"So, what has changed since the last time I put this thing on?"

Shikikan was in the lab while wearing the exosuit, finding it much lighter than last time and fitting flush with his body. Hipper was typing away at a computer with precision as data flew by the screen. The appendages near the back of the armor formed a more familiar rigging but did not have any sentience. There were open sections of the armor that revealed to have some form of thruster system to compensate for the Admiral's humanity. The only thing the suit lacked was weapons of its own.

"So much junk. I had to remove almost half of the unnecessary systems just to get it working correctly. Whatever your counterpart made, it was rushed," Hipper finally spoke, exiting the program

Shikikan looked at the helmet for a moment before putting it on. Just like the last time, the armor sealed to provide maximum protection and to prevent the helmet from falling off. The visor lit up with numbers flooding the officer's vision momentarily. They stopped and the visor cleared itself to allow full vision. Writing appeared on the left side of his screen with an outline of the armor on his left as the system booted itself up.

Systems initializing ...Done

Power Check...Maximum

Host's vitals...Stable

Welcome back, Admiral.

"So, these modifications you made…" he began, looking at the open sections where the small thrusters were inserted

Hipper scoffed, "Modifications? These were improvements. Those thrusters were taken from disabled Siren ships and repurposed to give you the speed to match a light cruiser. I was able to put in a shielding unit like mine but watch how much you use it."

"Limited charge?"

"Ja, this is still a prototype. I'm going to need a few more days before I can finalize it for weapon usage."

"How about movement?"

Hipper smirked, "Don't worry, it won't glitch out like last time. I made sure of it."

"You say that but that requires field testing to prove it," Shikikan retorted, secretly eager to get this thing ready to go as soon as possible

Hipper grumbled, "Fine, dummkopf."

The Admiral grinned before the pair made their way to the docks. The weight of the armor was hardly there with Hipper's improvements. It felt like a full body harness rather than an exosuit with how simple it was to move in it. There was a flat joke to be made here but Hipper probably wouldn't be very fond of the idea.

Snow continued to fall from the cloudy skies above, light flakes resting nicely on the cold steel of the armor. It had been almost a week since the snow began and efforts to keep it from swamping areas of the base became a daily chore. Akashi complained daily about her store being barricaded in a snowy fortress thanks to the mischief of Abercrombie. Thankfully the Manju and bulins made for an excellent workforce to get rid of it or shove it somewhere else. In fact, where did all the excess snow go?

Hipper had a datapad in her hand as the officer slowly stepped onto the ocean. Unlike last time, he found himself easily standing on the watery surface without falling into it. What was the science in how the shipgirls pulled this off? Unclear, the Admiral slept off on the explanation and just decided it was some science/magic explanation for it all. But at least he too could now travel on the water without falling into the abyss below. That is, with the armor on.

Hipper smiled with the result, "Ausgezeichnet, let's go for a lap around the naval base at a slow speed. Whatever you do, don't redline it."

"Redline?" Shikikan questioned, "Oh, there's a maximum speed for this thing. Got it."

Like Hood was teaching him last time, the officer leaned forwards a bit as the thrusters responded by activating through the open sockets. The water behind him rippled with the forces pushing against it. Once out of the port, the man shifted his weight to turn to the left and begin his second test run. Again, like butter, the armor reacted to his desires and allowed him to turn without issue.

"So, how was the date?" Hipper voice was heard through the helmet's communication device

Shikikan reminisced on yesterday's date with Cesare. The whole debacle with Littorio holding sensitive information but also giving him some sound advice. The trip through Italy to attend an opera that Cesare had planned for weeks but was delayed due to stormy weather. Most importantly, the kiss he shared with the Italian battleship that had been so focused on looking out for him.

"It was fine," he finally answered

Flying through the water was quite relaxing when there wasn't anything shooting at you or trying to follow some agreement. Apparently there was a council of shipgirls that oversaw the entire thing in order to keep the peace. Cavour was one of them, as Littorio revealed, but who were the others and why was there a council? Were they going to conduct the wedding ceremonies? In fact, how were those marriage ceremonies going to be conducted?

When Shikikan married Eugen, it was just her and Nimi with the celebration being conducted with everyone in tow. The Royal Navy had allowed the use of their ballroom as a makeshift ceremony and to be frank, it was an unforgettable event. So, would only the factions be able to see the ceremony or was everyone going to be there? Wouldn't it be tiring to sit through all those ceremonies?

"Hey, Schwager," Hipper's voice rang again, "After the war, do you and Eugen plan to...you know…?"

"Do what?" the Admiral replied although this was oddly familiar

"Have kids, baka! It's not like I want to be an auntie or something."

Shikikan sighed, annoyed with the question that had plagued him lately, "I haven't talked to Prinz about that nor do I have that planned as of right now. Why is everyone asking me that question?"

"You tell us about the fate of your counterpart and the possible implications on your own life and you don't expect those who care for you to go further?" Hipper angrily retorted before calming herself down, "You're a young man at a perfect time to begin having a family. It's only natural that the girls you've been dating are looking into settling down."

"If only it were so simple…"

He passed by the Sakura section of the island, seeing Zuikaku and Shoukaku relaxing under a sakura tree that still held its flowers. The elder of the sisters spotted the man, waving at him from a distance. Shikikan returned the wave and continued onward around the island to complete the test run. That night at the Royal Ball came to the forefront of his mind with Hipper's earlier words coming into effect.

Not all of them wanted kids, right? Then there was High Command with their back and forth in him possibly able to impregnate or not. Just how were they testing those studies? Were they taking a wisdom cube and trying to integrate human sperm or egg cells into it? Those things were magical but probably not like the average person thought them as. If it could be done, the thought of making children like that horrified him.

"Everything's looking good from what I'm reading over here, you can increase your speed," Hipper's voice broke through

"Don't redline it? Right?"

Hipper sighed angrily with the officer laughing before leaning forward to increase his speed. He passed by some more shipgirls who were on patrol, giving them a wave as they stared at him incredulously. Turning his head to look out to the ocean, he spotted three figures off in the distance. Large figures, warships. Must be the Eagle Union battleships finally coming around to join the fleet.

Ending back at the docks quickly, the Admiral took off his helmet and watched the three warships approach slowly. They were Eagle Union by design and those main guns they held, sixteen inch batteries, were magnificent to behold. A good amount of the Sakura battleships also possessed such firepower but not too many of the Eagle Union. All their hulls looked similar if not the same but the women standing at their bow were not like the other shipgirls. One with pale hair, one with dark black and the last being ginger.

"Colorado-class battleships, I haven't heard of them since the surprise attack at the beginning of the war," Shikikan muttered

"I thought they were sunk," Hipper commented, "Eagle Union have some resilient fighters."

"They were, temporarily, but repair crews were able to get their hulls back to working condition. Although, High Command never told me about them ever since then. I wonder what they've been up to."

As the trio got closer, Hipper only looked at the women for a few seconds before angrily scoffing, "Make sure to bring back the suit before you go to the office."

Shikikan didn't bother asking what got Hipper in such a bad mood when it was evident. All three of the Colorado-class shipgirls were nicely racked but not overly abundant like some shipgirls. Their attire was on the verge of going 'edgy' as some of the younger officers liked to call it. All three having blood red colored eyes that only perpetuated the stereotype further. Hopefully they didn't talk about death like Erebus and Terror.

Their battleships began docking procedures with Manjus having repair tools ready and bulins carrying oil to refuel the massive ships. The three women walking onto the docks to meet the officer of the base. When they approached him, the pale haired of the group stepped forward and gave a salute.

"Colorado-class battleships at your service. The Big Seven are under your command, Co-"

"It's Admiral. High Command sent you?" the officer corrected before returning the salute

The woman in front of him placed her hands behind her back like any standard soldier would do when around high ranking officials. The other two followed suit with such precision that it would make veterans envious.

"Yes sir, our current task had been disbanded. We were tracking Siren signals around the planet but whatever had arrived outpaced us,"

"Not exactly hard to outpace battleships of your size. Designation?" Shikikan commented, looking at the three to get their names

"Colorado," the pale haired one stated

"Maryland," the ginger answered back

"West Virginia," the dark haired one muttered

"Welcome to the base. I'm sure High Command briefed you on what goes on around here and who I am. So, I won't need to introduce you to anything. That being said, I am well aware of the Big Seven's reputation and I am happy to have you join the fleet," the Admiral gave a nod with a welcome smile.

Maryland then spoke up, "High Command mentioned you have quite a few battleships from the enemy on the base."

The officer frowned instantly, "They're not the enemy anymore. Treat them like you would any of your Eagle Union sisters. I have enough on my plate to keep the peace with a particular few individuals causing trouble."

"I wasn't going to shoot them, sir. I wanted to test their mettle in an exercise. We, in the Big Seven, don't like sitting around," Maryland answered back with a cocky smile

Cesare came the Admiral's mind as he spoke, "If you want an exercise, make sure to have it cleared with your opponent. Vestal will be standing by at all times to heal any injuries. Anymore questions?"

None of them answered, allowing the man to breathe easy, "You are all dismissed. Colorado, later on today, meet me in my office. The girls around the base will be happy to show you where that is."

They gave him a salute before departing from the docks. The officer was not liking the fact the Colorado sisters still viewed shipgirls once part of the Crimson Axis as enemies. He understood they had some ill will against the Sakura considering Maryland and West Virginia were some of the battleships that got sunk during Pearl Harbor but that wasn't a reason to hate the Sakura. At least, make that hatred turn into a competitive spirit to improve oneself instead of seeking to destroy the enemy.

"Let's see if the Big Seven are as strong as their reputation states."


After dropping off the equipment at Akashi's lab, the Admiral made his way towards his home. There wasn't anything he particularly wanted to do today nor anything he had to do. How long that would last for? Probably a few hours before something happened or he got bored. Hopefully 'those' kind of events never happened again or the officer was keeping the gun on him at all times

Entering his room, the very first noticeable thing was the shine of Sheffield's cleansing operation. The wood of the cabinets and floor looked brand new with polish brightening up the room. A lemon scent was evident in the room, freshening the air a bit. That all was ignored as the sound of something cooking was heard. A closer inspection proved that assertion correct as someone was indeed cooking.

A known shipgirl for a massive appetite and passion for cooking. King George V, George for short, was whipping something up in Shikikan's room. The sister of Wales and York was preparing some sort of soup since she had a large pot on the stove. She had taken off her cape and had it hanging on a chair.

"George? What are you doing in my house?"

The British woman, a Knight Commander, smiled warmly, "Is it not the duty of a woman to not cook? I simply couldn't resist the luxury you have in the kitchen."

Shikikan crossed his arms over his chest, "I doubt that. Let me guess, the maids banned you from the kitchen."

George winced with her smile turning into a nervous one, "Actually, everyone banned me from their respective kitchens."

"I wonder why," he replied sarcastically, "What are you making?"

"Hm~ I watched the Sakura make miso soup and felt I should try my hand at it. This is my fourth attempt at it."

"It's just the liquid with some seasoning right? Not very complicated unless yo-...You tried to make something more out of it didn't you?"

George nervously giggled, turning her head away from the Admiral's gaze, "I might have...altered the recipe a bit to my liking."

Shikikan wanted to facepalm at that very moment but he knew George was a very capable cook even when she made mistakes. If she just didn't try to make the dish turn into something only royalty could eat, then maybe he would ignore it. At the same time, he couldn't deny that he was grateful for the lessons she gave him in cooking for himself. Now he didn't go as far as she did but his cooking had gotten much better since his early years.

"Would you like a bowl, Admiral?" George questioned him, stirring the pot once more to find it satisfactory

The Admiral shrugged, "Sure, why not? I know it's going to be good since you're the one cooking."

Soup sounded really good right now considering the cold weather and he hadn't had miso soup in a long time. It was a common item among the Sakura but considering the time he had to share between factions, it was a rare occurrence. He had time to kill before he got his meeting with Colorado started.

"Wait a minute, how did you get into my room, George?" the officer suddenly realized as only a few had a spare key to his room

One being held by Belfast since she was the head maid of the group, one being held by Enterprise since she was often the second-in-command, and the last being on the man himself. He slowly turned back to the Royal Navy battleship with a serious gaze crossing him. He expected her to at least get a little nervous about how she got in but instead, she only smiled warmly.

"I caught one of the maids raiding your closet,"

"Huh? Raiding my closet? What for?" Shikikan questioned back in surprise unaware that the someone in the Maid Corps had been getting into his personal belongings

George took her time in grabbing a porcelain bowl before pouring a few ladle full servings of soup and then served it to the officer. She served her own bowl, although with double the amount, and sat next to him.

"Isn't it obvious, Admiral? You have a secret admirer among the maids. Although I'm surprised you haven't noticed any of your shirts missing," George stated.

The Admiral relaxed, "I do lose some shirts when I have to break up some fights or I end up being shot at by a few yanderes on the base. I guess I never really paid attention to that. Do you know who it is?"

"That is not for me to say, Admiral. I can inform you that I caught her and gave her some reprimanding for going beyond her duties. Then I gave her a long talk about she needs to show her love to you if she truly has feelings," the British woman answered

King George V, as straight to the point as ever, "Noted. With what you're saying, I have a general idea who that could be but I guess I'll let them come to me then. Speaking of which, I'm surprised Elizabeth hasn't tried to demand anything of me."

"Ah, Admiral, you clearly don't understand. Her Majesty respects you enough to not demand minor things and being the head of the navy is quite bothersome. To be fair, I wouldn't mind the idea of you being King of the navy. Hm~ I can see it now. King ...Eh...I don't believe you ever revealed your name."

Shikikan frowned at being reminded of what Dunkerque had asked him days ago, "George, you know I hate keeping secrets but I cannot say on my birth name until High Command allows me."

He honestly would tell them all what his true name was but considering the war and how information was hard to keep under wraps, it was an oath of silence on the matter. Files pertaining to the man himself were either burnt, deleted off storage banks, or covered in black ink. That was an early war measure when it became clear that humanity was once again finding itself despite a larger threat in front of them. Two years of espionage and cover ups as leaders and senior officers were valuable targets.

"Those years are behind us, Admiral. We deserve to know. Subordinates should know the battle plan before a battle like a chef must know the recipe," the battleship retorted with a frown

She had a point, they all deserved to know. Even if she used some culinary allegory to get her point across. The officer took a spoonful of soup and ate it as he thought on breaking a safety protocol. Martin probably wouldn't chew him out over it but the rest of High Command? That part was uncertain since it always felt like some political game out there. As far as the world was concerned, he was just 'The Admiral,' or 'Shikikan,' or 'Humanity's Last Chance.'

He finally sighed, making the decision, "Alright. Since you asked...I'll just say it. My mother is a very religious woman so she named me after G-"

The door was opened harshly as Ash came in with a stern look on her face, "Admiral, you should know a Siren gate opened recently."

By the tone of her voice, there was trouble. There hadn't been an attack on the naval base since the Sirens lost one of their major leaders in a surprise attack. For them to attack was bound to happen but the whole base should have been more than capable of repelling any force. The patrols outside the base should have spotted and dealt with the threat. Unless…

"How many Sirens came out of it?" he asked

"One."

"One?" he raised a confused brow

George also didn't understand how only one Siren came out of their gate network. Those portals could easily allow multiple ships to exit and enter without issue. Why would only one ship or shipgirl come out of it?

Shikikan raised the question, "How long ago was this?"

"Last night. I checked for any Sirens within ten miles of here but I couldn't find any despite my detection systems. I think I know who came through it."

"Who?"

"Ember."

Ember had crossed from her timeline into this one again? Did the Sirens change tactics and chose to send an assassin after their greatest enemy when sheer numbers didn't work? It was a smart move since Ember was more powerful than any of the shipgirls on an individual basis, save for the priority ships. However, she was easily outclassed once his girls worked as a group. She had raw power but Ember mostly worked alone.

The Admiral thought hard on the situation, no doubt his life being threatened even more than ever, "Do you think Ember is here to kill me?"

Surprisingly, Ash shook her head, "No, she isn't like that. I suspect she is watching you, judging you from a distance. She must be wondering why I have decided to help you."

George's usual positive demeanor turned serious, "Then shall we prove to her now? If she is demanding a challenge, then surely we can meet her in battle."

"I don't think she's wanting to fight us directly," Shikikan responded, finding it odd for Ember to come towards them so suddenly, "Something is going on. Thank you for the report, Ash. let me know if more Siren portals open up."

Ash gave a nod before leaving the officer alone with the British woman. He had forgotten about what they were talking about as his mind was filled with wonder about Ember. So many questions he had for the woman's goal in all this. Ash had her reasons for being a recent addition in his fleet but what were Ember's intentions? Was she friend, foe, or a neutral party in all this?

"Admiral, your soup is getting cold."

The Admiral snapped from his thoughts to give his subordinate a gentle smile, "Right, I forgot to say it was good."

The British woman returned a smile at his compliment, "I always put my best effort. If you wish, I can cook for you ever night."

"No, no, that would be taking advantage of you. I don't mind the occasional treat but if I allowed this, who knows what the others would think."

"Hm? Ah, you're concerned that fighting will breakout? My dear Admiral, the Royal Navy knows how to conduct themselves if it came to that. If there is anyone you should watch out for is my sister, Duke of York. I hopefully don't need to save you from her once more," George stated, giggling afterward at the memory of saving the bound man from whatever York had planned from him

The Admiral chuckled, "Right, that's good to know."

The next couple of hours devolved back to culinary talk with the officer being the recipient of the woman's love for food. By the end of her stay, she had gone through four full bowls of soup while Shikikan only had two. She was the most boastful out of her sisters but also the most honest. She wasn't one to take a subtle approach to anything and her offer to make him dinner every night was a clear sign of something.

Now there was one last item on his list


The Admiral sat back in his chair as he waited for the eldest sister of the Colorado-class battleships to enter the office. The small clock in the office was ticking away, back and forth with unending succession. Fingers tapped on the wooden desk with the rhythm of the clock to pass the time. After some time, the door to the office opened up with Colorado stepping inside and slowly walking to the opposing chair.

"I'm going to get to the point, what was your last mission before you were assigned here?" the officer asked while reaching into his desk for a file

"Investigating Siren signatures that appeared a week ago. Our orders were to either capture or eliminate any potential threats," the pale-haired woman answered

Shikikan placed the folder on the desk before opening it to reveal all current information about Ash, "She arrived in that timeframe so it wouldn't surprise me you three were sent after her. She isn't a threat to us, not anymore."

"What about the other one?"

"Ember? Uncertain, best to be on our guard."

Colorado blinked a few times, "If I may be blunt, sir, I am surprised you haven't done any perverted things to the other shipgirls."

"For your information, Colorado, I have morals and protocols to prevent me from doing such things. It doesn't help with the current situation on base," the man retorted, feeling a bit insulted that some viewed him that way

"That being, sir?"

"Let me catch you up to speed. Currently, there was a pact made between the factions to an equal number of their girls marry me to keep the peace. I'm not gonna lie, I honestly found this deal to be ridiculous. Especially as I find myself with three ladies from each faction," the Admiral explained with the shipgirl in front of him showing little expression

"So you have done perverted things to them?" Colorado asked again

"I didn't initialize it, a couple of them did. So don't be surprised when petty arguments arise."

"Alright, sir. Is there anything else you need?"

"For today, no, but be ready for tomorrow. I want to see you and your sisters squaring off with some of the other battleships," Shikikan answered, slouching back a little

"We won't disappoint you, sir. You might want to look out for the others once the exercises begin," Colorado replied, getting up and beginning to leave the room

Shikikan watched her leave before sighing in relief that it was over. At least Colorado was pretty serious about her ability and seemed to pose a no nonsense approach like Cesare. What would happen if those two square off against one another? Tomorrow would hold those results so it was best to wait until then. But another question posed itself in his mind.

What would he do for the rest of the day tomorrow? He had gotten on a week's worth of dates squared away so that was off the table until he felt like it. He spent time with every faction save for the priority shipgirls, except for Roon, that stayed to themselves. Yeah, that would be a good idea, spend some time with those shipgirls who only had a life thanks to his efforts. It was the least he could do and he could get to know the new batch.

"Wait...I feel like I'm forgetting to call som-" a thought came to his head before he remembered

Picking up the telephone and dialing the secure line to headquarters, the Admiral awaited a response. He almost told King George V his name but if he was going to tell all the girls, he might as well clear it with the higher-ups. The secrecy was unnecessary now and since he was getting married later, it was only fair to get rid of it all.

Someone answered the phone.

"This is the Admiral, I need to speak to the higher-ups on the current protocols since the current situation has changed," Shikikan stated clearly before the line went on hold

Times were changing, mainly for better although the pressure was definitely mounting with all the previous events adding up. Let's just hope he could juggle it all without it all backfiring.


So yeah, Colorado sisters are here and our little Admiral is getting closer to revealing his actual name. The suit is getting closer to being ready for combat and is KGV placing her stake in the race? Those answers will be given in the next few chapters so stay tuned.