Shōkaku again as if staring at them would grant her an answer she'd been searching for but all she got was faces full of... fear?

"What is going on?!"

"The Heaven's Wrath is truly terrible" Takao mused out loud, this time Atago got her answer when she followed her sister's gaze up to the sky where countless red trails and explosions could be seen, some of the trails fell to the earth below and in their wake a pillar of black smoke would rise, something Atago realized as missile contrails and the smoke must be the Siren ships burning. "The time for our judgement is nearing, and there's nothing we can do to stop it"

This is for all the sins we have committed.

Enterprise stood near the deployed ramp of the Pelican as it slowly descended downwards to the opened section of the clock tower, though rather than to say opened, blown off was a more appropriate word since the hole was undoubtedly made by an explosion in the past. It was large enough for them to fit the back of the Pelican and that was exactly what they were doing.

Once it had stabilized enough they would jump out and quickly search the building to find their friends, the first to go was the Destroyers and then the Cruisers, followed by the sole Battleship Warspite. Once they had given all clear would Enterprise and Vestal make their way down the stairs.

The silver haired Carrier glanced outside through a window, watching as her counterpart's missile strikes devastated the Sirens, and to a smoking black silhouette under a rubble across the street. She had informed them about the situation, how dire it was currently to the point Helena and San Diego had to divert from the plan and took action earlier. Helena in particular understood the dread Enterprise felt when it was revealed her sister was badly damaged because she and Cleveland were very good friends, she even insisted on jumping out the Pelican, something even the other Enterprise thought was a crazy idea.

Well, her exact word was nuts but yeah basically same meaning.

"Helena to whoever is listening, I need help immediately, please!"

The team went on an abrupt stop as a door suddenly swung open below revealing Prince of Wales who had her sword out as if ready to strike someone, she only relaxed when she realized who they were.

"Helena, Enterprise actual, what's your situation?"

"I've got Cleveland but..." Helena choked on her own word, there was a series of sniffling from her end which caused alarm to blare inside their heads. "She's bleeding so much I can't stop it!"

Prince of Wales grimaced at the news but that was all she showed before gesturing for them to follow her, and wordlessly they complied, squeezing through the door one by one. The situation inside was more chaotic than what they expected, Langley and Ranger were talking together along with Illustrious and the other available Carriers regarding the positioning of their complements of aircraft while the Battleships were on the overwatch, constantly firing at distant targets well past beyond their line of vision.

There was nothing in the room except a pair of chairs and a table, any other Ship-girls were sitting on the floor or leaning against the wall, all looking grim especially a certain silver haired Light Cruiser.

Montpelier, her eyes were bloodshot, she must be listening to the radio chatter.

Denver was leaning against her, probably the only reason Montpelier hadn't gone out in search of Cleveland herself. Her face was abnormally flushed and her breathing was shallow and rapid, a fever perhaps?

The Destroyers quickly dispersed, their nimble complexion making it easier to slip through the busy environment and they quickly fell out of the building once they made contact with local forces. Phoenix helped directing them, something about reinforcing Laffey and Javelin on Northwest.

"Stay low, I'm heading there now. Can you tell me her injury?"

"It's a... uh, a direct puncture to the back from front right below her left collarbone. God why won't the bleeding stop?! I don't know what to do! Please help me!"

"Helena, listen to me! It'll be more difficult to deal with an injury in that area especially one with such extent but don't worry I can fix it easily with Biofoam. I just need you to hold up and keep the wound shut as best as you can"

"O-okay, I'll try my best"

"Good girl, I know you will. I have your signal, I'm outside your building now and is currently heading inside, you should be able to see my torchlight"

"Yes! I see you! Right here!"

"Alright, I got you. Let's get her patched up"

"So you did get our message" Prince of Wales began just as she led them to Sheffield and Edinburgh somewhere in the corner, both Royal Navy Cruisers were a contrast to their surrounding with their clothes being as refined as they could, so out of place in literal meaning.

"We did, albeit delayed" Belfast replied casually before working her way to her fellow maids. "Report" She demanded Edinburgh who jumped in surprise.

"B-Bel?! How did you-?!"

"We shall talk about that later, we have more pressing issues at hand and I prefer our priorities first"

Edinburgh nodded and pushed her glasses to the bridge of her nose, finally noticing Enterprise and the team. She began to recall what transpired during their deployment, everything they understood of their enemy, their intentions and objectives. Sheffield gave her own inputs here and there by adding or elaborating from her own point of view but there was really nothing worth of noting.

At least until they reached the part about Siren Superdreadnought.

"It was massive, there's really no weapon as far as we could see but I myself was not sure about its nature, or even its whole size to begin with" Sheffield paused. "For all we know, it could be bigger than what met the eyes"

"W-we were discovered when investigating it, I'm sorry it was my fault!"

Warspite quickly reassured Edinburgh. "It's nobody's fault, you're here that's what matter the most"

"What about Akashi and that key you mentioned?" Enterprise cut in the conversation, they really didn't have time for this so she wanted to make things end as fast as possible. "Where are they?"

"Akashi is treating Hornet over there" Sheffield pointed at a certain room which Enterprise hastily entered the moment she mentioned her sister's name, unaware with the way Belfast almost grabbed her by the shoulder. The Light Cruiser refrained at the last second though, opting to follow Enterprise instead.

Akashi was sitting beside Hornet when Enterprise suddenly marched in, startling the life out of her. The Aircraft Carrier barely spared her a glance however since her focus lay solely on the blonde girl sleeping on a worn down mattress in front of Akashi, silently watching her slow but steady breathing with terrible sadness.

"Hornet..." Enterprise crouched down and grabbed Hornet's bandaged hand, slowly and tentatively as if touching her would cause her a great pain. She looked so small, it reminded her of the long past times when Hornet was still a child. Back then they were happy despite the suffering and horrible reality of the world, the 3 of them were inseparable yet here she was now almost losing her one and last remaining person she could rely on.

Hornet's eyes fluttered open in response to her call, glossy green orbs replacing her usual bright glows, windows of a weary and tired soul. She seemed lost and confused, probably because of what she saw.

"Wales...!" The blonde Carrier rasped out, a hellish song that fueled Enterprise's inner turmoil. There was no confidence, no witty underlying tone. Just a long drawled struggle of a wounded body.

Prince of Wales heard Hornet's call and immediately walked inside, abandoning whatever conversation she had with Warspite. "Yes?"

"You know... that medicine did make me feel funny but... I'm starting to see things over here"

"You're not hallucinating if that's what you meant" Vestal interjected from behind Prince of Wales before making her way to Hornet too. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know, honestly, I've rest but I don't really feel best yet" Hornet sighed and tried to sit up, waving Vestal's hands off. "So you guys are really here" She then breathed out, still in disbelief.

"We've come" Enterprise simply said in return but Hornet refused to meet her gaze.

"... I'm sorry"

"For what?"

"For everything. I've said all that stuff to you but... I ended up being a disappointment"

"Hornet-"

"I know I'm not any good compared to you but I still want to try my best, and the best I did yet I still failed"

"Hornet-"

"I almost got everyone killed and we had no way to escape" Hornet coughed violently yet she still pushed Vestal away when the Repair Ship tried to force her down. "I can't... I can't even do things correctly without your support! I'm sure everything would have been fine had you gone to this mission too, you would know what to do, always"

Enterprise watched her sister tremble as she fell into a sobbing fit, tears were streaming down Hornet's face freely and for the first time since years she let herself act in accordance to her heart instead of head.

She embraced Hornet.

"I wouldn't know" Enterprise whispered to her sister's ear, one of her hands instinctively went to caress Hornet's blonde hair like how she used to do. Hornet's twin ponytails were gone and her hair was down, her signature black coat was also gone, hanging near the entryway along with her hat.

The effect was instantaneous and Hornet quickly relaxed in her embrace, but it was not enough to wash her despair just yet. "But you-"

"Listen, Hornet. Experience is what define a good soldier, in a battlefield there are times when you can only survive if you are experienced enough. But even for the most seasoned soldier there is always the first time for everything, and in this case that's exactly what happened"

"This is the first time we fight one another as KANSEN, there's no such scenario in the past" Vestal added comfortingly, picking up where Enterprise left at.

"You did great, you managed to keep everyone safe so far and that's enough" Vaguely, Enterprise felt Hornet nodded and she slowly broke the hug but she still kept her hands on Hornet's shoulders, twirling her thumbs in a comforting manner.

The moment was broken when a ruckus suddenly happened outside their room, Prince of Wales was the first one to exit followed closely by Belfast. For a second, everything seemed to fall quiet until a now familiar grey haired girl barged inside, all but glared around the occupants.

Enterprise tensed up when her counterpart stopped beside her and in extent her sister, looking at the blonde Carrier thoroughly before turning her attention to a certain Repair Ship.

"I've taken care of Cleveland, she and Helena have already left the AO earlier along with San Diego, I put them in a Pelican"

Vestal struggled to reply, that piercing maroon gaze of her's somehow seemed more intense than usual. "That's...relieving" She simply settled to say.

The spaceship fell silent for a second. "I've had enough of this whole 'don't kill your enemy' nonsense, everything would be easier if we just wipe them off" She suddenly confessed matter-of-factly, surprising them with how unperturbed it was expressed.

"Excessive use of force is not necessary" Prince of Wales piped in from near the doorway when nobody said anything in return, arms crossed. "I believe your way of thinking is flawed"

"Well, I don't. You seriously should reconsider your way of thinking if you hear this from me. You almost got one of your own killed back there and I care not about you people except for what I was told"

Hornet's eyes shot up in shock, unaware with the way her sister flinched. "Who?! Who almost got killed?!"

"Hornet-"

"Cleveland, make it two of them, and all of you had I not been here. But that's beside the point" If she was aware with the way they glared at her, she didn't show it. Instead, she craned her neck and looked at Akashi. "Akashi, I presume?"

"Y-yes?"

"Where's the key?"

"Key?"

"Yes, the item they recovered from your base"

"I don't know about any key but if you mean the Wisdom Cube then it's over there" Akashi pointed at a sturdy looking metal box behind Hornet, barely visible thanks to a white fabric covering it.

"Wisdom Cube? I thought it was a key" The spaceship mused out loud, mildly confused.

"It is a key, she didn't know it" Wales affirmed.

"Then let's evacuate immediately while the sky is clear, I don't want to linger in this place than what's necessary" She declared before she suddenly went after Akashi and grabbed her by her arm.

The catgirl gasped in both agony and surprise when the taller girl dragged her out of the room, the metal box containing their Wisdom Cube in her other hand, up to the top floor of the building where she then unceremoniously threw her into the waiting Pelican along with the box. Prince of Wales, Vestal, Belfast and her maid friends all shouted and marched after her but she ignored them all.

"What in the bloody hell are you doing?!" The blonde Battleship bellowed when the Pelican departed along with Akashi and the Wisdom Cube, two Broadswords fell on its sides acting as escorts.

"Securing mission critical objectives" She merely said to the Royal Navy girls almost disinterestedly, directing her attention to a shocked Vestal instead. "Doc, can Hornet equip her rigging in her current condition?"

"I... wouldn't advise it"

"Any long term side effects?"

"Supposedly none but it'll hamper her recovery, so to speak"

"Then it's good enough. Tell her to get ready to move out and don her equipment, also inform the others we'll evacuate in Condors instead and quickly dismantle the perimeter, I've got it covered"

Belfast looked at her oddly but she wordlessly left along with Vestal, followed by that clumsy maid with glasses and then her blonde fellow, the latter took a long unchanging stare before she made a move out just as silently.

Now it's just her and Prince of Wales alone, accompanied by some distant explosions courtesy of her Archer strikes and CAP units.

"Why are you so keen with violence?" The Battleship asked after a brief silence.

"There is no such thing as keen with violence, you gotta do what you have to do"

"By show of force? I understand you consider yourself as an untouchable entity, higher than any living being in this world when it comes to pure strength but you should take people's feelings into account instead of forcing your ideal on them"

"... -now"

"Excuse me?"

"I don't know how to deal with people"

At that moment, realization dawned on Wales and her face softened considerably. She made a small noise of understanding before replying. "You're one of the kind, I see..."

"What kind?"

"The one who doesn't know how to properly express herself"

"I understand emotions"

"Yet that's all it was"

"I didn't have time to feel-" Enterprise caught herself mid-sentence. That wasn't true. "No, there's nothing to feel except sorrow and anger so I kind of went through it without feeling much"

"Feelings are what make us human, you should learn to embrace them more"

"But I'm not human. I'm a machine made for war, to follow orders and enforce the law of destruction. I do not suppose to feel, just act"

That silenced Prince of Wales alright, she opened her mouth and then closed it again when nothing came out again and again, Enterprise would find it hilarious seeing her at loss for words like that had it not because of her circumstances.

She decided to make a move to the stairway when it was apparent the Battleship wouldn't say anything soon but Prince of Wales blocked her mid-way, so suddenly she had to stop herself from lodging her Combat Knife to the Battleship's guts. Why did she do that? didn't she know she had little to no trust to her and her friends? Enterprise was this close from killing Belfast just a week ago.

"You must change your way of thinking, or otherwise it'll doom you"

The Heavy Carrier slowly turned her head to face Wales, staring deep into her eyes searching for any underlying motives. She knew enough to tell if someone was hostile or not, Enterprise was just terrible with this whole social courtesy... things. Afterall, there's almost no casual interaction during her service in past life aside from war related stuff, the closest she got to lax time was when she was out conducting patrols or logistic duties, other than that it's just a series of repeating cycles.

Briefing, help evacuate a planet, intercept any Covenant ships, engage them in space battle, do as best to survive, retreat. That was all to it with maybe some break in form of intelligence related operations which were far in between.

Still, there was no ulterior meaning behind Wales' actions, in fact it surprised her how genuine she seemed at that moment, yet she wouldn't take her observation skill to face value, no puns intended.

"Noted"

Prince of Wales didn't stop her again after that.

The trip back home was spent in total silence, nobody uttered a word the whole flight, probably too exhausted or relieved they finally got a moment of peace and rest after all those days of struggle. Whichever it was, Enterprise was grateful for the lack of conversation.

The Heavy Carrier silently watched the ruined city below her getting smaller and smaller until it disappeared under a cloud, noting the black smoke billowing high, before hitting the ramp control button of the Condor she was on with her palm to close it. Everything suddenly fell quiet, more so than before now the cargo compartment was sealed shut from the outside world.

Her standard-issued combat boots were the first to make noise, aside from the Condor's engines steady humming, as she fluidly maneuvered between the Ship-girls filling the aircraft and their riggings to the front most part which was the cockpit. Even though a Condor was pretty robust on the inside, the sheer size of a Ship-girl's equipment took 2 or 3 people worth of space even when folded, especially the Battleships and Carriers. That's why she decided to evacuate in Condors after much consideration.

She didn't want to risk the prototype dropships and utilize them so soon but she didn't have much choice either, there were plenty of flaws in their hastily put together rescue plan they might as well charge blindly to the enemy at this point, and not considering the required exfil assets was one of those flaws. She improvised, though, something she's good at.

Of course, it wouldn't be as difficult if she was allowed to just precision strike the hell out of her enemy, a term she finally had ascertained the who in this new world. The Siren was the bad guy, she understood as much, and their accomplice too for opposing the Azur Lane and being a threat to humanity, another term she was overly familiar with, no matter how significant they might be for mankind they were nothing but another threat and so must be treated as such.

At least for now.

But alas, it wasn't that easy. While Enterprise didn't answer to anyone except the UNSC, she had a certain amount of respect for the Commander she didn't want to be a nuisance for him and decided to adhere to his wishes. The man kept his words, he had many ways to turn her in during her most vulnerable moments yet he didn't do it but instead he went and helped her to recover despite knowing full well she possessed an edge that would propelled their military to centuries ahead.

That must count as something, right?

Enterprise walked past Prince of Wales, fully aware with the way she glanced at her through the corners of her eyes. She didn't say anything though and the next thing Enterprise knew she was sitting in the cockpit, watching the darkening sky before her with dull interest.

Helena... she had instructed her how to give Cleveland a first aid treatment with some IV tubes the Pelican carried, she also told her about the Biofoam and its nature as best as she could so overall Helena would do fine for a while, besides from what Enterprise saw the Light Cruiser seemed to possess a basic medical knowledge and that helped a lot. Right now they were waiting in her hangar area with Cleveland lying on a stretcher, which Enterprise had prepared earlier, while Helena and San Diego sat near her on the floor.

They were talking about something regarding Cleveland while also constantly looking around anxiously, yet when Enterprise cycled through her security cameras she couldn't make out any point of interest so it had to be nervousness than them being snoopy.

She hit the INTERCOM and told the passengers to brace as the Condor broke through the atmosphere. The dropship rattled and shook but it wasn't as bad as a Pelican would, much to her surprise, and they escaped the planet's gravity rather quickly, truly a sophisticated ship she must add.

Two of the twelve Broadswords escorting the four Condors sped up and flight patterns were distributed to each aircraft, Enterprise then activated her hull lights to pin point her exact location, even 500 years later the most reliable approach was a visual one afterall and she'd rather not crash on her own self because that would be stupid.

"Enterprise actual to all Broadsword squadrons, proceed with the appointed flight plans until further notice"

"Jupiter One copy"

"Mercury Leader copy"

"Neptune flight requesting emergency docking permission"

Enterprise frowned, not at how the AIs replied but at the last reply, she had passed the surprise when they actually talked back to her days ago. "Neptune Leader, status report"

"Neptune Three's second engine is damaged"

"Damaged? How?"

"Heavy anti aircraft fire by, Prompt Target Akagi, and Prompt Target Kaga, successfully hit Neptune Three"

Kaga and Akagi... Enterprise remembered the Commander warned her about those two, she didn't know they'd be that much of a problem though.

If only I was allowed to sink them...

"Neptune Leader, your flight is cleared to dock through entry point Alpha-2, send traffic once you're off the tarmac"

"Solid copy, actual"

Enterprise suppressed a sigh and mentally ordered her aircraft to halt, once again she informed everyone but this time she used a ship-wide communication so those in her metal form and the other Condors could hear her talking.

"This is Enterprise, we'll be holding up for a while, don't worry everything is fine"

"She sounded... upset?"

"More like annoyed if you ask me"

Vestal snorted cynically at Warspite's retort, finding it hard to believe yet it sounded more profound. None of them understand her, despite sharing the same name with Vestal's certain friend, the other Enterprise was an enigma to them. The only thing they had in common was their diligence towards duty, a somehow focused view of the future that overshadowed their present, in that department both of them were pretty simple to understand; keep on forward and take actions, complete the mission and repeat.

In other words, they'd only rest when they're dead.

Her Enterprise could be described as a thunderstorm, raging wind and downpour that washed over a grassland sweeping them wet in one swoop, uncontrolled and rough. While the other Enterprise was a pressurized hose, more focused and would blow the grassland altogether with sheer power, controlled but dangerous when it was pointed into something.

But lately, rays of sunlight had begun to penetrate through Enterprise's cloudy personality, bringing in a long lost warmth after almost a decade of rain. Vestal was happy she got to see the change she had been longing for from Enterprise, and she once again hoped this would turn her back to how she was. Vestal was tired of seeing that subtle sadness in Yorktown's eyes whenever the subject of Enterprise was mentioned.

For a Ship-girl, the only real family she has is her sisters, the only people you can rely on...

The Repair Ship patted Enterprise on the shoulder, gaining her attention. She was standing beside Hornet, keeping her upright inside the Condor with Warspite on Hornet's other side. There were only 4 people inside to provide Hornet enough space since she tended to sway a lot and her rigging couldn't be folded like the others due to damage so they really couldn't squeeze everyone in, Vestal would have Hornet lying by now but again until they could secede Hornet with her rigging there really was nothing she could do.

"What's the matter? You've been awfully quiet, do you want to trade places?"

"How about you offer me that? You know I only have one hand on this, and I mean literally. Why was I chosen for this task anyway?" Warspite grunted out but Vestal ignored her, instead she kept her attention on Enterprise.

"It's nothing, I was just thinking" The silver haired Carrier mumbled back before she sent a glance at Hornet. "How is she? Can you fix her?"

"I need to properly ascertain her damage so no I can't give an answer yet" A dejected look replaced Enterprise's previously uptight expression and Vestal found herself biting her lips hopelessly. "I... can't promise you anything, it'll go against my etiquette" The last thing Vestal wanted was to give her friend a false hope so she decided to stay neutral and professional for a change. "But I'll do my best"

"... In case she needs replacement parts, you should take mine and put them on her"

Vestal's eyes widened, her small albeit uneasy smile disappeared and was replaced with certain horror. "N-no, that won't be necessary, Ship-girls heal remember?"

"You know what I'm talking about, Vestal"

Vestal fell quiet, her hands unconsciously rubbing each other as a cold ran down her spine almost making her shiver in a room temperature environment. She sent Warspite a distressed look but the Battleship suddenly seemed very interested with her sling and ignored her altogether.

"We don't know it, if we need to replace her parts yet..."

"True that, but I am merely giving you an option" Enterprise stated firmly but then her tone took a smaller turn to a whisper. "Tell me, after you repaired me, are there any spare parts left in the base specifically for a Yorktown-class?"

"... no. Logistics are still somewhat poorly arranged and whatever resources we had, have been used to keep the base up and running especially after that last attack"

Enterprise nodded. "Then you tell me, in all honesty, did Hornet sink or not?"

Vestal took a deep shuddering breath, the question she dreaded the most had finally been asked. "She... did"

"A rigging-less Ship-girl is as good as gone, when her metal form slipped beneath the waves she lost her ability as a warship, regardless whether she has it equipped or not and unless a salvage operation is conducted she would never recover. Her rigging would be nothing but a dead limb". The Aircraft Carrier looked at her dead in the eyes, those purple gazes pierced through Vestal's soul and hidden secrets with ease, it took everything out of her to not shrink under Enterprise's intense stare. "Hornet should have sunk, she only survived because the water was to shallow so instead she ran aground"

"... yes. And if we don't repair her quickly then she will never recover. But taking your parts... you'll be incapacitated you won't be able to summon your own rigging until those parts are restored"

"Doesn't matter, I can wait until the next shipment is arrive, however Hornet cannot"

"I'm speaking from strategic and tactical point of views, the advantages of a fully working Carrier and a half working Carrier are obvious. I don't think the Commander will approve this..."

"I will make sure he does"

Silence. The conviction in Enterprise's words stole Vestal's will to argue, she knew the Carrier wasn't in a prime situation to think clearly and once she cooled her head enough she would agree with her statement. The problem, however, Enterprise would never relent especially in a circumstance where her sister was involved.

"Ha... there you go... being stubborn again" Vestal, Enterprise and Warspite turned towards Hornet when she suddenly spoke, meeting her bemused and hazy eyes.

"Hornet! You were awake?!" Vestal nearly shouted, she was shocked to see her relatively conscious.

"Yeah, this whole time... I heard everything too"

Enterprise squeezed Hornet's hand slung over her shoulders comfortingly. "It's alright, I'll make sure you are well soon"

"It's not alright. Vestal was right, I'm not any of use right now and even if... I got repaired, m-my combat rating won't be as good as you" Hornet coughed and wheezed violently, her body shook and she nearly fell of their grasps. "Ah... dammit. I don't sound so convincing, do I?"

"No"

"Yet deep down you know it's the best option, right?"

"I... yes"

"Then it's decided"

"But you-!"

"I'll be fine"

Enterprise gritted her teeth. "It was my fault, all of this was my fault. My actions led to this, my selfishness and stubbornness nearly costed me my sister, again"

Warspite who had been silent the whole time finally decided to join in the conversation. "If there's someone you want to blame, then you should start blaming that girl. She appeared and forced us to confront her, and by doing so we lost a considerable amount of firepower" She shifted on her feet, straightening up more. "But then you realize how frustrating it was it wasn't her fault either"

"Where are you getting at?"

"What I mean is, pinning the blame to someone won't fix our problems. The Wheel of Fate is simply spinning forward in accordance to our actions, what we do defines our outcomes. Us? we don't know where it leads to, only to regret passing that penny or relieve when we miss that bump on the road once we past the point. Nobody knows, we just do our best on the present to plot our course"

"Oh wow... th-that was deep. How long did you think of it?" Hornet asked the Battleship who merely gave her a half shrug with her free arm.

"Since I board this aircraft, I got bored so I figured I'd overthink myself to death"

Hornet made a sound with her throat that distinctively like a snort. "I didn't know you could joke around"

"Every once in a while" Warspite replied with a smile, but it was gone a second later as she address Enterprise. "I hope this makes you more careful when you plot your course next from now on, just remember your actions don't and won't affect you only"

They were looking at her, and despite knowing better Enterprise still felt as if they were judging her with those eyes, as if accusing her of the problems they were in. She screwed up big time and just in the first month of her assignment to the Pacific Base no less, it would be an enough reason for the Commander to fill in a transfer request and she'd be sent off to God-knows-where. Warspite might have said all those stuff to reassure her but it'd only affirmed her thoughts, that she was the one at fault here.

And if the Commander was so desired, he could send her to Atlantic, all the way to the other side of the planet and most importantly far off of her little sister. Couldn't say she was not against the idea seeing how it turned out, for everyone's sake.

Maybe Wasp should have taken this assignment afterall, she would have taken care of Hornet just fine if she did.

Hornet sensed the despair emanating from her sister despite the numbing cold on her limbs, she had been feeling that way since she was damaged, and with a tremendous effort she lifted her head and squeezed Enterprise's shoulder with her hand comfortingly. "Don't... whatever you're thinking... L-let's talk this through once I am sober enough" She then laughed, a short but genuine laugh. "Oh man... I feel like shit"

Just when she was done talking, the Condor suddenly lurched forward ever so slightly as it prepared for docking, the path was cleared and they were good to return. For Hornet though, her world had finally slipped into a calming darkness with her last ounce of strength leaving her body, lulling her into a merciful slumber she certainly needed and deserved.

"This is UNSC Enterprise, all assets are onboard. RTB"

TBC

Hey, what's up guys? haven't see you all since last year, hope you all are doing fine.

Yes, that's probably one of the lamest jokes ever exist lol but screw it you can only use it at times like these.

So anyway, I think this is the longest I took to update this story and I'm honestly sorry for that. I won't make any excuse but the last two months have been hectic for me and my family, you know the usual matters. And there's also me struggling to make a good ending for this chapter. Believe it or not but I've mostly completed it since weeks ago, it's just the polishing part that is so time consuming.

I had no prior plan to make it this long, yet the chapter kinda stretched out to the point it's almost twice the length of my original plan. I enjoyed writing a great part of this chapter and I just couldn't help myself you know? and the next thing I know I've already had it this much. I just hope it meets your expectations though.

I forgot to mention this. UNSC Enterprise has 3 'modes', one is a 'full combat mode' where she has with her a full rigging configuration, 'semi-casual' with her wearing UNSC Marine outfit (in this mode she doesn't have flight capability but she can still walk on water surface) and finally 'casual mode' which she hasn't used in this story yet. So far the only time she goes full combat mode is when she first appears, the rest is her in semi-casual. Basically if she goes to battle with her metal form above her head for some reasons then that means she's in semi-casual mode.

Oh yeah I read through your reviews, and I love them all including the most lengthy one, actually it surprised me someone would actually go and give me a total sum like that. I must say, though, there are some interesting points I'd love to implement in the future but we'll see how that turns out later.

Here are some answers to your questions and suggestions.

- The flashbacks are just some mere character backgrounds and since I don't have plan to have them of significance for the story I didn't really think it through, but I admit I left quite an amount of plot holes whether intentional or unintentional for future developments. Also I'm not really familiar with Kantai Collection, I just thought the whole 'spirit of a ship' thing as a cool idea and decided to put it to my story.

- Yes there will be a revelation regarding Halo universe and while it's not any time close it is not far away too, maybe 2 or 3 chapters to come, I don't want to rush things.

- Sins of the Prophets is a cool mod, but I don't really have any computer to try it with so can't really do much.

- Yes, I've heard the news about Enterprise parts recycling, I can't say much about it now so I'll reveal more as the story progresses forward.-No, there will not be any romance, any relationships will be platonic at best and I believe it for better. That was just my bad phrasing and when I said 'night attire' I actually meant pajamas. My bad.

- Constitution is Azur Lane's world equal of CVN-65, their Nuclear Enterprise, want to see more of her here? because I have a good news that I will have her later on and she won't be just a mere background name.

- Back in chapter 3, "For all I know I am currently the only active ship bearing the name Enterprise". There exist ships with similiar names, how it works I will reveal more later too.

-I love that little bit about Everest, is that her canon motto?

- Oh yeah there will be some talks about the "What happened to..." between UNSC Enterprise and other KANSENs, I've planned it since long ago.

- The case with Arizona and other Ship-girls who got destroyed and sunk along with her crew, let's just say while they will never get over it, it has been decades so it no longer bothers them unlike our space Enterprise.

- I will have Essex joining in too later :)

- I don't really know much about Star Trek, but I can say I like the series from what little movies I watched. There might be some references in the future but we'll see.

I had this chapter checked on Google Doc, manually paragraphs per paragraphs, such a work but I hope it worth the efforts. Tell me how it turned out please.

Alright then that would be all, I'll see you guys next chapter, hopefully. Stay safe and keep healthy, and thanks for your supports, keep those reviews coming alright.

Cipher032 out!