The Admiral stared the empty conference room that would eventually seat all the shipgirls of his fleet, the anxiety rising with every passing minute. The sounds of the simple clock that clung to the wall echoed throughout the room. Each tick was one less second before this room would have every woman that was eager for the news he was about to spill. Last night had been great with dinner being amazing, although he gave the credit to Eugen rather than his own talent. Hornet had gone to his home as promised and the three indulged themselves to a hearty steak dinner.

After Hornet left, the rest of the night Eugen had gotten the man to make love to her since the protocols had officially been changed. That was a whole can of worms that had been opened since now there wasn't an official rule that he shouldn't do adult things. If anything, it would only be on his word at best now. If he refused, he refused, no excuse after that. Only more of a reason to take things as slow as he could. So much has happened since this whole harem began and the whole fleet needed to be ready for anything.

"Something plaguing your mind?" a voice spoke to him

Gabriel turned towards the voice to see Ash standing at the entrance of the room. Strange of her to come first since she would rather not deal with the other shipgirls. What would bring her to talk to him all of a sudden?

"Having to give out some personal news is a little nerve wracking," he told her, "Something you want to talk about?"

The woman walked closer, taking a seat closest to him while her eyes seemed to drift downward, "I have been thinking...for some time. Enterprise told me something I can't stop thinking about."

"That would be?"

"Moving on. I don't know how to."

A light smile dusted the young man's face, "Let me tell you how I got over the deaths of my family members. I miss them to this day but I focus on what is ahead of me rather than what was behind. In a way, I'm trying to honor them by being the best I can. It's not easy."

"What if the last person closest to you died in your arms no matter how much strength you had? No matter how much you tried to save them?" Ash questioned

"Some things are out of our control. I'm assuming you're talking about your Commander. If I were you, finish what he started. You have a second chance here, don't waste it," Gabriel answered, "I know I haven't wasted my second chance."

"I...don't know if I have the strength."

"Then let me and Enterprise help you. You don't have to do this alone, but now that we're talking, care to explain to me what those things were?" the man finally asked about that mysterious group of Ironblood machines that attacked his fleet days ago

Ash took a few moments to register the question before her gaze turned towards him, "The Ironbloods wouldn't go down without a fight. A lot of the scientists decide made a final gambit with what Siren tech they had. Not many of those were made but how they made them is unbelievable. You encountered a few?"

Gabriel nodded, "One large serpent-like machine and many smaller ones. Tell me that's all they were able to create."

"If I remember correctly, only two large beasts were made before the Sirens destroyed all the bases. If you destroyed one, then one more should be out there...Ember must have brought them over," Ash muttered, her gaze filled with wonder in what her friend was up to

"What would she want with those things?"

Ash never got to answer as the doors began to open with the large assortment of shipgirls beginning to enter the large room. Naturally, she pushed herself away and stayed towards the corner of the room to avoid the attention. The pressure began to amount on the Admiral's mind as the room began to fill quickly. He was overthinking how much of an impact his news would bring but considering he was never called by his real name for a few years made him feel like a different person. They had known him by rank or whatever nickname they gave him, but now all of them would learn his name.

Half an hour of waiting for the shipgirls to situate themselves felt like an eternity but now the moment was upon him. The Admiral stood up to get all eyes on him, adjusting his tie momentarily to calm himself.

"I'll be swift about this. I have received confirmation that protocols have changed yesterday and I called you all here for a very important announcement. Quite honestly, this news is something I wanted to announce for a long time now."

"You're retiring?" San Diego's voice rang from the crowd which made Admiral chuckle

"No, I'm here until we send the Sirens packing for good," he took a breath to steady himself, "You all refer to me as my rank or whatever nickname you feel comfortable giving me, but none of you truly know my name. So...I'm about to tell you…"

The tension rose as he noticed now all eyes were eagerly looking in his direction with anticipation. Those shipgirls that had joined him early in his career were no doubt really boring their eyes into him for the answer. Then there were the shipgirls who were romantically involved with the man but never got that basic information over some outdated rules.

The Admiral took off his naval cap before attempting a smile like he was going through a meet and greet, "Hello ladies, my name is Gabriel Harper. You can address me however you like as usual."

Gabriel felt a sudden weight fall off his shoulders once he let the news fly out of his mouth. The whole room erupted with chatter as this news changed everything, especially in those who were engaged/married to him.

"Herr Harper, your eyes changed color," Scharnhorst spoke out, her one eye so keen in spotting something so minuscule which allowed her to hit shots from extreme range

Gabriel raised a brow before he remembered how his eyes had turned red yesterday at random. Taking no time in dismissing the girls, he left the room through a backdoor to get Vestal to check on him. Whatever was going on with him hadn't negatively done damage but only enhanced his abilities to the point it was noticeable by anyone. Questions would be asked and concern would rise among the ranks if no answer was given.

He needed answers.


"Well, I took your scans and what is shown is absolutely astounding,"

Vestal was sitting at her desk with Gabriel waiting patiently on a chair for the results. She turned her computer around to show him several scans on his skeleton. The bones looked off in color and seemed to have some sort of extra coating on top of the regular bone. Another photo showed his muscles which looked reinforced and slightly larger than before.

"Admiral, if what you told me was true, your body has been modified somehow. That Wisdom Cube you encountered forced your body to change. Thankfully only your physical body was affected, I can't imagine your mentality being altered," Vestal informed him

Gabriel nodded along with the nurse's explanation, "I thought Wisdom Cubes could only be used in the construction of shipgirls or for research. How does that explain it affecting me, a normal human being?"

"I'm not sure. I have never seen a human affected by any Wisdom Cube. I know the Sirens are capable of brainwashing humans but not like this. Please watch yourself and come back to me if anything happens."

"Will do, or you'll drag me back here."

He paid Vestal farewell and left the hospital for the second time this week. His thoughts went back to what Ash mentioned about Ember. Was she truly testing him with those machines from their timeline? Would she join them if he had passed her little 'tests'? Gabriel hoped that was the case because both Ember and Ash were very powerful individuals. Having both of them with their knowledge of the Sirens' technology could be the very key to ending this war. Without them, it might just turn into a war of attrition.

Walking towards the docks so he could think clearly without interruption, he spotted a few shipgirls preparing themselves to go for a patrol route. Helena, Cleveland, Montpelier, and Saratoga had their rigging on and were about to take off. Then a thought came to him.

"Do you think you guys could do me a great favor?" he asked while approaching them

Cleveland was the first to reply with that optimistic smile on her lips, "Sure Admiral, or should I call you Gabe? What do you need?"

The little nickname made him smile back in return, "Keep your sonars and radars tuned for Siren signatures but I want you all to tune it for other shipgirls."

"Other shipgirls? What for?" Helena questioned

"I want to track down Ember. Once you have some signatures, run back here and report asap. I don't want you all trying to take her on or whatever is out there beneath those waters."

Montpelier gave a salute, "With big sister Cleveland here, we'll get the mission done."

"Monty, you don't have to praise me at every moment," Cleveland sweatdropped since her sister made it a daily manner to praise the elder

"But it is true."

"I can't take on a Siren on my own."

Helena giggled at the cute sight between sisters, something she didn't do with since the older one often teased a lot. Saratoga would probably make a joke or some sort of tease if Gabriel wasn't right in front of them. So, when the two sisters finally stopped bickering, the patrol fleet went off to carry on their assignment. With that said, the Admiral moved towards the office so he could get any paperwork over with and keep a close ear to any news.

It wouldn't take too long before he would be back on the waves


Waves crashed into anything that opposed them with winds howling outside. Bits of snow quickly covered anything that opposed it as a few battleships charged through the weather's frenzy. In the middle of the fleet was a massive battleship being escorted by two smaller battleships as its front and rearguard. Despite the powerful engines that powered these machines of death, the waves were relentless.

Gabriel felt gravity try to pull him down as he was looking over a map with a radar console next to it. Within an hour of sending the patrol out, Helena radioed sudden storms due north towards the pole. He wasted no time in getting a fleet ready to sortie out towards the North Pole in search of Ember. These storms only happened during some extreme temperatures or Siren meddling, the latter being the case. The sudden rise and fall motion of the ship could make any recruit sailor want to vomit but no one was a rookie in this fleet.

"The weather is terrible out here, I can't see a thing," Scharnhorst's voice crackled through the nearby radio

"Doesn't this remind you of your last fight, Schwester?" Gneisseneu's voice replied in turn

Who better to take to the northern point of the Earth than some of the Ironbloods, mainly those who served with Tirpitz. Gabriel would have gone with Avrora but the only Russian ship had gotten drunk with Vodka the previous night and was not feeling up to a sortie. So, the Ironbloods were the best option with a couple of other shipgirls for support.

Another wave crashed into the battleship, causing Gabriel to lose his balance temporarily but was caught by Tirpitz before he fell, "Let's hope we get to the eye of this storm before it gets worse."

"Not likely, Herr Admiral, we are lucky to hit thirty knots on these waves. It will be a long while before we even hit the edge of the pole. If fortune favors us, our target will show herself before that happens. It will take days if she waits us out," Tirpitz said, her time being in the North Sea giving her some experience with cold waters

Another wave smashed into the ship which prompted the shipgirl to hug Gabriel close. He blushed a bit as he could feel her body flush up against him; the clothing doing little to prevent such a touch. Some might say he was a lucky man to be put in these types of situations while others might call him an unlucky one. In truth, he would have preferred to not have events happen like this.

"Do I feel cold?" Tirpitz asked out of the blue

The Admiral blinked a few times to register the question. How would she feel cold when she dressed in more modest apparel that was suited to winter climates? Was she talking about her ship and not her body pressed up against his back? In either case, no, she didn't feel cold at all unless she was speaking metaphorically.

"No, you feel quite warm," he answered truthfully, assuming it was a literal question

The door to the bridge opened as Z23 entered looking soaked and not exactly in a good mood. Without a word or an acknowledgment, she walked over to the couple before hugging Gabriel from the front. Now the situation just got more awkward as he was stuck in between two women, one shorter and one slightly taller. It didn't help that Nimi was soaked so he was feeling the cold water while she was trying to heat up.

He released a sigh before patting the destroyer on the head, "At least ask for a towel."

His gaze turned back outside as the howling winds suddenly stopped and the waves began to lose their strength. The battleships slowed to a stop while the clouds began to split apart to reveal the night sky. They had gone on this sortie for hours and the extreme weather prevented anyone from observing what time of day it was. A night attack would suit a single opponent in making a sudden attack.

"So she comes to us, mutig," Tirpitz mused while observing her deck and the surrounding ocean for any signs of the fallen shipgirl

Gabriel broke from the two shipgirls that had him sandwiched, making his way off the command bridge and towards the bow. During the small walk, he put on his armor as a safety precaution. The night sky illuminated little other than the reflective surface of the water. It would have been a beautiful sight to behold if it weren't for the situation that they were in. Radar and sonar were on at all times to detect their target but other than an early ping, Ember had disappeared off the map.

"You're persistent."

Turning around, he was greeted with the sight of Ember standing several feet away from him. The darker counterpart of Takao had one of her hands on her sheathed blade while the other laid at her side. Her single eye bore into his own despite the helmet shielding him. Her other eye was covered up by a portion of hair. A black jacket hugged her body on top of her naval uniform that was just like Takao's. Subtle differences were added but they could be ignored.

"You sent those machines after me. It's only natural that I'm going to track down who sent them," Gabriel stated, one hand clutching his revolver tightly

To his surprise, Ember narrowed her gaze, "I didn't send those. The Sirens did but I am surprised you were able to destroy one of the two. Perhaps I underestimated your subordinates."

"If you didn't send those, then what brings you here?"

A quick swipe of Ember's arm produced her blade with her gaze hardening, "To test your resolve."

As soon as her sentence finished, the woman suddenly left her position and rushed Gabriel with such speed that rivaled Kitakaze. Normally, a human being would only see the after image before their fate was sealed, but the man wasn't a normal human being. A slash came towards his neck and by reflex, he raised his armored gauntlet. Steel clashed against steel but the blade could not do any damage. His eyes went towards the sheath to notice it coming close to his face, disengaging lest he was met with a blunt attack.

"Admiral!" his ears picked up on Z23's voice

The Ironblood Destroyer summoned her rigging and prepared to pepper the fallen Ember but Gabriel shook his head. This fight was between them, not the other shipgirls. He didn't want them to draw Ember's blade for he feared she would actually kill them if they interfered. He quickly fired a round from his weapon but Ember easily dodged the round. Another round was cut in half as the fallen shipgirl brought her blade down in an overhead strike. The Admiral jumped back to avoid the blade from attempting to split his head open.

Only for Ember to suddenly raise the blade to slice him in an upward angle…


...and the Sakura petal was cut in half.

Takao stared at the cut petal to notice it was not a perfect cut that she had practiced daily. Her mind was too focused on the Admiral finally admitting to his true name. Such things should be trivial since it didn't change who the man was that had captured her heart, but it weighed deeply on her mind. With his name now revealed, it was customary in most cultures to take on the husband's last name. Would all those he promised to bear his last name or would that honor only go to Prinz Eugen?

Clapping distracted her thoughts before she turned towards the source of the disturbance. Zuikaku had been watching her senior perform one of the hardest challenges any swordsman would ever take.

"As swift as ever, Takao, but are you alright? You seem bothered," Zuikaku asked

A small smile graced Takao's lips to help dissuade the Sakura carrier, "Just something petty, Zuikaku. Is Shoukaku still bothering Akagi?"

A nervous smile revealed itself on Zuikaku's face, "Yes, one-moment Akagi-senpai is talking about the Admiral and then nee-sama makes a passing comment. Akagi goes into her yandere state and you know the rest."

"What did she say this time?"

"Apparently, Akagi got to sleep with the Admiral before he told us his name which got nee-sama to say she made him smell like a beast."

To Zuikaku's surprise, Takao actually laughed at this. Normally, the heavy cruiser would either sigh at such comments or giggle. This wasn't even the first time Shoukaku had done such things to their seniors. Out of the four sisters, Choukai and Atago were eager to listen in on any gossip while Maya and Takao remained fiercely respectable. Had this war and spending time with the other factions loosen up Takao or was it Gabriel himself?

Zuikaku waited for Takao to stop laughing before she spoke, "You know, Shoukaku mentioned to me one time that she was the first to...um...make love with the Admiral. It's kind of awkward to think of him being with her?"

Takao raised her eyebrows with a slight tilt to her head, "How come? Are you not happy she has found someone to love?"

"Oh I do, but...I guess with him revealing his true name and thinking about their eventual marriage, it's really hard to think of him as a sibling. Have you thought of that?"

Takao's eyes widened as she had forgone those thoughts for quite a while. She didn't need her sisters' approval but considering the family drama between them, would Gabriel be pulled into it all? Although Takao was in Shoukaku's position, she could understand where Zuikaku was coming from. Out of her three siblings, she could only see Maya not be so accepting of him yet they had gotten along well. No doubt Akagi would have thought this through and neither Amagi or Kaga would have any reservations against the Admiral.

"I have not thought of that. I was focused on other things. Hm, would you care to join me in my training?" Takao muttered while looking at the Sakura carrier

"Of course, I'll show you how much I've improved since the last time we sparred," Zuikaku smiled genuinely before her hand went down to the hilt of her blade

Both swordswomen drew their blades at the same time before going for an attack.


Rain poured over the battlefield with the weather being put into turmoil for a second time. Steel clashed against steel in hopes of overwhelming the other. This duel with Ember had gone on for some time and both she and Gabriel had not gotten any closer to wounding the other. Gabriel's time training against the Sakura allowed him to anticipate many of Ember's strikes and react accordingly. The only attack he had to use his barrier for was her barrage of dark energy that enhanced the shells fired from her turrets.

"I could really use a melee weapon right now," the Admiral muttered to himself

Suddenly, two thick blades came out of where his wrist was and was the width of an arming sword and stretched a few inches in front of his fists. Nice of Hipper or Eugen to give him a blade when he needed it but they couldn't give him an AA gun. Ember didn't waste time to attack him again with a slash towards his side that was blocked with his left arm. Gabriel then went for a right hook, forcing Ember back but the blades gave him the necessary range to get a small cut on her forehead.

Ember growled as a thin line of blood flowed from the small wound along with the tuft of hair that obscured her right eye was now cut. She looked more like Takao than ever but that only seemed to piss off the fallen shipgirl. Se rushed him once more, firing a barrage from her main guns that forced Gabriel to deploy his shield or he would get the full force of the shells. By the time his shield dropped, Ember was close enough to stab him.

Time slowed as the Admiral saw the blade aim towards his midsection, the only part within the suit that was lightly armored for flexibility. The best action he could take was to shift his body away, dodging the nimble blade was impaling him. However, from his time practicing against Takao, Ember followed the stab with another slash. Gabriel was forced to use both his arms to block the swing, locking the blade in place before suddenly snapping twisting it.

SNAP!

Ember's eyes widened as the weight of her sword suddenly felt lighter than normal, half of the blade plunging into the ocean. Her gaze went up towards her opponent as he was breathing heavily from their long duel. If he really wanted to, he could have had his shipgirls fire on her right now where she was vulnerable. She may still have her turrets but her main weapon was entirely destroyed, shattered in front of her.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Ember," Gabriel finally spoke to her since their duel began, "You can join me and help end this war."

The fallen shipgirl only replied, "He was right...that you might have a chance."

"What?"

"This isn't the first time Ash and I have tried to save a timeline," Ember said, "We failed our own. Despite that, our Commander was confident that someone like you would have a chance."

"Then join me. I would like more individuals like you to help defeat the Sirens for good."

Gabriel extended a hand out towards Ember, his weapons holstered or put back in place. She didn't need to fight them anymore if she wanted to avenge her Commander. He had built a mighty fleet to take on the Sirens at any moment. Hesitantly, her white-gloved hand reached out, stopping for a moment before landing on the Admiral. The cold steel that covered his hands was familiar to her, of another person that once wore armor like that. He was gone now, but he left a mark on this particular timeline.

"I am in your care, Admiral...Don't disappoint me," Ember stated flatly, dropping the rest of her broken sword to the waters below

"I'll die before that happens," he promised

Once their duel had ended, they got on board the Tirpitz with Ember staying on the bow. Gabriel headed back inside the command deck to get out of the rain, the suit doing little from keeping the water out. He took off his helmet with a breath of relief that today had gone much better than he anticipated. Then again, he was expecting the worst in all situations.

"You risked a lot out there, Admiral. She could have killed you," Tirpitz stated, having watched the entire fight from the bridge, "Are you sure you can put your faith in them?"

Gabriel looked back at Tirpitz, "I put faith in all of you when you were firing salvos at my fleet years ago."

"Touche."

Tirpitz had set up a game of chess on a small table within the bridge. She found it to be a pastime during her long operations in the icy seas. Her long periods of thinking were aided with such a hobby and the Admiral found himself invested. Without a second thought, he sat down to begin a match with all pieces on the board. Tirpitz sat the opposing seat with her white set of chess pieces.

Then the match began with Tirpitz making the first move…


...with blades clashing once more in an endless fury. Sakura petals were decorating the floor below the combatants' feet. The melee between Zuikaku and Takao had gone on for over an hour with neither taking a clear advantage. Sweat poured each of their faces with neither woman wanting to show a sign of weakness.

"You've really improved," Takao commented with a thin smile

Zuikaku tried to suppress a similar look as their blades locked, "Improved enough to take on the Grey Ghost?"

"Not quite."

The ladies were stopped their little duel as thunder boomed above them with rain beginning to sprinkle on top of the base. Considering the thunder, the sprinkles would turn into a heavy barrage of droplets soon. Both swordswomen sheathed their blades and proceeded to go inside the dorms before their clothing was soaked. What was in front of them could be described as comedic.

Shoukaku was in some form of a glaring contest against Akagi with Souryu and Hiryu keeping them from lighting the dorms ablaze. Yukikaze and Shigure looked to be wrestling over some petty argument they once had. Mikasa was giving some history lecture that bored everyone but an eager Suruga, who had stars in her eyes. No doubt it had to be the hundredth telling of the Battle of Tsushima.

Gabriel was probably having a better time out on his sortie.


Another piece fell and came to the clutches of the Queen of the North with most of her important pieces intact. Gabriel looked back on his pieces to see three quarters of his pawns were exterminated, both knights fell, one rook remained, his bishops unscathed and his royal family unharmed. Tirpitz had made every move with maximum damage and minimum retaliation although her hand had been played many times before.

"The Royal Navy is having another banquet for the New Year's celebration," Tirpitz mentioned as she moved a pawn forward

Her pawn was an easy kill but the Admiral was beginning to think it was a trap, "I'm assuming everyone is invited?"

Deciding to test the trap, he had one of his pawns take out its opponent before grabbing the fallen piece and placing it off to the side. Tirpitz moved a separate pawn on the other side of the board with Gabriel following by pushing one of his pawns forward to test her lines. So far, Tirpitz had more of her major pieces than he did so this was beginning to look dire.

"Of course, it is a banquet, not a ball. We are asked to wear something formal for this event but…"

"But?"

Tirpitz pushed her scouting pawn forward once more before answering, "I...Ahem, I would like you to help me with something."

"What is it?" Gabriel asked while having his foremost pawn eliminate one of her defensive pawns

He was expecting Tirpitz to have some long story about her sister, Bismark. The two never got to connect since Bismark was sent out before Tirpitz could be fully combat-ready. Add years out into the icy seas of the north and any connection with 'family' could easily be severed. When they met, it was an awkward exchange as neither of them knew how to properly greet the other. The Admiral hadn't asked if Tirpitz was getting better at reconnecting with Bismark but he assumed if there was anything she wanted to ask him, it had to be about her.

"It's Fraulein Grose, she...is a bit too motherly," Tirpitz finally admitted, sneaking in a quick attack with her knight destroying his offensive pawn

Gabriel had a look of both confusion and wonder, tempted to chuckle at such a thought of Fredrich being 'too motherly' to Tirpitz, "Oh really? What is your definition of that?"

Tirpitz's gaze went downcast with one of her gloved hands covering her face as if her expression would reveal it all, "You have a mother, ja?"

"Of course."

"Did she ever wake you up early in the morning for any reason?"

Gabriel's gaze softened at the thought of his mother, when she was his age, waking him up for early church services every day. More often than not, it was never a good experience for a sleepy kid who didn't want to go to church. Tirpitz got her answer by studying his face and how a smile began to form on his lips.

With this confirmation, Tirpitz continued, "Fredrich woke the entire Ironblood navy for musical lessons. She was deeply unsatisfied with the lack of pride we had and forced us to go through her grueling lessons."

"Grueling to learn something new? I don't see how that's bad," the Admiral mused, thinking of the various members in the Ironblood being half asleep through those sessions

"Suffice it to say, Herr Harper, it was a mess."

"I happen to like Fraulein Grose's efforts to bringing pride back into the Ironblood," Z23 suddenly spoke as she entered the command bridge with a cup of warm coffee in her hands

Of course, Nimi would be for Fredrich's exercises in music, she was a strict woman that got Gabriel to work when he slacked off, "I'll consider it, Tirpitz. Since the Sirens still haven't played their hand, I personally think this is not a bad thing. Trust between comrades is vitally important."

"Schachmatt."

The Admiral stared blankly at his opponent before looking at the board to see that she had perfectly placed her pieces to where his king had no escape. His mind was too focused on what Tirpitz asked of him that he forgot about the battle in front.

"How soon until we get back to the naval base?"


Ok, so we have Ember joining the fleet although with much more hostility at first compared to Ash. Took me a little longer to write this due to a couple of sections needing to be rewritten. Hopefully, this was good for you guys to read.

Stay tuned for next chapter.