So funny thing about life….

Uh, hey there. This is sort of a special before the actual prechapter thing, because, uh, yeah. It's been a long time. I… don't have any real excuses. I've been busy and also haven't been paying attention to the story. So, for that, I am sorry.

First off, I guess I should say thank you to everyone who either stuck around or came on during this giant ass chunk of dead story. Since there's so many I don't know if I could list you all in the pre chapter, I'm not going to try, but just say thank you. If you were feverishly checking the story every day to see if I uploaded a new chapter, or followed or favorited, thank you, because hell if I know I've been in that same position, and maybe, just maybe, I actually am doing something right.

Second, I should say where I've been. Namely, my life. I do have a job that takes up a lot of my time, and when I'm not doing that, I'm also taking part in a discord server revolving around sports. I've also gotten into streaming, but that hasn't been first and foremost among my time. Really, I've been doing my daily routine for the past half year, minus writing this story.

Third, I downloaded and started playing Azur Lane. And uh… yeah. It's good. Surprisingly fair for a mobile gacha game. Besides that, it's also given me some good ideas for the future in terms of this piece of literary spew.

But enough of that. I'd like to say I'm back, but, well, I don't know. Either way, thank you for all of the follows and favorites, and for actually reading my stuff in the first place.

AT Pyro (I also nailed down an actual permanent name).

What do you get when you mix sleep deprivation with a late night Halo: Reach session, 4 hours of sleep, and caffeine?

This chapter!

I regret…. some things, maybe.

The Review Box:

KCNederland (via PM): Hmmm, agree to disagree on the Aether scene. I might tweak it, but I don't think it'll be too dramatic.

As for Yuudachi/Yuubari, no I haven't. It's a reference to the most popular Kancolle fic on here by a certain CV12Hornet. I'll let you figure it out.

AmythestPone: (first review, Chapter 10):I lean more towards 'secret evil that is overall good but with a couple dicks in there for personal gain'. Considering that the SPARTAN IIIs were orphans picked up to be used as suicide fighters... yeah, someone up the chain has a very fast and loose grasp on ethics (which, incidentally, the scandal over it led to Parangosky being tossed under the bus for the SPARTAN IIIs once their existence was declassified shortly after the Ark incident).

...when did I say that and I was probably referring to 'instant terraforming'.

SPARTAN IIIs were used for the purpose ONI decided to use them for. Except NOBLE team, because they were too badass to waste on suicide missions.

(second review, Chapter 15): Indeed.

—

Journal of Admiral Steele, January 15, 2558

It was… well, a little sobering to see Tenryuu being helped around by her kids this morning. I mean, they were helping her with the hangover, but the usual group dynamic was off. The normally loud light cruiser was very quiet. I don't think I heard Akatsuki claim to be a lady once, or even a peep of 'nanodesu' from Inazuma. The first loss does hurt the worst.

After it happens nearly every battle, you get numb to it.

Of course, while the other ships let them do what they needed, that didn't translate to me letting them sit around. They weren't going to sortie today, but we had enough ships that missing four wasn't too big of an issue, and we were going to get more today as well.

Course, even with that rationale, I still sat at my desk wondering, as I did every time someone had bit the big one under my command, if I could have done something else differently. Much as I prided myself on emotional disassociation, it actually felt painful to watch the destroyers, once so cheerful and vibrant, mope around like their puppy had died.

Which, in essence, it did.

Watching Tenryuu beat herself up about it was worse. Because I felt like I was back in time watching Petty Officer me after she'd lost a man in an engagement on Gaza.

This was something I mused on as Hood and I waited for the new ships to disembark from the now customary Phoenix ship. They hadn't mentioned who to expect, so I was just waiting and thinking.

"Privet, Admiral." The voice was now leaning more towards the Russian side than Japanese, but there was no mistaking that voice.

The hat was slightly more floppy than it used to be, as well as white instead of blue, but aside from that and lacking the tie she had before, it was Hibiki, almost like she never left.

Absently I noted hearing Hood's shotgun hit the floor. I wasn't too concerned.

"Hey, Admiral?" Inazuma asked dully as she tugged on my sleeve. "When are-" She noticed Hibiki. "Are-"

"Is nice to see too, Inazuma." Hibiki said, with a small smirk on her face.

The next thing I knew, I was laid out flat on my front, and there were three destroyers piled on the returned shipgirl, each of them crying or saying something and generally doing what you'd expect if your sister suddenly showed up good as new after you thought they were dead.

"I was not gone too long, was I?" Hibiki asked almost petulantly, but began to rub Inazuma's head, causing her sister destroyer to nuzzle into it.

"Alright, alright, enough with the warm fuzzies, we have shit to do." I muttered, rubbing my sore nose as I stood back up.

"I should believe so." A snowy-haired shipgirl in a maid uniform said, curtseying when I directed my attention to her. "Greetings, Admiral. This humble servant is Belfast, a heavy cruiser. Is there anywhere you wish for me to start?"

"If by cleaning, then the cruiser dorms and good luck?" I said, rather confused. "Oh, and don't even attempt to clean the R&D. Either whatever they've made a mess of will kill you, or they will kill you."

"Acknowledged." She bowed this time, then set off to the dorms.

I then turned and came face to, well, chest with a shipgirl who was taller than I was. Looking up, I saw a shipgirl who looked quite similar to Belfast, though with sharper features, wearing a longcoat over an old American Captain's coat.

"Fair seas, Admiral. I am Enterprise, pride of the Eagle Union. I'm sure it will be a pleasure to serve." She said, saluting.

"Eagle Union?" I asked.

"Yes. I assume you've heard of them?" She asked. Time to change tactics.

"Yes, of course. Carrier dorms are thattaway." I pointed with my thumb. She strode off, while I mentally ran through my history. There had never, at any point in time, been a nation known as the Eagle Union. Meaning…

"She's gotten a knock on the head or she's from a different timeline." I said. Honestly, was it that unbelievable? What with the (female) spirits of ships running around and weird aliens and shit. What's the saying? 'When you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth'?

At this point I wasn't even sure what was impossible.

So I gave up, and went to get a drink.

I finally had to admit it: The Enterprise I had met today was not the spirit of the USS Enterprise from our Earth. For one, the whole 'Eagle Union' thing. For another: She was referring to an alliance between them and the Royal Navy named 'Azur Lane', which, again, never existed.

So, I'm theorizing she's from a different timeline or something. In that instance, the 'Eagle Union' is obviously the old United States Of America. 'Azur Lane' would probably be parallel to the Allied nations of World War 2, or maybe NATO. She also mentioned a 'Crimson Axis', which seems rather easy to parallel, along with a 'Sakura Empire' and 'Iron Blood'.

Outside my forays into possible alternative timelines, we found out that she's quite a capable carrier. Like the others, she uses a bow, though hers has her superstructure incorporated into it.

God damn, first tentacle aliens and time-travelling ship spirits, now fucking alternate timelines? Dear fucking god.

—

I got stuck here for a good long while before deciding 'fuck it' and ending the chapter here.

I'm not dead yet.