Past

After a long siege with ardent defenders unwilling to let the city fell to unending waves of mass-produced Siren ships, the walls finally broke down, the Golden Gate crumbled and the towers went down producing an insane amount of dust that covered the Golden Horn and its surrounding. Without any help from Azur Lane in sight, the governor of the city assembled his last defenders, wounded and hungry from the siege.

"Fire all the canons until there is no ammunition left! Those who wished to go, run inland."

From the sky, a silhouette fired its colorful guns which carved out The City from the continent. Along the Golden Horn, on the piers, the canons were aligned, the defenders firing shells after shells sinking an endless amount of Siren ships, if it were not for their dematerialization, they could have been using them as block ships. The governor looked at his men falling one by one. In his trench just behind the pier, the man with a blue admiral hat started the radio.

"Kostantiniyye has fallen at 1453 hours. The city had been cut off from the continent and the enemy seems to possess flying soldiers and an endless capacity to fire these long colorful bullets. We are less than forty remaining. Good luck. The city will be awaiting your return."

When the Österreich's officials received the memo, they passed it on to Azur Lane's officials. Their enemies had reached the continent faster than expected. Mass panic and hysteria threw money out the windows. Everything was produced for the survival of mankind against the Siren threat.

"The city will be awaiting your return," repeated Yavuz.

The cruisers Midilli, Peyk and Berk were waiting beside the tired and depressed Yavuz. Running away to the Hellenic Navy, then running away to the Österreich and, finally, running to Sardegna, another bastion humanity had to use to stop the endless hordes of Sirens who had brought only destruction on their path. After the victory at Città Eterna, it had been only retribution against the monsters. Not even one was captured alive for they were either executed or they committed suicide. Yavuz and her fleet had helped with the liberation of all the cities and they had reached The City after months of fighting. Yavuz could not recognized it because it had been transformed in a Siren bastion. A true horror of architecture. Four battleships had returned from their discussion with the Royal Navy.

"We have the authorization to shell their position," Reşadiye said.

"Let's show these fuckers who's the boss," Sultân Osmân Evvel proclaimed.

Reshad-I-Hamiss and Fatih Sultan Mehmed saluted. Yavuz looked at her group with optimism. They were more than before the invasion and their accomplishments had brought them fame. The girls from the Agincourt class, Sultân Osmân Evvel and Reshad-I-Hamiss, had gained a fearsome reputation with their over-the-top firepower.

"Ok," Yavuz answered, "but make sure to only touch what is Siren and not what is Redmood."

"This is going to be complicated," Reshad-I-Hamiss said.

A voice intervened : "not if you have her by your side."

Their attention turned toward the five Hellenic girl who had come from the Royal Navy camp. Vasilefs Konstantinos held the timid Georgios Averof by the shoulder like she was some sort of lucky medallion or something of the sort. Salamis, Kilkis and Lemnos giggled.

"You helped us take back our lands, we shall help you take yours. Let us strike where they won't expect!" Salamis declared, frank.

"It seemed the Siren will be gang banged in the most unjustly way possible," Reshad-I-Hamiss laughed.

"But wars are made to be unjust," Konstantinos sighed.

It was time of comradeship. Together, they took back The City from the Sirens after a bloody engagement were the ground troops, and Midilli, lost their lives. Bodies were laying around in the water, on the piers and in the heart of The City where the Sirens had left their devices.

After the battle, the port became animated with multiple personalities coming from different background. The liberation was hailed as a grand day. While there was animosity in the ruins of the city, Yavuz strolled through the destroyed gate where a shell had lodged itself and the pier where she found batteries of destroyed guns alongside each other. They were pointed toward the south-east, where the Siren had been invading, silenced forever. No bodies to prove there had been a terrible fight happening.

She made her way into a trench untouched to time where she still find not a single trace of a body. In a hut made of wood and stone in the trench, she had found a Redmoon headquarter. It had been the scene of destruction; holes covered the hut like lasers had punched through its ceiling. There was a radio covered in dust with a clock beside it stuck on "14:53". Finally, Yavuz found a hat that she dust off with her gloved hand. To whom this hat had been? She will never know.

A Memorial of the Fallen was erected in front of the rebuilt Golden Gate where friends and old foes laid side by side. The canons had been rebuilt and fired toward the opened Black Sea which had been a great source of suffering, to know that the people of the east had been buried beneath the seas. Yavuz was tired from all the fighting and asked for a due discharge within the walls of the city that needed hands to be restored. In the restoration, Hellenic hands helped while Georgios Averof accompanied Sardegnians to the south as a repayment for liberating their lands and for her lands of origin.

Then it ended. The Sirens were no more.

"What do you mean disarmament!?" Yavuz screamed to the Redmoon officials. "Haven't we suffered enough! We want to be left alone!"

"On order of the regency, we must answer all of Azur Lane demands," he reiterated.

The shipgirls wanted to protest, but their riggings were stuck in the port, and they were far away from it.

"Soldiers, capture them!"

Azur Lane soldiers barged in the room with police batons and pistols. The shipgirls could not resist. They had been had.

On their way to the port, luck struck. From both side of the road, rebel soldiers intercepted them and a bloody engagement followed. Yavuz and her comrades rapidly joined the rebels thinking it had been done for them.

"Thank for the help!" Yavuz said to the man leading the rebellion.

The man of the rebellion had also participated in the liberation of the city. He was not tall, but his presence forced respect. His angelic voice seemed reaching the sky while also be composed and polite. Even as a general of army, he had shown profound respect for the shipgirls of his country and he made it a mission to save them and run to the south where the rebels had a foothold.

Before long, they were out of the city, the shipgirls with their riggings and the man on his boat. The chaos in the city left no room for Azur Lane to react. Once again, she was forced to fled from her homeland, but the man promised:

"We will be back and you will have to do your part."

"Are we really going to win against their forces?" Yavuz asked.

The man took his fez hat in his hand.

"As Mustafa Kemal, you have my word. We will be back as the winners."

For the next days, they hide and ran on the coast and islands which had been part of the Redmoon Empire prior and had been given as prize to Iris, the Royal Navy and Sardegna. These deserted cities were repopulated by Redmoons and they had the support of them as Sardegna and Iris were uninterested by this little war for the Gates. It played in Mustafa's favor. The Hellenic Navy tried to find and destroy them in one swift battles. It never came, for Mustafa Kemal used cunning tactics and strategy to achieve his goals.

During the time of struggle, Yavuz observed and gained more valuable experience for future battles. She built her relationship with her comrades and they became tied by a special bond that went beyond friendship. Their old nationalities had vanished, their skin darkened under the sun's rays and they behaved and dressed like their fellow soldiers.

They were Redmoons.

After months of cat and mouse chase, the new Redmoon Republic was ready to strike at what they thought was rightfully theirs. The Hellenic Navy had fallen in their diversion so easily it gave them a leeway in approaching the city. To their amazement, it had been left almost undefended. The Azur Lane garrison surrendered at the sight of the army. They disembarked and progressed beyond the canons, the Golden Gates and the flag was flying at 20:00 hours. From messengers, they received the news that the Hellenic Navy would contest their conquest. Kemal set up the defenders on the walls, he readied all canons and told the shipgirls:

"We must try to make them turn away. Yavuz, try to make the Siren weapon work with the help of engineers. The others, go meet them in the Strait and make sure to mine the area."

The men had work together with Azur Lane before and had valuable knowledge on Siren technology. The weapon was inside the castle, in the basement. It was spacious room immaculate of any color. At his center, a large sphere of around five meters in diameter rested on a base plate where a keyboard could be used. Behind it, there was a seemingly useless plate at its feet.

The men tried relentlessly to make the machine work. Nothing. Through the radio, she learned that the main battle had begun. Time was running out as they would surely be crushed by the Hellenic main army and navy. Yavuz decide to step on the useless plate opposite to the keyboard.

Then the ball illuminated of its blue essence like the surface of a calm ocean. The machine emitted a shrill sound and a magnetic wave expanded, making her vision white.

Where had she been transported? Yavuz was standing on a body of water stretching endlessly to the horizon with a sky full of stars. From the water, a black figure formed itself.

"I don't seem to recognize you in our systems. Have we already lost the bastion?!" asked the ominous and robotic voice who laughed for long time. "We lost to you! Oh my, were we right to give humans the wonder of cubes. What did you expect from me? Aren't you satisfied, Yavuz? Oh my, I haven't said my name, but who cares. If you keep me entertained, I have nothing but pleasure in seeing your little infighting."

Yavuz was paralyzed. What was that AI rambling about? Yavuz simply replied on a calculated tone:

"This little pleasure of you is about to end if I can't save my comrades."

Yavuz had doubts that she talked to a Siren, but she needed every little help to push back the new invaders. The voice giggled and did not give an answer right away. Yavuz waited patiently as time seemed frozen. Nothing had moved in this dimension since the beginning.

"You are certainly entertaining, my child. I shall grant you a little… boost. If you pass the trial, I shall grant you amazing powers. But won't you be angry to know you are getting your help from your enemies?! Ahahah! Interesting! Interesting! Traitor of humanity, show me your resolve!"

These words pierced her like daggers. To be labeled as such when she was trying to find a way to defend The City. Yavuz made her mind. She would go through the trials. Upon her decision, the world disappeared and was replaced by a castle with a Siren sitting on a throne. Yavuz had never seen her before and discovered, after the supposedly defeat of the Siren, that the threat had never went away.

"What is this farce! Aren't you guys dead!" Yavuz shouted and readied her guns toward the lady standing on the throne.

She laughed, unaffected by the sight of guns pointed at her.

"To think I would meet a shipgirl as funny as you! Playing in my hands like a true marionette on a stage. Perfect! Perfect!"

"Go to hell! Liar! I shall kill you right now!"

"Liar? Do not worry. I will hold my promise as convened. I just want to see your resolve."

Yavuz lowered her guard, ready to listen to their mortal enemies.

"What is this trial you are talking about so that I get down with it fast!"

The lady snapped her finger. A man fell through a black hole and crashed on the ground. He had a gag in his mouth and had his hands tied behind his back. Yavuz Sultan Selim recognized the man she thought dead since the invasion. It was her commander, Hubert von Rebeur-Paschwitz, who had been killed during the invasion when she ran away with her comrades. He was alive and in a bad shape in front of her. She tried to approach the man, but an invisible wall blocked her.

"Hubert! Hubert! It's me! I am so happy to know you are still alive and well."

The lady want to the man and snatched the gag from his mouth.

"You guys know each other, what a coincidence," the lady said with a snarky tone.

The next moment, the lady stood beside her, whispering in her ears: "kill him."

The words struck her. It was like a deal with the devil and Yavuz had walked right into a trap she could have never predicted. The man had heard the words and started panicking, his blindfold still on his eyes.

"Yavuz! Yavuz! I know about the Antarctica victory and all, but the Sirens are not done! They are not exterminated! Kill this bitch! She's been torturing me every day!"

Yavuz wanted to turn her guns on the lady. It had become personal and the Gates seemed to matter less.

"So much false accusation!" she laughed, "I might have electrocuted or hanged him several times, but it wasn't torture! At least, for me! Ahahahaha! Yavuz, if you want to defend The Gates against the Hellenic traitors and invaders to badly, wouldn't a little sacrifice be of no importance?"

When things were put in this perspective, Yavuz understood, but she would never stoop as low as shooting a comrade. The man opened his mouth.

"Yavuz, it might sound crazy, but these Sirens are more powerful than you would ever imagine. If she's giving you a power-up, might as well take it and use it against its owners. Even if I'm gone, you are going to talk about the news to the other countries. Tell them the Sirens are alive and well. The world has to unite against these slavemakers, these psychopaths…"

The lady shut him up with a laser that perforated both his cheeks, making his teeth appear.

"You heard him. Just shoot and I shall grant you a gift!"

Yavuz and Hubert looked at each other. One begging to be taken down and one begging to not do it. One order for her canons and it would be done. The lady stood beside her waiting.

"We have all eternity for all I care. But I will tell you that time is not frozen and that your comrades need you."

Yavuz decided to throw away her little bit of humanity for its sake.

"Sorry Hubert, you were amazing."

The man stayed silent, knowing that saying much would hurt the shipgirl even more. Yavuz's guns opened fire, annihilating the body. The lady was joyful, like a little children seeing something for the first time. Yavuz murderous gaze pushed the lady to answer.

"You passed and you shall receive."

The lady's hand penetrated Yavuz's chest in a swift motion. For a moment, Yavuz thought it hurt but the feeling of pain was replaced by a feeling of energy. The lady had not lied. She was granting her power she did not know possible. It almost made her head hurt.

"Know my name, children, The Arbiter. You will be powerful, but you won't be able to tell what just happened or tell anything about me and the Sirens! Ahahahah!"

Yavuz had been had again. She wanted to scream at The Arbiter. To smash her grin into the ground. To destroy her body to ashes under gunpowder.

"I have set a curse on your cube that will last until our future invasion. It shall guarantee that you do not speak of your experience within here, of me or my colleagues, and if you happen to be able to pronounce my name, you shall die a horrible death. Now go and save your Golden Gate with this three-day boost!"

The vision ended. She was backed in the white room in front of the blue ball. Around her, all the engineers had vanished. Yavuz crumbled on the ground, crying, desperate for the warmth of someone. She had been broken and broken again and she bear with it any longer. Not only did she had to secure the Gates, she had to prepare indirectly a future Siren invasion. These missions, she would do them in his honors. Yavuz wiped her tears and held her head high.

When she reached the front gate facing the Strait, Kemal was awaiting.

"Where are the engineers?" What happened in the Siren room? he asked.

Yavuz did not know but had her doubts. She tried talking about her experience, but the force of an anchor pull her to the ground. The more she tried to pronounce words, the more blood was gushing out of her mouth. Kemal ordered her to stop talking.

"Whatever it is, had their any good weapon that we can use."

Her "yes" did not hurt her.

Yavuz joined her comrades in a never-ending retreat within the heavily mined strait making every movement a hassle. Yavuz, like a robot, seemed to be dodging all of them. Impressed, Evvel asked about the weapon.

"It is complicated," answered Yavuz who still had blood on her face.

"You seem bloody. Did someone hurt you?"

It was the case, but she had to stay mute on the matter.

"Just stay back and relax."

"What! Why? We can't let you handle all of it!" Reşadiye complained.

"Trust me," Yavuz said with a composed and confident voice. Her grin almost seemed unsettling to them.

They obeyed. In less than twenty minutes, the battle ended with Yavuz pushing them back with power beyond this world. She jumped, predicted, dodged, and shot. All the movements were done with finesse and unearthly accuracy. The Hellenic Navy ran for their lives as the Redmoon side celebrated their victory and showered Yavuz with presents, giving her the restored emperor's bedroom as a home and Kemal established her as the official flagship of the newly found Redmoon Republic.

The Redmoon Republic was recognized by the members of Azur Lane and its status as a legitimate state was returned without the protests of any Azur Lane members who just wanted hostilities to end. Yavuz superhuman strength had been swept under the rug and forgotten.

The following years, the nation rebuilt itself and was armed according to The Leader and Yavuz's whim. They made the Gates as much of a fortress as possible. It had become even bigger than before and encompassed the two waterways, The City was now flanked by two river flow.

As the years went by, the navy saw new faces in the destroyer and cruisers department. The battleships remained as a staple and proof of their victory over bad odds. Unfortunately, two years prior to the Ironblood wars, The Leader died while in office, leaving the seats of government opened to anyone. The man's sudden death had left a power vacuum that the men from the navy took advantage of.

Yavuz had prepared this and, with the approval of The Leader before his death, made sure that the ultimate power resided within her flagship position. The Leader did not hesitate to give a human position to a shipgirl, as he saw them as equal.

Despite all her successes, Yavuz felt lonely sealed with a truth she couldn't tell anyone. This feeling of powerlessness grudged at her over the years as she waited patiently for the return of the Sirens.