The New Palace, Redmoon Republic

In her room in the castle of The City, Yavuz had a perfect view of the Mediterranean and Black Sea entrance. At the Golden Gate, she looked at the Memorial of the Fallen, the ones who had taken part in the reconquering of The City from Siren's hands. Numerous men, ships and shipgirls had died trying to retake Yedikule Fortress and the Golden Gate. Her comrades on that day had been,

Reşadiye, lend-leased by the Royal Navy at the beginning of the Siren War.

Sultân Osmân Evvel, lend-leased by the Royal Navy at the beginning of the Siren War.

Reshad-I-Hamiss, finished months before and had participated in the battle of Città Eterna.

Fatih Sultan Mehmed finished months before and had participated in the battle of Città Eterna.

Her cruiser and destroyer comrades from the Redmoon Empire at the time.

Vasilefs Konstantinos

Salamis

Georgios Averof

Some Ironblood ships she could not remember the names.

Some Royal Navy ships she could not remember the names.

Some Sardegnian ships she could not remember the names.

Some Iris ships she could not remember the names.

And many more she had lost to time.

They had been an army and, together, snatched the walls and the castle from the Sirens. A moment of triumph. The victory that made her rejoice even with the loss of countless allies. Then, when the Battle of Antarctica ended, Azur Lane betrayed the factions which were part of the Central Powers, Ironblood, Österreich and Redmoon. They gave them atrocious peace and demilitarization terms. The old comrades she grew to love, the Hellenic Navy, shattered her heart in pieces when they backstab them. It seemed the city that once was Redmoon was not to be enjoyed by everyone of Azur Lane, an international city.

The Österreich accepted the treaties without protesting openly. The imperial Ironblood navy ended itself in a collective suicide. Her allies had been tired of fighting, especially after the Battle of Antarctica. Lucky for them, the Redmoon ships had been relaxing at the Gates ever since, helping the rebuilding effort. Before Azur Lane officials came in trying to disarm them, Yavuz and her allies were rescued by rebels whom the shipgirls joined.

And, at the Battle of the Golden Horn, they inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Hellenic Navy. Their numerically inferior force used deception, the indifference of Sardegna and Iris; only the Royal Navy had been interested in the Hellenic enterprise, and weird weapons stored within the walls the Sirens had erected after their conquest.

Yavuz had spared their lives. It had been the only and last service she swore to give to any Hellenic shipgirls.

Yet, she was scheduled to meet Georgios Averof in an hour. They had already been courted by both sides. The Crimson Axis had used their officials which discussed with theirs. What they did not know was that the Redmoon's ultimate power was not from his marine officials, but the Gate Guardians.

Yavuz and her underlings.

Since the death of The Leader, Yavuz had established a system where they were the one with most of the powers. Their council decided of the city's fate. Yavuz used this total control with caution. She knew their enemies had doubts about this system, which is why Queen Elizabeth had been eager to meet her in person. They fainted ignorance, but Yavuz knew they knew and respected their decision by remaining silent.

Then, hours ago, she received a message on her cellphone. It had been sent by no other than Vasilefs Konstantinos. In resume, she begged her to hear Averof and to not turn her down upon her arrival. It was her last wish as an old comrade. At last, she had not used the word "friend" which would have certainly made her angry. The last line left her both saddened and enraged.

"It has been an honor to know you, for I don't have much time remaining. Until then, I'll see you at the Gates where I will make amends."

How can someone make amend for the betrayal they had been through? At least, she went on with the spirit of a warrior who resisted until her last breath, she imagined.

In the end, she felt like this conflict should not involve them in the slightest. It was a struggle of two ideas, the usage or not of Siren technology, and their intentions being clear, she did not know why Azur Lane wanted them back in the alliance. They disguised their usage of Siren's technology, yet Azur Lane seemed unaware of it. Lost in her thought, it felt like her veins would explode from overthinking. A voice interrupted her.

"Georgios Averof is ten minutes from us," said Reşadiye who was wearing her full black uniform, "should we go out and greet them?"

Georgios Averof could discover their Siren's weapons and technology. It's not like they had a choice.

"We will."

Città Eterna, Sardegna

Littorio came back to the capital alongside Caio Duilio, Andrea Doria and some cruisers and destroyers who had not been relocated to guard the new conquered bases. Upon her return, the news had already been received hours ago. Their crushing victory was astonishing. The papers talked about their inferior numbers and the superior maneuver of Ironblood which crushed the Hellenic Navy. The cooperation had shown the prowess of Sardegna, Österreich, who got all their part of the cake, and Ironblood who got crucial experience in the maneuvers. It was a win for everyone.

In her grip, she squeezed the newspaper and threw it on the ground, trampling it with her heel. Vittorio Veneto became concerned with her sister recent erratic behavior.

"What is happening? Are they saying you are at fault for Cape Spartivento? If that is the case, I can take the blame…"

"Are they that shallow!" she said referring to her higher-ups, "if they had been with us, they knew it wasn't a glorious victory! We played right in the hands of our enemy and allies. We were used like pawns on a chessboard!"

Vittorio Veneto understood the sentiment, but a victory was a victory, wasn't it?

"Do you want to end up shinning the shoes of those Ironblood girls?" Littorio said with bitterness, "we should have crushed them with firepower. If it wasn't for these Ironblood airplanes…"

The battle and the recent death of Bismarck to aircrafts had sparked the continuation of Aquila and Sparviero at the expense of Impero. Roma's rigging was almost finished. With this, they could rival Ironblood and make sure they did not fell behind in the production department. With assets in the Österreich and Redmoon Republic, they could make sure that the production could go on. Incredibly enough, agents in Ironblood always came with the same news "Ironblood seem to be able to be self-sufficient with something."

The Österreich and Redmoon Republic freed its resources for both Ironblood and Sardegna in an equal amount. Even with the help of Siren technology, how could they produce out of nothing? Something seemed fishy. Littorio could not calm her anger. Were the gods against her?

Veneto stayed silent. She wanted to understand her sister better, but Littorio seemed to have closed her heart to others.

Then, a knock on the door.

It was Giulio Cesare, Andrea Doria, Caio Duilio, Roma, Impero, Sparviero and Aquila. Conte di Cavour was still being healed at the hospital from the wounds suffered at Taranto. The group took their place and let Vittorio Veneto speak.

"With the Salamis Pass in the east and the imminent attack on Gibraltar, we can now strike the Royal Navy wherever we want. Our planes have now our waters as a playground. We will enjoy this superiority we now have because of Littorio."

Andrea Doria and Caio Duilio stayed silent. Veneto readied her throat. She had received strict orders from their superior, the Supermarina. She unveiled a map on the table drawn with markings and a legend for ease of reading. While Ironblood would invade Crete, they were to strike Hellenic and Royal Navy convoy bound for the island. In secrecy, Littorio had added a pincer maneuver from the coast of Libya and from the coast of the Redmoon Republic, now easily accessible with the Salamis Pass to destroy any fleet trying to meet them in battle. This time, no one would escape her grasp. Their enemy could muster, according to Ironblood cryptanalysts, only Warspite. Both Illustrious and Formidable had been damaged and call back home. Queen Elizabeth and Valiant did the same. With the help of the Österreich, they were clearly superior in numbers and with the strategical advantage.

Giulio Cesare looked at the board, perplexed. The Sardegnian pieces were in position, but were the pieces ready for a major engagement only days after two crucial engagement, one which ended in victory and one in a stalemate? And if their enemies just ignores them, what will happen?

"I will be part of the decoy force," said Vittorio Veneto, "Giulio Cesare will team up with Littorio and Tegetthoff and go around the Salamis Pass. Doria and Duilio will go around from Libya on a decoy mission of convoy escort. After their arrival, they will make their way along the Libyan coast."

Littorio rejoiced at the sight of her plan. Even her comrades seemed satisfied with it. Roma, Impero, Sparviero and Aquila sighed. Another missed battle. Their morale became suddenly high. If it worked, and if Gibraltar were taken, it would be the end of their struggle in the Mediterranean. They would be the Queens of their backyards and it would be the end for the Royal Navy who would be pushed back out of their waters. Maybe luck was finally on their side.

After the meeting, Littorio went to her room. The battles against the Hellenic Navy had taken such a toll on her mental state that littorio thought she had been poisoned. In her papers, she was a superstar. In Ironblood and Österreich eyes, she was nothing more than a showoff. The shipgirl wanted to prove the opposite. With Tegetthoff by her side, she would prove that she is worthy. Littorio believed it. With anguish, she had trouble sleeping. Those next two weeks would be stressful.

Bletchley Park, England, at the same moment.

Mavis Batey, a code breaker at the Government Code and Cypher School, jumped from her chair in the office. She just had break Sardegnian codes and it was urgent to transfer it to all units based at Alexandria.

"I am not joking," said the woman, "look at this!"

The radioman looked at the papers. If it was true, it was the end of the last bastion of the Hellenic Navy in the Mediterranean and possibly the death of thousands of sailors. They had to act. In the next minutes, at his desk in Alexandria, admiral Cunningham received the news with both worry and satisfaction. He thanked the men for their hard work. With the help of multiple commanders, they elaborated a quick plan that would take in effect when the Sardegnian would strike in two weeks from now.

A sailor was seen running on the pier. Queen Elizabeth stared at the poor man.

"Your group has to stay!"

"What do you mean?!" she did not want to hear what was following.

"The Sardegnians, they are going to attack in two weeks!"

The Strait, Redmoon Republic

For the next days, Georgio Averof and her group had been isolated from the outside world. No news were coming as their radios were shut dead to not reveal their position and intentions. For now, they were progressing in the Strait where, on each flanks, were powerful defensive emplacements and mine launchers. This place was a true bastion against ships. Since the start of the hostilities, no merchant ships had been authorized to pass through there. The group was becoming tired and hungry with no sight of the supposedly gates Averof had been talking about. The rations were not enough.

"This trip is getting tiresome," complained the destroyer Kountouriotis.

"We are almost there," Georgios Averof said.

As the words had come out of her mouth, five distinct silhouettes had appeared in their way. Dressed in Redmoon clothing's, they were easily recognizable. The leader Yavuz Sultan Selim stood with her Yatagan sword in hands, her gaze fixated on the group. She bore a hostile expression.

The destroyers and submarines wondered. Georgios Averof was making her first trip to Redmoon's land since their defeat in the Gate War. Her presence was sure to elevate protest in their ranks.

Behind their flagship, Reşadiye and Sultân Osmân Evvel were accompanied by their tall sisters, Fatih Sultan Mehmed and Reshad-I-Hamiss. Georgios Averof made sure to remember their name and to be as polite as possible. She was on a diplomatic mission to a "foreign" land.

They stopped at ten meters. A long silence and menacing stares.

"Haven't we been clear before?" Yavuz declared, "We don't take betrayal kindly around here."

The destroyers and submarines were puzzled and felt attacked by the remark. Averof asked of them to remain calmed.

"I am not here on behalf of Azur Lane or the Hellenic Navy, but the Royal Navy."

It was clearly directed toward the four ex-HMS battleships, but they, too, had been betrayed by their own homeland and their sentiment remain only of a vague sense of belonging, their birthplace. Long seemed gone their enthusiasm for the Royal Navy. Averof continued: "We are asking of you to join the fight against the Ironblood wars and their usage of Siren technology. They are unjustly waging wars."

"But wars are unjust," Yavuz replied sharply in the same words Konstantinos had ushered at the beginning of the battle of the Gate.

"What do we get from intervening?" Sultân Osmân Evvel said, "this war is making us richer with ever increasing trades with the Österreich and the Northern Union. What as the Royal Navy done for us? Steal our territory like they did back then? As it is now, we gain more by joining your enemies than the Royal Navy."

Georgios Averof was aware of that fact, but she hoped her luck would counterbalance that. Yavuz smirked at the dead end in which Georgios Averof was.

"What? You thought you could get lucky against us? Miss. Seitan Papor."

Averof clenched her fists. What could be done?

[…]

Somewhere

An alert appeared on her screen. It was a time rupture, a place where the butterfly effect would forever modify the space and time of a place. It had happened before with the Iberian Union and the Österreich and it was about to happen with the Redmoons. The Observer reviewed the situation and asked Tester β to run a fast test. The results came in minutes later.

It was a simple time rupture based on a decision by Yavuz. To accept or to refuse the Royal Navy call for help. The Observer already knew one of the ending as she had one witness of the ultimate time shift beside her. The servant from the dimension where every Ironblood dice had been rolled with perfection was ready to obey whatever the Observer would need of her.

"Oh well, you are free to take revenge on Yavuz and her subordinates. But I don't want you to kill them, just damage them enough to reconsider their formal pact with Ironblood, Sardegna and the Österreich."

"I am happy to accept such a good job coming from you," The Swordman said with a sarcastic tone; she wanted to create a bloodbath, but it would have to wait. At least, she was helping her old comrades which was making her happy. "Will my comrades be saved by my move?"

The Observer had a lot of hindsight but could not predict what would happen if she intervened to balance the decision of Yavuz in the favor of Azur Lane. Even the Observer's knowledge could not think of a way for Yavuz to side with Azur Lane after all she had been through. It was like saying 2+2 could one day give an outcome of 5. In all the simulation, Yavuz sided with the Crimson Axis and ultimately lost, except for that one time which created The Swordman.

"Do you have a plan?" The Observer asked.

The Swordman giggled.

"I'll use your old toy…"