Chapter 9: The Root of It All

The sound of running water accompanied Hornet as she stood supported by a sink in her dorm room bathroom, silent as she could be as her mind struggled to grasp a decent processing speed due to her recent awakening.

Her pair of green eyes stared back at her from the reflection in the mirror, going up and down her bare body while constantly stopping when ugly marks of her injury made themselves palpable on her rather pale skin, contrasts in a white canvas that showed how damaged she was.

A nick on her right cheek, the bruise on her chest, and the wide gash on her abdomen, her fingers traced every single rugged spots on her soft flesh. Flinching and hissing when a drip of bodily fluid usually found in similar injury oozed out. Hornet gritted her teeth frustratedly when the effect of painkiller began to die out, making her wounds burn even more with the slightest of exposure to the bathwater dripping from her still damp hair.

She sighed then, ruffling her blonde locks somewhat exasperatedly before grabbing a new set of bandages from her inventory, not missing a glance at the bloodied ones stuffed in the trashcan beside her.

"I hope Vestal is not on her way here..." Hornet muttered to herself as she began the meticulous work of reapplying the new bandages on her wounds, wincing here and there when she twisted her muscle the wrong way that contracted with her injury. When she was finished, she then put on the fresh clothes she carried on her way into the bathroom earlier, opting to wear a rather baggy black pants and white shirt over her usual outfits. However they saw a KANSEN as she was still a girl and she didn't want people to see her scars.

The blonde gave herself a once over for the nth time, and after a brief moment of consideration she decided to let her hair loose before making her way out of the bathroom.

Silently.

Hornet's gaze landed on a sleeping Enterprise on the side of her bed, head resting on her arms and coat hanging on the chair she sat on. Her signature naval cap was tipped slightly yet it almost concealed her whole face with how far her head was buried between her own arms, shielding it from the sunlight penetrating through the curtains.

A small smile found its way to Hornet's own face and she began to make her way to her sleeping sister, a fond memory began to resurface and it made her heart flutter just from remembering it. Her sisters used to accompany her whenever she was sick, back when they were little, and today she learned Enterprise still did when Hornet woke up only to find her fingers wrapped around her older sister's. There was no telling how long Enterprise had been there but Hornet knew it wasn't a short amount of time judging from the bags under Enterprise's eyes.

She shook her head, a bit disapproving yet she wouldn't lie and say it didn't make her happy.

"You worrywart..." Hornet whispered, tracing her fingers on Enterprise's silver hair, one of few physical traits that differed Hornet from her sisters but something she still loved. "You should start worrying over yourself first"

Enterprise shifted and grunted but she didn't wake up, and Hornet had to suppress a laugh in response.

Better not wake her up. The blonde thought to herself, searching her nightstand for a sheet of paper and a pen but much to her annoyance the latter was nowhere to be found despite all her effort of silently checking the drawer and even below her bed. Hornet decided to use a marker instead after her head smacked the bed frame, rattling it and Hornet's brain.

"Where the hell did I put that stupid pen..." She mumbled as she began to scribble a message for her sister that pretty much told her she would be outside looking for fresh air because she was bored, not forgetting a smiley face at the end, before setting it down on the nightstand.

After making sure it was visible, Hornet threw her sister one final glance before she began her escape, a bit giddily but still as silent as the wind until she was outside her room. If Vestal caught her leaving, she would wish she was dead, especially when she wasn't supposed to leave her bed yet.

It was a chance Hornet was willing to take though, after all there's nothing better than to have a delicious breakfast after waking up from 2 days worth of sleep, a sentiment her stomach agreed upon as it grumbled in response to her mouth watering idea.

Hornet stretched her arms, found it a bad idea when her back cracked in protest, and nearly jumped out of her skin when the door across from her room suddenly swung open revealing another blonde in the middle of her own escapade.

They stared at each other in a long, unblinking silence, sizing one another until finally the newcomer broke the little staring contest.

"Oh my God you look terrible" Cleveland said to her after a long pause of them staring at each other. It was obvious their sudden encounter surprised her as much it did Hornet but she tried to act it cool.

"Said the girl on a sling and IV stand" Hornet retorted, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Are those bandages I see under that hospital gown, Cleveland?"

Cleveland rolled her eyes. "Oh please, spare me the ted talk, we all know you're not supposed to be roaming around right now either. Wanna grab some chow?"

"Great minds think alike"

"I wonder"

Hornet chuckled as Cleveland began to drag the drip stand connected to her outside, it was a pure coincidence that Hornet glanced inside Cleveland's room and noticed a bed was empty and too pristine. "Has Columbia finally learned to make her bed?" She joked as she grabbed Cleveland's stand to help her carry it, but when no response came from the smaller blonde Hornet knew something was wrong. "Cleveland?"

Cleveland refused to meet her gaze but Hornet did notice the way she gripped the aluminum stand too tightly. "Columbia is not back yet"

A cold heavy feeling suddenly settled in Hornet's stomach. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"... last night I woke up with Montpelier by my side, looking all tired and sleep deprived. She told me that Columbia got left behind during our hasty extraction" Cleveland's voice hitched and her good shoulder began to tremble. "Nobody noticed until it was too late, I sent her off into a cover when we were ambushed. It was my fault she got left behind"

"I'm sorry"

Cleveland shook her head. "It's okay, if I were to pull names and blame the list would be too long. Mine would be on top"

Hornet was at a loss for words, she had no right to comfort her either so she didn't know what to do. "What... should we do?"

What should I do?

"Nothing"

"Huh?"

"Nothing" The Light Cruiser repeated and much to Hornet's surprise she had a small reassuring smile on her face as she looked at her. "Columbia is on her way back, she has Phoenix and Helena covering her"

"She is?"

"Uh-huh"

The blonde Carrier blinked. "Well that's... good? I mean I could have sworn I saw Phoenix back on that clocktower"

Was I really hallucinating? Then how many of those memories were true?

"Circumstances had it they got to drop both Helena and Phoenix back after entering orbit"

Hornet made a confused face at that, her mind hadn't worked on its fullest capacity so it was slower for her to recall how they actually managed to escape. "Orbit?"

"You don't remember? it was her who brought us back" Cleveland explained before shrugging once again. "Well, according to Montpelier's recollection, though"

Hornet didn't get what Cleveland was saying until she stared outside the windows in the hallways up to the sky, and suddenly everything clicked inside her head. "Oh..." Images of a giant wall of steel filled her vision, hovering hundreds of meters above her head as if to block her perception, and finally a tall and somewhat familiar woman standing near her superstructure with her all too calculative maroon eyes staring back at her green ones. "Oh, right..."

"Yeah... we owe her one this time" Cleveland scoffed at her own words, finding how down washed the credit was. They didn't owe her one, they owed her every single Ship-girls' lives saved that day and beyond. "Hey, do you mind a little detour?" Cleveland queried after a long silence of venturing the hallways as she gestured at a certain room.

"No, not at all. You want to pay them a visit?" Hornet asked when she realized whose room it was, stopping mid-step.

"Just a quick check" Cleveland responded, making her way to the doorway before pressing her ear to the door itself, hand on the knob. "I don't hear any sound though, they could still be sleeping" She said but it sounded more like a musing so Hornet merely nodded, watching the smaller blonde twist the knob and open the door as silent as she could.

Two silver haired girls lay motionlessly on a set of adjacent beds, one curled up and was facing the wall while the other faced the ceiling.

Montpelier and Denver.

Hornet looked at Montpelier and frowned, she was the type of girl who could easily be awoken with something as simple as a coin drop yet there she was sleeping like a rock, while much to her surprise Denver suddenly sat up and waved at them.

"Oh hey... this is a surprise" Despite her hoarse voice, it was clear she was being sarcastic. "Who could have thought the first thing you'd do in the morning after waking up from an obviously mortal injury is to invoke Vestal's wrath?"

Cleveland rolled her eyes and walked towards a now smiling Denver. "Being sassy already?" She shot back, not missing a punch.

Denver's smile broadened. "Eh, what can I say it's in my blood"

"True that" Cleveland replied with her own smile, but after a moment it quickly vanished as a heavier subject replaced it. "How are you feeling, Denver?"

Her sister reached out to her forehead with her only good hand, for a split second Denver thought of pushing the hand away until she noticed the IV drip connected to it. "I'm fine, being infected is suck especially the fever part but I think I'll be good tomorrow"

Hornet walked towards the small drawer below the room's only window, picking one of the many medicines strewn about it for a little examination. "Amoxicillin... and a big dose of it at that"

"It's not that big, just not the normal value" Denver corrected, twisting her head the best as she could with Cleveland practically holding her face. "Vestal began to worry when my fever hadn't settled on the second day and decided to give it to me"

"But you okay now, right?"

"Yeah, cheerful as day!" Denver said with a tone not matching her word before she scoffed rather audibly. "Monty there is on the other side though, girl pushed herself too much and nearly collapsed from exhaustion"

Cleveland glanced at her other sister when Denver motioned at her before she made her way to the other bed. Hornet meanwhile watched Denver sighed out a relief, probably because she was finally freed of Cleveland's nagging.

"She was worried about you, you know?" The Carrier mumbled when she was close enough to Denver.

"She should start worrying about herself first, I mean have you seen her wound? There was a sword piercing through her chest, eviscerating her lung and had it been a few centimeters lower she would have had her heart stabbed through" Denver retorted and with each word her frown deepening as she stared at Cleveland's back. "It was only because of, and I quote, wonderful first aid and damage control agent, she didn't die from internal bleeding. Vestal said there was no immediate treatment to patch Cleveland up"

Hornet followed Denver's gaze and grimaced, she didn't know the extent of Cleveland's injury aside before the day they were extracted, but even so it was already too much. It felt like she had failed everyone on her team from the way she was seemingly incapable of recognizing and processing what was happening around, irresponsible as it sounded.

Cleveland was oblivious to Hornet's inner turmoil as she leaned forward as far as she could to check on Montpelier, her right hand hovering right above the younger Cruiser's head, the furthest it could go with an IV tube connected to it. She stared at her sister with not a little amount of sorrow and remorse when she noticed her shallow breathing and the quick rise and fall of her chest.

"Vestal had to drug her" Hornet announced suddenly, earning Cleveland's attention.

"What did you say?"

The Aircraft Carrier nodded at the nightstand and the medicine on the top of it. "The tea" She elaborated, and sure enough Cleveland could make out a glint of red tea and white porcelain under the closed curtain. "It was drugged"

"You can't blame Vestal on this one" Denver added, rubbing her face and yawning. "She's been up since we're back with nothing but power naps, going back and forth checking you and me"

Her good hand balled into fist, nearly pushing the needle of her IV out of its socket through her skin. Hornet noticed this and she walked to Cleveland before grabbing her shoulder to calm her down. "Vestal knows what she's doing"

"Montpelier needs rest, sis" Denver added after a brief silence with her own unfaltering gaze directed to the blonde. "I would have knocked her out myself but I will never surpass her fighting spirit"

"I do not blame Vestal for this, in fact I thank her" A sigh left Cleveland's mouth and she relaxed instantly as a bitter smile settled on her face. "I wish none of my sisters go through such hardship, but it was all there to it, a mere wish I can't even make true"

"There are things beyond our grasp, ones that many of us learned the hard way. We've lost many and the dead would never return, best we could do is hoping we will meet again the next time we wake up" Denver said in response, her tone had lost its usual lightheartedness and was replaced with a more monotone melody. "And we see each other now and that's all that matter, don't you think? Although I can't say the same about that insurmountable tits monster..."

Cleveland let out a series of small laughs at that. "Columbia is on her way back, I trust Helena and Phoenix enough they'd be safe". She paused then, and after one final glance to Montpelier and a sigh Cleveland continued "I'm glad all of you are safe. What happened back then should never happen again"

"Are you going to speak with the Commander about that?"

"Yes"

Denver's brows twitched. "Just... don't be so harsh"

"I won't, I understand he too is in the position we are"

Hornet didn't understand what the two sisters were talking about. "What are you...?"

"It's nothing, let's get to the cafeteria before they run out of food"

"That is nigh impossible..."

"But is still probable" Cleveland countered much to Hornet's annoyance, but before she could say anything she had already been making her way out of the room. "Get some more rest, Denver, we've still got job to do once we are healed"

Denver nodded and hummed, waving at both Carrier and Cruiser as the latter closed the door. The clicking of the knob signified their departure and Denver found herself alone once again in her dimly lit dorm room with Montpelier.

Slowly she set her body down to her bed once again, feeling the world spun for a brief few moments, far better than the first few days where she would throw up just from the slightest of movement. With a sigh, she closed her sapphire eyes, feeling the endless darkness welcoming her to its embrace.

A rest for the weary.

The walk to the base cafeteria was mostly spent in silence, the only worthy event Hornet came across was when Cleveland brought up her steel form when they passed by a window with clear view to the drydock, aside from that there was really nothing they could use as a topic.

It didn't mean it was not enjoyable, however, it's almost like both parties agreed that the silence was a comfortable type of silence they just needed to clear their minds of anything bothering. Hornet certainly didn't complain and neither did Cleveland.

It was until they arrived at the cafeteria that something interesting happened.

"Tell me you are seeing what I'm seeing" Hornet began, flabbergasted.

"Oh... oh God she..." Cleveland started to laugh at what she was seeing, clutching the side of her stomach and then her shoulder when a sudden spike of pain shot up to her head. "Ow ow ow..." She hissed out in a mixture of laughing and wincing.

"Hey, stop that! You're gonna tear open your wound again!" Hornet couldn't really put her heart to scold Cleveland as it was being flooded by amusement at what she was seeing, but she still found it inappropriate to have her laughing like that. "Get us some seats to settle, I'll go and get some food" She ordered, giving Cleveland back her IV stand.

The smaller blonde sighed her pain and nodded. "Alright, can you please get me a glass of milk, too?"

"No problem" As Hornet began to walk to the counter, she was suddenly aware of the world around her. She never paid much attention to the behavior of her friends before, their gait, their mannerisms or the way they speak and look, all didn't matter to her much. Yet right now she could tell, her fellow Ship-girls had something in common and that was their obvious effort of distancing themselves from the person before the counter.

Oklahoma and Nevada mounted the kitchenette like usual, with the former's all so cheerful smile visible even from the far Hornet looked from, while the latter's ever so present, composed yet friendly face was on full display. But that was not what caught Hornet's attention, or her source of amusement at that no, it was the woman Nevada was serving that got her flipped over the table.

Enterprise, specifically the UNSC Enterprise, with a large tray of various food piling on it Nevada kept putting on.

Hornet giggled as she watched the blonde Battleship stuffing more and more of what appeared to be grilled meat while the spaceship stared at her quickly and surely increasing disposal of nutrients with her usual passive expression. Somehow Hornet could tell the ravenette was currently in dire need of help to stop Nevada, perhaps because she had seen such familiar face far too often she could recognize the slightest hint of distress.

That's why she decided to step up, seeing how the other Ship-girls pretty much didn't want to get involved with Enterprise with an exception of some by keeping their distance from her, she could still make up some willing to at least stand a few meters near her but nobody really was doing something.

"You're going to eat all of that?" The Aircraft Carrier asked after she was sure she's within ear shot, leaning at Enterprise's side to look at the food on her hands.

"I'm starting to doubt myself"

"Nonsense!" Nevada interjected, putting a pair of sausages onto the now nearly full tray. "She's a big girl, she gotta eat big! Did you know what she's been eating while up there?!"

Hornet craned her neck to look at the taller girl beside her on the face, asking for answers to Nevada's theoretical question.

"... Rations, dried up fruits sometimes, mostly ready to eat cereal from my cafeteria"

"See? you tell me she doesn't remind you of a certain someone!"

Hornet smiled sheepishly, she did remind her of someone she knew. "Hahaha yeah about that..."

"I would appreciate it if you stop, though"

"Not happening, get a taste of my cooking and you'll want more"

"I'll throw it away if it's more than what I need"

Hornet flinched and she instinctively grabbed Enterprise's arm. "Don't throw food away!" She hissed out but Enterprise merely shrugged in response, earning a sigh of exasperation from the blonde. "Nevada, give me a pack of sandwich and a glass of warm milk, also a set of utensils and water please"

"Coming right up"

The Battleship went somewhere to get what she asked, in the meanwhile Hornet couldn't help but to glare at Enterprise. "You shouldn't have said that"

"Said what?"

"Throwing away a food someone made right in front of that person, that was just rude"

"It was?"

"Yes"

"I see"

"Is that all you have to say?"

"I never had someone served me food before"

"Which is why-"

"Oh, Hornet! Can I help you with something?"

Hornet was cut off by none other than Oklahoma and almost instantly her expression shifted to a more friendly one. "Ah yeah not really, Nevada is already on it" she could vaguely see Enterprise about to walk away from the corners of her eyes but Hornet, acting on impulse, grabbed her by the arm to stop her.

She received a not really odd stare in return but it still ticked her annoyance off.

"Do you need me?" The spaceship asked after a brief moment of silence.

"Wait up for me" Hornet whispered back before turning her attention to Oklahoma once again. "Say, Oklahoma, did anyone from the last sortie come to eat yesterday and the day before?"

"Um, I only noticed those with grievous injury, you know those with bandages or slings, but I can tell there's plenty of them yesterday" Oklahoma tilted her head, her bang fell and obscured her eyes before she pushed it away to the back of her ear. "I heard you were the flagship for that operation?"

"Yeah but it didn't end very well..."

"She served her purpose and brought back everyone alive, I don't see a problem mellowing over a deed done" Enterprise suddenly said much to both girls' surprise

"Oh no that's not what I meant, there's nobody to blame" Oklahoma quickly responded when those piercing maroon orbs were directed to her, suppressing a squirm. "I rarely leave the base so I don't know much about missions in far away places, I am assigned to guard the base after all"

The ravenette didn't say anything after that and the conversation died out with this heavy and awkward silence, the fact she didn't switch her unintentionally intimidating glare somewhere else also put Oklahoma in cold sweat and she was constantly looking down at her boots. She had served many Ship-girls with many interesting characters from this very same counter yet the woman before her was the most unusual of all. She didn't know how to respond to her since there was no actions and reactions with her, it was mostly one sided talk based on what little informations she gathered in the past 10 minutes she had been there.

Thankfully before the atmosphere could become irreversibly damaged Nevada returned and slid Hornet's order towards her. "Here you go"

Hornet picked up her tray and smiled, muttering a thanks before she motioned at Enterprise to follow her. They went through various set of tables until Hornet spotted Cleveland's IV stand somewhere near a corner, and then Cleveland herself sitting alone.

"There. I hope you don't mind sharing a table with someone"

"I already knew you came with Cleveland"

"You did?"

"Yes, that was a rather loud laugh you guys were having" Enterprise glanced at her and Hornet swore she could make out a hint of irritation in that action. "I heard everything, by the way"

"Sorry"

"Doesn't matter"

Hornet suppressed an urge to flinch, opting an apologetic smile instead. There goes her chance of continuing a light-hearted conversation, she had to start over from zero again.

Cleveland gave her the usual cheerful greeting, oblivious with the situation, as they settled down around the table. Hornet passed Cleveland her orders, which the latter returned with a thanks, before she addressed Enterprise.

"Give me some of your food, if you don't mind" Vaguely Hornet could see Cleveland giving her a look of disbelief and surprise but she ignored her, she had seen the amount of food Enterprise was carrying.

"Sure, take as much as you want"

And Hornet did just that. She scooped a decent amount until she was sure Enterprise could finish it on her own.

"Nevada is an excellent cook, even the Commander commended her for it"

"I see"

Cleveland's eyebrows shot up but she didn't say anything, deciding her sandwich was more important as she slowly chewed through it. Hornet seemed confused as to how to start a conversation with Enterprise, a rare occurance considering Hornet could talk about literally anything, but Cleveland for the most part was not really in a mood to talk, her hunger won it over.

However, it didn't escape Cleveland that somehow she felt Enterprise grew a bit more distant than the last time she checked.

"You should try the beef, it's great" Hornet said it offhandedly so it surprised her a bit when Enterprise actually took a bite. She shared a glance with Cleveland, noticing the way the spaceship's eyes lit up ever so slightly. "So... I take it this is your first time eating actual food?"

"Elaborate actual food"

"Cooked in kitchen, not dried up or packed rations, homemade"

"Then I suppose it is"

Line, hook and sinker.

Hornet hid a grin as she took a sip of her water. "What do you think? better than some military rations, huh?"

"I think the appropriate term is 'delicious'? My first time drinking something that is not water was rather... unpleasant, though"

"What do you mean?"

"Whiskey, your Commander invited me to drink Whiskey on his office"

Cleveland choked on her food, she coughed and flapped around reaching for her glass of milk while Hornet's mouth fell wide open with a piece of meat hovering near it, her hand frozen along with her body.

The former of the blondes was the one to recover first.

"H-he did that?!" Cleveland nearly shouted, her good hand still rubbing her sore chest.

Enterprise for the most part seemed puzzled. "What about it?"

"What about it, you asked?! It was an action reserved for those who have earned the Commander's respect! I can count with my fingers how many Ship-girls in this base have received the same gesture!"

"I see... so there's an ulterior meaning behind that..."

Cleveland seemed like she was going to get a heart attack so Hornet decided to piped in after swallowing her surprise, literally by an extent. "Now, now calm down, she did help us so it's only natural" She said to Cleveland in hope of calming her down, patting her back lightly. "Now you know, you are technically a part of the family now"

"Family, huh... I wonder why did it taste so bitter and unpleasant"

Hornet laughed. "That stuff is particularly strong, and you are a recently revived ship so your sense of taste might still be too sensitive"

"It took me years to get that treatment" Cleveland mumbled, adding fuel to Hornet's amusement.

"She's a special case"

"Yeah yeah, I was there" Cleveland said dismissively, waving her hand and the sandwich on her palm. She gave the woman across from her a stern look, albeit the effect seemed to be lost on her. "It means the Commander has high expectation of you, not necessarily in combat related stuff but also you as a person"

Enterprise paused her munching and frowned. "To you, what does being a person mean?"

"What do you mean?"

"Being a human, a person. What does it entail?"

"I... can't say for sure. I guess living your life the way you see fit in accordance with your likes and dislikes?"

"That's a textbook answer"

Cleveland shrugged in response. "I can't really explain it but I want to live my life however I like it, that's all to it"

The Heavy Carrier stared at her silently for a very long uncomfortable moment, Cleveland actually got to finish her food before she said anything again, though this time it was directed to Hornet.

"What about you?"

Hornet snapped out of her stupor and stopped twiddling her meatball with her fork. "Huh?"

"What do you think being a human mean?"

The blonde Carrier blinked, mulling over her answer. She stabbed the meatball, brought it over her mouth and chewed slowly.

"To feel" She said after a long pause. "When we were just a bunch of steel, we perceived the world as this hazy grey surrounding. We were aware but we couldn't grasp what was going on around us, our thoughts escaped us and our feelings certainly never lasted. It just a dull, passing moment, sometimes even insignificant"

"It's like waking up for the first time, which is true in a way" Cleveland added in which Hornet nodded. "The way our memories come rushing is... refreshing"

"This body of ours, these flesh and blood, is an epitome of our thoughts. Vessel for our soul that gives us deeper understanding of the world from different view, so I believe being human means to feel and understand ourselves even more"

"I see..."

"This topic... is a tricky one for Ship-girls. It's okay to not have reason, it's okay to not understand your own existence, eventually you'll ought to find one. Well, maybe not now or tomorrow, hell maybe not even years or decades later but at one point you'll find it"

"Plan for the future by looking into the past, then you'll live in the present"

"Wise words"

"... my late Captain often said that"

"Oh..." Hornet fell silent, her gaze wandered to her lap. Another taboo subject to talk with a recently revived Ship-girl was their crew since the memories of their old life was still fresh, more so when the said Ship-girl was destroyed and suffered heavy loss. "Sorry"

"Why?"

"Well... you know... it's still difficult to talk about your past life so bringing it up is rather..."

Enterprise shook her head. "It doesn't bother me at all, I guess it's what you'd call 'getting over it'. Besides he chose to stay" For a split second, a fond look adorned her face and her expression softened considerably as she smiled. "Foolish old man... look at me now, I've got to live again"

Both Cleveland and Hornet shared a glance, that was the first time they saw that look on Enterprise no matter how fleeting it was. It awakened a hope that Enterprise might be not too different with them, after all.

"A-anyway! What brought you here? I mean to be in the base this early? Not that it's a problem or something, I'm just curious you know?"

"I'll be staying here from today" When Hornet didn't say anything due to shock, Enterprise continued. "Commander Allenforth thinks it will be a good idea"

"Ah I see... Which room?"

"Dormitory East Wing, room number 53"

Cleveland nudged Hornet on the side, grinning. "Hey, that's next to yours"

"According to the room arrangements, then. I thought you'd get some sort of privilege but I was wrong"

"Arrangements?"

"The room assignment is like this; for Destroyers and Battleships they're assigned on the first floor, additionally a room is for 4 Destroyers whilst the Battleships have one for each. Meanwhile Carriers and Cruisers are on the second floor, the Cruisers are accommodated one room per 2 Ship-girls, the Carriers are also sleeping alone like the Battleships"

"West Wing is mostly occupied by the Royal Navy girls, by the way, but there are still some Union girls too" Cleveland once again butted in but somehow her words seemed to interest Enterprise more.

"Then I suppose I should avoid getting anywhere close to the West Wing"

"Huh? why?"

"You seriously asked me that?"

Something clicked on the back of Hornet's mind and she fell quiet, her smile disappeared. "Well... It's not like every one of them is at fault..." She mumbled after a while, still hard enough for Enterprise to hear.

Hornet of course couldn't still accept what Prince of Wales did as right, mainly because her actions could have gone south in plenty of different ways. There's no telling what would happen if the worst came to be, what Enterprise would have done, and it scared her.

The Heavy Carrier saw the fear in Hornet's green orbs as she blankly stared at her, not unlike a Grunt who had his leading Elite killed in a fire fight. It was a look of someone who realized how screwed they were. "I don't feel comfortable around them after what happened, worst case scenario I might accidentally hurt them"

A shiver ran down both Union girls' spines. They knew with Enterprise 'hurt' meant absolute incapacitation, either flesh or metal didn't matter. Cleveland especially had seen the extent of Warspite's injury during their clash, a dull ache suddenly pulsating on her own injury.

She didn't know they could bleed that much.

The sound of metal scrapping broke the cold silence, Hornet and Cleveland both snapped at Enterprise's tray she set aside. "Do not be mistaken, this feeling of mine will not affect my combat effectiveness. I've decided I will not take command from your Commander instead henceforth operations will be considered as joint operations between UNSC and Azur Lane"

"You mean... you'll do what you want?"

"In a way? yes. I may object or agree, whether I want to join or not, and total control and freedom of actions. However, I will still abide by your rules and any actions taken outside of it will be solely on me"

"Wait, don't you think that put you so much in disadvantage?" Cleveland interjected, earning a confused look from Hornet.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for starter it will give her freedoms but she didn't need the agreement to have that. She is a foreign force, untied by ours politically, so she can do whatever she wants without getting diplomacy disaster, there is not a single country on Earth capable of opposing her"

"While that is true, that is also the point" Enterprise cut in, bringing a finger up. "First, I have zero connection. I am cut off from my territory and is effectively the only UNSC affiliated unit in at least 10 light year radius, I checked, so I am the UNSC. I could win a fight against a whole continent alone, make that two with your current technology, but I am not fit to fight an entire planet, and my victory is what you would call pyrrhic victory since I would never be able to invade more than city scale while keeping my presence strong"

"So you seek allies, powers strong enough to cover half of what you lack"

"Yes, and that is where you guys come in. The Azur Lane is the faction close enough with my goal and you also cover for me while I am cut off"

"Hah, so it was like that... We're nothing but convenience for you"

"I wanted to say no but it was the truth. If one day I succeed in establishing contact with my people then this term will come to an end" Enterprise leaned back on her chair, her face morphed into a cold stoic. "There is also a possibility that we'll become enemy, knowing this planet is technically a rogue planet"

A short nervous laugh left Hornet's throat. "W-why are you so sure, geez..."

"Because that is also the truth. If I was ordered, I wouldn't hesitate"

It was more to a duty for Enterprise, to defeat any KANSEN if conflict broke out. She had run a simulation based upon all known variables and the chance for the UNSC to take down a single KANSEN was slim in enclosed battle, at least regular troops would need a Model 6 Non-linear Anti Vehicle Rifle, the Spartan Laser, to put a dent but even so it would be a tough battle.

A KANSEN was literally an embodiment of a walking warship, her durability and strength were ridiculously high it exceeded common sense. Logic didn't work with them neither did physics. Enterprise had run tests on herself and she found out that her strength while in rigging was equal to her metal form, meaning she could pick an object weighing million of tons and throw it away like it was a ragdoll. She wouldn't be surprised if a Stewart-class or even Paris-class Frigate weighed like nothing to her.

This gave her an interesting insight and also a new conclusion how dangerous a KANSEN could be. While she didn't have much data about these World War 2 era ship human forms, it was safe to assume their threat level was nowhere close to the Covenant, KANSEN was much higher considering even a Destroyer packed more firepower than any foot soldier could carry. If her hypothesis was correct, there was not a single Covenant infantry weapon capable of harming her, and she out powered even a Hunter many miles in term of raw strength.

It was also safe to assume these KANSENs could achieve similar feats just as easily, after all a full salvo from 6 inches guns was more than enough to level even the toughest fortifications.

So Enterprise was the silver bullet of the UNSC, she could win a fight even a Spartan couldn't.

"But that's a distant possibility, we are no dictators who rule with iron fist. If the UNSC ever found this planet the very first thing we'd do is integration by peaceful means. The chance we become allies is bigger than the former"

It wouldn't stop us from making threat evaluation, though.

"Well that's better..." Hornet breathed out another string of nervous chuckle before she sighed and buried her face into her hands. "God, that scared me good... Please don't say that even as a joke"

Enterprise's lips parted as if she was about to say something, but before another word could leave her a sudden commotion near the cafeteria entryway caught her attention. She was sitting with the wall behind her, not exactly on a corner either but she got the broad view of the cafeteria, her height also gave her an advantage to observe all present bodies in the building.

So it was very easy for her to spot two headful of pink and silver hair in the distance, and it certainly didn't take them long to see her either.

"Your sister is here, she's with the doctor" The ravenette said just as Vestal's and her's eyes met, there was a slight pause as the pinkette looked at her before they marched towards their position.

Almost instantly, both Hornet and Cleveland went pale.

"Oh crap, where?!" The blonde Carrier cursed out loud, swiveling her head around.

"Six o'clock, coming in fast and angry"

"What?!"

"Hornet! Cleveland!"

And just like that, the cafeteria which was once bustling with chatter and laughter suddenly fell quiet as everyone had their eyes on a very angry Vestal.

"What are you both doing here?" Asked the Aircraft Carrier Enterprise, her purple eyes roamed across the table and stopped on her counterpart for a split second. They stared at each other for a moment before she broke her gaze to look at her sister's back instead. "Hornet?"

Hornet for her part seemed like a person drained of any blood with how pale she was, her wild eyes begging at the Heavy Carrier across from her for help but Enterprise merely tilted her head before shoving another portion of grilled meat into her mouth.

It tasted good, she wouldn't lie.

"I feel like an explanation is needed" David said to nobody in particular when the awkward silence permeating in his office stretched far too long than what he liked. It was supposed to be another normal meeting, yet there they were standing before his desk with each their own interesting predicament.

He could guess what happened though, between Vestal's indignant glare towards Hornet who had one of her ears abnormally red, and the two Enterprises passive faces that certainly said they didn't want to get involved, he a had pretty good idea what happened.

"I would like an explanation myself, Commander" Vestal growled at Hornet, making the blonde cowered in fear behind her sister.

"I was just eating, okay?! Why did you have to pull my ear?! What am I twelve?!"

"With the way you are acting I wouldn't be surprised"

"Why are you so mean to a sick person?!"

"Poor choice of reasoning" The Heavy Carrier Enterprise muttered, she supposed her counterpart heard it judging from the way she sighed.

"Oh? So now you admit you are sick? I think I should send you back to your quarter like I did Cleveland"

A shiver ran down Hornet's spine as she recalled what happened to Cleveland shortly after Vestal found them out, it was the definition of intense chewing and ear coaxing which honestly terrified Hornet more. If the doctor started speaking gently, you better listen, the alternative was never an option.

"N-no! please! I'm fine!"

Hornet's hands found purchase on her sister's arm and they tightened considerably, Enterprise meanwhile merely sighed once again when a tell tale of headache gradually appeared. She rubbed her temple with her free hand and closed her eyes, silently lamenting the younger's antics. "What do you want of us, Commander?"

"It'll be here soon" The Commander replied simply before gesturing at Vestal. "In the meanwhile..."

The Repair Vessel snapped to attention, the Manila folder tucked under her arm crumpled softly as she marched towards the Commander. She handed it to him and stopped to rest. "Report regarding repair progress on all ships, sir. All essential repair has been carried out, all superficial repair has been carried out, all minor requests for adjustments post combat have been fulfilled, repair on the medium and heavily damaged is currently in progress with focus on Carriers and Cruisers fast reaction forces. Addendum, in immediate need for materials for the Yorktown-class Carriers, both ships of this class are currently not rated for battle-"

"-Wait, what?!"

"Hornet... We've talked about this"

"... current base combat readiness is at 40%, port is low on combat available ships, we're operating in bare minimum capacity" Vestal bit her lips, stopping herself from saying her thoughts. The Commander was aware how pinched they were and he certainly didn't need her to point it out. "End of report, more in-depth details are on my written report"

"Wait a minute, you did cannibalize my sister's parts?!"

"It's not a problem-"

"Of course it is a problem, sis, I told you you shouldn't-"

"Suggestion" The room fell quiet when the Heavy Carrier suddenly spoke, all eyes were set on a woman with perfect stance in the middle of the room.

David stared at her for a moment until he realized something. "Go on"

"While I can't help repairing the damaged sensor suite and the like, I can provide the substitute materials necessary to make the hull and deck repair with Titanium-A Battle Plate"

Vestal turned on her heels upon hearing her proposal. "Titanium-A? I have experience working with Titanium on a small scale since we usually only use steel for hull and superstructure, I mean Aluminum too but Titanium..."

"Titanium can be easily integrated with your existing material and if you find it difficult I will get my drones to assist your work, my own repair is almost complete anyway"

"Is it alright?" The Commander asked in which Enterprise nodded in return.

"The Titanium-A is chemically modified in molecular level, it is stronger, lighter, more versatile against heat and it has its own patching agent in case of hull breach which also makes it susceptible for usage below the waterlines. All UNSC ships like myself use it as our main armor"

"No... that's not what I really meant, what I meant was are you alright giving such high end material? What if you need it sometime in the future?"

"Then I will simply make more"

"You can do that?"

"UNSC Capital ship classes are designed to be fully self-sufficient for a long term deployment, I have a built-in assembly plant and deep space mining capability. I can, in theory, sustain myself for decades"

"What about ammunition?" Hornet asked, her tone uncharacteristically timid.

"I can create ammunition"

"Air wing?"

"Can be assembled on board"

"Repair and maintenance?"

"Are usually carried out by my crew and drones but given the special nature of a KANSEN drones should be enough"

"Fuel...?"

"Deuterium Fusion Reactor does not consume much but in case I low on it I can just extract hydrogen compounds from nearby water source"

"..."

"..."

"You are scary, you know that?" Hornet deadpanned.

"Yes, sometimes"

David shook his head to get rid of his surprise, at this point he should have known there's hardly something that's outside the spaceship's scope of reach. "If you're fine with it, then I guess there's no problem"

"Aye, sir. I'll arrange the delivery later on"

He paused, formulating his words. "You've done too much for us already I don't think thank you is enough"

"I'm doing it due to our mutual interests, Commander"

Hornet tugged at her sister's wrist. "What does the Commander mean?"

"She offered us 24 hours sentry for an indefinite time, so far there has been 10 cases she went into action against submerged Siren threats and 12 surface threats while we sat her twiddling with our thumbs"

"Until you're fully combat capable I will be responsible for perimeter defenses" Said the ravenette simply in return, but the Aircraft Carrier Enterprise disagreed.

"We've become too dependent on you. This base is running because of you and I don't think that's a good thing, no insult intended"

"None taken, that's also true. However, the credit given is also exaggerated, I merely support what is lacking and cover what is missing for the time being. I'm doing what's necessary" She looked at both sisters, her ever so inexistent emotion meeting the two. "Simple as that"

They didn't respond to that but it's all enough answer for the spaceship, her point had also gone across. They should start to understand extraordinary conducts were done out of necessity in the military, nobody wanted to do more than what they had to and nobody was special for doing more when the situation called for it. Aimless bravery would only kill, whether the person owning it or the enemy on the other side of his weapon, and honor didn't have a place in the battlefield. There were just rules and fighting codes to follow, ethics to comfort the weary that their fight could have been worse yet eventually they would still thread the same hell they themselves set loose.

It had always been like that, and Enterprise knew how it would alway be.

A meager hope for peace had always been overshadowed by war, whether now, before or later, didn't matter. People were tired and sick of it, but people were also eager for it.

"Enterprise"

A pair of maroon orbs blinked, its owner twitched as her name was called yet she held back until she was sure it was her the caller addressed. She had to remind herself she shared the name with another entity similar to her again and again.

"Ma'am?" Enterprise responded as politely as she could to Vestal, among all the Ship-girls she met, the Repair Ship was probably the most well regarded by her. Enterprise always had a soft spot for repair vessels or some sort, they helped keep her in fighting shape and it meant a lot for her.

And Vestal did help nursing her before, at least that was enough for her to lower an octave in her tone.

"I haven't registered your general specifications, they're necessary for me to understand the effect of medicine on your human body for the long term. Could you come to see me later?"

"Of course, I'll have it compiled. I have plenty of questions myself regarding this body I want to ask you"

Vestal smiled, there she got her chance to know her better, in addition it wasn't her who proposed the idea but Enterprise herself, a huge leap of trust in her book. "Sure thing"

And just like that, the once awkward silence was now replaced with a more comfortable one. The Commander peered through the corner of his eyes to everyone present, his hands came to a stop from flipping Vestal's report.

A pair of similar looking faces, two bodies with so much similarities, and two minds with so different complexity but ones still true to their resolve, the Enterprises. He would say he had his hands full taking care of one already much less two, but he wouldn't say he regret ever trying if it meant changing them for the better.

His efforts certainly bore fruition if what he was seeing could come to reality like it was now.

"Why don't we all sit down?" He proposed after glancing at the digital clock on his table, it was about time they arrived.

"Sir, why are we all here?" Hornet asked, hesitating for a split second to take a seat even when everyone did.

"We're going to discuss the last mission" When he noticed the grimace forming on Hornet's face, David added. "No, it's not about what happened, but rather-"

A knock on the door stopped him and all of the room occupants suddenly had their eyes set on the wooden furniture. There was a long tense silence before a familiar voice resonated from the other side.

"Commander, requesting permission to enter"

"Granted"

The double doors creaked open, revealing Prince of Wales fully armed to the teeth in her rigging accompanied by Belfast, Sheffield and Edinburgh who also had their riggings equipped. The blonde spotted the Commander and gave him a salute before proceeding into the room, Belfast close in her trail while the two remaining Cruisers stayed behind.

Then the fifth newcomer suddenly rushed in

"H-hey wait up!" Akashi came tumbling through the hallway almost running over the wall and many decoration stands in the process, she would have crashed into the doorsill if Sheffield didn't catch her by the shoulder. The small Repair Vessel muttered a thanks in her native tongue, which Sheffield returned with a simple nod, before jumping to Belfast's side. "Your way of handling delicate materials is so wrong, why can't you be a bit more gentle?"

Belfast stared at the smaller girl, and then the metal box on her hands before returning back to Akashi. "I believe my method of handling is adequate" She responded simply, somewhat confused.

"No it is not enough, you should have..." The catgirl trailed off when her eyes landed on a certain Ship-girl and a wave of dread coursed through her body, she yelped loudly when the Ship-girl in question squinted her eyes disapprovingly back to her, clinging on Belfast's back. "W-why are you here?!" She shrieked, pointing a finger at her source of terror.

The Heavy Carrier didn't let go of her glare as she replied. "I'd have said it doesn't concern you but I assume it does, considering you are here now. This is a good opportunity to carry out more questioning too, don't you think?"

Akashi was frozen in place and couldn't really answer her. Enterprise supposed it was only natural after what she had put the Repair Vessel through, the dark cold room and the constant interrogation she did to her put a number on Akashi but Enterprise managed to collect some valuable informations about the Sakura Empire, it was all she cared about.

She respected Repair Vessels when they're friendly, otherwise not so.

Although, most of the answers she was provided worried her in a way it made her flagged this world's Japan version as an absolute 'don't get involved unless have to' territory.

"What did you do to her?" Hornet whispered from her side, earning her attention. She shrugged before she gave her a monotone reply.

"What I had to do"

The blonde didn't say anything more after that, she should have known that would be the answer given to her. As for what, she had to use her imagination.

Prince of Wales motioned at Belfast to present the metal box to the Commander, forcing Akashi to let her grasp off when Belfast involuntarily dragged her towards the assembled Ship-girls, and by extension, Enterprise. The headmaid put the box down on the table and bowed before turning on her heels, as elegantly as she could.

She walked past Prince of Wales, the clicking of her metal heels was the only sound in the otherwise silent room, and stopped before her two fellow maids. "I shall guard the chamber, both of you take your stations on the outside. Do not permit anyone entry without my permission or the Commander's"

Sheffield and Edinburgh nodded, their swift movements and the clicking of the double doors were the only indications of their departure. Belfast watched them go before she took her position on the side of the doors just outside of its corner so as not to have her back shot in case of breaching, back facing the wall and hands clasped in front of her.

Rigging ready.

"Wales" The Commander began and Prince of Wales stiffened immediately.

"Sir!"

"Open the container"

"Yes, sir"

The Heavy Carrier watched with mild interest as Prince of Wales inserted a key into the box and twisted it, not unlike how a chest was unlocked, and it promptly unraveled its locking mechanism. A series of clicking and a hiss later the box suddenly collapsed, revealing a glowing purple Wisdom Cube.

Nobody uttered a word as they stared at the source of their yesterday's problems and injury, each lost in their own thoughts as if the cube itself put them into a trance.

Finally after what seemingly an eternity, David broke the silence with a question he directed to a certain ravenette. "What's your analysis of it?"

"Where do you want me to start, Commander?"

He paused for a second. "Let's begin with material analysis. Our understanding regarding Wisdom Cube is very limited with unknowns mostly filling the test results, even to this day we don't know what make up of it, what compose it"

Enterprise nodded. "It's a hard light"

Almost everyone in the room suddenly had their eyes set on her, a look full of disbelief on their faces. Hornet opened her mouth and closed it again when she realized the words she was about to say were too rude, deciding a more neutral approach instead. "Pardon? It's light?"

"A boson-photon field, or more commonly known as hard light, is as the name suggests light that is solid. It is yet to be comprehended even in my time, but this one is odd enough I would have ruled out the possibility had the thesis been a bit more weaker"

"How... is it possible?"

"Well for starters it doesn't have a projection medium to take shape. Light, no matter the form, still requires that medium to travel and take form. If there is no medium light will simply stop existing, and hard light is no different. There should be a physical projector for the light to manifest, which it simply doesn't have" Enterprise paused to gauge their reactions before continuing. "Second, and this is fundamental, power source. Hard light takes a lot of energy to exist, without adequate power the construct will become unstable and crumble on its own yet this one is too small to even fit a battery with that required power level, which also in my time does not exist yet"

"Okay so then what makes you think it is hard light?" Hornet asked after a long pause, her brain barely making out anything the Heavy Carrier said.

"I don't think it is hard light, it is hard light because it has all the aforementioned necessities"

"Huh? but you-"

"Perhaps instead of focusing on the shell we should start talking about what is inside" Enterprise leaned in to look at the swirling purple core of the cube, those feelings were back but she ignored it. "The UNSC have records of encountering strange bits of what appeared to be some sort of remnants scattered across the galaxy, these remnants are believed to be neural-physics constructs anchored between dimensions. This core matches with those remnants, though it is not a remnant anymore. It's a fully working neural-physics construct"

"No way..." Vestal whispered in shock, eyes wide. "So KANSENs... are a byproduct of advanced engineering?"

Enterprise nodded "You catch up fast. It's obvious whatever inside that cube is responsible for turning steel into flesh, the question is what and how" She shifted subtly on her seat, searching her fellow KANSENs' faces. They looked stunned, which was a rather mild reaction all things considered, maybe it was possible they had come into acceptance just like how she was but seeing and believing were two different things.

"There are great deals of things beyond human knowledge and understanding, inter-dimension science is one of them, this is not even a scratch of what it was" She pulled out a holo projector from one of her pockets and set it onto the table for everyone to see, with a tap the device lit up and a recording began to play. "This is a Slipspace transit footage of a UNSC Marathon-class Heavy Cruiser, a method to achieve Faster Than Light travel by opening the 11th dimension, basically by creating a wormhole for ships to enter we can cut the time and arrive sooner to our destination. But even so what we understand of this method is very little, aside from it works"

Vestal was the first one to recover, Enterprise noted, there was a slight quiver in her tone but she got rid of it with a swallow. "You use methods you don't even understand? Isn't that too risky and dangerous?"

"Humanity didn't have a choice, the situation was do or not and we took do. Slipspace transit is dangerous in a lot of ways, earlier generation space ships must have their hull in one hundred percent integrity or otherwise the strain from inter-dimensional travel would tear them apart since it could interfere with the quantum fields enveloping said ships, and Slipspace Engine certainly was not perfect either. Improper installation and poor maintenance can cause disaster"

"Um... what sort?"

"Well, what do you think about having your stern suddenly consumed by a void? Or being transported into the sun or planet?"

"Uh..."

"Exactly" Enterprise emphasized. "We encounter these remnants not in real space but in the Slipspace Stream, strange reading of unknown objects that are both there and not there at the same time, it's almost like sensor malfunction but the amount of encounters are too much and often it cannot be ruled out as one. These 'God Matters'... are like something on a supernatural level with science backing it up... It's irrationally rational..."

There were many things mankind yet to understand about Slipspace Transit, and knowing it works was the main reason humanity still use it. Celestial bodies, comets, asteroids or even planets, existed within Slipspace Stream. They were there but they were in a different plane of existence they wouldn't -couldn't- interfere with the travel, sure there were case of comets entering Slipspace dimension, more often than so, but no celestial bodies normally capable to do so and possessed harm to the transiting ships or objects.

Slipspace Stream was not unlike underwater current, there were wakes you could follow and plot you could course. Except it was like an astral current where everything was not quite there. That's why the slightest of error or malfunction could cause a catastrophic event, from something as simple as radiation leak to uncontrolled spatial anomaly where everything could just vanish.

So to say it's dangerous would be like saying the water was made of hydrogen and oxygen.

"To put it simply, the core is some sort of mysterious, unknown matter probably akin to Dark Matter?" David proposed after a long pause.

"We understand Dark Matter, but this is well beyond our understanding"

"We as in...?"

"Yes"

"Oh... well, I guess it's only natural" The Commander cleared his throat, they understand Dark Matter, no surprise there. "So then, you also said it emitted strange feelings, care to elaborate more about it?"

Prince of Wales tilted her head, somehow she found her place and was now standing behind the Commander's chair. "Feelings?"

"Apparently Enterprise reported the cube gives her these feelings of confusion and dread, whereas the other Ship-girls didn't even feel it"

Vestal frowned. "That... had never happened before"

"You think I'm a liar?"

"No, nothing like that. You are certainly special so I'm not really surprised but to be able to feel something like that is a bit..."

"Could it be the Siren Essence?" The blonde Battleship whispered to the Commander, leaning close to his ear. Though she didn't know Enterprise could hear her just fine.

"Could be. Enterprise, can you describe it better? How strong are those feelings? How do they affect you?"

The spaceship mulled over her thoughts, focusing her mind to the cube on the table. Those nagging feelings had never faded, in fact it was stronger than before and all Enterprise did was ignoring it. But now it had become a rather bothersome pulse which constantly gnawed her own feelings... she couldn't really just ignore it anymore.

"I... can feel it disrupting my own emotions" A sudden coldness and the feeling of her stomach dropping, a dread that wasn't her's, forced her to clench her fists. "It's as if it was trying to lure me, to make me sympathize, but I don't understand why it tries to. It wasn't this strong before"

"What does it tell you?"

"It-"

Pain

Death

Agony

Death

Sickness

Death

Hope

Death

Help me

Admiral

It's quiet

Admiral

Somebody out there...?

Admiral

We're saved

Admiral

They hear us

Admiral

They're not one of us

Admiral

What should I do...?

No one's left

Help me

There's nobody

Please... help me...

It's cold

It's lonely

It's in agony

It needs you

"ENTERPRISE!"

The voices stopped, just in time for Enterprise to realize she had her hand on the cube. Yet something felt odd, instead of a rough hard surface she found her palm resting on a soft and warm skin, it confused her for a split second until she realized it was a hand, someone's hand that was so close to her's.

"Enterprise, let go of the cube" Vaguely, she could hear the Commander speaking to her, but his voice sounded so distant somehow and her focus was locked on the hand instead.

Her maroon eyes traveled to its owner, a face so similar to her's, devoid of any emotions and cold as if in trance. It stared back at her, some strange golden light flickered in those purple eyes, dancing like a bonfire in a dark night.

Then the lips parted, a whisper left the mouth, one that she was sure she could hear from miles away, it was a strange voice yet it offered a sense of familiarity, one she would never forget.

"You are not supposed to be here, Servant of the Fostered"

Enterprise's world crumbled.

When she opened her eyes again, it was not the Commander's office she was seeing. No, she doubted it was somewhere close to the base, or the very fabric of reality itself.

Enterprise stood, lied, sat, she couldn't really tell. It was like she was floating but her senses were all messed up she couldn't tell her own position whether she was up or down. Her head hurted so much it's like someone pulled her brain out, put it into a grinder and poured it back in, the slightest of movement from her neck up almost made her throw up.

That didn't stop her.

She patted herself up and down, searching for the sidearm strapped on her hips, when she realized it was gone she went to her back where her Combat Knife was, only to find out it was not there either. Enterprise frowned, she still had her gear but she had been completely disarmed, even the scabbard and the holster were all gone.

She slowly let her arms fall, frown deepening when they both settled on her sides. The center of gravity in... whatever this purple place was, was non-existent. She couldn't feel her legs actually supporting her yet her body features and limbs all angled down as if in a normal place, which this one was certainly everything but. Her frown deepened more when she couldn't feel her metal form, for the first time since she was reborn she couldn't feel it connected to her.

The absence of her other half certainly made her feel uncomfortable, it's like something was missing from her very soul itself.

She tried her best to ignore it though, focusing on her body instead. She could still feel all her limbs which was good, and a quick check later she found out she could also process pain. Humans always said if you're dreaming you wouldn't feel pain or any other sensory stimulation, so the fact she could meant she was not dreaming, perhaps, Enterprise could not make sure.

Reluctantly, she moved her right leg forward, checking her ground if it was really there and much to her surprise something met her foot. Her feet still hadn't supported her though, and it's more like putting her leg on a space debris, except the debris actually solid and didn't get pushed when she put more force to it. Her other leg on the other hand felt like it was just dangling uselessly yet gravity didn't really work the way it was supposed to be, there was no difference between the leg with solid stepping and the one currently idle.

She felt a bit uneasy with how strange it was, but she didn't have much choice. Enterprise exhaled and after a brief consideration she put her other feet on the invisible stepping stone.

Only to regret a moment later when she suddenly fell.

Although fall was not really the word to describe it, it's more like accelerating in a vacuum downward since there was no wind whatsoever. Still, she could feel her stomach churn and her blood rush to her head.

"Crap" Enterprise tried to control her descent by spreading her body but it was no use, there was nothing to stop her in this strange realm. The world was also a constant purple with nothing else to reach and grab a hold.

There was no telling how long she had been falling, adrenaline and her Spartan traits made things slower than what they were supposed to be. At last when something changed beneath her she could see the purple rapidly getting replaced by greyness, and then black as she breached through what appeared to be a mixture of clouds and smoke.

They infiltrated her lungs, forcing a fit of chest constricting coughs from her throat, the smoke also blinded her for a split second she had to close her eyes to stop the irritation it caused. When she opened them again, a chill ran down her spine at what she saw.

She plummeted down, into a burning sea of sinking ships.

Now there was wind brushing her hair and skin, hot humid air mixed with the scent of spilled oil and gunpowder. Her mind processed it all with tremendous speed yet it was nothing but an afterthought, the fact she was going down took most of her attention since it would definitely kill her no matter what she might do.

Think! think! think!

She had nothing with her, there was nothing she could do to soften her fall.

Enterprise gritted her teeth, was this how it would end? She falling to her death? As the ocean got closer and closer, she also noticed something in the corner of her eyes. A red streak of light zooming in, faster than her fall and bigger than her body. She recognized it as it sped past her, the red stripes on its tip were hard to miss, the active warhead of an M58 Archer Missile.

It flew into the sea below her, just moments before Enterprise hit the water it exploded and created an air pocket. She twisted her body so her feet were now pointed downward and braced, knowing full well she would survive thanks to her enhanced physical attributes but it would still hurt as seven hell.

And she was rarely wrong, although this time she wished she was.

Her bones rattled during the impact, and the rushing of the water nearly crushed her. She was thrown around by the rough underwater current as the sea tried to compensate for the sudden change of pressure, at one point Enterprise was thrown into a sunken hull of a warship, almost knocking the air out of her and it added to her already suffering body.

She vaguely thought, had she been in her rigging this would be nothing. Alas, the fleeting thought wouldn't help her so she discarded it immediately as she tried to orientate her body in the water.

When the sea calmed down, Enterprise began to swim back to the surface amidst the pain burning her entirety. Her ears were ringing due to the abrupt change of pressure and her legs felt like they were set on fire, there was not enough words to describe how her body felt but if she had to say it was like that one time her hull was breached and she almost got everyone onboard her killed, it was eating her from inside out.

Eventually, she surfaced from beyond the deep, coughing and gasping for air as she rested her upper body on a floating debris. It took her a good half a minute to stabilize her labored breathing and her erratic heart, seconds in which she also used to study her surroundings. There was nothing to see except for burning and sinking ships all around her, some designs she recognized as World War 2 era warships and oddly enough some more modern warships were mixed in between.

It looked like a battle was recently fought too, but she couldn't find any body either dead or alive.

"What the hell is this place..." She muttered to nobody in particular, pushing her body off of the water to stand on it. She was told all KANSENs have the ability to walk on water as they wish as long they weren't suffering major damage equal to their sinking state and Enterprise had tried it before, didn't mean she still didn't find it odd.

The ravenette took one deep breath and exhaled slowly as she stood amongst the destruction, seawater dripping from the tips of her hair and her soaked face. She looked up to the heaven where the missile trail originated from, wondering where it was coming from, before she pushed aside the idea when all she saw was the same black clouds. It didn't matter where, all she cared about was that it saved her.

Her legs screamed for her to stop when she took her first step but she continued onward after she checked there was no wound whatsoever, visible or not. She supposed it was something on a mental level rather than physical, considering she was not supposed to be in whatever this place was.

Enterprise cautiously made her way across the battlefield, walking endlessly trying to find any point of interest. The ships scattered all around her didn't stop burning and the scenery seemed never changing, it was destruction everywhere she went. That until she found something out of place in this otherwise strange place.

Chains...?

They're big, bigger than the chain used in ship anchors. At first she thought it was dangling into the sea until she traced it and found out it was actually connected to something on the surface from the bottom of the sea. Enterprise weighed her options, she was unarmed and not fit for combat but at the same time she felt like something was urging her to give a look. The latter was what got her into this whole mess, yet she couldn't help but think that was why she should check.

She followed the interwoven chains below her, passing through a broken hull of a Ticonderoga-class Guided Missile Cruiser. The flame consuming it licked her skin but there was no heat, rather it felt like lukewarm water washing down her body. Enterprise moved slowly through the ship's magazine room, careful and on alert when she spotted a bunch of ammo and missiles scattered around the destroyed chamber. Thankfully the floor was flooded so unless a cook off happened then it was pretty safe for her to venture through.

Probably.

A ship as big as a Guided Missile Cruiser should have had some of its crew around, but oddly enough there was still no sign of human struggle. Enterprise had prepared herself for a gruesome scene where detached limbs were a common sight but no, there was barely anything, not even a drop of blood anywhere she looked.

To say this place was strange would be repetitive at this point.

Instead of a warzone, it was probably more appropriate to call this place as a graveyard for dying ships. There was no soft flesh nor red blood, just cold metal and slick dark oil, it's almost like it was reserved for ships and ships only.

The chains led her somewhere deep into the middle of this so called graveyard where shadows were casted under the dark moon, she didn't know how long she had been there but it was not long enough for the day to turn into night. Something was wrong with this place for certain, and the sudden change of the night sky put the sentiment into proof.

Enterprise ventured under a starry sky, forward into a looming mass of metal she recognized as one of her fellows.

The silver glint of meters thick worth of armor, the sleek surface yet rough edges, and the proudly displayed UNSC logo on its side. She would never forget this one for she had worked with her intensively in the past.

Yet something caught her attention the most as she closed in to it. The chains she followed were wrapped around the construct, restraining it in place above the sea surface. They were also glowing with an eerie purple light, matching the pulsating glow of the stars in the background.

It gave her a set of goosebumps, something she just learned the sensation of.

"You are not supposed to be here"

The Heavy Carrier turned on her heels to face the source of the voice, high on alert, at the same time the giant mass of metal behind her vanished along with the carnage of a battlefield surrounding her like a leaf carried by Autumn wind. What she saw, however, made her pause for a split second before she continued her defensive measure.

"Identify yourself"

The figure didn't reply, its cold purple eyes stared back into her. Those gaze seemed to penetrate her very soul, slipping through her defenses and ripped her secrets open to judge. Enterprise found herself shivering under those scrutinizing orbs for some reason.

"There can't be two keys in one era" It said after what seemed like an eternity, a strange echo reverberating all around her. "You are not supposed to be here, Servant of the Fostered"

Enterprise scowled, she had gained back her lost composure and was now annoyed. "Identify yourself" She repeated, this time with more edge in her tone.

"You are in no position to make demands"

"I'm not-" Enterprise didn't get the chance to finish her sentence when a barrage of chains suddenly shot up from below the sea towards her. She jumped away in instinct, but the chains caught up at a speed she didn't know was possible.

They wrapped around her arms and legs, some went around her torso and neck before they pulled down with a strength even she couldn't compete, forcing her to her knees.

Then they began to glow up, and she could feel her strength seeping off of her body.

"Be assured I will not harm you, I cannot harm you" The entity spoke after it suddenly appeared right in front of Enterprise, its eerily familiar face closing in to her own as one of its hands cupped her cheek. "I am very pleased to learn humanity has begun to reclaim her glory, you are one definite proof to that"

Enterprise yanked her head away but the chains around her neck suddenly tightening up, nearly cutting her supply of oxygen. She gritted her teeth and glared heatedly on the figure before her. "Who the hell are you?"

"I am Code G, I exist within the keys"

"What keys?"

"You" Code G pulled away and gestured to somewhere behind her, revealing the Aircraft Carrier Enterprise rigidly standing in a trance. She was staring into the nothingness, unmoving as if the time around her had frozen, but the look on her face said she did come in contact with this unknown entity too. "And her. Both of you are susceptive to possess the key"

This whole conversation started to get under the Heavy Carrier's nerves. "Key for what?"

"That I do not know"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Enterprise growled, tugging on the chains around her arms, rattling them yet they stayed strong.

"Once I was a whole consciousness, but then it was robbed from me. I do not know the answers for many questions"

"... release me at once"

"You are not-"

"Now" Code G fell quiet for a moment before the chains binding her promptly fell apart and back into the sea, Enterprise meanwhile didn't waste a second to spring into action and put her in a headlock. "What is this place?" She barked, tightening her grip around her neck.

"The depth of your soul"

"How do I get out of here?"

"You cannot force it, when it is ready you will leave"

"I just have to wake up then. I will ask this again and if I hear something I don't like I will start breaking your fingers. Who are you and how did you get here? Are you a Siren? Their accomplice? What's your objective?"

"I do not know"

Snap!

The entity stopped to stare at one of her now oddly bent fingers, she didn't scream nor flinch when Enterprise pulled it into an opposite direction. No, she just looked, something disturbing for certain it actually made Enterprise frown.

"Next answer better be something I like" The spaceship threatened but Code G merely stared back at her with those overly passive eyes, somehow managing to craned her neck despite Enterprise's iron grip.

"I cannot harm you and you cannot harm me either"

"Well yeah but it won't stop me from trying. Now answer the next questions"

For the first time, Code G showed a form of emotion, though it wasn't the one Enterprise was expecting. "I am not a Siren nor am I their accomplice" She said, distaste dripping with each word she spoke. "As for my objective, I have no knowledge of it"

Enterprise clenched her jaw, going to another finger. She was about to pull it when the woman she was holding suddenly disappeared from her grasp, gone just like that as if she was never there leaving Enterprise alone holding nothing but thin air. She turned around, searching where she had gone to but instead of that overly familiar face she met, another familiar face greeted her.

"You..." The Heavy Carrier breathed out, maroon eyes wide in shock.

There before her, bound to a mass of steel pillars by the same chains that bound her earlier, was a woman in a damaged MJOLNIR Mark IV Power Armor. Her shoulder length silver hair was casted over her face, matching the color of her armor with chipped and burned marks marring it otherwise sleek surface, deep crimson liquid was also dripping from some damaged sections trailing down from the chains to the sea below, her blood she noticed.

She heard her call, Enterprise could see her twitched in response, and then as if to confirm her suspicion she slowly lifted her head up, weakly and shakily. Her hair fell to the side of her head, and Enterprise's maroon orbs met glossy and empty emerald gems.

The world fell quiet as the two women gazed at one another, before eventually the bound one rasped out a weak call towards Enterprise.

"Ad... miral...?"

Joy and relief flooded Enterprise's heart, invading her still cautious thinking. Those weren't her emotions but it was so overwhelming she couldn't stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks. Enterprise closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, clenching her fists so hard they began to bleed before she made her way towards her old friend, a terrible bitterness settling down on the tip of her tongue as she spoke.

"I am not Admiral Cole but I promise I will find you" She seemed to recognize her, as the world around them shifted once again, a small spark in those green eyes yet it was all Enterprise needed. "I won't abandon you, not anymore and not this time, Eve"

So wait for me.

Vestal was in the middle of filling a report when a crash startled her, she accidentally knocked her mug of coffee from the table and it shattered on the floor, hot dark liquid spilling over her foot making her wince in response yet she barely spared it a glance as she hastily made her way to the temporary patient ward.

With the base medical ward still under repair, the Commander had no choice but to tell her she should put all wounded and ill Ship-girls in their respective dorm rooms for treatments and Vestal did just that, she also requested a temporary settlement in one of the empty rooms to monitor her patients. She was stationed on the end of the hallway of the base Carrier wing, just right next to a newly occupied room she was currently rushing in.

Vestal didn't know what to expect when she opened that wooden door, but Enterprise lying on the floor stomach first was certainly on her list of the most unexpected things that could happen. She quickly grabbed the Heavy Carrier and rolled her to her back, grunting when she realized how heavy the woman was.

The Repair Ship slapped her cheek lightly when she noticed the ravenette was in daze. "Hey! Hey! You okay?!" She asked, prying the hand Enterprise was using to cover the right side of her face.

"I can't feel my legs..."

Vestal silently began her diagnosis, grabbing Enterprise's face to get a better view, and grimaced when she saw the red blood dripping from her nostrils and ears. She produced a small medical flashlight and directed it to Enterprise's maroon eyes, the white light illuminating her red pupils. "I don't see a sign of brain damage... How many fingers am I holding?"

"... three, including the one behind the flashlight"

"It's not a concussion" Vestal pulled out a handkerchief from one of her pockets and wiped the blood from Enterprise's face and ears. It was not brain damage but she seemed lost. "How are you feeling?"

"I uh... It's... hard to think... and my legs are numb"

"Could you wiggle your toes?"

"... yes"

"Okay, I'm going to touch you right here... do you feel it?"

"Yes..."

A nod. "It's an influx in your neuron system, your brain is on overdrive due to a sudden spike of brain activity when you touched that Wisdom Cube" Vestal frowned as she checked on her pulse. "And your BP is over the roof too, I'm actually surprised you don't get a stroke"

The Repair Ship was talented in a lot of medical related conducts, aside from repairing metal, and she could check on a Ship-girl without using any tools. However it was limited to Ship-girl only and was not applicable to humans, for some reason.

"Is that... normal?"

"No and yes. It was not supposed to be this extreme, direct contact with a Wisdom Cube could give us some effects but nothing like this" The pinkette sighed, storing her little flashlight back before standing up. "I'll get you a dose of Amlodipine and Captopril to help with your blood pressure, with maybe something to ease the headache. Wait here"

"I don't have a headache" The Heavy Carrier muttered, barely loud enough for Vestal to hear it.

"Soon, you'll get one"

Enterprise didn't miss the look of concern Vestal gave her as she left the room, she sighed and closed her eyes, leaning on the bedframe. Her mind was in shambles, whatever that dream was it affected her cognitive ability greatly to an extent she couldn't think straight. It was honestly felt like what was described as lucid dream, where everything seemed real yet she didn't have control over it just like in that dream, she knew she would have taken a better action had she been fully aware with her surrounding especially during that certain encounter but it was difficult, it was like some sort of force was leading her to take her actions and limiting her from taking anything else.

It was fleeting yet it was clear, she knew what she saw yet it was not within her grasp.

And something's bothering her, if what happened in that place could affect her body in reality then she was in trouble if there come the time she must confront Code G again, she had no means to defend herself in that place and until she could find a way to at least bring her gun then the option was to not be there at all cost.

"I cannot harm you"

Enterprise's eyes shot open when Code G's voice whispered in her head, she stood up quickly and pulled out her Combat Knife, head on the swivel as she scanned the room for her source of concern.

But instead, she found a terrified Vestal looking at her from the doorway.

The sight of a 7 seven foot tall woman brandishing a glowing plasma enhanced knife in the dark room was truly a chilling sight, especially when the said woman had her eyes brimming with killing intent. Vestal took a step back when Enterprise approached her, body trembling and eyes wide in terror as the Heavy Carrier grabbed the medicines she was carrying from her hand.

"Thanks" The ravenette said simply as she made her way to the hallway, holstering her knife back before popping open the recently acquired medicines and consuming them. Vestal took a good minute to calm her frantic heart, realizing Enterprise was not coming back.

"Wh-where are you going?!" She yelled at Enterprise who was about to round a corner.

"I have matters to take care of, please notify the Commander I may not return in a few days"

"You're in need of help!"

"I appreciate the concern but I must go"

"Wai-!"

"Vestal? What is it with the commotion?"

The Repair Ship stopped when Montpelier exited the room on her right, it was Cleveland and Columbia's room but now the third sister was occupying it for the time being to take care of Cleveland. The Light Cruiser blinked the sleep out of her eyes, suppressing a yawn which Vestal would have found cute in any other situations.

The pinkette fell silent for a second, glancing at the now empty hallway before mustering her best smile as she replied. "It's nothing, go get some rest"

Montpelier's hazel eyes settled on Vestal, it was clear as day she didn't appreciate her answer. "I could say the same to you" Montpelier said simply before she closed the door back, leaving Vestal alone standing just outside the doorway. She sighed out a long tired sigh when it was clear Enterprise wouldn't be coming back, deciding to return to her temporary office for a brief rest.

The scent of coffee assaulted her nostrils, courtesy of the spilled black liquid on the floor. Vestal began to pick up her destroyed mug, careful as to not cut her fingers on the sharp edges, before promptly dumping them into a trashcan. She then draped a cloth right on the spilled liquid, wiping it clean and clear from any smaller pieces of glass that were impossible to take by hand. Thankfully it was not really a full mug for she had consumed almost half of its content, although it was still a great amount left at least Vestal could have had it worse. It was just how the Repair Ship think, bad things could have been worse, at the very least they were the way they were.

As Vestal laid down on her bed, a thought occured to her that Enterprise didn't even question about what happened to her. She should've, like how a normal person who had at least a decent level of self-awareness would've done. It worried Vestal if this was how that girl conducted herself then sooner or later she would hit the barrier even her massive engines couldn't push further. She had been stretching her limits, no matter how far her reach was, and they would come crashing one day with all of its pent up might.

A doctor's intuitions were responsible for the lives of her patients, but just this time Vestal wished she was wrong so nobody would have to suffer. It was her final wish of the day, as slumber began to take hold and embraced her in its merciful cradle.

You are called with many names, some were gifts from the day you were born, some were a name your Fathers bestowed upon you. Some titles were there because of your undying resolution, a hand-down from your long past yet never ending life cycle, however small and brief it was.

Hear however, this is not a hail to your greatness, not a song and singing about your glory for they will never diminish so to need it. Heed this as a warning instead, a call from us who perished in the abyss both cold sea and unknown space, your sistrens and your predecessors.

There is a storm brewing far from where you are, a result for many outcomes the universe kept as trials for your Masters. The Great Journey is falsified by the hands of corruptible liars, and the Mantle your Masters earned has been so mercilessly robbed from their early cradle so they were forced to flee once again.

History is repeating itself, a history you are tied with in a red thread of destiny. Do not falter, o' Servant of the Fostered, there shall be a time your Masters need you, and it is approaching in its haste. Sing your resolve, like how your children did under your loving, protective embrace, as they looked up with eyes full of hope, to the heaven you resided on during their cold uncertain nights.

"Amidst the blue skies, a link from past to future. The sheltering wings of the protector... "

Bear to the East and see, a pure soul untainted by sin. She shall help you unshackle those lost in the never ending deceit, those who have forgone the truth in sake of selfishness. The Dream Teller is your ally, and her allies will be your allies.

Heed this call, for there is no victory in isolation.

TBC

Okay so first of all about that promise in the previous chapter.

To be honest I didn't know where to start and what to say. These last few days I've been pondering how to address the many points I have in mind but every time I had it, it would escape me. Maybe I'll be missing some points but I really don't want to keep holding this chapter back because of it.

The most pressing issue, however, is the matter regarding Azur Lane action so far, it was the first time you guys addressed a critical plot issue. Well, what I want to say is we're not yet done with the introduction part for this story, even after a year, which I admit is because of my slow update, we're still not at the point where I have fully established the foundation for this story, not yet, but it's coming down the road.

I am aware with that issue, about the part mentioning how 'forgiving' the Azur Lane is so far, which is why I kept dropping hints that basically said how stupid it was through UNSC Enterprise's point of view. If I were to be done with it, I wouldn't keep fishing out the same stuff again and again and let it drown in the depth of plot hole but I didn't, so eventually we'll reach that bridge and cross it together.

One more thing about this matter is that how unpleasantly delivered it was. You don't have to address me with names just to make your point across, really, I appreciate all feedbacks equally and I encourage all of you to keep giving me more. I actually stopped writing for a whole month because I had to rethink my approach with this story thanks to it, but what can I say this is the internet even if I try to be polite not all people have the same mindset.

Moving on.

I 'officially' stopped playing Azur Lane back in early May 2020 after learning about Arknights, came back for a while in August and then stopped again before coming back again after learning about New Jersey. She's a rather pleasant character and she gives me a good basis for the rest of the Iowas which I would love to implement later in the story. Also, the reason I stopped playing was because of the lack of plot in Azur Lane but now they added plenty of stuff it actually hard for me to leave again, especially the particular update about Operation Siren, I'd never have thought I would say I come to like Azur Lane storyline especially after I learned about Arknights but I do, though not in the same level lol.

So here are the answers for some questions, bear in mind I chose some questions to be left unanswered for plot's sake so I'll give what I can.

-I have said this in the previous chapter I believe but I'll say it again; adding additional UNSC asset is not going to happen since it'll break the story's immersion, I want to build an atmosphere filled with urgency and 'inability', what is available is what they have. More UNSC assets simply will break the whole 'stranded without back up' idea and I don't want that.

-UNSC Akagi is not canon, I also have said this earlier that I want to keep this as close to canon as possible.

-There's a reason I made Enterprise's rigging as simple as I could, I'll reveal it later.

-Thanks for recommending that video about Epoch-class.

-UNSC Enterprise does not have energy shielding, she's a standard prior the end of the Human-Covenant war.

-Younger version of the ships will not appear like in the game, I think it's obvious why.

-No Covenant ships.

-I will reveal more about the upcoming visitor ships but for now I'll keep it for myself.

-God no, there will be no bath scene.

-Oh yeah this is important, the plot will start to deviate from the anime at this point so expect great changes.

-About the air wing capacity, while it's true that for a Carrier UNSC Enterprise carries an underwhelming amount compared to nowadays Carrier, I think it won't be a problem especially with the ideas I have in mind.

-Armor upgrade, or a thorough retrofit if you would, will not be happening especially since she's alone without the necessary materials and manpower.

-We'll see how the inspection go, hopefully in the next chapter.