02—Our Motivation

What first seemed to be a relaxing trip had turned for the worse.

She hated this. Not that everyone was wishing for such a disaster to happen, but it couldn't have picked a better day to spoil her plans.

With the cool wind brushing against her cheeks, she finally calmed down and assessed the situation with a clearer state of mind.

While it was true that the entirety of the Auspice Island was put on high alert, any kind of confrontation within the island's waters had yet to be reported the last time she checked the open channels. Although this news seemed too good to be true, she also found it quite unbelievable. Enemies slipping through their early warning systems and patrol units were unheard of, and it was even more baffling why either side hadn't fired a single shell to begin with.

Well, those questions would come eventually later on, but she had one other problem gnawing on her at the moment:

She couldn't completely set aside how rattled the commander looked when the warning sirens blared throughout the island for the first time. She didn't want to bring it up again as his patience was already growing thin, but she couldn't help but worry all the same. Even though he was just within arm's reach, she was somewhat upset that she couldn't do a thing about it. Every passing second of silence reinforced her negative thoughts even more.

Not long after they left Musashi's place, she had receive a distress message from Murakumo to meet with them at the southern exit of the hills. Upon reaching said exit, they boarded Nachi's jeep and proceeded to the harbor. She could feel the haunting presence of dread and anxiety as the sirens pierced the air for the second time. Despite the looming abyssal threat, emergency procedures were followed in an orderly fashion, which wasn't surprising for a frontier island like Auspice. Civilians were evacuated away from the coastal and portside areas. Infantry carriers had gathered most of the fleet girls to be deployed in key defense points around the island.

The two commanders had already coordinated with the others via phone and private terminals: they picked up Hatsuyuki, Shirayuki, and Fumizuki on the first block of the economic district, then Kumano and Shoukaku on the opposite block. The rather spacious jeep was quickly filled in no time and they went on their way once again.

Thanks to Nachi's swift driving, they reached the southern coast's seafort border in record time. Several UNF ships and fleet girl units had already positioned themselves along the coastline. As they got close to the shore, they also saw black figures lining up the misty horizon. The abyssal ships only floated there, as if observing the events unfolding before them.

Deep down, Inazuma wished that everything was just a drill. She forced herself to confront the reality laid out before her. After all, hesitation of any kind attracted unneeded implications—something that she wouldn't rather have in this scenario.

"They're still not attacking," the commander said.

"Which is good, for now." Einrost tapped on his tablet and whistled. "This fleet is huge—fourteen battleships, twenty carriers, and dozens of everything else. Our scouts also confirmed the presence of two submarine fleets flanking the surface ships. And there could be more nearby."

He grimaced. "And they weren't able to detect a battle group of that scale?"

"Hey, don't ask me. I'm just as confused as you are."

"It doesn't make any sense. What are they trying to pull here?"

Einrost looked up from his tablet. "What now?"

"If they intended to launch a coastal assault, they had all the time in the world to do so prior their appearance. They already had the element of surprise by getting close to the island undetected, but they didn't capitalize on it and instead waited for us to assemble ours."

"So... what you're saying is, they're here for something else? Lovely."

Murakumo began flexing her wrist. "Whatever they're here for, we'll be sure to sink every last of them back into the abyss. It's an insult that they managed to breach our waters so easily."

"Apparently," Einrost said, "Chief Amagi is on his way with the Manticore and Orca. Neighboring installments are already notified, so we can expect reinforcements anytime." Einrost looked at the girls sitting on the back. "B Protocol has been issued. You know the drill."

Everyone's faces lit up with determination as they gazed towards their destination. For some reason, the gravity of the situation didn't seem to affect them. They talked and bickered, occasionally exchanging quips with each other. Inazuma thought it was probably better that way. Her attempts to settle down and stifle her pessimistic thoughts didn't work as she had been hoping for. The unconstrained sense of urgency was only making her even more restless.

As for the commander, she didn't hear him utter another word. Seeing him like that reminded her during the times where he would get so absorbed in a book he was reading. And, well, video games. He already had brought out his portable terminal from under his jacket, his eyes focused on the screen. She tried to take a peek, but she couldn't see a thing from her angle.

Stopping next to the road's barrier, they left the vehicle and surveyed the situation from their vantage point.

Preparations continued smoothly with the inaction of the enemy fleet, but they could never grew complacent with the enemy staring down on them in the distance. Inazuma had already summoned her equipment, also instantly replacing her casual clothes to her familiar sailor uniform. Her friends did the same before heading towards a gathering of fleet girls on the beach below. A few UMP officers and ACG personnel were present as well, scurrying left and right to get everything in proper order.

The flagship of the 3rd Forward Strike Fleet, Battleship Bismarck, had finished issuing her orders when they arrived. Everybody else scrambled to take their respective positions along the shore. She surveyed the area for the last time before her whole frame was consumed in a pale yellow light. In the next second, her armaments branched out around her as quickly as the light receded. Her destroyer escorts, Leberecht Maass and Max Schultz, followed her on the water afterwards.

Murakumo ran past Inazuma, catching up to them. "Hey, Bismarck!"

The blonde battleship turned around. "I was wondering where you would be," she replied. "I already put up a channel for the flagships, I'll be relaying orders and updates there."

The silver-haired destroyer was increasingly getting impatient. "Well, what's the plan?"

Bismarck's face contorted into a frown. "Well, you wouldn't believe it." She looked towards her escorts. "Get ready, you two. I have a bad feeling about this."

What was a better way to inform their plan than to demonstrate it themselves?

With her signal, the trio sailed towards the dark strip obscuring the horizon. One of the enemy ships slipped from the misty shroud to advance, meeting them halfway. The carriers had already drawn their bowstrings while the battleships trained their hulking batteries towards misty lining. Naturally, the enemy did the same, bearing all their guns to the opposite side. One false step and it could spark a very disastrous struggle so close to the island. Inazuma steeled herself, as anything could happen at this point.

Murakumo folded her arms on her chest. "Huh. I can't believe we're actually negotiating with them."

"You're always so eager Murakumo," Prinz Eugen said, frowning. "Big Sis is really rubbing that battle-hungry attitude on you."

"Pretty bold of you to say to my face."

"She's right, you know," I-8 said. "There's no shame in admitting it."

"If you two dislike me that much, you're free to leave the fleet. See if I care."

The heavy cruiser locked Murakumo's arm around hers. "Aww, don't be like that. Do you get lonely when we don't get to hang out with you?"

"You should know when to close that mouth of yours, Twintails."

An enormous wave of relief seemed to have found its way towards everyone on the beach when Bismarck finally returned with her destroyer escorts. Murakumo skipped towards her. "How did it go?"

Bismarck's eyebrows crossed. "Pointless effort. They won't tell us what they're here for, but they're not fooling anyone."

"We just received word from Chief Amagi," Einrost said. "We will uphold the abyssal fleet's ultimatum. Standby for further orders."

"And now they're demanding us something?" Murakumo grinned. "Aren't they feeling especially confident today?"

"What do they want?" Prinz Eugen asked.

"They asked—no, politely threatened us to suspend all of our operations out in the sea," Bismarck replied. "Ridiculous, if I might add."

"What? They want us to surrender?"

"No. They're very specific that they don't want any of our ships and fleet girls leaving our territorial waters. I brought up the issue about our girls back in the morning shift—they said it was fine as long as we don't initiate an engagement."

"But why are we compelled to follow them?" Murakumo asked. "They'll need a much bigger force than that if they want to convince us."

"That geezer's a softie." Bismarck put a hand on her hips, gazing at the horizon. "The second we turn our backs from them, they'll be quick to pull the trigger and pepper us with holes."

"Um, I think they won't," Inazuma said. "Like the commander said earlier, they already had their chance."

"You may be right, Inazuma." Prinz Eugen wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. "We can't lower our guard until all of this is over."

Murakumo gasped. "Wait a second. What if this is a diversion? If they can get this close undetected—"

Einrost and the commander's terminals gave off a beeping sound. "Oh, what do we have here?" Einrost said, flicking his tablet's screen. "Looks like you're right on the money this time."

"Ugh... don't tell me that..."

"We've received report of a Navy transport fleet under attack approximately 56 nautical miles, south-southeast of the island. Two of our scout teams had coordinated to intercept the fleet from behind, but..."

Hatsuyuki heaved a sigh. "Somebody really have to say that."

Murakumo's face turned red. "Hey, don't look at me like I'm at fault or something!"

"What is it to us?" Bismarck said. "They can fend for themselves, can't they?"

"That much is obvious. We might be facing a full-scale invasion here—we'll need every help we can get."

Inazuma looked around and she could tell that the other fleet girls were growing more and more confused. Still, the enemy fleet on the horizon didn't make a move.

Amidst the commotion, an announcement broke out through the open channel:

All fleets, be advised—previously reported transport fleet is compromised. Our scouts met heavy resistance. They've confirmed the presence of three unique variant abyssal ships in the raiding party.

"Okay, listen here," Einrost said. "Command has issued a new objective and I already signed us up for this rescue operation."

"Cheeky bastard, don't rope us into this," the commander said. It seemed like a long time since Inazuma last heard his voice.

Einrost chuckled. "Well, no point arguing with it now. A high-value mission like this doesn't come up often after all."

The commander glanced at Inazuma. "You don't get it, do you? We can't join in—"

"Won't be a problem if we merged our fleet, which is what I did. Hyuuga's not here and I'll have Hachi lead the task force's submarine squadron, so it's best to stick together like this."

Murakumo nodded. "No objections here."

"I'll be more comfortable with this arrangement," Inazuma said. "What do you think, Commander?"

He looked at Fumizuki. The destroyer caught on and nodded furiously. "There's no way I'm sitting this one out! Let me in on this, Commander!"

"Alright," he said. "Just be careful out there. Can you look after her, Hatsuyuki?"

Hatsuyuki nodded. "I'll try."

"I'm sorry I can't join everyone," Shirayuki said, "but I'll be praying for your success!"

A few of the fleet girls, Bismarck and Murakumo included, continued to voice their displeasure with the sudden notice, but they didn't waste any more time assembling the fleets participating in the operation. While shorthanded, Bismarck was convinced that they would get it done in no time. Besides, they needed the heavyweights to defend the island's perimeter.

Reaching the final stretch of their preparations, the rescue task force had moved to the shallow waters as they waited for the next order to be given. Officers and other non-combat personnel began to pull out of the shore area, taking shelter in a nearby command outpost. Two ships, the UNV Aircraft Cruiser Manticore and the UNV Destroyer Orca, had arrived from the right-hand side of the island, bearing their guns at the enemies.

"Perhaps this is the perfect day to use this."

Bismarck held up a glossy card between her fingers. The card glowed and flickered, and another set of armaments expanded from her existing gear.

Inazuma quickly recognized the battleship's matching equipment—it was a Class 2 Modular Augmentation Unit, specifically designed to bolster the capabilities of fleet girls. In Bismarck's case, she had a whole set made for her, comprising of independent pieces that operated in a unified system. It was far more impressive than the other models she had seen before.

Her destroyer escorts had brought out their own C2 MAUs as well. They had less components compared to Bismarck's, but still striking enough to draw the attention of the other fleet girls around them. Unsurprisingly, all three sets sported the UNF's color scheme, only that the blue on them was several shades darker.

Murakumo had an annoyed look on her face and Inazuma couldn't help to bring that up. "Um, what's the matter?" she asked.

"Mine's taking so long. I wonder if they'll finish it before the month ends."

"You will have yours too? I bet it's a set like theirs!"

"Well, I'm not particularly excited with it."

"Why? I thought you're looking forward to having one?"

"Yeah, but they're called Class 2 items for a reason. You'll see later on."

Inazuma stared at her terminal's notification log as she tapped on her earpiece. "Commander, still no word from Jintsuu and Sendai?"

"I'm afraid they won't make it in time," he replied over the radio link. "We'll have to make do for this operation."

"Command can't contact the scout teams," Einrost said. "Looks like the air waves are compromised."

Murakumo gasped. "Did they—"

"No. It's most likely they're messing with our comms. Whatever's going on in there, it's clear that they don't want us involved in it."

From their far left, a small battle group came into view. A lone destroyer, not affiliated to the UNF, steamed at full speed in the middle of its fleet girl escorts. They were headed away from the abyssal fleet's blockade, looking to get through as if no one would ever notice them.

"What the hell are they doing?" Bismarck tapped on her terminal. "Stop that Navy ship now!"

A gunship from the Manticore chased after the ship, but it was already too late. When the Navy unit reached a certain distance, several abyssal ships broke off from their formation to intercept them. The abyssal carriers launched their planes to swarm their fleeing targets from above. The escorts noticed this and began sending out their own, but it was nothing more than a display of valor against the overwhelming odds crashing into them.

And then, it started.

Forward units, including UNF warships and coastal installations, had began their offensive towards the hostile fleet, releasing shells and torpedoes in their direction. Carriers cast their mystical arrows and paper cutouts to the sky, launching squadrons of planes into the fray. The resounding cheer that followed moved Inazuma, stirring up a steadily glowing blaze within her.

"Operation Beach Break is a go!" Bismarck shouted. "Follow my lead!"

The thrusters on Bismarck's rear and flank units flared out as she accelerated at an alarming speed. The battleship's speed was a notch ahead from the rest of the girls. Even the 7th fleet's flagship, Shimakaze, had her eyes glued at her with bright, sparkly eyes.

The rescue fleet followed suit with Prinz Eugen as the formation's centerpiece, while the vanguard squadrons flanked them on both sides, providing the buffer they needed to pull through the combat zone. Not long after, the fleet's starboard side was clouded with the smokescreen from Max's exhaust units. The dense smoke trails provided cover for their fleet while Bismarck drew enemy fire at the front. Shells whizzed from their flank, but none of them struck their mark.

"Big Sis, we'll have to split up," Prinz Eugen said. "We can't leave them out in the open!"

"Tch, those Navy girls are pathetic," Bismarck said. "4th and 5th fleets, on me. We'll be holding the line and save those fools from themselves. Murakumo, I'll leave the rescue efforts to you."

"Acknowledged," Murakumo replied. "Let's do this, Inazuma."

"Copy that."

A white translucent field had materialized ahead of Bismarck just as the enemy fleet opened fired, shielding them from the onslaught of shells. Prinz Eugen did the same, but the field was deployed directly above them. Inazuma could feel the force of the shots hammering the field. Heavier shots weakened the mag-ion field, forming cracks on its surface. The enemy fleet had anticipated their advance as they began mobilizing their ships to intercept them. Most of the previously deployed hostile aircraft turned their attention to the rescue fleet. Still, Bismarck didn't stop, drawing even more fire from the enemies.

Murakumo's voice blared through the comm units. "What are you doing?!"

"Ramming speed, that's what!"

A few hundred yards before they could reach the enemy's primary defense line, Bismarck's field shattered like glass. Chunks of steel and circuitry flew away as the battleship took the shells head-on. As it happened, her destroyer escorts quickly deployed mag-ion fields of their own, positioning themselves on Bismarck's flanks. "Initiate Phase 2! We're almost there!"

The rescue fleet deviated a few degrees to the left from their current course, heading towards the listing Navy destroyer. Abyssal aircraft swooped down from their portside, but the incessant aerial barrage from the vanguard squadrons helped the fleet to gain some breathing room.

Meanwhile, Lebe and Max activated their SSM pods and launched a volley of miniature missiles to the sky. The missiles arched towards an approaching enemy squadron, striking the waters ahead of them. They detonated into thick clouds of smoke, disorienting the enemy ships from their positions. This signaled the aerial squadrons to move in and drop their payload onto the abyssal ships. The warheads went off in quick succession, further obscuring the enemy line inside a hazy inferno.

A final burst of speed allowed Bismarck to close in on an enemy group before her thrusters gave way and exploded. Rocketing straight to a Ru-class battleship, she pulled back her arm and punched the abyssal ship square in the face. Her unfortunate victim skipped and tumbled away, covering an impressive distance. For the coup de grace, she unleashed a thunderous salvo, enveloping the enemy battleship into a fiery chain of explosions.

"Th-That's hardcore!" Prinz Eugen raised a fist in the air. "As expected of Big Sis!"

Murakumo only narrowed her eyes. "Does she have a death wish or something?"

"Those thrusters are pretty fragile, huh?" Shimakaze said. "I still want them though."

Bismarck's companions caught up to her, directing their guns at the enemies. Their intense offensive proved to be effective in pushing back the abyssal ships. In the midst of the crossfire, Bismarck used the diversion as an opportunity to reposition herself. She lined up a massive rectangular cannon from her shoulder, pointing at the hostile ships from their left flank. "Hey, have you ever wondered what science tastes like?!"

Several abyssal ships turned to face her, responding with a stream of shells to her direction. The cannon's muzzle emitted a bright yellow glow before it unleashed a supercharged shell, detonating into an overwhelming flash of gold. "Eat it!"

Upon reaching the Navy unit, a few girls from the vanguard squadrons began aiding the injured Navy fleet girls and crew members while the rest of them provided cover fire and screen tactics. All the while, the rescue fleet pushed through at full speed without looking back. Abyssal bombers took chase, but friendly fighter planes struck them from the flank, reducing them into a hail of metal scraps. Surviving hostile planes persisted to attack, but they were also shot down by anti-aircraft artillery from the rear. Thanks to their combined efforts, the rescue fleet managed to slip away from the combat zone with minimal damages.

"Only destroyers and cruisers are left, huh?" Nagatsuki said. "What are our chances here?"

"Well, could be worse," Maya replied. "This whole thing is getting on my nerves."

"Um, I'm still here," Shoukaku said.

Prinz Eugen adjusted her cap. "Hey, have a little faith in your comrades."

Ayanami nodded, smiling. "Yes, we can do this. Presence of mind is important at times like these."

Nagatsuki's eyebrows crossed. "Easy for you to say."

"Report from Albatross," Kumano said. "Hostile unit bearing zero six zero—closing in at high speed. Surface ships consist of one light carrier, two light cruisers, and two destroyers."

Murakumo summoned her spear, spinning it twice. "We'll have to intercept. We can't let them interfere with our rescue efforts."

Shoukaku put three nocks on her bow, letting them loose in one fluid motion. The arrows soared in the sky, exploding into silver orbs of light. The orbs materialized into planes almost instantly, and two of the three plane squadrons sped towards a group of black dots emerging above the horizon.

"Leave it to us," Shimakaze said. "We'll catch up when we're done."

Murakumo glanced over her shoulder. "Are you sure?"

"Of course, speed is of the essence here. It would be a shame for you lot if we caught up to you after our cleanup."

"Heh, so you're giving us a head start? Go get them!"

Shimakaze's fleet broke out of the formation and followed Shoukaku's planes. It would have been better if it had ended there, but Inazuma knew that her luck had been particularly fickle today:

"I have detected another fast approaching hostile unit—bearing zero two zero," Kumano said. "One battleship and three heavy cruisers this time."

"Again? No—evasive actions, now!" With Murakumo's command, the fleet dispersed as quickly as possible. The torpedo blasts caught a few of them, but they weren't seriously injured.

Wincing, Maya picked herself up. "Ngh, I felt that. Props to the prick who fired those."

"They've been expecting us." Murakumo put a hand on her ear. "Hachi, tagged those submarines yet?"

"We have them on our sights," I-8 replied. "You should focus on the surface fleet. The battleship might give you trouble."

"Inazuma, lead the fleet from here. We'll take those guys on."

Inazuma was taken aback. "Eh? But what about—"

"You heard me, just go! Twintails got your back!"

Prinz Eugen pouted. "All of you better come back in one piece, you hear?"

Murakumo, together with Shoukaku and Kumano, raced against the waves as they altered course. Inazuma swallowed her anxiety as she focused at the task at hand. She couldn't fail her friends now!

They hurried against time, plowing through everything that stood in their path. On the other hand, abyssal aircraft proved to be equally determined as they kept shooting down the rescue fleet's seaplanes. They had air superiority, but they only seemed to be concerned about enemy planes entering their airspace as they never bothered to prey on the fleet girls themselves. As if the lack of communications from headquarters weren't enough, Inazuma had to cope up with the little intel they had while hostile planes continued to patrol the skies above.

Soon, they reached their target sea area and the remains of the Navy transport fleet came into view. The disquieting sight before them was breathtaking in its own right. Copious amounts of debris and freight containers turned the sea area into one big scrapyard. One of the destroyer escorts, missing most of its superstructure, had capsized on its starboard side, slowly sinking beneath the waves. Another destroyer had its bow pointed to the sky as the water had already consumed half of the ship's hull.

Whoever did this, it was clear that sinking those Navy ships weren't enough to satisfy them.

By some stroke of luck, the cargo ship itself was spared from the destruction as it was still floating quite a distance away. Inazuma quickly ordered to change course towards it. As they closed in, it became apparent that the ship was slowly moving sideways. But before they could investigate any further, a loud ripping sound broke out from the ship.

Amidst the agonizing noise, a figure appeared around the cargo ship's aft. Maya's eyes widened. "C-Crap, is she who I think she is?"

The mere presence of the white-haired abyssal girl stopped the fleet from its tracks. Her calm red eyes swept the area before her while the rescue fleet readied their guns. The brief moment of terror passed as she turned her back and walked away. The lack of interest she had displayed stunned everybody. But to Inazuma, it was a godsend.

Prinz Eugen fanned herself with her hand. "I hope this encounter didn't burn all my luck in this lifetime."

"Did she just ignore us?" Nagatsuki clutched her hand cannon. "How about we—"

"H-Hold on," Inazuma said. "This is our chance. We're not here to fight."

"Can't blame 'em," Maya said. "It looks like they're more interested in that large ship than us. And in case you haven't noticed, she's an installation-type abyssal chick."

"I know," Nagatsuki replied. "She might be tough as nails, but she's not invincible. If we gang up on her—"

"That's not what I meant, you brat. I was talking about why she's here. Probably something so important that the big shots are doing the work themselves. And I don't like the idea of babysitting everyone's asses if things happen to go south here."

"I'm quite interested too," Ayanami said, "but we should keep going. We can't linger here for too long."

Inazuma nodded; they had bigger fish to fry.

And so, the fleet had begun their rescue efforts, towing incapacitated fleet girls and life boats stranded in the wreckage. The crewmen they rescued were very tight-lipped when they interrogated them, but they had shared the more important details that Inazuma and the others cared about.

She let out a sigh of relief when she learned that most of the crewmen had already escaped after the initial assault of the enemy. It also helped that every ship was only operated by a skeleton crew and they were given time to abandon ship with the intervention of the scout fleets.

Deeper into the area, the booming of cannon fire took their attention. The flagships quickly responded as they stalked the source of the commotion.

Surviving fleet girl escorts, battered and weakened as they were, remained defiant against their enemies. Bearing their guns towards an approaching abyssal unit, they launched a final salvo before one of them collapsed. The abyssal ships evaded the shells as they continued their approach without retaliating. The flagships rushed in, but the enemies had caught up to the Navy girls, leveling their guns to the injured party.

The enemy unit's battleship faced them. One of her massive batteries hovered next to the Navy fleet girls. "We've been expecting you. Not that your presence here would make a difference."

Her accommodating tone was unsettling at best. Maya stepped forward, flexing her arm. "Really? Care to test that out?"

"Not so fast," Nagatsuki raised her naval gun to her chest. "I could use some action myself."

"Such confidence," the abyssal battleship said. "It seems like we're getting our share of fun here after all."

Light Cruiser Natori helped the other fleet girl sprawled next to her. The Ri-class cruiser noticed them and fired her cannon. The powerful blast knocked the two fleet girls away. Natori was mostly unscathed as she slowly sat up, but her savior began her slow descent into the water. Tears fell on her cheeks as she scooped up her friend. "Haguro... why?!"

"How impatient." The abyssal battleship grinned, looking at her comrade.

"Oops, my bad. I'm itchin' to fire, see? They told us to hold back, but I'm so tired of waiting here."

Heavy Cruiser Ashigara rushed to where Natori was. Every step she took was a struggle as her legs began to sink further into the water. She kneeled, cradling the lifeless body in her arms. "You bastard!"

"Why so pissed? I did you the favor of removing the dead weight, so you should be thanking—"

Battleship Fusou had fired her last functioning battery, engulfing the abyssal cruiser in a bright flash. When the smoke cleared, the abyssal ship only cracked a smile. She aimed her massive gun at Fusou. "Nice try, but you're starting to get annoying."

Her arm cannon emitted a considerable blaze as it fired, but the shell never struck its target.

Ayanami stood in front of the disgruntled cruiser. She held a sleek, black hatchet that was firmly lodged on the enemy's cannon. "Enough."

The Ri-class cruiser swung her other arm, but Ayanami simply dipped low, shoved her naval gun on the cruiser's stomach, and pulled the trigger. The following blast sent the abyssal ship skipping on the water while Ayanami skidded backwards.

The abyssal battleship gestured at her other ally, a Chi-class torpedo cruiser, who responded with her own cannon fire. Ayanami leaned to her left, dodging an incoming shell by a hair. She threw another hatchet straight at the cannon's muzzle, which exploded to bits just before it could fire again. The torpedo cruiser lurched back with a growl, summoning her mobile platform to support herself.

A flickering crimson aura burst from the abyssal heavy cruiser as she rejoined the fight. She fired a shell towards Ayanami, swallowing her whole inside a huge torrent. A loud clang was heard. And when the water settled down, Inazuma couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Ayanami had blocked the cruiser's punch with the blunt side of her hatchet. Neither of them gave in as they struggled to push each other back, but the confidence from the cruiser's face had begun to fade. "Wh-What are you?! A destroyer runt shouldn't have this much power!"

"Last week, a heavy cruiser like you mentioned something similar. I believe she has a different opinion about us destroyers now." Ayanami looked over her shoulder, teeth clenched. "Inazuma, I'll try to hold them off. Get the others to safety."

The Ru-class battleship shifted to a battle stance. "And what makes you think I'll—"

Her head suddenly exploded. Maya grinned as she lowered her forearm turret, propelling herself forward with a powerful kick. "Enough talk. Let's get over this already!"

Enveloped in a blazing red hue, the battleship released a mighty salvo towards them. Maya bolted to the left while Inazuma and Nagatsuki scampered to the other direction. The spot where they had been standing was consumed in a mass of smoke and fireballs.

"A-Ah, right!" Inazuma composed herself as she grabbed Nagatsuki, pulling her away before she could join the others. She glanced back again to see Maya dodging an overhead swipe of the enemy battleship's halberd. Meanwhile, Ayanami had her hands full with the two enemy cruisers, dancing through their deadly projectiles.

"What are you doing?!" Nagatsuki pulled her arm away. "We can just beat them up and finish this, right?"

"But rescuing the injured is our first priority. I'm sure they can handle it."

Nagatsuki inhaled slowly and deeply. "Is that so? You better make up for later."

Her sudden change of disposition confused Inazuma. "E-Eh?! How am I supposed to—"

She closed her eyes, deep in thought. "Maybe some dessert for dinner? I'm craving for some flan lately too, so how about treating me one after we get back?"

"Are you hungry? Wait, but this isn't the time to think about food!"

"Heh, that's the Inazuma I know. Gives you a reason to live through this operation, yeah?"

"Um, I'm not sure where this is going..."

"You looked so stiff. I know you're nervous right now, but we're in this together. So, chin up and keep at it."

Inazuma smiled. Embarrassed as she was, those were words that she didn't think she would even need at a time like this. "Thank you."

Without wasting any more time, the destroyer pair sailed towards the Navy fleet girls. Inazuma realized how terrible their condition was upon closer inspection. "U-Um, we're here to help," she said.

Ashigara looked like she had something to say, but she sighed instead. "I guess we don't have a choice, do we?"

"Nagatsuki, can you help Miss Fusou?"

"N-No, I can still move," Fusou said, recalling her damaged armaments. "Please help Ashigara instead."

"You guys are taking so long!" came Prinz Eugen's voice from the right. Three more fleet girls followed behind her, including Hatsuyuki and Fumizuki. With their help, they brought the injured fleet girls back to the main fleet. Fusou and Natori brought Haguro's body aboard a motorboat.

Ashigara gritted her teeth. "We already went the trouble of pushing our way back here to salvage important cargos from the ships. Still, our job here is far from over until—"

"Easy there," Prinz Eugen hoisted the Navy cruiser up from her shoulders. "You can barely hold your footing. Another hit and you'll sink for good."

She snarled, pulling herself away from the blonde cruiser. "Do you think I didn't know that?! We're as good as dead at this point anyway."

"Dead? What do you mean?"

"What's the point in trying?" Fusou said. "We've failed. We can't return home."

"No," Fumizuki said, "you can't possibly call it quits here!"

The battleship began trembling. "You... You don't understand. We failed to protect the fleet and its shipments. Those are the only things that mattered."

Natori placed a hand over her shoulder. "M-Miss Fusou... please hang in there!"

"Okay," Nagatsuki said, "I think we've already established that those are very important. So, what are these shipments exactly?"

Silence. Inazuma had expected such response. Their behavior alone towards their

"Counting the amount of escort vessels and fleet girls involved here," Prinz Eugen pointed at the cargo ship slowly drifting away, "it's no question that you guys are shipping some top-grade, classified items. And I'm betting the entirety of my limited-time badge collection that it has to be on that ship right now."

"C-Can you help us?!" Ashigara placed her hands on Prinz Eugen's shoulders. "If we worked together, I'm sure we can—"

"I hate to break it to you, but the odds are stacked against us." She shrugged, eyeing the swarm of hostile planes above them. "The reason why we're still floating is because we haven't fired the first shot to the guys over there. If we get ahead of ourselves, we're all riding a one-way trip to the ocean floor."

Nagatsuki crossed her arms. "And no offense," she said, "but how are we supposed to help you guys if you can't even tell us what the shipments are? Can we just focus on staying alive for now?"

Ashigara glared at her. "Are you afraid? That's not a trait a fleet girl should—"

"I thought you Navy girls are already past that kind of thinking." Prinz Eugen jutted a thumb at Inazuma. "And I'm not the one calling the shots here."

"A destroyer as your flagship?"

Nagatsuki's eyes narrowed. "And you better show respect if you're still looking to appeal something from us."

"I understand. Inazuma, was it?" Ashigara began. "While we can't disclose the finer details about the shipments, I would be very grateful if you could spare us a few hands to retrieve one particular set of item on each transport vessel of our fleet."

Prinz Eugen sighed. "Guess we're signing up for this, huh? So what are we supposed to fetch here?"

"Mag-ion cells." Ashigara glanced at the crewmen who began to exchange nervous looks. "This particular batch is an experimental variant that the Navy has been developing for quite some time now. These cells are still on restricted territory, but you girls left me with no other options."

"Hey," Nagatsuki said, pointing her turret at the Navy cruiser, "we didn't save you just to put yourselves in harm's way again."

"She's right, Ashigara," Fusou said. "It's just impossible with those powerful Abyssals leading the charge. And sharing restricted information is—"

"To hell with the protocols," Ashigara's eyes focused on Haguro's body, "my pride won't allow me to give up so easily. Just keep her from slipping out and we'll call it even. Natori, I'll be counting on you."

Natori saluted. "Y-Yes! I'll do what I can!"

"If that's the plan, then count us in," a ship captain told Ashigara. "Let's grab as many as we can while we're out here."

Nagatsuki waved her free hand, turning around. "Ugh, I'm not gonna try anymore. Do what you want."

"I can help them, Inazuma," Fumizuki said. "We won't take long for sure!"

"What's this sudden enthusiasm?" Prinz Eugen said. "We're far too stretched to divide the fleet again and—"

"I'll go with her," Hatsuyuki said. "That would be enough... I think."

"Are you okay with that?"

"Commander's orders."

"Alright, while we're at it," Prinz Eugen turned her attention back to Ashigara, "anything else we need to know about that shipment of yours?"

The Navy cruiser nodded. "The mag-ion cells are kept in cargo holds that should automatically open when a sinking ship enters a certain depth. I've heard that the items they usually transport are fragile, so most containers are equipped with a floater system to send them back to the surface in case of scenarios like this."

She then pointed at the rectangular gray containers bobbing from the waves. "What we're looking for should be inside some of those freight containers. The cells themselves are compact, so carrying them around shouldn't be a problem."

"Sounds, uh, convenient," Prinz Eugen said. "Your call, Inazuma."

Suddenly, familiar voices flooded Inazuma's earpiece. She could also make out the booming of artillery and the roaring of engines in the background. She waited a few more seconds before the noise settled down. "Inazuma, can you hear me?"

"C-Commander! We need to link up with the scout fleets and the other survivors."

"Consider it done. The coast guard from the nearest satellite outpost already mobilized to their coordinates. You should concern yourself less about them now."

"That's a relief."

"Anyway, what's your status over there?" Inazuma had given him a brief report of their situation, which was then relayed to High Command's Operations Control Department. She then received their next instruction a minute later. "Evacuate to the north and meet up with a coast guard unit there. Things are still busy on our side and we can't afford anyone to get caught in the crossfire."

She swallowed, hesitating as she glanced at Ashigara. "And, um, Commander... we have a slight problem."

"We heard the important bits. Personally, I couldn't care less about—"

"We can get extra brownie points if we help them out," Einrost said. "Don't worry, Inazuma. We got your back."

"What he said," Murakumo chimed in. "Those hardheaded fools aside, get the rest of the fleet out of there. Shimakaze and the rest will join the main fleet shortly. We will have to keep watch of those high-ranking abyssals in there too. Having them so close to the island chain is a threat in itself."

Inazuma wasn't convinced. "B-But Commander, are you sure that—"

"Go. Every second counts."

"I apologize, Miss Inazuma," Aster said. "We're still having trouble with the interference field plaguing the sea area you're in. You might have to wait a little longer before we can tether the communication links for everyone."

"No, it's a great help! Thank you!"

"Since we've already decided, I'll take point this time," Nagatsuki said. "We gotta make sure our route is safe."

"Thanks. I'll leave it up to you." Just before they set out, a deafening roar made her hair stand on end. It broke down a few seconds later, mellowing out into an eerie moan. She looked in the direction of the cargo ship. "Wh-What was that just now?"

"Trouble... you should hurry," Hatsuyuki said. "Don't worry about us."

As planned, the main fleet cruised northward at full speed. However, not even a quarter of an hour had passed when several figures burst out behind the fleet, firing with reckless abandon. Prinz Eugen activated her mag-ion field as it clashed against high-explosive shells. Inazuma closed in on one of the abyssal destroyers. "Don't stop! I'll distract them!"

Prinz Eugen complied with a nod as she urged the fleet to keep on moving. Inazuma looked back just in time to dodge a head-on attack from a destroyer. She responded with several shots from her gun mounts and the abyssal ship finally came to a stop as it began to list on its portside.

Two more destroyers went pass her and she tried to chase after them, but another one screened their tracks with a well-timed shot. The resulting torrent sent her reeling backwards. Before she could pull out and retreat, more destroyers appeared behind her, boxing her in. She began to hear cannon fire from the rescue fleet in the distance. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

"We can manage," Prinz Eugen replied, "but we're not sure how many of these things are following us. How about you?"

"I'll catch up when I find an opening—"

A humanoid abyssal ship emerged in front of her. "Oh? What do we have here? A cute little destroyer seems to have wandered off from the pack."

"—or not." The realization struck Inazuma hard. So that's why these destroyers are very coordinated.

"Inazuma, what's your status?" the commander asked.

"I... I'm surrounded—one Ne-class heavy cruiser and three Ro-class destroyers. A few of them chased after the fleet."

The monochrome cruiser circled around Inazuma, her exposed eye radiating a faint blue shade. Her tail-like appendage twitched as it swayed behind her. She cocked her head to the side. "I thought it would be nice to get to play around like this once in a while, but... I wonder."

"A Ne-class cruiser? Are you serious?" Einrost's voice became shaky. "Oh Goddess, this is bad! Inazuma won't—"

"Sinking isn't part of the game plan," the commander replied.

His voice was unexpectedly firm and confident, instilling some pride and confidence in her. However, she knew that a destroyer like her could only do so much against a heavy cruiser.

"Listen," he said, "her escorts are the least of your worries. Don't stray too far away from her, but not too close though or she'll decimate you with her guns. Never show your back towards her. I can't stress enough how important that is—you'll be dead the moment you lose track of her."

Relaxing her limbs, Inazuma shifted her legs to a more comfortable stance. "Copy that."

"You're out of your mind," Einrost said. "You're letting her fight?"

"Maybe I am, but it's not like we have a choice here. Pulling back at this point will only put her at greater risk."

"And what's with that cool attitude of yours? Are you for real?"

"Stop whining over the radio, will you?" came Murakumo's voice. "Let her concentrate. Someone who can manage to pick herself up after a sparring session with me can't be beaten so easily."

"You look tense," the abyssal cruiser said. "You should ease up a bit. It'll help if you think of this as a game."

Inazuma clenched her hands. "This... This isn't a game!"

"It is to me. Indecision begets fatal outcomes." The Ne-class cruiser whistled, and the destroyers, each radiating a golden hue, began to chase after the main fleet. "What will it be, little destroyer?"

Inazuma aimed her guns towards the pursuing ships. "No! Prinz Eugen, more destroyers on your six!"

"Come on, dearie. Don't disappoint me now." With the flick of her fingers, the cruiser's tail opened fired. Inazuma bolted to the right and retaliated with her turrets, resulting in a quick exchange of gunfire. None of the shells hit their mark, merely grazing the combatants. However, the cruiser had anticipated Inazuma's next maneuver as she released a full salvo ahead of the destroyer's path.

Inazuma barely had the time to dodge the shells as she dived out of the way. Sharp pain crawled up to her thighs while she forced herself up to her knees, looking up to the approaching abyssal ship. Her torpedo mounts adjusted slightly, angled towards the surface, and fired all but two of her torpedoes into the water.

The cruiser weaved through the torpedo spread as she closed the distance between them. Inazuma followed up with two shots from her gun mount, but the enemy was quick to cover her face using her tail as a makeshift shield.

The cruiser hopped and spun around, lashing out her tail to the left. Inazuma blocked it with her mount plating, but the sheer force of the blow sent her tumbling away. She stretched out her limbs towards the water as she skidded for a short distance. Out of breath, she managed to regain her balance, but the abyssal ship had already begun her advance. The cruiser approached in a curve, lifting her plated leg up for a high kick.

Gritting her teeth, Inazuma released a concentrated shot into the water in front of her. The upward surge caused the cruiser to stop in her tracks momentarily. Seizing this chance, Inazuma rolled to the side and fired a salvo towards the abyssal ship who staggered at the blasts. She picked herself up and glided backwards to gain some distance, releasing her remaining torpedoes. The pair of torpedoes traced and struck their prey, sending a hefty splash towards the sky.

The heavy cruiser only stood there as seawater rained on her. Pieces of metal and fleshy protuberance from her tail began to fall apart. She crossed her arms. "Hmm, you're quite tough for a tiny destroyer. I like you."

Inazuma took a moment catch her breath. All the while, she focused her energy to load fresh ammo into her armaments. "Th-This isn't good."

"Well, you should take it easy then." The cruiser chuckled. "It's not like I'm in a rush to dispose of you."

As she pointed a pale finger to the glistening surface, Inazuma's eyes widened. "Since when—!"

A split-second flash of blue lit the water before her. And in the next few moments, she found herself lying on the water again, waves brushing against her face. Her lungs called out for precious air and she complied with a desperate gasp, but she went into a coughing fit as water accidentally entered her nose and mouth. Her limbs felt numb while the rest of her body was about to give in.

That torpedo could've sunk her, but it had detonated prematurely for her to take the full brunt of the blast. And by some miracle, her weapons and communication links were still operational, giving her a sliver of hope.

Inazuma forced herself to stand up on worn and shaky legs while the cruiser only watched her from afar. "You're holding back, aren't you?" she asked, her vision blurring.

"Hmm? You could say that."

She collapsed to her knees, struggling to keep herself afloat. "Th-Then why?"

"Ah, didn't I tell you already? I'm here to play." The cruiser started to advance again. "You're not half bad yourself. I want to see more."

The barrels of her shoulder gun mount lowered slightly as she took aim at the enemy, but an inexplicable burst of speed allowed the cruiser to close in, leaving no time for her to react. The abyssal ship lifted Inazuma by the collar as if she had scooped a fish out of the water. "And oh, I almost forgot. You're the flagship of one of those units, am I correct? I was hoping you could answer some questions for me."

"Q-Questions?"

"We're hunting a... rogue child out in these parts," she said. "She's about as tall as you, has a milky white complexion—well, she looks like one of you girls, but—"

Her eyes caught a black and orange blur on her left, followed by a shrill clang. The intense force of the kick warped the water beneath them, but it didn't have any apparent effect on the heavy cruiser who used her tail to block the attack. Inazuma gasped upon recognizing the new arrival.

"Sendai?!"

Fleshy tissues quickly enveloped Sendai's ankle, preventing her escape and suspending her helplessly. The Ne-class cruiser glanced at her. "It's rude when you interrupt someone talking. You should be taught some manners."

Sendai flailed her arms around. "H-Hey! Lemme go!"

She chuckled, placing the other tail end on Sendai's stomach. "Well, as you wish."

"Ah, crap."

The ensuing blast sent her skipping for a distance, prompting Jintsuu to take aim at the abyssal ship. The Ne-class cruiser used Inazuma as a shield in response.

"Let her go!"

Holding up an index finger, she directed her gaze back to Inazuma. "Stay where you are. I'm not done with her."

"Miss Inazuma," Aster said, "carrier-based planes inbound to your position. A carrier battle group from the Naval Domain will be arriving shortly in the area."

This was new—the Navy actually sending a battle group of their own as reinforcements?

And soon enough, planes came into view. Even the abyssal cruiser seemed to be impressed, not moving an inch as squadrons of planes passed over them. One of the squadrons strayed from its course as it started to swoop towards them. The abyssal cruiser whispered under her breath as her eye radiated a bright deep blue. She made one swift motion of her arm, flinging the fleet girl away like a rag doll.

Losing momentum, Inazuma rolled and tumbled until she finally stopped in a tangled mess. She pushed herself up to see an unfamiliar plane dropping another bomb within the brewing firestorm. A flash of red engulfed the Ne-class cruiser as the bomb struck her with an earsplitting clap. The shock wave that followed sent the secretary tumbling even further. She could feel the searing heat of the blast closing toward unbearable levels. The sudden spike of mag-ion energy was interfering with her system as well, but she managed to fall back before collapsing out of exhaustion.

She was safe, but her friends weren't so lucky.

It took her every ounce of energy to pull herself up again from the wavy surface and dragged herself to Sendai and Jintsuu.

The light cruisers, suffering from what looked like second-degree burns and shrapnel wounds, were unconscious. Nevertheless, Inazuma was relieved that they were still breathing. She activated their emergency floaters and anchored them together with a rope. As she was done tightening the knot, she stumbled towards the purplish sky over the horizon. The enthralling sight made her blood run cold.

Nausea suddenly struck her, the world around her spun in odd, varying angles.

And this time, she blacked out.

She couldn't remember much after she had activated her own floatation device. Or perhaps she didn't want to remember them at all? Only bits and pieces of memories swirled in her mind, wavering as she sifted through them:

The clear blue sky above. The waves splashing against her feet.

The stinging sensation of sunlight against her skin.

Distress calls flooding out of her earpiece.

Other than Sendai and Jintsuu, her friends back at the site of the incident were casualties of the relentless bombing from the very same planes she had seen earlier. The Navy planes weren't aiming for any specific targets—it was reported that they intended to lay waste to the immediate sea area. Any surface contact, friend or foe, were simply collateral damage. As a result, Hatsuyuki was mortally injured. And Fumizuki was dead.

When she first heard of this news, she was surprised herself that she didn't break down into tears or collapse out of shock. Her thought process simply froze, drifting into a space of nothingness for a good while. She just didn't know how to make out those horrible things that seemed to have snuck up on them so suddenly. She also didn't know if she should be happy that they were able to retrieve Fumizuki's body. Nagatsuki told her that they were fortunate enough that they did, mostly thanks to Hatsuyuki's last ditch effort of keeping the body afloat until rescue came to get them.

Speaking of which, she would've shared Fumizuki's fate if it weren't for the Ne-class cruiser who chucked her away before those bombs fell. What was her deal and why did she save her? Mulling over it only confused her more.

She spent the rest of the trip back to Auspice Island like this, going around in circles in her head while staring at the ceiling of the medical bay. She was able to finish a pack of energy gumdrops given to her by a fellow destroyer from the coast guard, but her body still felt weary and restless—something that she just couldn't get rid of completely. Perhaps the mental fatigue had caught up to her without realizing it.

When they arrived at the launch bay, she had to accompany the commander in an emergency meeting. She didn't want to attend at first, but she realized that she have to hear some answers herself. She needed to know why such a thing had to happen to everyone. Her friends were in capable hands now, and Shirayuki promised to watch over them while she was gone. Still, she felt anxious and restless after all the reassuring she had mustered up, draining her physical and mental fortitude at once. Despite her best efforts to contain it, all the pessimism emanating from her seemed to have caught the commander's attention.

He never asked if she was okay or anything. He talked to her as if it was any other day—exchanging small talk and occasional jabs at each other.

And just talking to the commander like that helped her to settle down a bit as they walked towards their destination.

The tension and hostility inside the assembly hall was greater than she imagined. Once the important officials took their respective places, on and around the center platform, they wasted no time getting on the crucial details of the earlier events. Inazuma quickly noticed one thing as the meeting progressed: the longer those Navy officials talked, the more people became ticked off because of their indifferent attitude throughout the proceedings.

Eventually, the transport fleet and its shipment were brought up. Surprising no one, the Navy never bothered to answer any of the queries. Apparently, it was so confidential that they had to get rid of all evidence that a Navy transport fleet had been there. Under the guise of ocean cleanup and retrieval operations, they also had the site's perimeter secured to cover all their bases.

They also insisted that the friendly fire incident was an honest mistake caused by miscommunication between the fleets, but the commander wouldn't have any of that miserable excuse. Well, none of them would. Before the meeting ended, he stood up, grabbed a microphone, and spoke in a stern but restrained tone:

"I demand compensation from all the damages incurred to my fleet. Same goes for the other fleets who participated in the rescue operation."

Nothing more, nothing less. Concise and straight to the point.

Prior his intrusion, he had been intently listening to the heated back and forths of High Command and Naval Domain officers. This was somewhat a regular occurrence whenever these two parties were present in the same room, constantly banging their heads at each other for hours on end. The commander had always told her not to overthink about the things they talk about there, like politics. Especially politics. Even the representatives from the Northern Federal Union were having headaches dealing with their scuffles over the slightest things.

But today, the commander seemed to have reached his limit, and it was the first time he had made his voice known throughout the hall.

Rear Admiral Burton, the commander of the carrier battle group responsible for the bombardment, raised his eyebrow and scoffed at his demand, but the commander was also quick to remind the Navy of their incompetence that cost the lives of several fleet girls. Pleasantries were drop at this point as the Rear Admiral outright blamed them for staying inside a dead zone while the enemy had the skies for themselves. Their exchange caused a huge uproar in the hall, and an intimidating standoff between the fleet girls in attendance threatened to turn the assembly hall into a warzone.

Even before the meeting started, Bismarck had been very vocal about how she wanted to pummel the Navy carriers across her, and Inazuma wouldn't certainly put it past her if she had the chance to do so. Prinz Eugen did her best to help simmer down the situation on their side, but she looked like she was about to tap out and slump onto the floor.

The commander received two infraction strikes for his behavior, but it was worth it. Well worth the trouble after the Joint Committee representatives approved an immediate order to grant them additional payment on top of the liabilities and other charges the Navy had to shell out for.

"If they can get away with it," he whispered, "might as well ask for damage fees."

After the post-operation review was over, they immediately left the hall and went towards the armory. The sooner they leave, the better—they didn't want to get caught up in a scuffle and rack up more infractions.

As they turned around the corner, a Navy officer ran up to them. She had a confident grin on her face as she brushed a few stands of hair on her forehead. "What do you want?" he asked.

"I'm Lieutenant Harline, commander of the Naval Domain's 22nd Reserve—" The young woman snapped as he began walking again. She reached out for his arm to stop him. "Hey, are you listening?!"

He looked back, glaring at her. The Navy officer shrunk back a little, but she kept her grip on his arm. "I didn't expect much in an organization with a loose, almost non-existent chain of command, but this is just unacceptable. I admit that you have the balls to call him out, but you should know your place even if—"

Einrost ran past Inazuma and he pulled Harline away. "Hey missy, cut it out."

Free from the Navy officer's grasp, the commander simply continued walking down the corridor. "A-And what's your problem?" she asked.

"If there's one person you should avoid right now, it's him."

"He's just an AR2 officer—why should I be afraid of him?" Harline slapped his hand away. "And who are you to tell me that anyway?"

"Wait a minute... are you hitting on him?"

Her eyelids started to flutter. "Wh-Where did you get that ludicrous idea? Are you insane? Is this some kind of standard in this place? Ridiculous!"

Smiling, he turned to look at Inazuma. "Keep an eye on him, okay? I'm kinda worried that he might snap all of a sudden again."

Inazuma nodded. "How's Murakumo and the others?"

"They're fine," Einrost said as he lowered his cap. "I'm sorry about Fumizuki. It was my idea to help Ashigara and—"

"A-Ah! Don't blame yourself!" She paused for a second, taking a deep breath. "I'm just as responsible for the incident as I was the acting flagship of the fleet, but the commander told me that it was a situation that's simply beyond our reach. The more important part is how we endure and recover after a crippling blow. Er, um, something like that?"

"Heh, not even sure what to think of that."

"At the end of the day, he considers the mission a success." She looked at her feet, shifting one slightly apart from the other. "Maybe he's just saying that to make us feel better—um, I don't know. Uu... I feel like blaming myself again."

"Probably, but let me tell you that he's definitely not the optimistic type. I'm sure you noticed that many times already, but hearing him say things like that is sort of frightening on its own."

"Yeah, he can be really scary at times."

"But knowing your thoughts about this mess helped a lot, Inazuma. Thanks." He leaned close to her and winked. "Remember, I'm always rooting for you two. You know where to find me if you need... tips."

Inazuma almost choked on her words, but she recovered quickly as she gave her thanks. Meanwhile, Harline only stood beside her as she drilled holes into the commander's back with her eyes. It took some convincing from Einrost for her to give up. And when she did, she focused her attention on the destroyer. "You poor thing, serving that ill-mannered, good-for-nothing officer like him..."

She had to double take on the sudden shift of the officer's tone. "Wh-What are you saying?"

Taking a step forward, Harline took her hands. "I can't even imagine how hard it must be for you to work with him every single day. As your superior officer, I advise that you should reconsider your options and ask to be reassigned to a more self-respecting commanding officer as soon as possible. Or better yet, renounce your duties here and I'll be sure to welcome a returnee like you with open arms!"

Einrost tilted his head to the side. "Oh, so you knew that she was a Navy girl?"

Harline nodded. "I had someone to look into her background during the meeting earlier. Such a waste of talent."

Another Navy officer approached them. "Are you done with your dilly-dallying, Harline?" she asked while her eyes never left the tablet screen. "We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow."

"You just disappeared all of a sudden! I thought you left me again!" Harline raised an eyebrow. "Where did you go?"

"It doesn't matter." The woman looked up from the tablet. "I should apologize for the trouble she imposed on you. As you can see, she can be quite a handful."

"Y-You made it sound like I did something horrible to them!"

"What was that, Lieutenant?"

"N-Nothing, ma'am!"

The woman happened to look at the opposite end of the corridor where the commander stood. The eyes of the two officers locked and a smile splayed across her face. "We shall take our leave. Good night."

Just like that, the Navy officers walked back to the assembly hall's lobby. "What an odd pair," Einrost said, stretching his arms. "Hey, don't you have somewhere else to go to right now?"

Inazuma turned her head and noticed that the commander had already disappeared. "A-Ah! Commander, wait!"

Picking up her pace, she caught up to the commander as they stepped into the factory and moved across the crowded waiting area. A restless Akatsuki had been waiting inside the conception hall when they arrived. Although she wanted to attend the meeting earlier, she had decided to tend to the needs of their friends instead. She walked towards them with her arms crossed.

"What took you so long?" she asked.

"Sorry, Akatsuki," Inazuma replied. "The meeting was very... intense today. I'm just glad nothing bad happened."

"Well, you're just in time," Charm said, stuffing her hands inside her coat pockets. "I presume you have already decided?"

"Bring her back," the commander said.

The fairy smiled. "Hmph, very well," she said, looking at her colleague. "Fermi, prep up the generators for me."

"I don't have plans to object, but are you sure about this?" Akatsuki asked. "You do know that she won't be the same Fumizuki we met two days ago, right?"

"I know, but she deserves this chance," he replied, his face darkening. "This never should've happened."

"Alright, I was wondering just now if we could use the same procedure when we constructed Sendai?"

"Denied," Charm said. "I know that it sounds like the most logical choice right now, but trust me when I say that she's better off without those memories. Let her have a fresh start."

"Hmph, I wasn't expecting that from you."

"Oh? Don't get me wrong. Our admiral here already suggested the same idea and I'd like to take this chance for a live experiment myself, but the risks are exceptionally high this time around."

Akatsuki had her eyes narrowed. "What could go wrong?"

"Do you want her to come out as an obsessed and deranged girl, murdering anyone who enters within a two meter radius around your admiral? Or we could end up stripping all her emotions—she would be nothing more than an empty husk of her former self! Or maybe—"

"Stop, we get it."

"C-Can those things really happen?" Inazuma asked.

"Who knows?" Charm shrugged as she glanced at the commander. "And I'm more worried about him. It will be a two-way process, mind you. The human psyche is a delicate matter to mess with."

"Psyche, huh?" Akatsuki rubbed her chin. "So that's why..."

"Oho? Got your brain juices flowing, I see! Let me know what's on your head!"

"Urgh, just do your job so that we can finish early. I didn't rush back from the mainland for this kind of talk."

"Fine, fine. Kids these days are so impatient."

Inazuma looked at the cylindrical pod where Fumizuki's body was kept. Inside, the destroyer was spotless. She looked like a porcelain doll sealed in a sturdy display case that protected her from the outside world. Tiny blue spheres drifted lazily around her, disappearing the moment they touch her body. Inazuma could feel a familiar yet distant hint of energy as she placed a hand over the glass.

"Done!" Fermi peeked out from the tiny control room. "Ready when you are!"

With Charm's signal, the pod was brought inside a rectangular chamber. Afterwards, Charm entered the control room, donned her headset, and began hitting some levers. "Revving her up to living hell! Here we go!"

Four mechanical braces locked into the slots of the pod as the chamber hummed steadily. Blue orbs poured out as the glass covering of the pod slid open. Mag-ion energy was then concentrated into Fumizuki's body, forming a flickering, pulsing sphere. A bright light from within swallowed her silhouette and a huge outward burst shook the room's foundations.

Other than the subtle hissing of the exhaust units, everything fell silent once more as the pod was ejected from the chamber. Suddenly, Charm's cackling echoed in the room. "She liveeesss—ow! What was that for?!"

Fermi grumbled, keeping her voice low. "Jeez, learn to read the mood!"

Fumizuki opened her eyes and pulled herself up from the pod. Upon seeing the commander, she climbed down from the pod, stood straight, and saluted. "Hi! I'm Fumizuki, let's be friends!"

No one responded, choking the room with an awkward silence. As Fumizuki returned their dumbfounded gazes with her own unabashed look, Inazuma couldn't hold her tears any longer as she latched on the ponytailed girl. "W-Welcome back, Fumizuki!"

"Err... did I stumble on a funeral or something? I don't get what's going on, but cheer up!"

Akatsuki let out a nervous laugh. "You're really something, you know?"

The commander smiled. "Welcome to the fleet, Fumizuki. Let's save the introductions for the dinner party later."

Fumizuki beamed back as she patted Inazuma's head. "Yay! Thank you, Commander!"