"Commander, we're picking up a distress beacon, grid Dog-36."

My brows furrowed as I turned around to face Essex, leaving the bits of Siren wreckage behind me. "We don't have any patrols in that area, do we?"

Essex double-checked the holomap and shook her head. "No, sir. No civilian traffic in that area, either."

This was rapidly becoming an interesting mystery I couldn't ignore. Or a trap. "Who's the closest battlegroup?"

She wasted no time in answering. "We are, sir."

I quickly weighed the options in my head. If it was a genuine distress beacon, we'd be wrong to ignore it. If it's a Siren ambush, we could wind up in over our heads. In the end, my curiosity and willingness to help won out. "Set a course directly for the distress beacon, and inform Saratoga of our heading, speed, and destination. Also, I want recon flights over the area as soon as possible."

Before I finished, I could feel the carrier yawing beneath my feet as she came about to a new heading. "Aye aye, Commander!" Essex chirped as Helldivers roared off of her flight deck, each one heading off in a different direction.

With the recon out of the way, I strode back towards the holomap, Essex glancing up at me as I approached. "What do we know about grid Dog-36?"

The carrier quickly pulled up the logs regarding the zone, the text hovering in the air between us. "Mostly just empty sea, no dedicated convoy routes, although it looks like we've had a couple wander out this way and needed a rescue...no Mirror Seas or Strongholds reported in this area." Her fingers flew over the controls as she pulled up more information. "Looks like we were last out here...two weeks ago...Fourth Fleet found a couple of mass-produced Sirens, no humanoid types, no ambushes. Just a quiet corner of nowhere, Admiral."

I stroked my chin as I thought it over. "Is it possible whatever's sending the distress beacon drifted into this sector?"

Essex paused, then nodded slowly. "Yes, sir."

"Can we find out which sector?"

She paused again, her brows furrowing in concentration as she stared at the holomap. Tentatively, she began to punch in commands, every keypress becoming faster and more assured as she wrung the data from the machine. "Yes!" she finally exclaimed. "Just a quick overlay of what we know of the currents in this area and, assuming it didn't come from grid Dog-36, it looks like it came from the grid sector to the...east!"

"And what's in there?"

The logs and information on grid Dog-36 vanished and the map for its neighbor, grid Easy-36, flashed on-screen. Both Essex and I let out a quiet hiss as we saw what was displayed. Multiple strongholds, several instances of Mirror Seas, and no less than three Fractured Seas in the past month. It had been classified as a Level Five corrosion zone, and entering it was strictly prohibited unless in force.

"Well, that would certainly explain the distress signal," I remarked. "Still, keep your eyes peeled for an ambush. I don't want to get caught up in a fight with so many Sirens next door."

"Of course."

"How long until the recon flights reach the area?"

"About twenty minutes, Commander." There was an awkward silence following her answer, and Essex decided to ask a question to break the silence. "By the way, how are you and Shangri-La getting along?"

There was a twinge of regret and more than a little pain at the question, and my immediate reaction was to lash out at Essex, although I quickly tamped that down. "We, ah, we decided to break up."

Essex gave me a sympathetic look and reached out, placing her hand atop mine. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Commander. If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

I smiled softly at Essex and shook my head. "It's alright," I sighed, "We just decided we would be better as friends than lovers. I think we're both a bit too similar if that makes any sense. We tended to fall into patterns too quickly, and things got dull."

"I understand what you mean," she agreed before chuckling softly. "Guess you need a woman who can keep you on your toes, Commander?"

I grinned wryly and shrugged. "Guess so. Someone who'll challenge me, too."

Essex gave me a hopeful smile and patted my hand before withdrawing hers. "Well, I'm sure she's out there, Admiral."

Oh, if she only knew how right she was…


Fifteen minutes later, Essex called out, "Scouts report survivors in the water! Two kansen, drifting."

That got my attention. "I thought you said we didn't have anyone in that area?"

"We don't," Essex confirmed. "No Eagle Union or Royal Navy kansen have sortied to either grid sectors in the past week. I double-checked with TB five minutes ago."

I knew it wasn't the Northern Parliament, they're still locked in that struggle with the Sirens in the polar regions and wouldn't send anyone… "What about the Iris Orthodoxy?"

"Still repairing from the operation in Madagascar. Whoever these two are, they aren't ours."

"Curiouser and curiouser…" I muttered. At this point, I had to know what was going on out here. "Bring us in for pickup. Have Cooper prep the infirmary while Washington, San Diego, Charles Ausburne, Stanly, and I muster at the boat launch for recovery."

"Aye, sir."


Fortunately, the sea was calm and the short ride from the Essex to where the two kansen were drifting was relatively easy. All of us were eager to see who these mystery kansen were, and Charles Ausburne was especially enthusiastic about providing aid "in the name of justice!" As we got closer, we could tell from their riggings that they were either heavy cruisers or battleships of some kind, sporting several three-barrel turrets and that they had long hair, a vibrant lavender color that haloed both shipgirls. I tried to remember what ships the Iron Blood, Vichya, or Sardegnians had that mounted three-barrel turrets and the only ones I could remember were…

"It's Scharnhorst and Gneez...Nicen...it's Scharnhorst and her sister!" Washington finally managed to get out as she pulled one of them closer.

"Gneisenau," I said slowly, leaning over the gunwale to get a better look at the two Iron Blood battlecruisers. They had been pretty badly beaten up, with numerous bruises, burns, and cuts along their exposed skin, and their uniforms had been nearly ripped to shreds. Their rigging, upon closer inspection, was also a smoking ruin, with great rents torn in the hull, exposed struts and joints sparking as water splashed onto severed cables. "They look like they're in bad shape, better get them aboard."

Washington turned and gave me a look as if I'd lost my mind. "These are Iron Blood girls and you want us to take them home with us?"

"I'm not leaving them to die," I snapped back.

"Look, they haven't sunk yet, and if they were out here, they should have escorts or allies or something looking for them. Let's just leave 'em a life raft, some snacks, and get out of here!"

"Absolutely not! We're here, we're helping."

Washington began to say something that I'm sure would've been construed as insubordination, but Charles Ausburne piped up with her own opinion. "If we leave them out here, that's not justice, it's an abdication of it! It's our duty to help those in need, even if they aren't on our side. That's what justice is all about!"

Stanly emphatically nodded in agreement and both destroyers stared down Washington as her eyes darted between them and me. I often wonder how different things might have been that day had I not brought Charles Ausburne along with me. Suffice it to say, I'm very glad I did.

"Thank you, Charles," I said, nodding to her as I gestured to the Iron Blood sisters in the water. "If you two would be so kind as to give me a hand…"

The two destroyers hopped out of the launch and began hauling Gneisenau up so that I could lift her into the boat. After a second's hesitation, Washington joined in and we got the first sister into the boat. Scharnhorst, even while unconscious, proved to be a bit more difficult.

As we were hauling her aboard, she somehow slipped out of everyone's grasp and toppled over. Fortunately, her rigging pushed her into the boat so she didn't fall back into the water. Unfortunately, that caused her to fall directly on top of me. With a cry and a thump, I fell back onto the launch's deck, and she atop me. While the gunwales of the boat managed to prevent her rigging from crushing us both, it still left me pinned beneath her. As I tried to extricate myself from underneath her, Scharnhorst shifted slightly and whimpered. I immediately stopped struggling, fearful I had somehow touched a wounded area or caused her pain.

"Scharnhorst?" I whispered. "Can you hear me?"

Her single eye twitched behind her closed eyelid, and she grimaced as if she was having a nightmare. Unsurprising, given what she'd just suffered through. What was surprising was the feeling of her arms wrapping around me, clinging to me as if I was the only thing keeping her afloat. She whimpered again, and I felt I had to do something.

Very carefully, I removed her side cap and placed my hand on her head, gently stroking her hair as I whispered softly to her. "You're safe now. It's alright. I've got you. You and your sister are going to be okay…"

That seemed to relax the kansen somewhat, and she went limp again, fading back into unconsciousness. By that point, Washington and the Little Beavers managed to lift Scharnhorst and her rigging enough for me to wiggle my way clear. I picked myself up and helped them set her down next to her sister. Once she was secure, I flopped back onto my own seat and watched them as Charles Ausburne began to steer the launch back to the Essex.

While the boat bumped and bounced over the few waves and swells, I found my eyes inexorably drawn to Scharnhorst, and what we'd just shared. Was it a genuine moment at all, or a simple unconscious reaction of a wounded woman reaching out for solace? Was I making too much of this? Probably. But still, I couldn't tear my eyes off of her.

Scharnhorst, one of the Iron Blood's first capital ships and one of "the Ugly Sisters". I'd read her dossier back when I took command of Azur Lane, back when we were all still fighting each other. She'd done serious damage to the Royal Navy, depriving them of Glorious for a time, as well as wreaking havoc on their convoys on numerous occasions. While not as...glamorous a service record as, say, Bismarck, for example, it was no less distinguished. She and Gneisenau did a lot of the heavy lifting in the early part of the war, and while it vexed me to no end at the time, I respected their courage, dedication, and tenacity.

And now, here she was, unconscious, battered, in a boat headed back to a ship under my command to...what? What was my end goal here? They were technically prisoners of war as Azur Lane only negotiated a cease-fire with the Crimson Axis and not a genuine truce. But locking them up felt like that would strain the cease-fire and only serve to worsen relations. Part of me felt like passing them on up the chain and letting High Command deal with them, but that didn't sit right with me, either. I found them, they were my responsibility.

After some quiet contemplation, or what passed for it on a boat on the open ocean, I decided to bring them aboard, stabilize them, and then send a message to the Iron Blood informing them that we'd rescued two of their kansen and see what happens from there. At least I would have a little bit of time after getting the sisters settled in to compose the message. Or so I thought.


Essex was waiting for me as the launch was lifted back up to the hangar deck, a concerned look on her face. At first, I thought it had to do with our new passengers, but when her eyes settled on the two Iron Blood kansen and widened in shock, I realized I'd missed something important and possibly very troubling.

When she didn't say anything and instead continued to stare at Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, I spoke up. "Everything okay, Essex?"

That seemed to snap her out of her surprised state and she whipped around to face me. "S-sorry, sir," she stammered. "I just wasn't expecting to see...well, them...here. While you were out, we received a call from Albacore. She was out on a lone patrol and picked up a distress call…"

By the expression on her face and the tone in her voice, I already knew the answer to the question I was about to ask. "Let me guess, none of our ships or convoys in the area?"

"Yep," she answered with a rueful grin. "I told her to check it out, but remain hidden until it was safe to report."

"What in the hell is going on?" I muttered to myself before letting out a long sigh. "Hopefully it's just nothing or another lost con-"

The chime of the shipboard intercom interrupted my train of thought, and we all paused to glance up at the speakers in the ceiling. The cold, soft voice of TB filled the hangar deck as she spoke through the Essex. "Commander," she intoned, "I am receiving an urgent message from Albacore. Shall I put it through?"

"I'll take it on the bridge, TB, thank you," I called out and I heard the intercom shut off with a muted squawk in response. I turned to leave before quickly turning back to Essex. "I don't think there's a way to remove their rigging in their state right now, so set them up in the hangar, and try and make them as comfortable as possible. Oh, and keep a guard or two posted at all times."

Essex nodded dutifully before asking, "And if they wake up?"

"Then come get me immediately."


I quickly made my way back up to the bridge and strode over to the holomap, answering the waiting call as soon as I reached it.

"This is Admiral Fraser, go ahead, Albacore."

"Made it to the distress signal and you won't believe who it is!"

At this point, I was willing to believe just about anything, but I played along anyway. "Let me guess, you found Akagi."

"Close, I found Taihou!"

I had to grasp the edge of the table to keep myself from toppling over. "You found who?! Did you just say Taihou?"

"Yep!" she happily chirped. "She woke up for a moment, too. Then she saw me, freaked out, and fainted again. Guess she's still upset about that time I torpedoed her. Such a long time ago, though…"

"Albacore, that was three months ago."

"Really?" Even over the radio, she sounded a tad thoughtful. "Huh. Oh, well. In any case, what do you want me to do with her?"

"Wait one." I pulled up her location on the holomap, and much to my surprise, I found her about fifty miles southwest of us. What in the hell was a Sakura Empire carrier doing just off of the Caribbean Sea of all places? "I'm going to send you rendezvous coordinates where we'll meet up and bring you and Taihou aboard."

After some quick calculations, I transmitted the rendezvous to Albacore, who promptly acknowledged them. "Got 'em, boss! See you soon!"

"Be careful, Albacore. No telling what's out there."

"I always am!"

With a final squeal of static, the transmission cut off and I began to plot our course to meet up with her. The real question was what to do once we'd picked up Albacore and Taihou. The original plan was to sail up to NYC and have Scharnhorst and Gneisenau treated there, since it would be a relatively quick trip to return them to Iron Blood waters once they were seaworthy. Or if the Iron Blood demanded they be handed back immediately. But now, with the addition of Taihou, it was going to be a long voyage for at least one kansen to get back home no matter where we docked. I was just about to flip a coin when I suddenly remembered something.

"TB," I called out to her, "How many drydocks are available in NYC right now?"

The ghostly, childlike form of the AI flickered to life above the map and she gestured with a wave of her arm, the map zooming into NYC's bustling harbor. "Due to damage from the previous Siren raid and increased traffic, the port has only one drydock available at the moment, although another can be made available for emergencies."

While I didn't know exactly how many drydocks were open back home, I did know we had enough for at least three kansen. "And where is Vestal located?"

"She is currently at Azur Lane HQ. Would you like me to set up a direct line of communication with her?"

That settled it. "No, thank you. But if you would be so kind as to send her a message that we're on our way back with three wounded kansen, and she'll need to clear out three drydocks, just in case. And plot us a course home, best possible speed."

"Understood, Commander," the hologram intoned. "Shall there be anything else?"

"No, TB, that'll be all."

She bowed, then flickered out. Despite her absence, I could feel the engines beginning to ramp up speed as we came about on our new heading to pick up Albacore and her "guest". With nothing left to do on the bridge, and deciding it was probably best to brief the rest of the crew, I headed back down to the hangar deck.


By the time I made it back to the hangar deck, Essex and the destroyers had managed to set up makeshift beds for Scharnhorst and Gneisenau that also accommodated their rigging, while Washington seemed to have volunteered for guard duty. They all turned when they heard my footsteps approaching, and Essex quickly trotted over to me, an expectant look on her face.

"Yep, it's another kansen," I began, answering her unspoken question. "But you aren't gonna believe who it is."

She stopped, her expression turning quizzical. "Bismarck?"

I shook my head. "Nope, Taihou."

"Taihou?!" Essex exclaimed, her voice reverberating through the hangar. "What's a Sakura Empire ship doing all the way out here in the Atlantic?"

"You figure that out, you let me know," I wryly quipped. "We're on our way to rendezvous with Albacore to pick her up and then head back to HQ."

Essex's brows furrowed for a moment. "Wait, didn't Albacore torpedo Taihou a few months ago?"

"Yep."

"Oh, that must have been fun."

"From what Albacore told me, it was," I chuckled. "Apparently, when she arrived on the scene, Taihou regained consciousness, saw her, and promptly fainted again."

"Oh no…" Essex half groaned, half chuckled. "Is that why we're headed back early?"

I nodded. "Yeah. NYC doesn't have enough drydocks available for all of them, and Vestal's back at home anyway, so I figure we'll start heading back while I send messages to the Sakura Empire and Iron Blood, see what they want to do with their survivors."

She nodded slowly, her expression becoming pensive, thoughtful as she glanced back over her shoulder at the two sleeping battlecruisers. "...do you think there was anyone we missed?"

I followed her gaze, my eyes lingering on Scharnhorst's slumbering form. "I hope not," I answered softly. "No other signs of wreckage, no other distress calls. If we're lucky, they just got separated from the rest of their fleets." Even separated by class and nationality, all kansen had an almost familial bond to one another. It was hard telling families their loved ones weren't coming home, and I would hate to have to be the bearer of such bad news again, former enemy or not.

After some thought, Essex nodded slowly, then turned back to me. "Same." She took a deep cleansing breath and put a smile on her face. "Well, in any case, I'd best get back to the bridge, and it looks like you have to hand that back over to Scharnhorst."

Her statement left me baffled until she pointed at my right hand, and I lifted it up to find I'd been clutching her side cap this entire time. For a second, I'd stared at it, wondering how I'd managed to ignore it for so long, yet unable to let go of it. When I lifted my gaze back up, I caught the funny look Essex was giving me, so I forced a smile and chuckled. "Yeah, guess I've held onto this long enough, huh? I'll catch up with you on the bridge in a bit."

She continued to side-eye me as she slipped past, nodding slowly. "Sure thing, Commander."

I waited for her to pass before I let out a long sigh and shook my head. What was going on with me? At the time, I chalked it up to lack of sleep, but I think, even back then, part of me knew… Honestly, I think we both did. I made my way through the parked aircraft to the two beds, giving Washington a curt nod as I passed her. Stanly was in between Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, checking on the monitoring equipment she had set up.

"How're our patients, Stanly?" I asked, leaning over her to examine the monitors like I knew what they said. I could only assume the slow, rhythmic beeping was a good thing.

"Stable for now," she flatly answered as she finished plugging the last wire into place. "But judging by their rigging and overall condition, they're going to be out cold for a while."

"Stable will have to do, then," I gave her a warm smile and pat on the head. "Keep up the good work."

"Yes, Commander."

As Stanly completed her work, I turned back to Scharnhorst, tucking her side cap through one of her belt loops. Even though she was, until recently, an enemy, and despite her vicious reputation, something drew me to her. I couldn't say what it was, but as I looked at her again, I couldn't help but feel something was about to change. For good or ill, I couldn't say, but I knew for certain my life would never be the same now that Scharnhorst had entered into it…

A/N-And here we go! This is going to be a very long fic, so buckle up. Plenty of twists, turns, and things I haven't done before. Until next time, fair winds and following seas!