Welcome back everyone! Hope everyone is staying safe and staying healthy! The first chapter of the story was admittedly a dark one (the rating was more M than T there, but it will not always be like that I promise!). I often find stories can get very dug into a dark narrative and can be a little bit of a depressing read. And although that has its place in storytelling, I would not consider AL to have predominantly dark themes. Therefore, it'll only arise only when it is strategically important to bring it up, as it was for catalyzing the main driving force of this story.
This chapter will focus more on the history of the Second Great War as well as what preparations are being made at HQ for the upcoming battle. And as you'll discover, not all of the participants are entirely convinced that the Commander can lead them into battle. Anyways, without further ado, please enjoy!
-Cipher
Rex Solus: Another fellow AC fan! The vessel I describe takes its inspiration from the Alicorn yes, but it will surely have its own unique twists! Thanks for the review!
Shortly after the Commander had finished giving his speech, he decided he'd let Belfast know he was ready for dinner.
"Yes, Master?"
"Ahem… As much as you ARE a maid Belfast, is there any chance you could try call-"
"No, Master will do."
"R-Right then."
"Worth a shot… Guess that'll just be awkward."
"I must say though, Master, for you first officially address as Commander, that really was quite an inspirational speech."
"Thank you, Belfast. I know I have some big shoes to fill… But I don't intend on shying away from my responsibilities any longer."
"That is reassuring to hear, Master. There is a back log of things you need to attend do, but that can wait for tomorrow. Are you ready for dinner now?"
"Of course. And yes, I am Belfast. This will be my last day eating here alone though. I really do appreciate your meals, but I feel eating with everyone else in the cafeteria would help with morale."
"I agree with you there, Master. I will be on my way shortly."
"Ah one more thing Belfast before you go…"
"Yes, Master?"
"Amagi was here earlier, and she mentioned you lent her a set of keys for my roo-?"
"I am not sure what you mean, Master. I will see you soon with your dinner." And with that, Belfast had hung up on her end.
"Well, I suppose I should just be ready for more unexpected guests in the future."
The Commander cut his losses to the head of the Royal Maid Corps once again before his dinner arrived.
30 minutes later
"Was the dinner to your liking, Master?" Belfast asked.
"It was fantastic, Belfast. Thank you once again."
"No need for thanks, Master I am simply fulfilling my duties as your maid."
"No, I truly do need to thank you. You have been a big help this last week, and not just providing meals. But simply being here I believe has kept me, above water so to speak."
"I am happy to be of service, Master." Belfast gave a warm smile in response before a smugger look crossed her face. "However, if you truly want to thank me, Master, do you think you could indulge me, just a little?"
"Sure, what do you-" Belfast then grabbed a plate not a part of the regular dinner, which held a small piece of cheesecake. "… mean?" Belfast then grabbed a fork, cutting off a small piece of the cake. She then held up the small piece towards the Commander's face.
"Say ahhh..."
"Umm, Belfast, this is a bit-"
"Say Ahhh…" The Maid put a bit more forcefulness into her second demand.
"I did say I would indulge her…" And as promised, the Commander allowed Belfast to feed him the small piece of cheesecake.
"I must say, I do enjoy your troubled expression quite a bit, Master."
Commander Andersen could only glance away from the smiling maid with an embarrassed look.
"Do you have any plans for this evening, Master?"
"I had actually planned on meeting up with Eugen for some drinks at the Ironblood Pub tonight."
"I see. I do believe it would do you some good to take your mind off things, even if just for the evening, Master. Just do not overdo it, as there is much to do tomorrow. I will be sure to come get you at the appropriate time tomorrow regardless."
"Thank you, Belfast."
"Have a fun evening, Master. I will see you in the morning." And with a small bow, the leader of the Royal Maid Corps had taken all of the dishes from the dinner and left.
One hour later, main street of Headquarters
After freshening up a bit, the Commander had made his way slowly across the base to where are lot of the main facilities for the ship girls were. This included several small shops, a school with a large clock tower, and at the end of the road, a rustic looking pub.
This evening was cool, with a slightly overcast sky. This unusually cooler weather had kept most of the girls in their dorms tonight, however, the faint sound of conversing voices and light music could still be heard coming from the pub. The Commander let himself in, gently opening the door. He was not sure who to expect here tonight, however it was a Friday evening. There was a good chance it'd be quite crowded.
The Commander was greeted with a variety of sights and smells upon entering. The main bar was off to the left, decorated in various hues of dark wood and metal. There were several seating areas off and to the right of the bar, with an open area near the back which could act as a dance floor if need be. This wasn't the first time he had visited here, but during his time as science officer, his late work evenings did not often leave him with enough energy for drinking, as much as Eugen would try and convince him otherwise. The few times she had convinced to come out he almost always regretted it the next day. And today was a Friday, so there would be no doubt she was in the mood to get more than tipsy.
Eugen was easy to spot, being the sole attendee at the actual bar. However, several other Ironblood members were scattered around the tables that the Commander recognized. Eugen's sister Admiral Hipper was seated at a table with fellow Ironblood cruisers Admiral Graf Spee and Deutschland. Those two were also sisters. The pair of siblings were different though, with Eugen making a habit of teasing Hipper (mostly about her chest size), and Deutschland constantly boasting about Spee in some rather embarrassing ways.
A pair of battleships were the bartenders for the pub, Scharnhorst and Gneiseau. Dressed in military-like attire, they diligently cleaned and maintained the Ironblood pub.
The Konigsberg class of cruisers were also gathered around a table, consisting of Koln, Karlrushe and of course the namesake of the class, Konigsberg herself. However, distinctly off by herself, the Beacon of the Ironblood, Bismarck was sipping wine in a quiet corner of the pub. After gesturing quickly to Eugen that'd he just needed a minute, she quietly pouted before making her way back over to her sister. The Commander then made his way over to the elegantly dressed Bismarck. Contrary to her typical work and combat attire, she wore a simple, but equally stunning black one-piece dress.
"It is good to see you again, Commander."
"Likewise, Bismarck. I must say you look stunning in that dress. It suits you."
"Thank you, Commander. Non-formal attire suits you as well."
"May I?"
"Of course, please take a seat."
The Commander pulled out a chair opposite to the leader of the Ironblood before continuing.
"I owe you an apology, Bismarck. I owe all of you an apology. I abandoned you all as my first act as Commander. And for that-"
The Commander stopped suddenly as Bismarck lowered her wine glass to the table, creating an audible ping. She gazed into the eyes of Commander Andersen for a moment before speaking:
"I do appreciate your sentiment Commander; however, I do believe it is misplaced on all of us."
"What do you mean?"
"Sorry, is a sentiment you should reserve for the enemy."
"The Sirens?"
"Today it is the Sirens, yes. Tomorrow, it could be someone else. Feeling sorry, and feeling pity, are sentiments you reserve for those who choose to stand in your way Commander. OUR way Commander."
Commander Andersen seemed shocked but encouraged by Bismarck's words. He could truly tell and appreciate in this moment why she was the leader of the Ironblood. Only a leader could project such a powerful aura.
"Thank you, Bismarck. That makes me feel a lot better actually."
"You have proven your worth in other roles on this base before your appointment. Something tells me you will not disappoint in this one either." The beacon of the Ironblood complimented before letting a more saddened expression cross her face. "What you had to witness Commander, those poor girls… They will pay. Dearly."
"I fully intend on repaying them in kind."
"That is reassuring to hear Commander. Your trial by fire I am afraid will be coming soon. I know you will not fail us." A confident smile once again appeared on Bismarck's face. "And as much as I am enjoying our chat here Commander, I do believe Eugen will disturb my quiet corner of the world if you make her wait any longer."
Commander Andersen turned around to look at the bar once again to find the one and only Prinz Eugen, rattling the ice in her glass much like she was ditched at the bar by her date.
"I'll agree with you there…" The Commander chuckled lightly for standing up and pushing in his chair. "I'll be in touch soon; I've got some stuff to catch up on this weekend and then I'll be ready to brief everyone come Monday."
"Sounds excellent Commander; now go enjoy your evening."
And with a nod, Commander Andersen returned to bar, appearing next to Eugen.
"You knowww… of all of the reasons to make a lady wait, talking to another woman has gotta be one of the worsstttt offences, Herr Kommandant."
"You're quite right Eugen, however could I make it up to you?" Responded the Commander dramatically.
"Well for starters, you have a lot of catching up to do."
Several hours later
On the few occasions Eugen had convinced the then science officer to come drinking, it had usually ended up with him helping her back to the Ironblood dorms before returning to his own room. However, tonight, it was a more mutual affair. Long after everyone else had vacated the pub had the pair decided to finally call it a night. Now, Eugen was dangling off the Commander's right arm as they both struggled to walk in a straight path along the main road.
"I'll walk you back to your dorm okeay?"
"Mou…. Commander that isn't good enough. Won't you at least let me s-t-a-y with you tonight?" Eugen knew how vulnerable he was now and was taking full advantage of it.
"I thought it was supposed to be getting cooler now that it was fall… but why do I feel so hot?"
Whether it was the alcohol alone, or whether it was the seductive pout Eugen was given him, the Commander's mind surely could not have been thinking straight. All of her beautiful features seemed highlighted In the moment; whether it was the loosely hanging dress or her silver hair with a single streak of red on the left side. Incapable of denying such an intent Eugen…
"A-Alright… you can sleep there tonight. But NO funny business okay?"
Eugen didn't fully respond in the moment, deciding to instead smile happily and continue to cling onto the Commander.
It didn't take more than 15 minutes to get back to the Commander's room, the pair silent as they entered. The exhaustion of the evening was certainly catching up with the Commander, with Eugen remaining her usual bubbly self.
"I'll never understand how you can down so much liquor and remain so composed…" The Commander stifled back a yawn before sitting on the edge of his bed.
"If you had decided to come out with me even half of the times I had offered, you might be a little better off now." Eugen teased the Commander a little more before joining him on the bed.
The full implications of what Eugen had asked by coming here tonight may have gone over the head of a drunk Commander Andersen, but as the walk here sobered him up some more, the realization as to what Eugen was asking of him were catching up to him rather rapidly. A noticeable blush was growing on the Commander's face as the pair sat in silence for a few moments, simply looking at each other. Eugen was the first to break the silence however:
"You know, Commander, I was really worried about you this week." Eugen seemed to wear a more concerned expression than she was a moment ago.
"Everyone was… after what we had seen… I knew how close you and the Admiral were. And after a week of being told by Belfast you didn't want any visitors… I wasn't so sure you would bounce back from it. I a don't think many people could; not so quickly anyway. But when I heard your speech earlier… it stirred something inside me. Something I had not felt under the Command of Bismarck, or the Admiral... With how determined you sounded, it had solidified in my mind that no matter the odds, you will lead us to victory, Herr Kommandant."
At this point, Eugen had slowly reached for the Commander's shoulder's and gently pressed him down to be lying on the bed.
"For making me worry so, I'd settle for a kiss tonight, Herr Kommandant." Eugen had leaned in close enough so that the Commander could feel her breath on his lips.
"Today, Eugen, you should know; Amagi and I shared a kiss… well it was more of an accident but we both agree-" The Commander tried to de-escalate the precarious situation he found himself in, but that only seem to reinforce the determined look in Eugen's eyes.
"Oh….. so that sly fox made the first move huh… well a great tactician such as Amagi should know she is certainly not the only one vying for your attention, Herr Kommandant."
The Commander could only look into Eugen's crimson pools for eyes, slowly being drawn in himself before their lips finally met. After a few seconds, Eugen released their lip-lock, looking down at the Commander with eager eyes. It looked like she was about to keep going before her head came to rest next to the Commander's.
"That was truly delightful Herr Kommandant, I really should indulge in you more now that I know there are more competitors… but I did say I would hold back for tonight." Eugen whispered all of this into the Commander's ear, before ending it with a small nibble on his ear lobe, promptly turning the Commander a few shades of red darker than before.
Eugen slowly rose up and off the Commander before standing up, turning back to face the Commander. She was surprised to see he had followed her up and was now gently hugging her.
"Oh… what's all this now?" Eugen returned the gesture in kind, but was unsure of its reason.
"Thank you, Eugen, for believing in me. That really does mean a lot to me."
Eugen's heart skipped a beat at the Commander's words, having a pink tinge to her cheeks that wasn't caused by the alcohol.
"My, my, Commander is that why so many maidens have already fallen for you? With words like that, Amagi should be thankful I don't devour you right here and now."
The pair separated from the hug before Eugen gave a genuinely wholesome smile in response to the Commander's words.
"Let me get out of these uncomfortable clothes so we can get some rest."
"Actually Eugen I have a shir-"
Eugen quickly placed a finger on the Commander's lips, silencing him.
"Ah, ah. I'll be just fine in what I picked."
The Commander could only sigh in defeat as he could tell Eugen had totally wrapped him around her finger tonight. Eugen then darted off to the bathroom while the Commander decided to get an early start on sleep, deciding to face whatever Eugen had put on in the morning.
The following morning
As science office, Nicholas Andersen had gotten into a routine every morning. It started with a morning workout, a shower, then some breakfast. From there, he'd make his rounds through the hospital to treat Amagi if need be, and then on to the research labs. There were never usually any deviations to this routine. Any exceptions were the result of the very few and far between special occasions, like the Admiral's retirement. One thing he had not counted on was a very topless, and only panty-wearing Ironblood heavy cruiser clinging to his arm, smiling contently. Eugen had initially started off on the opposite edge of the bed at the Commander's request. However, that plan seemingly collapsed on itself since then. Commander Andersen had always accommodated for time spent contemplating the day in bed before starting his routine, but today, he was at risk of running behind. He gently freed his right arm from Eugen's embrace, being met with a cute pout on the face of the Ironblood cruiser. The Commander gently got up and out of bed and put on some suitable workout wear. Before heading out the door, he returned to the beside and placed a gentle kiss on Eugen's forehead, earning him a content smile once again, without fully waking the cruiser.
After returning from a short run and some bodyweight exercises, the Commander made for his shower to freshen up before starting his long first day; real day as Commander. He returned to the bedroom in just a towel to find a sleepy Eugen covering her top in the Commander's bed-sheet. Rubbing her eyes gently, Eugen slowly sat up in the bed.
"Its a lot colder without you under here."
"After promising me you wouldn't cling to me all night, that's a pretty minor punishment."
"Mouu… you're no fun Commander. Not even waking me up with a proper kiss… How unforgiveable." Eugen shed a single fake tear, before another teasing look crossed her face. "Although… if you hadn't have gotten up, I wouldn't have been able to enjoy this view, Herr Kommandant." Eugen was now shamelessly ogling the half naked body of the Commander, who was now blushing trying to track down his proper clothing.
In the middle of putting his underwear on…
"Good morning, Master. I've come to-" An oblivious Belfast had just marched into the Commander's room, gazing upon a mostly naked Commander, and a very topless Eugen gazing at him from his bed.
Frozen in place, the Commander slowly turned to face Belfast, who showed no sign of embarrassment at the lack of clothing the pair had on. Rather, a look of annoyance with a slight twitch above the maid's brow was all he saw in return.
"Belfast, this isn't wh-"
"Master… Breakfast is ready." And as quickly as the Royal Maid had entered the Commander's chambers, she had departed, slamming the door in her wake.
"It really makes you wish we had actually done something a bit more riskant, does it not, Herr Kommandant?" Eugen cupped the right side of her face, faking a regretful expression.
Being attacked from all involved parties, the Commander sighed in defeat before putting on the rest of his clothes.
"I'm gonna go try and defuse… Whatever just happened, okay?"
All the Commander got in response was a giggle from Eugen before he left for the dining room in his chambers.
Belfast was standing off to one side of the room, directly behind the chair in which the Commander's breakfast was placed. He placed careful steps towards the maid, until he stood directly in front of her.
"Will you hear me out?"
"I can hear your pleas, Master."
"Nothing of that sort happened last night Belfast. Just two friends comforting each other."
Belfast looked directly into the Commanders eyes while he spoke, before letting out a deep breath.
"You don't appear to be lying, Master."
"Thank you for be-"
"However, if she was able to seduce you so easily into staying with you last night, I have a feeling your life will only be more troublesome from now on, Master." Belfast had cut off the Commander before he could offer any response, revealing her true opinions on the matter. "There are those who won't be just satisfied with your company, Master."
The Commander truly took in Belfast's words, before nodding in agreement. He could only speculate at who she was referring to, but he had a pretty good idea at who she was talking about.
"Thank you for breakfast and your… honesty once again, Belfast."
"Of course, Master. You have a long day ahead of you."
1 hour later, Azur Lane Research Labs
The Commander had one specific ship girl he had to consult with this morning. The first ship girl to ever appear, Akashi. This short, green haired, cat-like ship was guilty of many financial atrocities. However, in terms of any scientific insight into the concept of ships manifesting into girls, animalistic features or not, she was the resident expert. Even after years as science officer, Commander Andersen had never come close to fully understanding how the girls came to be, or how they manifested their rigging, or even why they took after warships from the Second Great War.
Today however, the Commander needed a refresher on the details of the Second Great War. More specifically, how the world once came together to defeat the Sirens the first time.
It is common knowledge that during the Second Great War, two factions, the Azur Lane and Crimson Axis were at war. The Azur Lane, which was primarily composed of Eagle Union and Royal Navy members at the time, lead the fight against the Sakura Empire and Ironblood factions. The Sakura Empire and Ironblood leaders were seduced by the use of Siren technology to win the war against Azur Lane.
However, within those factions, rebellion struck. Not everyone had the same opinions on the morality of using Siren technology. What had ultimately been revealed was that the Sirens were simply using the war between the Crimson Axis and Azur Lane to reduce the numbers of fighters that could resist them in taking over this world. Although their methods were questionable, it is widely known various Siren elites took pleasure in making the leaders of the Crimson Axis work for them unknowingly throughout the Second Great War.
This is where the role of Admiral Greer comes into play. As the appointed leader of Azur Lane during this time, he led the factions at the time against the Crimson Axis, and then against the Sirens themselves. Realizing the true nature of their leaders, the bulk of the Sakura and Ironblood forces had surrendered in favor of confronting the true enemy in the Sirens. High Command in the Eagle Union and Royal Navy had never fully trusted them, but under Admiral Greer, the 4 factions were united to defeat the Sirens those many years ago. The details of the decisive battle were why Commander Andersen was consulting Akashi today. She was there the day it all ended. Admiral Greer had recounted the details of that day on several occasions to Andersen, however, hearing it from the girl that was considered the original ship girl was another.
Entering the lab space for the first time in a week, he noticed several, fluffy and yellow bird-like creatures scurrying about the lab furiously. These creatures were known as Manjuu's, and only seemed to obey and follow the ship girls, and never a regular human. They helped and assisted in anything their little bodies could handle, from transportation of resources, operating consoles, cooking meals… It was hard to imagine regular life operating here without their help.
It didn't take long for the Commander to spot Akashi, she was busy at the far end of the lab taking inventory of the various tech boxes the girls used to adjust their equipment; not that they had gotten much use recently anyways. But that was all about to change, drastically.
"Akashi."
"Nyyaaa! Science officer! I guess I call you Shikikan now nya! It is good to see you!"
"And it is good to see you Akashi." Commander Andersen gave a reassuring head pat to the green-haired cat girl to which she simply responded with a purr. "I am sorry for being away for so long."
"Nyaaa…. That is okay Shikikan. Akashi heard about what happened nya…" The normally cheerful girl was now looking rather downcast, ears flopping to rest on her head.
"Its okay Akashi." The Commander resumed his head-patting to ease the girls mind, which seemed to do just this trick as she instantly started purring again. "I will be okay… Getting justice for them, and getting the Admiral back is a strong motivator. And we have work to do."
"Nyyyaaa Shikikan. Akashi believes you. What can Akashi do for you today? Akashi can't imagine you're gonna be spending all day designing again nya?"
"You're quite right. I was hoping you could tell me about the decisive battle all those years ago; from the perspective of someone who was in the main fleet."
"Nyaaa… trying to see if we can use anything this time around hey Shikikan. Akashi thinks this is a good idea… But something tells Akashi nya… they are a lot more serious this time nya…"
"I think you're right Akashi, which is why this information is more important than ever."
"Okay Shikikan, Akashi will start from the beginning: We knew at the time that the Sirens could teleport around our world without any restrictions nya… But they themselves had admitted to coming here from their own world nya… And with the seemingly unlimited supply of mass-produced Siren ships appearing…"
"That would mean they had a permanently opened portal to their world to keep up with that kinda production…"
"Precisely nyaa… so once we knew it had to be a fixed location… we began trying to follow the trail, and ultimately found what we were looking for in the center of the Bermuda triangle nya…"
"That would be the perfect cover for sure… the radars of the time wouldn't have picked up on it normally."
"So then, Admiral Greer amassed our forces and we took the fight to them nya… Warspite was ultimately the one he managed to damage the portal frame… causing it to collapse upon itself nya… we had badly wounded their elites nya… including the Empress herself.. but never finished them off nya. Realizing they would have been cut off from their world, they escaped into the collapsing portal nya…"
"So, they had lost their connection then, and High Command truly assumed that was the end of the them…"
"Akashi thinks that you are more aware of that part of history than Akashi is nya…"
"Yeah… Painfully so."
"Does that help us now nya? Years have passed…"
"Well for one… As far as we know the portal or portals linking our world to theirs won't likely matter much in this next conflict… Its about cutting the head off the snake."
"Taking out the Empress nya?"
"Exactly. But… that won't be easy. There is no guarantee she's even here… If they truly have been secretly sending their ships through portals for years now… they may have amassed enough forces to wipe us out already."
"Nyyaa Commander… that's too scary for Akashi to think about." The cat-like girl squirmed at the thought of such dire circumstances.
"Sorry… that's the pessimist in me creeping through. All we can do is hope it has not gotten to that stage yet. But if we haven't found any signs of the Sirens before a week ago… that means they couldn't have gathered a large force, yet. Observer Alpha and Tester Beta are here probably here overseeing the transport of the mass-production Siren ships, as well as whatever that large sub was. They probably needed at least that much to target High Command the way they did."
"Nyaa… so then… Ah! Akashi has an idea. They must've known about the Admiral's retirement… because that would have gathered-"
"All of high command in one place… or…"
"One plane nya…"
"The Admiral's retirement had been announced 1 month prior… so they must have been waiting for the right moment before launching a coordinated strike on our command structure before coming in to clean the rest of us out."
"Terrifying nya…"
"The odds certainly aren't in our favour… But. Akashi, we have things to do in the meantime. Other factions we need to get in contact with. Resources to consolidate."
"Nyaaaa Akashi likes the sound of that last part Shikikan!" Almost on queue, the girl's cat-like ears stood straight at attention, with her pupils flashing the shape of an indescribable gemstone.
"Up until now, our funds for research have been bottle-necked by High Command… not that we couldn't have somehow… Bypassed such restrictions… it wouldn't have gone unnoticed."
"But nyyyoww?" Akashi's tail was now snapping around happily at what the Commander was proposing.
"Unrestricted internet access… get a hold of whatever funds and resources you can… as soon as possible."
"That Shikikan, I can do." Akashi leaped from where the pair were having their conversation to a computer monitor and began furiously typing away.
"Let me know when we'll be up and running Akashi… I'm afraid we can't get a start on this without you."
"You don't need to tell me twice Shikikan!"
It was unclear whether or not the fate of the world as they knew it motivated Akashi, or the prospect of having a large sum of money and other riches in front of her did, but one thing was certain; Commander Andersen could trust getting supplies to and from Azur Lane headquarters could be trusted to Akashi.
The Commander had to give Akashi time to work her magic on diverting raw resources such as oil, metal and the funds the acquire such materials. In the meantime, there were several projects the Commander now had to consider developing.
These projects are more related to the development of human technology since the end of the Second Great War. High Command did not like the idea of a technology they could not fully control, even if the girls decided to follow Admiral Greer throughout several conflicts. Therefore, technology proceeded without the influence of ship girls. Civilian applications like the Internet, the space shuttle; or militaristic applications, like Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's), attack helicopter's or modern guidance computers for naval vessels for example, allowing them to fire accurately over unthinkable distances.
However, these technologies were developed into human-controlled and operated machines. The technologies of the Second Great War were used more effectively than any man ever could by the ship girls; but as they remained in that era, the world around this island in the pacific moved on. Wars were waged, but outside the scope that involved the ship girls.
Humanity had let the ship girls be, allowing them strictly defensive roles; mostly sticking to themselves. Before long, only 1 officer oversaw the entirety of the Azur Lane ship girls, Admiral Greer. And it took lots of convincing to allow Science Officer Nicholas Andersen a funded position at the Azur Lane HQ in the Pacific.
Few details of how things were before last week mattered now, however.
With little communication from whatever remained of humanity's naval force's in the week since the initial attack, Commander Andersen could only assume what little remained of humanity's military would be of no help in whatever comes next.
This time, they would truly be on their own.
And BOOM! Lengthy, and equally important history recap chapter of this version of the world where the Commander and the girls are is finished. I promise, now we will move on! With worlds in which the history is not given a proper explanation (like Azur Lane), I find it super important for context. So now that we know how we all got to the point in the story where we are now… we can proceed forward with the introduction of more girls and of course, some action. If it wasn't already obvious, sitting around and waiting for the Sirens to appear will only make things worse.
More than anything, I hope I did not bore anyone too much with the details. I know a couple of you had requested I explain why things are the way they are, why the Sirens went away in the first place, why they are back.
Next chapter, we'll start with the introduction of new characters to this story, some rather cool science involving the retrofitting of some of the girls, and some of the first bits of action for our Commander and the fleet that choose to follow him.
Thanks for all the follows, favs and reviews. And until next time, stay safe and stay healthy!
-Cipher