(AN: Since the last chapter, this fanfic has surpassed my DDLC story in views, reviews, subscribers and followers. Thank you very much to the community for showing your appreciation.)

"Enterprise," he said, marching to her "gather a team and sort out the rest of the fleet based on severity of their injuries."

"Kaga," he said, turning to her "Once Enterprise is done, take the most severely injured to the second base."

"Akagi, you're on damage control "a lot of our buildings got hit from the attack. See which ones need repairs first and we'll work on them."

"Commander," shouted Yorktown, running to him.

He turned around, about to ask her what's wrong but no words escaped his mouth. Instead his attention went to the injured Spencer she was cradling in her arms and then to a weak and bloodied Unicorn, being carried by Foote and Raleigh.

"Take them to the hospital, now," he said then turned around "Roon, take Unicorn as well."

"You've got your assignments now get to it," he said turning to the others, who nodded in agreement.

"Commander," said Monarch looking worried reaching out and putting an arm on his shoulder.

"That's right," he said turning to her and then to Neptune and Saint. Louis "we still haven't done the oath ceremony."

"I think that for now," said Neptune "we can keep that as a low priority objective."

"Alright," he said, letting out a long sigh "for now, the three of you should meet up with Ibuki and Izumo. Once Roon gets back, patrol the island till its morning. You see anything Siren…"

"We send it to the bottom of the ocean," said Saint. Louis "as you wish, my lord."

He silently thought he'd need to work on Saint. Louis' was of addressing him. It was far too much of a formal title on top of the one he already had.

'Damn it, now's not the time for that,' he thought.

"I should get going," he said to them "lot of work to do for the next few days."

And the Commander was right. Although they did win, many members of the fleet were injured in the attack and needed medical attention. The most severe cases were Unicorn, Spencer, Brooklyn, Helena, Juneau, Portland and Indianapolis. Aside from the first two, the others were taken to the Sakura Empire, which was a lot safer than their current location.

Kaga sought to replace the injured soldiers on the base and after getting his approval, she brought Noshiro, Yukikaze, Shiranui, Kako, Aoba, Ryuuhou, Kinu, Ayanami, Shigure and Hatsuharu. This process took about two days to complete.

While the transfer was underway, the Commander was running around the hospital for four days straight, spending only two hours each day to dress his injuries and collect himself mentally. While Vestal was busy working on Unicorn and Spencer, Akashi was treating the other injured women and he was busy getting her whatever was required.

Five days after the Siren attack on the base.

Enterprise, Hornet, Illustrious, Belfast, Eugen, and Akagi gathered in the meeting room, each one taking a seat around the circular table. They noticed some of the empty chairs in the room but decided not to say anything for now.

There was silence in the room. Usually, it'd start with the Commander presenting the facts and progress the fleet had made then opened the floor to suggestions and ideas on how to proceed further. With that no longer there….

"Our oil and coin supply buildings were hit the hardest during the attack," said Akagi, taking the initiative "right now Cleveland's overseeing the repairs with an assigned team. Aside from that, the comms room, the cafeteria and the school took a few hits but they can be fixed up quickly."

"And what's the deal with these PR ships?" asked Hornet "they appeared during the battle and now we're supposed to accept they're part of the fleet?"

"For now, they're patrolling the area and helping with the repairs," said Belfast "plus it's not like we can ask them anything. I get the feeling they'll only listen to one person on the base."

At that, everyone became silent.

"Speaking of which," said Enterprise "where is the Commander?"

"He's been living in the hospital ever since the attack," replied Illustrious.

"Living is putting it mildly," said Hornet "I got a report from Phoenix before we came in."

"Ever since the attack, he's been doing the work of five people, running around the place and making sure to treat as many people as he could."

"So the Commander knows first aid?" asked Eugen.

"Not to the level where he'd be a qualified medic," replied Hornet "but enough that he can handle some of the less dangerous injuries."

"The problem is that he's been running himself ragged," she added "these past days he hasn't had a second of sleep, drinks about two or three cups of water a day and the only time I ever see him leave is to grab a sandwich from the makeshift cafeteria we set up outside the actual one."

"Basically, he's wearing himself thin," said Belfast.

"Wales volunteered to go talk some sense into him," stated Illustrious "but I fear he's won't listen to anything she says."

"He's probably blaming himself for what happened," said Enterprise "for what happened to us, for the damage to the base and for what happened to the kids."

"Isn't he taking on too much?" asked Eugen "Yes the Siren attack caught us off guard but its not like he was supposed to predict that would happen."

"Actually it is," said Akagi, surprising everyone "being a leader isn't about sitting on a throne and doling out orders to everyone, you have to be prepared for everything. You have to think about all scenarios, imagine the worst things happening and create solutions for that. That he didn't means that all of this falls on him and no one else."

"It's not like we're dead or anything," stated Hornet "some of us are hurt and some are badly injured. But we're all still alive."

"I doubt Unicorn and Spencer will agree with you on that," said Belfast.

"What happened to the two of them was….." said Hornet, clenching her fist "it was terrible. But let's not forget that they're fighters like the rest of us. They're all soldiers as well and just like us, they can fight too."

"By that logic we should be sending Yorktown into the fray as well," said Enterprise, glaring at her.

"What? No, I'd never send Yorktown into danger like that," objected Hornet.

"Why? Because she's your sister?"

"She's your sister as well."

"What Enterprise is trying to say that," said Illustrious, in an effort to diffuse the situation "although the children are capable of fighting, doesn't mean that we should be okay with letting them fight. Because if we do, then we should also send Yorktown into our battles against the Sirens."

"It's alright if we get hurt," said Enterprise "it's alright if anyone in this room or even the Commander gets hurt or shot or beaten because that's what happens when you take up the cause. When you become a soldier, you accept that at some point you are going to be injured."

"We're out there fighting so that they don't have to," she added "and I don't know about you but when one kid is beaten within an inch of her life and another was damn near ready to die to protect everyone else….. we've failed in our duty as soldiers."

Enterprise got up from her chair and headed to the door. Just as she was about to open it, she turned around and said "I try not to think about it too much. In fact, I do my best to push that thought as deep down as possible but, Unicorn was part of the group that answered his call."

As she left the room, the weight of her words hanging in the air, Akagi turned to Belfast and asked the meaning behind those words.

"Wales, Illustrious, Eugen, Enterprise and I were all dead," she replied "however, during his fight with Hornet, the Commander caused some reaction with a stash of wisdom cubes and brought us back to life. Unicorn was also part of that group that came back."

Akagi understood. She may not have said anything but her dark expression indicated that she understood what Belfast said. Unicorn, one of the youngest members of the fleet had already died and was about ready to die again if Ibuki and Izumo didn't arrive on time.

"Well this was a fun meeting," said Eugen sarcastically followed by her getting up "same time tomorrow?"

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He came out of another room, took off his glove and tossed it into the nearby bin. He leaned against the wall for all of five seconds then pushed himself off and dragged his half-awake corpse to the next room. It was late in the night on the fourth day and he was running on fumes and will-power alone.

'Willpower will get you to the finish line but good food and rest will get you through most of the race,' said his former Commander, the thought lingering in his mind but vanished soon afterwards. He still had to check up on everyone in the next room, write a report on Unicorn and Spencer's condition, check up on Vestal and Akashi, restock the inventory with plenty of supplies…. There was still so much to do.

His stomach had other plans in mind as it groaned out loud in protest.

"Oh shut up," he said, ignoring the cries of nourishment his body required. Despite Wales protesting multiple times that he had rest or get something to eat, the best she could do was force him to have a sandwich before he went off to continue his work.

After doing all of his and thinking about what to do next, he was slowly trudging his way through the corridor at night, he noticed one of the rooms were open. Curious, he looked inside and saw Yorktown inside, sitting upright in her bed, gazing out the window at the moon and the stars.

The scene was almost the same as when they first met.

"Hello Commander," she said, noticing him standing at the door.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," he said, shaking his head to not look all that tired.

"You're not interrupting," she said, smiling warmly at him "I was just thinking how nice it would be if I had a little company right now."

"I'm not exactly looking my best right now, but if you're okay with that then I could keep you company."

"That would be nice," she said and he dragged the one chair in the room towards Yorktown's bed.

"Its nights like this I'd often think about my younger days with Hornet and Enterprise," she said, looking at the sky then turning to him "if you look closely, some of them form shapes."

"How are you feeling?" she asked "I've noticed you running from hall to hall quite often."

"I'm fine, no problem," he replied, calmly "just doing my part."

He was about to ask her how she felt, but thought it best not to veer near that topic.

"I heard Spencer's and Unicorn's conditions have stabilized," she said, looking relieved "Vestal and Akashi must be working themselves to the bone right now."

"We all are," he said, "everyone's doing their part in this crisis."

"Except for me," she muttered, lowering her head.

"What?"

"When the Sirens attacked everyone went to fight. When the Sirens were defeated everyone came together and are getting things back to normal."

"Everyone except for me,"

"Yorktown you can't blame yourself for…"

"I tried," she said as tears started dropping from her eyes and falling down onto the sheets. He noticed her hands trembling and quietly reached out to her.

"I tried so hard Commander," she said, almost grabbing his hand in an effort to keep from trembling "I kept trying to form my weapons but nothing happened. All I could do was watch as those children fought…. They fought to protect me when it should be the other way around."

"If those two didn't arrive…., if they were a second late then…. Then…."

At this point Yorktown came forward, nearly knocking him down and proceeded to sob uncontrollably into his shirt. Even though he was the one that put them all in that position in the first place, she still felt it was her fault for not being able to do anything. She may not have been as injured as badly as the rest but on an emotional side, Yorktown suffered the most from this battle.

The only thing he could do was remain silent and let her bear her emotions out. This was the only way he knew how to comfort people. It was an admittedly weak move, but it was a lot better than saying something and making things worse.

Soon enough, her cries of pain and anguish faded and she became silent. She looked up at him with red eyes and faded tears on her cheeks, put a hand around him, slowly drawing them closer.

"York….town?" he asked, fearing how similar things were.

But she said nothing. Instead she drew closer and closer till there was only a hair's distance between their faces.

"Why are there three of you?" he asked

"What?" she asked, notably surprised by the question. Moving back, she noticed that the calm expression he had a moment ago had faded, in its place, was a tired…. Almost delirious expression on him.

"There are suddenly….. three Yorktowns in the room," he said, his body swaying a little "when did that happen?"

"Commander I think….."

"Oh, I'm out," he said, then swayed too far to the left and hit the ground. Worried that he injured himself, Yorktown scrambled to the edge of the bed and found that he had passed out.

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He slowly opened his eyes, groaning and taking a minute to observe his surroundings. He was not looking at the single colored ceiling of the hospital room with one fan. He was looking at the lavishly colored ceiling with an ornate chandelier hanging above.

Considering how much was spent on the improvements to the base, he was either in the dorm, the lounge area or he was in his room.

He rose up and tried to scratch his head, only to see that he was handcuffed to the bed. A quick glance from one side to the next told him that he was in his room. He then saw the door turn and through it came Enterprise and Akagi. Enterprise often had an air of seriousness to her but when he saw Akagi also had that same air, he had a legitimate reason to be worried.

Akagi grabbed one of the chairs and sat directly opposite the bed. Enterprise on the other hand came up to him and when she was close, her right hand came forward and flicked him on the forehead.

It may have looked normal, but given the drastic difference in power between them, he was violently knocked back into the bed thanks to the force of her attack.

"That," said Enterprise "was just a fraction of the pain you caused everyone."

"Do you realize how worried we all became when Yorktown called us over, telling us you had passed out?" she shouted "what were you thinking working yourself to the bone like that for four whole days without any rest?"

He was silent at first. Then he noticed how red both their eyes were and the dried-up streaks of salt water on their cheeks.

"In trying to help everyone, I only made things worse," he muttered to himself.

"Well then Commander," barked Enterprise. I asked you a question."

"I was scared," he replied, answering the question she put to him.

"I've buried a lot of people. Back in my world there were friends I knew for years, months and weeks. One day they'd be talking to me and the next, they'd be in a coffin and were lowered into the ground. At that time, I'd see the look on everyone's faces. The parents, the husbands and wives, the sons and daughters, the pain they felt knowing that their loved one was never coming back…. It was the worst kind of punishment you could ever receive."

"That's why when I got here I tried so hard to make sure that we wouldn't lose anyone. And when I saw Spence and Unicorn all battered and bloodied, it felt like I failed them…. I failed you."

He lowered his head and there was a silence in the room. It was an uneasy and tense silence filling the air.

"Commander," said Akagi, breaking that silence "you need to stop feeling guilty for what happened and get over it."

At this statement, Enterprise turned in surprise to her, not expecting Akagi of all people to say that.

"The punishment you're talking about, the pain that you feel when you lose a loved one? That's already happened to me. I watched helplessly as my beloved sister went to die for us."

"Yorktown and Hornet have also felt that pain as well. But in their case, fate was at least kind enough to bring their sister back."

"We've all suffered losses Commander, we've all seen family members go off to fight and never come back. It hurts like hell but we've also learned that focusing on the pain and the loss is not going to help at all. Like how Kaga and I have moved on, you need to move on as well and make sure that the same mistake never happens again."

"Because news flash Commander, there's an entire fleet relying on you. All of us put our faith, our trust, our belief and our lives in your hands so you better stop acting like some victim and go back to being the leader we all know and respect."

"If I were you Commander," said Enterprise, looking out the window "I'd think about how the Siren fleet threw an armada at us and still lost."

"Hmm?" he asked

"Think about it. That was a helluva lot of ships they sent our way and we still won."

"You're right," he said, his eyes suddenly widening as if he came to some realization "that was a lot of them."

"Enterprise," he said, with a determination in his voice "take this thing off me."

"Commander you need to rest," she objected "you…"

"No time for that," he said, bending down and biting off the velcro strap with his mouth "I've just realized what I need to do."

Before she could voice her objection, Enterprise saw that the Commander had undone his handcuff, leapt off the bed then bounded for the door. About two seconds later he rushed back in, put his arm around Akagi and pulled her in for a tight hug.

"Thanks Akagi," he said to her "that was the shot in the arm I needed."

Then he let go of her and did the same to Enterprise.

"Thanks Enterprise," he said to her "you know exactly what to say to me."

The pair watched him dart out of the room with a seemingly renewed vigor. After about two seconds, Akagi looked at Enterprise with a cheeky smile and said "he hugged me first."

Enterprise was about to protest when she and Akagi heard the intercom squawk to life.

"Attention all members of the Coalition fleet, this is your Commander speaking and there's something I want to share with you all."

"Recently, we came under attack. We survived sure but a lot of us are pretty worse for wear. Now I know many in the fleet are concerned, worried even if we'll be able to face the full might of the Siren forces."

"Well to those people and everyone else, here's an important piece of trivia I want to tell you. This is the second time the Sirens have sent such a large fleet to take out their enemy."

Hearing those words Hornet and Vestal looked at each other, unsure of what that meant.

"Hey Cleveland," said Phoenix "what does the Commander mean by that?"

"I'm not sure," she said, stroking her chin.

"In case you're all confused by what I said then this should clarify things," said the Commander on the mic "the first time the Sirens attacked with such a large force was during the fall of Neon Gate."

Realizing this, Enterprise and Akagi knew where he was going.

"That's right, the last time the Sirens were that serious was nearing the end of the first war, when all four factions were united under the Azur Lane. Sending so many ships to take us out when it was only two factions tells me one clear thing….. the Sirens are scared of us."

"When it was just the aces, we defeated the Sirens, when it was a fleet, we defeated an armada and when we unite all four banners, we'll defeat them once and for all."

"As of today I am declaring that we have entered a new stage in the war. No longer do we live in fear of the Sirens, no longer do we hide or run when we see a Siren ship coming; from this day forward, it isn't us who fear the Sirens, it is they who live in fear us."

The impact of his words could be felt on everyone who listened to him. All their fears and doubts faded as he continued his speech. They all remained perfectly still, transfixed to his voice, eager to hear what he would say next.

"Our force is large enough to strike fear into the hearts of our enemies. But we need the weapons to back up our forces. Which is why I am announcing that in the following days, I will select a team to accompany me to the north, to the top of the world where Lions and Dragons rule."

"He doesn't mean," said Akagi turning to Enterprise.

"He can't mean," said Enterprise looking at the speaker.

"That's right," he said, making his intentions clear "it's time to bring the Iron Blood into the fold."

And there it was. He had just told everyone in the fleet what his next move was. As the weight of his words sank deeper and deeper into the minds of everyone who listened, their thoughts then focused on his last few words.

The Iron Blood. The faction where the Lion of the North came from. The most heavily armed and the most dangerous faction in the whole world.

And the Commander had set his sights on them.