Gamma watched silently as the tube her leader was filled in continued monitoring her statistics. It baffled her how someone as powerful as Omega lost to a weak human in the way she did, but that did not change the facts.
For more than two weeks now, all Gamma did was stare at the large healing vessel Omega was in in the hopes that she'd so some signs of recovery. She had the Antiochs oversee ship repairs and construction. The six were more than capable of rounding up some humans and turning them into useful tools for the Siren Army.
Gamma considered, briefly, what to do if Omega never got up. She had no doubt that accursed human was alive and well and was also sure he'd be gathering his forces for a final assault. If Omega did not recover in time, could she be enough to withstand the combined power of the Humans and the ship girls?
The answer was a definitive no. She knew she was smarter than Alec and the Commander but history already proved that her intellect was nothing compared to their combined determination.
Then though, she noticed something from the tube. A few bubbles came from Omega's mouth and Gamma's eyes widened. She was alive.
"Rest and recover my Queen," said Gamma, placing a hand on the tube "In the meantime, I will create a new form for you. One that will ensure your dominance."
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Vestal was honestly surprised at the recovery speed. Even with the special stimulants and the medicine used, James' body recovered faster than she anticipated. She wasn't complaining though, after all, with him back up and about, the girls were able to go back to their work.
Vestal closed her system and turned to the window. The sun was up, the skies were clear and the wind felt warm. Yet she knew this was just the calm. Despite how peaceful things were, everyone was preparing. Training exercises increased, exercises were more frequent, upgrades to the fleet weapons happened almost every hour… this was the deep breath.
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Elsewhere in the base, in a room that was mostly used to pass judgment, Akagi, Queen Elizabeth, Tirpitz, Takao, Zuikaku, Cleveland, Rossiya, Richelieu, Tashkent, Z23, and Kaga stood on one side while James, Saint Louis, Monarch, Ibuki, Izumo, Neptune and Roon stood on the other side. The mood was tense.
"We have presented the necessary information to you my liege," said Saint Louis.
"As stated, their objectives were to defeat Omega's lackeys yet stood completely silent," she continued "thanks to that, you lost the use of your left arm and sustained heavy internal injuries."
James noted that none of the accused said anything to protest.
"Were it not for a twist of fate by Akagi's outburst, things would not have worked out so well for you. Regardless of your current health, the fact that they abandoned their first and most important objective is grounds enough for severe disciplinary action."
'Protect the Commander.' That was the objective Saint Louis referred to. In the event that the fleet find themselves in danger against a superior opponent, they were to follow this rule to the letter. It was something agreed upon, voted and decided by everyone in the fleet after the Second War.
It now fell on James to consider an appropriate punishment for them. Trouble was, he was usually the troublemaker not the one dishing it out.
"Saint Louis," he said, turning to her "is there any way we can postpone their disciplinary hearing till later on?"
Saint Louis looked at him in shock then turned to the accused and glared at Akagi and Kaga. It was clear what she was thinking, that her liege was pushing things aside to protect his family, but she quickly shook her head. Her Commander was not the type to let things like that cloud his judgment.
"Absolutely not my liege," she said, firmly "they had an order and they disobeyed it."
"They did that because their opponents in question looked like their family. Who wouldn't hesitate in that situation?"
"Would you have?" asked Roon and caught him off guard.
"If it were your father or mother, would you have hesitated?" she asked.
In truth, James felt nothing to those people and would have shot them regardless. However, he understood where she was coming from.
"If we were to ignore them or turn a blind eye to all this," said Saint Louis "we set the precedent that your life is not important. That it would be fine to abandon you if it meant saving our own skin."
"Self-preservation is not a fault Saint Louis. Its an instinct hardwired into every living thing."
"And yet," said Neptune "there's more than one occasion when you've ignored that instinct for the sake of others."
Several incidents popped up in his mind. Protecting Hornet from Enterprise's attack all those years ago, facing a Siren fleet single-handedly to buy everyone time, protecting Belfast, protecting Friedrich from Arbiter, and using Omega's hand to get the technology needed to destroy that dreadnought.
"Here's the thing," said James, deciding to come clean "under any circumstances, what Saint Louis and the girls said are correct."
"Failing to protect your Commanding Officer during an operation is a capital offence," he said and the accused girls nodded.
"That said, I cannot for the life of me think of an appropriate punishment," he said, lowering his head.
At this, everyone looked at him in surprise.
"My liege," declared Saint Louis "surely you must know a good way to teach them the error of their ways."
"Oh they already feel bad about what they did," said James "a cursory glance is all the evidence I need for that. That said, I want to try something else other an outright punishment."
"Such as?" asked Queen Elizabeth
"Saint Louis," he said "according to the videos and data recorded, the six of you are the only ones capable of going toe-to-toe with the Antiochs correct?"
"Yes my liege," she replied.
"But it should be us who should beat them," interjected Richelieu
"I cannot forgive Omega for tarnishing the memory of my sister like this," she continued "It should be me Commander who ends that abomination."
"And do you all feel that way too?" he asked and the girls nodded.
Akagi and Saint Louis were the first to see the spark in his eyes. The two saw this and knew he had come up with something.
"Alright here's what we're going to do," said James "The PR class will train you all in engaging and defeating the Antiochs."
He ignored the gasps from the accused girls and turned to the PR class to continue.
"You have three weeks to train them. After that we'll hold a mock battle on the waters. If the PR class wins, they will face the Antiochs. If they lose though…"
The PR class nodded in agreement.
"Wait a second James," said Queen Elizabeth "what kind of training can we do to face those monsters?"
"When I said training, I meant that in the broadest sense," he replied, turning to face her "it is completely up to Saint Louis, Neptune, Ibuki, Izumo, Monarch, and Roon to decide what that training will look like."
This time, it was Roon who first understood what James implied and gave a devilish smile to the girls. The other members of the PR class saw this, caught on, and did the same thing.
And so, the most hellish training imaginable began.
Over the next few days, the PR class took great delight in subjecting the others through hellacious combat under the guise of training. While at first, it was simply the six of them venting off some steam, soon enough it morphed into a desire to see if the girls had what it took.
After a particularly grueling battle with Monarch, Queen Elizabeth and Z23 were lying with their face on one of the tables at Neptune's café.
"Everything hurts," said Queen Elizabeth as Belfast came to give her a drink. She tried reach out to it, but found that her hands were too sore to move.
Z23 meanwhile wiggled her face closer to the glass and tried to reach it. Unfortunately, she found that the straw did not reach all the way down to her face.
"That damn woman and her guns," grumbled Queen Elizabeth "how's anyone supposed to handle that monster?"
Z23 looked like she was about to say something but stopped when she saw Tirpitz now taking a place at the table. Like the others, she too put her head on the table and showed no initiative in getting up.
"Bad day?" asked Z23 and only got a groan in response. Out of everyone in the group, Tirpitz in particular had it the hardest. While most of the girls fought the PR class in two-on-one battles, she was the only one to engage in a one-on-one fight. What made things worse was that her opponent was Roon, the Iron Blood Juggernaut. That was a name Tirpitz came to understand with growing regret.
"I don't know about you," said Tirpitz, finally speaking "but after this hell, I really need to get a sauna."
"Shame," said Z23 "if we were back home, we could always use those hot springs the Sakura Empire always harps on about."
"I remember those," said Queen Elizabeth, suddenly rising up with renewed interest "we need to make one here."
She looked like she was about to do just that but the pain seized her body and she once again collapsed face first on the table.
"Damn that Monarch," cursed Queen Elizabeth
"Damn that Roon," cursed Tirpitz and the trio stayed there for a little longer.
Elsewhere on the base, Takao made her way to the Commander's room. There, she found that she wasn't alone and that he was busy giving Akagi a back rub. That did not come as a surprise, given that Ibuki put her and Kaga through hell.
In truth, her battle with Izumo was no joke. The battleship was every bit the monster from a distance and up close. It took her and Zuikaku everything they had not to get knocked out like what happened to Richelieu and Cleveland.
"Commander," she said, indicating that this was something important "I want you to inherit the Gentle Willow."
At this, James and Akagi paused for a moment. The two were processing what she said before they simultaneously exclaimed their surprise.
"The Gentle Willow?" repeated Akagi "but that's a Sakura Empire treasure."
"It is a sword Akagi and its role is to cut down enemies, not stay in a case for all of us to gawk at," countered Takao.
"Commander," she said, turning back to him "what say you?"
"Are you sure you want me to take your sister's sword?" he asked.
"Yes," said Takao without hesitation "our encounter with the Antiochs has left you without a reliable weapon. While I've no doubt the girls are already drafting new plans for your left arm, defeating Omega requires a blade. And none is better suited to the task than the one my sister forged."
Now Akagi looked at James and awaited his response. As much as she might object to the idea, in the end it was his decision.
"Even if I want to, let's not forget that I still have to pass that test," he said and Takao did not seem fazed.
"Then let us go there to administer the test," said Takao "I believe that you have the right to inherit the blade, but in the end, it'll be the sword that decides."
Akagi tried getting up but could not, thanks to the beating Ibuki gave her. That girl looked demure on the outside but had the power of a mountain on the inside.
"Good luck," she said to James as she watched him leave with Takao.
Like every other member in the Azur Lane, Atago had a rich and long history before she joined the famous group. Before she became widely known for her long-range skills (despite being a heavy cruiser), there was another name the girls used to call her.
The Sword Maiden.
Well before the first war started, the factions relied primarily on their rigging to attack their opponents. The Sakura Empire in particular were proud of using their carriers and battleships with lethal precision. Among those girls, Atago was the first to notice that the Eagle Union relied on both their rigging and hand-to-hand combat.
It was during a battle with Enterprise and the latter's excellent use of her bow as a weapon did Atago come to a conclusion: her Empire had a fatal flaw in their thinking. Realizing this, she petitioned to Nagato to forge the first sword in the Sakura Empire in an effort to create a new attack avenue against their opponents.
Nagato of course, agreed to it but none of them knew the ripple effect Atago's actions would cause. With permission now granted, Atago, Maya, Choukai and Takao worked together to forge the first sword. It was a katana called the 'Gentle Willow.' At first, they wanted to name it Gentle Sakura but changed their mind when they remembered how strong the willow tree was in comparison.
With a sword in hand, Atago then began developing her own style of combat. The combination of refined sword techniques coupled with powerful rigging made Atago a true force on the battlefield. Her skills were honed to the extent that she could cut through shells and planes with minimal effort. While that is no big deal today, seeing it happen for the first time sent shockwaves across every faction.
Now Nagato saw the potential of Atago's and sought to develop things further. She commissioned the forging of three more swords, which went to Choukai, Takao and Maya. Together, the sisters ushered in a new wave of combat where girls could use weapons in conjunction with the rigging and create new ways to attack their enemies.
Fast forward and when the Sirens came attacking, Bismarck came to the Sakura Empire, looking for help. She found help in both Amagi and Atago who were ready to defend their world.
As history dictated, Atago fell in battle against Omega and not long after that, were Maya and Choukai. The only one left of the Takao sisters was the namesake. In remembrance of her sister, Takao took the Gentle Willow and brought it back to the Sakura Empire. There, she let it be for many years. She believed that when the time came, she would use the sword once again to protect her homeland.
Years later and when the Second War rolled around, Takao believed that now was the time to use the sword. However, to her frustration, she found that she could not unsheathe the sword. For some unknown reason, an otherworldly force had rendered the blade locked, like an Eastern version of Excalibur.
Takao chose to ignore that problem and when the war ended, she tried again only to be met with the same results. It was then that she begrudgingly concluded that she was not meant to inherit the sword, someone else was.
The pair came to the small shrine built for the weapon. The smell of incense and the fresh flowers in the pot indicated someone had come recently. James thought it was Takao but found that she was just as surprised as he was.
"James," she said, turning to him and taking a casual tone "I know that I said I wanted you to inherit the sword, but you don't have to force yourself. I realize that I'm asking too much of you."
"It's worth trying at least," said James, stretching out his right hand "after all, you believed that I should inherit the sword. It wouldn't be right to back away now."
"But you know the story," she said, sounding worried "what if the blade does not reply? What if it remains stuck?"
"Then Hibiki and the rest will create a new sword for me," said James "but like I said, if you believe that I can do it, then it's worth trying at least once."
As he reached out to the sword, Takao's nervousness faded and she recalled the sight of his recent battle with Omega. She understood why the sword never accepted her no matter how many times she tried.
She lacked the courage her sister and her leader had. When she wanted to unsheathe the sword, she did it with the intent of only protecting the Sakura Empire. However, Atago and James did not fight to protect one single faction or one person. They fought for everyone against overwhelming odds and they fought with everything they had.
Even when she was paralyzed with fear at the sight of that Atago clone, her Commander did not hesitate to move to protect her.
James saw the weapon resting on a pedestal and felt a calming presence coming from it. Even though he'd never met, it was like he understood her and her actions.
His hand rested on the sheath and for a moment there was silence. The two held their breath and waited for a response.
Soon, Takao heard a noise she did not imagine she'd hear in forever. A single click came from the sword and confirmed her expectations.
She watched as James took the sword out of the sheath and marveled at it. Any sword that had gone unused for so long would certainly rot or deteriorate in quality. Not this one though. This blade retained its perfect shine and looked as sharp as it was the day it was forged.
"Congratulations Commander," said Tako, bowing to him "you have now completed the first step to getting a new weapon."
James was so absorbed in admiring the new weapon, he did not hear Takao completely. When he did, he turned to her and repeated "'The first step?'"
"Indeed," she replied "after all, simply getting the sword to accept you is just the start. Now, you have to prove yourself against her disciples."
As she said that Takao raised her hands up and clapped. In doing so, several familiar faces appeared in the area. There was Zuikaku, Ibuki, Izumo, Noshiro, Ashigara, Ayanami, Haruna, Kinu, Kirishima, Suzuya, Hatshuharu, Ise, Hyuuga, Suruga, Dido and Sirius.
"As part of the inheritance ritual, once a candidate has proven worth of the sword, they must also be judged worthy by their peers," said Takao "before you are the ones who either trained directly under Atago or learned her technique from me."
"Before you ask, Dido and Sirius are special cases. Once, during a meeting with the Royal Navy and Sakura Empire, Queen Elizabeth and Lady Nagato thought it best to strengthen the alliance through various methods. They gave us new ways for our battleships to fire more efficiently and we taught them how to use swords."
"Don't worry Master," said Sirius looking serious "I will do my best in this test."
"I'm so nervous," said Dido "but with Master as my opponent, I will not shirk my duties."
James, who had now fully realized the hell he just stepped into could only say one thing in response.
"Aw, come on!"
(AN: Sorry for these chapters becoming so long)
