Chapter Thirteen

After so many out-of-body experiences, it was soon becoming a familiar feeling to find myself in situations where I felt not quite fully myself. I found myself surrounded by a cold, empty void that seemed to stretch so far in every direction that it looked as though it went on forever. Maybe it did, or maybe there was nothing for there to even be an 'end' at all. Was I asleep again? Dreaming? It was as if my essence had been cut off from everything else—no sight, no sounds, no tangible sense of 'self'. Just a cold, crushing emptiness that slowly enveloped my consciousness, as though sinking deeper into an invisible sea.

Maybe I was dead. My last memories were of passing out after having emptied several salvos into Enterprise and her escorts. Suffice to say, I still had trouble rationalizing how events could've unfolded as they had. Could it have been that my mind so vehemently rejected that reality that it just broke me? I had never heard of such a thing happening before, but I shared a bath with a Nagato from a parallel timeline only a few days ago, so quite frankly nothing was too outrageous anymore.

"Oh my, oh my. This is quite unexpected. What are you doing here?"

It was a voice. Sort of. I didn't hear it so much as I perceived it as I would my own thoughts. There was a familiarity to it, but I couldn't recognize it, mostly as I was more concerned by what 'here' the voice was referring to. Where was I?

"It's not really a 'where' in the sense you'd understand. It's more of a state of mind."

A state of mind? That made just as little sense as before. I would've pondered it further except there was the brief moment of worry that this other entity might have just read my mind.

"Oh, I'm not reading it. In this place, thoughts and memories coalesce into one great shimmering sea. It's hard to explain any better; you can only ever really understand it by experiencing it for yourself."

That wasn't very helpful either, but it was becoming apparent that just accepting the situation for what it was would be easier on me. Between the haunting dreams, immersing in strange memories, and suddenly turning on my allies, there were enough mysteries to ponder over for the next few days. I wondered for a moment if she had any idea as to how I came to be here, as it must've had a connection to the strange visions I had beforehand.

"You are being poisoned: by hate, by anger, by grief. At first they will shelter you, comfort you, and in time they may even make you feel powerful. It is a poison you take yourself, thinking it will kill your enemies."

That didn't clarify anything! I knew for a fact that I wasn't a hateful or angry person. Sure, the last few days had been stressful, and I had been finding myself at odds with Choshu on a number of occasions, but that hardly made a hateful person. It must've meant those memories I witnessed before I lost consciousness—the scene on the deck of the Enterprise. It all felt so real, so visceral, including my reaction to it. These had to be memories of my counterpart, there was no other logical explanation. So why did I go into a frenzy and not her? Why was I the one stuck having a disembodied conversation with an unknown voice?

"Because we are all connected. Each of us carry within us the hopes and prayers of humanity, and its collective memories," the voice answered, prompt as always. The more I heard it, the more familiar the strange voice became. There was a comforting warmth to its tone, as though someone were giving me an emotional hug. "Her grief is your grief, Nagato, her pain is your pain, for we all are sisters born of humanity's will. If we lose sight of the things that bind us together, we can never hope to overcome the enemy that threatens us all. We all have to be friends."

The last part caught me by surprise. For a second, that sounded a lot like…

"Amagi?"

An unfamiliar ceiling greeted me when I opened my eyes, accompanied by a dull headache and the sensation that something had just crawled down my throat and died. My whereabouts, though, were a more pressing concern than how I felt. The ceiling was solid concrete, which one would never find on any kind of vessel, and combined with the stillness of the bed frame beneath meant only one thing—I was back on land. As I sat up, I instinctively brought my hand to my forehead to help quell the dull ache, only for my arm to stop abruptly by a sudden and tight coldness around it. The cause was evident: a steel shackle bound my wrist, which itself was secured to the floor with heavy, steel bolts. It appeared that I was in some kind of brig, and a quick glance to my surroundings revealed a rather barren cell that contained only the cot I rested upon and a door composed of thick steel bars.

Just outside my cell, the sight of Kawakaze brought a huge sense of relief. She was nestled in the corner at the end of the corridor, perched atop a small stool with her sword nestled neatly between her folded arms. It was a scene I had seen all too often from her, as her years as my bodyguard resulted in her perfecting the art of sleeping in any seated position imaginable. A scattering of empty water bottles and ration wrappers at her feet suggested that she had been there for some time.

"I tried to offer her a cot in the office, but she refused to budge," a voice spoke up, directing my attention to the opposite end of the hallway. In the doorway stood a kansen of the Royal Navy, her brilliant red blazer adorned with tassels and medals that only added to the regal splendour that their fleets were well-known for. She seemed almost like my polar opposite—tall, full-bodied, and topped with golden blonde hair—and even carried herself with a strength of personality and confidence that I could only dream of having. After several moments of silent staring, I was finally able to put a name to her face.

"You are… King George the Fifth," I stated, my voice feeling surprisingly weak. If there was a member of the Royal Navy present, and I was back on land, then it led to only one logical conclusion. "That must mean we're at the Azur Lane naval base, correct?"

"That's right," she answered. "You've been out for a couple of days now, we were all beginning to worry about you… and your friend over there. She kept insisting she wouldn't leave your side until you were awake."

"I also said not to speak with her without my permission," Kawakaze spoke up, revealing herself to be more awake than she had let on. She shifted in her seat, and made a very deliberate motion to be upright and at the ready with one hand on the hilt of her blade. She had always been a dutiful bodyguard, but I had never seen my friend so tense before.

"Easy now," the Royalist replied. "I told you before, I'm not your enemy here."

"But you are her jailor. You'll have to forgive me if I fail to see the difference."

There was already a rising tension in the room, one that needed to be dealt with swiftly before things escalated. "That's quite all right, Kawakaze," I cautioned her. "I'm certain that King George is simply following her orders, as any dutiful kansen would. Now, if it's not too much to ask, could somebody please explain what's happened."

The two exchanged brief glances with one another, before King George smiled and getured for Kawakaze to take the lead. It probably would be better to hear it all from a friend, given how much I already knew and what a sickening feeling it already left in me.

"Well, after you single-handedly wiped out Enterprise and her entire escort fleet, Captain DeWolf and the rest of us had to organize a rescue and retrieval of all the injured kansens," Kawakaze began, every word sinking into my gut like a depth charge. "After that, several more ships from Azur Lane arrived, and there was a brief, armed stand-off, but DeWolf managed to defuse the situation in short order. We were escorted here, and, once again, the Captain managed to convince the Royalist and Unionist kansens here to relocate you here until you regain consciousness. That was all two days ago."

"But what about the others? What about Enterprise and her escorts?" The questions flew from my lips almost the moment I had been given the opportunity. I was terrified of what the answer might be, but I couldn't just hide from it. "They're not… I mean, I haven't—"

"They're all alive," King George answered. Given the situation, it was surprising that she remained so calm and collected when giving the news. I would have at least expected some animosity, if not outright resentment. "Enterprise must've realized what was about to happen; she took the brunt of your initial salvos, shielding the others."

"Is the… damage bad?" While it was a relief to know they were alive, that didn't alleviate all of the crushing guilt.

"You definitely knocked a few of them out of commission for a while," George said with welcomed honesty. "But they're all tough girls. They'll bounce back after this, so don't worry yourself too much."

There was a surreal feeling being comforted by a person I fully expected to be among an angry, pitchfork-wielding mob, but given my current state, I was willing to take whatever mercy could come my way. Were the situation reversed, I doubt there would be many among the Sakura Empire willing to extend such patience. There were still a great many things weighing on my mind, but before I could speak further, King George turned to leave.

"Anyways, Captain DeWolf asked to be notified once you were awake, so I'll go phone him now," she explained.

No doubt, he had many questions to ask, and my only worry was that I would have few answers to provide. While I had suspicions and theories, there was little evidence to support any of it, and I had reservations about giving voice to speculation. Choshu had entrusted her care to not just the Sakura Empire, but to myself and Mutsu, and I worried what could happen if I gave the people of Azur Lane reason to suspect her. Of course, I first had to avoid becoming the prime suspect myself. Just because DeWolf had kept me in protective custody so far, didn't mean he would stay on my side. He was a western officer, after all.

King George's departure left me with a brief moment of reprieve with Kawakaze, although she didn't ease her posturing until the Royalist knight was finally gone. "How are you holding up?" she asked, now safe to let a hint of relief show in her voice.

"My head hurts, and I am tired, but I'll be okay," I reassured her.

"Good… good," she murmured back, sounding as though she needed to convince herself of that. "Back during the Orochi incident, Akagi had acted strange, too, then vanished suddenly. And when she returned, she wasn't herself at all. I—er, we… worried that could happen again."

Though I certainly had not intended it, I nonetheless felt some guilt for putting my friends through such worry. Days without answers could not have been easy, especially since the memories of Akagi's disappearance were still fresh. I made a mental note to check on Mutsu as soon as possible. She must've been terribly worried these past few days.

"I'm surprised you haven't asked me about what happened," I remarked.

"I trust that you'll provide answers in time, and I'd rather have that conversation somewhere more hospitable than a jail cell," she answered with a glance to the nearby doorway. "Plus DeWolf will be here soon."

"You don't trust him?"

"I've been your bodyguard for years; it's second nature for me to be mindful of threats to you. You should be more careful around him, too."

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "You're beginning to sound a bit like Akagi."

"I'll take that as a compliment." She managed to a brief, wry smirk before returning to her usual facade of stoicism. I thought it strange for her to resume being my steward, but no sooner did she fall silent did I catch the faint sounds of approaching footsteps. Amongst them was a very distinct wooden clip-clopping, which brought some sense of relief as I now knew who was coming.

Akagi's arrival in the doorway thus came as no surprise, although the officer accompanying her was something of a shock. Captain DeWolf's presence was to be expected, but his appearance had caught me off-guard: during the last week in which we had gotten to know him, he had been relegated to a musty combat dress that had been left stained with oil and a few singe marks. Now, though, he was in the proper service uniform of a naval captain with a well-fitted dress coat adorned with golden stripes and brass buttons, and a white peaked cap now covering neatly combed hair. Had I not known that he was coming, I would've sworn that a whole other person had taken the officer's place.

"It's good to see that you're awake," DeWolf greeted. "King George tells me she's brought you at least partly up to speed on what's happened."

"Yes. I'm told that Enterprise and several others were seriously wounded," I replied.

I noticed that he carried a briefcase with him, which wouldn't have been unusual except I noticed there were some large, heavy-duty locks on it as well. It wasn't the sort of case just for carrying around loose papers, but my curiosity regarding that would have to wait.

"As you can imagine, the admiralties of both the Royal Navy and Eagle Union are screaming bloody murder over this fiasco," he continued on. "Honestly, the only thing that's managed to keep them from hauling you away in chains already is the fact that they were too busy arguing over who should get you first. I was able to leverage that to buy us some time to conduct an investigation."

"Those discussions could not have been easy."

"Well, Queen Elizabeth only threatened to have me beheaded twice, so that's an improvement, I guess." The captain gave a nonchalant shrug, which at least reassured me that he was accustomed to the quirks of the Royal Navy's esteemed leader. If he had been able to negotiate with her and come out in my favour, he must've been quite the diplomat. Perhaps that was part of the reason why he had been picked for the position in the first place. "I don't want to sound pessimistic, but if we don't figure out what happened, there's no telling what the Azur Lane admiralty will start demanding. Everyone wants answers, and right now you're the only person who knows what really went down."

Though I knew this conversation was coming and had spent the past couple minutes preparing myself, I still found myself woefully ill-equipped for this discussion. "I will tell you what I can, but it's going to sound… unbelievable, at first," I warned him, just to be on the safe side.

"I'll judge that for myself."

If I told him everything—the visions, the dreams, the execution I saw, and all that I suspected—I worried that it could result in some blaming her, or at least spread unnecessary fear. What I experienced were her memories, if my suspicions were true, and it felt like a violation of trust to just expose those details. I could still vividly remember her rage and hatred, but beneath it all was a shame and sadness, a feeling of helplessness. Were it just my feelings that had to be revealed, I would've been willing to swallow my pride, but these were not my memories, my emotions, to give.

"Nagato, please," DeWolf spoke once more, softer now, as if sensing the source of my hesitation. "I want to help you. The Unionists are saying that you used the alliance to make a brazen attack, but I don't believe for a second that that's the kind of person you are. But I could tell them that until I turn blue in the face and the admiralty still won't believe, so please… we need to know what really happened out there. You must remember something."

It all boiled down to trust. Could I entrust DeWolf with not just my own future and safety, but Choshu's as well?

Ultimately, I decided that with mindful wording, I could tell him everything I knew without dragging Choshu into the discussion. I explained to DeWolf what I saw in my visions before the shooting, about how I saw Enterprise execute a young kansen and that I somehow flew into a fit of rage as a result. I had no recollection of anything between the moment I stepped off the aircraft carrier and when Mutsu shook me back to my senses after I opened fire on Enterprise and her escorts. On top of that, I explained how I had been having strange visions in my sleep for the past few weeks, and how the Sirens kept routinely appearing in them, as if trying to address me directly. No mention was made of how the things I had seen were likely from Choshu's memories, but without being able to confirm with her, it remained speculation at best.

And just like when he asked for advice about Akagi, Captain DeWolf simply listened in pensive silence to my whole story. He interrupted only a few times to ask simple questions, clarifications such as 'did the Enterprise I saw look different to ours?' and 'did the places you saw look similar or exactly like the locations you know?'. If at any point he began to think my story was a fabrication or delusion, he knew how to hide it. Seeing how my problems hadn't thrown him into a panic, despite my own gnawing anxieties, brought about its own sense of reassurance. It was as though his silence was tacitly saying that things were going to be okay, somehow.

"That's all certainly very… interesting," DeWolf murmured in the understatement of the year. "That does sound similar to what I've read in the preliminary reports on Enterprise, and you said the witness accounts matched your own experiences, right Akagi?"

I had wondered why Akagi had accompanied him, and I looked to her with a puzzled stare as I hadn't expected her to be the one with answers to share. She was normally tight-lipped, so for her to share intel with DeWolf before me was surprising, to say the least. I trusted she had her reasons, though.

"Lady Nagato, you remember what we discussed before departing from the Empire?"

While it wasn't my intent, when I thought back to that conversation, the first thing that flashed into my mind was the rather vivid description of what a group of amorous sailors once said to her. Just recalling that part of the conversation was enough to turn my face as red as a pickled plum.

"I-is now really a good time to bring up that?" I stammered back in disbelief. In my defense, I had only just awoken from an episode of serious mental trauma, so it was obvious that I was not thinking straight.

Predictably, while the Captain was confused, Akagi just giggled to herself. "The earlier part of that conversation," she reminded me. "After the incident, Mutsu told me that just before you fired, your eyes began to emit a golden light, and that you displayed a level of power that you never had before."

With the mention of the golden light, I quickly realized what part of the conversation she had meant. There was no time to mull over embarrassment, however. "Right, I remember now. You said you had seen such a phenomenon before."

"From Enterprise… right before she very nearly sank me."

"Which does correspond to what she wrote in her reports after the Orochi incident," DeWolf added. "Although witness accounts from the final battle suggested that Enterprise was in complete control of herself."

"Which does suggest that this power, whatever it is, can be controlled, but that was definitely not the case when I first encountered it," Akagi continued on, her voice taking a harder edge at the end. "The Enterprise I saw that day was… different. When I looked into her eyes, I didn't see the kansen that would save me just days later. It was as if she wasn't even there, like someone else had taken control. I doubt she even recognized me at the time."

It was rare to see Akagi treat a threat so seriously. Worry from her was often the surest metric for when I needed to be concerned about anything. "I don't recall you mentioning those details in your reports," I pointed out.

"At the time, those details didn't seem very relevant," she answered. "But now that we've had three kansens displaying the same features before displaying feats of unparalleled power… well, you can appreciate that the situation now warrants more attention."

The fact that she mentioned three kansens didn't escape my notice, but before I could even object to her bringing Choshu into the discussion, DeWolf proved to be just as perceptive. "Wait, three?" he asked, giving Akagi a confused look. "Is that what you came all the way here to discuss?"

"Yes, that's correct," I answered. The metaphorical cat was out of the bag now, and although it was inevitable that we were going to have to discuss the subject of Choshu, I had hoped to have postponed that to a better time and place. We sought out Enterprise for her experience and expertise on the matter, not an officer who was barely familiar with the incident. Why Akagi let that information slip, I had no idea, since she was not the sort to be careless with her words. "But… we can wait until Enterprise is better to—"

"Except we don't know when that'll be," Akagi interrupted, much to my surprise. "And if Captain DeWolf is to be the Executive Officer to this naval base, then by the chain of command, he is the acting Commanding Officer. It's only appropriate that he be our primary contact in this matter."

She made valid points, but before I could even concede to her, DeWolf, of all people, had his own concerns to air. "Hold on a second, assuming I'm going to be the acting CO is a bit presumptuous," he said with surprising haste. Rare to see a person object to being given more authority. "I was assigned here by naval headquarters, but Enterprise was chosen to lead by you kansens. It was understood that I would be handling administrative duties, so I'm not sure how the kansens stationed here are going to respond to me having operational authority, especially considering the circumstances. You all have your own little hierarchies in place here, and I'm expected to just step in and supersede it all? It's risky trying to pull rank on people who have the firepower of a warship at their beck and call."

DeWolf raised a very real concern, and one that swiftly reminded me of how we as kansens occupied a unique position within the military organization. Now while I myself submitted to the authority of the naval chain of command, that was my decision, and someone more independently-minded might take offense to being ordered around by an ordinary man. The limits of the admiralty's authority was certainly a subject of discussion during off-hours, but rarely taken seriously as far as I knew, and nobody had ever tried to test the limits of that authority. If somebody tried to disobey DeWolf, what could he do? Would a kansen follow his orders and put a fellow kansen under arrest? Would she fire on another at his calling? What if a kansen was asked to pacify an unruly member of the same faction, where would their loyalty fall? Those were questions that I had no doubt were speculated in great detail by the naval officers in charge of us, but who would dare to be the first to test our loyalties? I knew there were more than a few hot-tempered girls in the Sakura Empire, and while two kansens butting heads was a nuisance, a kansen coming to blows with an officer could easily turn fatal.

Akagi, however, did not share this same sense of foreboding. "Now now, there's no need to be scared of any of us," she said while reassuring him with a humouring pat on the shoulder. "I saw how you led your men during the last Siren engagement. All you need to do is show that same energy, and you'll do just fine." She then suddenly leaned in closer to his ear, her lips curled into a playful smile. "And if anybody still gives you trouble, just let Akagi know. I'll gladly take care of any… 'pests' for you."

DeWolf abruptly swung his head away from her, his body suddenly tense. While it hid his expression from Akagi, from my vantage point off to the side, I could see how he needed the moment to collect himself.

"T-thank you," he murmured back. "I'm sure your support will be of great use."

Only a few days ago was he able to coldly rebuff her charm, but it appeared that her persistence had begun to erode his defenses, or at the very least catch him off-guard. I worried that Akagi was playing a dangerous game by being so aggressive with Captain DeWolf. No doubt she was taking advantage of this period of transition at the Azur Lane base to position herself close to the chain of command, maybe even jockey for a role as an advisor with the aim of securing for herself, and by extension the whole Sakura Empire, a role in the decision-making process. I had no idea if this meant she trusted him or not; Akagi was precisely the type of person who would prescribe to the adage of keeping friends close, and enemies closer. I almost felt sorry for the Captain, as I knew from experience how difficult it could be to resist her silver tongue and velvet words.

"A-anyways, getting back to the topic at hand," he continued on, clearing his throat at the same time. "You said there was a third kansen who displayed the same phenomenon? I presume you're referring to Choshu?"

"My, how perceptive you are," Akagi remarked.

"Well, I'm no intelligence officer, but I know for a fact that there are no kansens in your naval registry under the name of 'Choshu', and it certainly hasn't escaped my notice that her rigging's bears some resemblance to Mutsu and Nagato's. So with that in mind, I do have to ask: who is she, really?"

Since we were already discussing wildly improbable-sounding theories, there wasn't any harm in adding to it. "She is also Nagato," I answered. "We believe she is from an alternate timeline, and she was brought here to our world by the Sirens, although we do not know if it was deliberate or not."

After a moment of silent consideration, DeWolf folded his arms across his chest and responded with an unceremonious, "Huh."

"You don't sound very surprised," I remarked.

"Because it's not the first time he's heard about alternate timelines, is it?" Akagi said with a confidence that bordered on certainty. "Your brother has written a few articles on the subject, has he not?"

The Captain just rolled his eyes. "They're more like opinion pieces than real articles. But… yes, the theory has been floated about before. Of course, there's never been any support for something so outlandish." The hint of disdain in his voice suggested that he was not among those who supported it, but at least he didn't dismiss it altogether. "Assuming I do believe what you say, and I'm not saying that I do, but if I do… then I'll need to have experts examine Choshu more thoroughly. If the claims hold up, then I'll need to discuss the findings with my superiors and decide on an appropriate course of action from there. Is that acceptable?"

"You're… asking for my permission?" I replied, puzzled seeing as I was the one shackled in a jail cell. I was far from a position to set limits or demands on anything. It was questionable if I could even ask for a bowl of rice.

DeWolf nodded. "She's not technically part of anyone's navies, she's a guest of your empire. I thought it was only proper to ask since she's still in your care, jail cell or not. Obviously, I'll have to run all of this by her as well."

"That is very considerate of you," I said before giving a polite bow. "In that case, we have no objections, so long as Choshu consents as well."

"Ah, good… good then. That's… that's very good." DeWolf's voice trailed off into something of a murmur by the end, his eyes wandering around the corridor for a few seconds. It was the telltale sign of a person not looking forward to the next part of the conversation. I had a feeling something like this was coming, since there was no way I was just walking away from gunning down an elite Azur Lane vanguard without some kind of immediate compensation. It only made sense for him to wait until the end of the conversation to finally bring it up. "Listen, there's one last thing I have to tell you, and you're not going to like it."

"Best to just tell us then. We have been honest with one another thus far," I said as I mentally braced myself for the news.

"Well, here's the thing: I managed to convince the admiralty that just keeping you in a jail cell during the investigation would be counterproductive considering everything that's going on," he explained with a growing wariness. "They're willing to let you be released so long as you stay on base," he paused as he opened up his briefcase, "and that you wear this."

Inside the case was a small, black, collar-like device. It looked rather bulky and rigid, with a large boxy protrusion on the side that had an open panel revealing various buttons and dials. Everything about it screamed dangerous, and in a way, it seemed like a fitting punishment for my misdeeds.

"And what is that?" Akagi asked as she regarded the strange device as though it was about to jump up and bite her.

"It's an inhibitor collar," the Captain explained with a somber voice. His earlier reluctance now made sense, as he was no happier about this development than any of us. "After the Orochi incident, this project got fast-tracked at R&D in case we have to deal with another rogue kansen. When fitted, it'll prevent you from summoning your rigging or controlling your warship."

In other words, once I wore that, I'd be made powerless.

"You're not seriously thinking of making her wear that like… like some kind of animal?" Akagi's wariness turned to disgust, and for a moment, she looked ready to turn violent, as if its very existence was an affront to us all. "What kind of person would do that, after everything we've done for you!"

"You have any idea how hard it was to argue them down to this?" DeWolf snapped back. "An entire fleet was knocked out of commission! The admiralty and factions are demanding a response, and this is the compromise." He became surprisingly heated despite not being the one at risk of being shackled. I feared what might happen if the argument escalated. "Unless you've got a better solution, it's either this or we keep Nagato interned."

"You could try growing a spine and stand up to the admiralty," Akagi suggested, as though such a thing wouldn't be difficult even for a newly-minted acting commanding officer. "You know damn well that they're just scared because Enterprise was meant as their trump card to keep the Crimson Axis in check."

"Of course they're scared. You saw what happened! Any right-minded person would be worried about that."

Knowing how passionate Akagi could get, I feared for the worst if a consensus wasn't reached soon. I had no other choice, really. "I'll do it," I announced, cutting both of them off.

Everybody looked a little surprised, including Captain DeWolf, who must have expected I'd need more convincing.

"Lady Nagato, is this really wise?" Kawakaze said, giving voice to her own concerns, both as my friend and unofficial steward. "You don't have to just give in. We can petition the Sakura Empire's admiralty to intervene."

"She's right," Akagi added. "The Azur Lane leadership is just using their fear as an excuse—"

"Well perhaps I am afraid, too," I interjected, more forcefully in order to shut down further objections. "It is easy to stand on the sidelines and insist that this is all just fear and politics, but I am the one who is experiencing it first-hand. The thought of losing control of myself, of turning on friends and allies, without knowing how or why is… unsettling, to say the least." Terrifying would've been a more apt description, and including a more colourful allegory pertaining to the loss of bodily functions may have driven the point further, but my message was clear. On top of that, though I was hesitant to admit, the thought of an innocent kansen's blood on my hands was too much to bear. It was only thanks to everyone's hard work and quick thinking that nobody died that day. "If I must wear this device in order to preserve the alliance, and give the people the peace of mind needed to continue their duties, then that shall be my burden to bear."

They were hesitant, but Akagi and Kawakaze both silently accepted my decision. Sometimes pride was something that had to be swallowed for the greater good, and as both of them were proud members of the Sakura Empire, it was hard for them to fathom such decisions. For me, it was at least one of the few decisions of the past week that I had no regrets over.

Seeing that I was not about to change my mind, Captain DeWolf opened the cell door and stepped inside. I was still anxious, of course, but strangely enough, I found his stoicism had something of a calming effect. Closing my eyes, I braced myself for the inevitable, as the officer took the device in hand and began fitting it to my neck. It was snug, but not painfully so; its bulk made it impossible to forget about, but not overwhelmingly to the point of distraction. Like a rock in my shoe, it just hung at the periphery of my awareness, uncomfortable and persistent.

"I promise, I'll take it off you the second I'm able to," DeWolf whispered to me as he fitted the collar.

"It's okay, Mr. DeWolf. I know you did everything you could."