As a result of some 'clever' tactics, Belfast raised plenty of capital and brought it to the Commander for use in the retrofit procedure. The only catch was, he wasn't allowed to ask where she got the money from.
Thanks to the influx of extra capital, the Commander also had time for a smaller, but equally important project he'd been thinking about for some time now. One evening, he devoted a little time to that project then forwarded it to Akashi.
It had been nearly a month since the last incident on the base. As much as he wanted this peace and quiet to continue, he knew it would not last for long.
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His morning did not start the usual way. There was no crazy interactions, no taunts and no fights that ended with him sent into the beach. As he opened his eyes, he saw Friedrich, Akagi and Roon looking out the window, their expressions were tense.
He got out of bed and slowly came to the window, only then understanding why they looked the way they did.
The sky had turned red.
Wasting little time, he went to the briefing room and met with California, Ranger and Langley. The trio informed him that less than three minutes ago, their long range scanners picked up a sudden burst of Siren activity. Given that their arrival was followed by this sudden change in the sky, the two incidents had to be closely related.
They also mentioned that the change in scenery wasn't just for visual purposes. Langley pointed out the red clouds were creating havoc with the weather and that a number of large storms were gathering around the Siren's location.
'She's finally made her move,' he thought, looking at a map of the area displayed on the screen.
"Commander," said California, looking concerned "is this it?"
"Yes," he said, turning to her "sound the alarms on all four islands. It's time to end this war."
As he left the briefing room, he heard the alarms going off. No doubt everyone was already on edge when they saw the sky and this only confirmed what they were thinking. He watched everyone scramble out of their rooms, while he made his way to the research lab where Akashi, Purin and Buri were.
"Hello Comnyander," said Akashi, waving to him "not often we see you here."
"The retrofit procedures finally completed Commander," said Buri "Additionally, we were able to enhance the weapons of all the other girls, effectively increasing the fleet's strength."
"Good," he said, nodding to them "the three of you have been the backbone of the fleet. One of the reasons why our fleet's reached this point is because of the hard work you three have put in."
"Awww Comnyander," said Akashi, playfully hiding her face behind the long sleeves of her clothes "keep this up and I might just blush."
"By the way," he added "were you able to make it in time?"
"Yep, yep," she replied "Purin and Buri helped out with the design as well."
Akashi then went to one of the consoles and pulled out a long wooden pole with fabric wrapped around it. She handed it to the Commander and the three of them watched him leave.
Getting into the elevator and heading back up to the base, he suddenly remembered an old navy buddy by the name of Billy Burns. The thing he remembered most about Billy was a mantra that many always chanted right before an operation started.
'Whatever it takes.'
Billy later explained the meaning behind that mantra to him. He said that when you find something you love, when you find something worth fighting for, you or anyone for that matter would do whatever it took to protect that something.
Initially he laughed it off, failing to understand the words and the meaning they had. He was a no one with nothing worth fighting for and no one waiting for him to come home.
But that changed when he came here.
The doors to the elevator opened and he went through. The Commander thought about how this strange and different world had become a home to him. He thought about how much he loved everyone in this world and how he would do anything for them.
One last time, he put on the uniform, checked himself in the mirror, adjusted his pin, put on his cap and sheathed his sword. He held the wooden pole firmly, left his room and went outside, fully understanding the meaning behind Billy Burns' mantra.
'Whatever it takes.'
Now outside, the Commander saw Akagi, Enterprise, Queen Elizabeth, Yat Sen, Friedrich and Saint Louis waiting for him. The group noticed the wooden pole he was carrying but decided not to ask. The six of them accompanied him to a nearby stage, where a mic was placed and every member of the fleet stood waiting.
The Commander walked up to the mic and took a deep breath.
"I'll never forget the day I got this badge," he began "Siren ships were attacking us from all around, Z23 and I were struggling to evade them and in the midst of all this, Hood decided to name me the Commander. It wasn't the time or the place to do it, but after insisting, she pinned the badge onto me."
"At first, I never really understood what role I'd play in this war. But all that changed when Enterprise was fighting Hornet in an effort to save me."
There were some members of the fleet that turned to Hornet at the mention.
"She told Enterprise how terrible things had been after she died. As a leader, Hornet struggled to get by every day. They were attacked by Sirens, had little supplies and constantly lived in fear that this day might be their last. When I saw the hopelessness in her eyes and the dread in her voice, I decided."
"In that moment, I knew what to do. It wasn't just about gathering the factions and leading them into war. When the Sirens came here, they struck fear into the hearts of everyone in this world with their power and ferocity. It was up to me to dispel that fear so that no one would ever have to look up in the sky in fear."
"And so, the Coalition that started with Akashi, Z23 and I grew ten-fold that day with the Eagle Union. The next big moment for us came during a fight with the Sakura Empire. Many of you remember that day, it was a day where anything could have gone wrong. But I remember it as the day the Coalition fleet set half the sky on fire, sending a warning to the Siren forces."
"One by one, the fleet grew. First with the PR class girls, then the Iron Blood, then the Royal Navy and finally the Dragon Empry. And now here you are, assembled and ready for the final fight."
"As I look out and see all the many faces in the crowd, I can see that you're scared. I'm scared too. This is the hardest fight of our lives and the enemy is going to come at us with everything they've got."
"But when you feel like it's too much, when you think that you're too sacred and can't go on, I want you to look to your left and then to your right. You'll see that you're not alone in this fight. Every single one of you gathered here are united by one single goal, one unifying ideal that stands above all else."
"Today," he declared "you are no longer part of the Royal Navy, the Eagle Union, the Dragon Empry, Sakrua Empire or the Iron Blood. Today….."
The fleet saw him ram the pole into the ground, the force of which caused the fabric to unravel and fall out. This revealed two olive branches, curved and place on the left and right most extremes against a blue background. At the top were a few small, white clouds with the outlines of two birds and at the bottom was the sea. On top of the sea was an anchor standing straight, with a chain wrapped around it.
"… You are all part of the Azur Sky, the first ever Armada in history and the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen," he said, letting the flag fly brilliantly in the direction of the wind.
"Now…. One last time, I ask you all to fight with me and together, we will put an end to the Siren threat, once. And. For. All."
All at once, everyone standing in the crowd and the group that stood on the stage with him, erupted in a roar of agreement. Their combined voices were powerful enough that the ground shook underneath their feet in fear of such a large force being assembled.
Following the speech, he divided the fleet into their major groups: Cruisers, heavy cruisers, destroyers, battleships and aircraft carriers. Additionally, the Dragon Empry and PR class were not grouped together with the others. They were their own groups led by Yat Sen and Saint Louis respectively. He assigned leaders to each of the groups and gave them time to prepare. In half an hour, the armada was ready.
"The Azur Sky," said Yorktown, while the Commander was saying goodbye to the kids "that's a pretty bold thing to do."
"I'm a pretty bold guy," he said, receiving a hug from Aulick and Spence "and I like the design."
Yorktown then took a deep breath, watching him give a Unicorn a long hug.
"This is it," she said, watching him stand up.
"This is it," he said.
"Promise me you'll bring my sisters back," she requested.
"I will."
"Commander," she said, taking his hand. For a moment, she looked unsure of what to do. Then, feeling some of the kids nudge her, Yorktown came forward and hugged the Commander.
"Take care of yourself out there," she said, almost not wanting to let go.
"I will"
She held onto him for a little longer then let go. Yorktown now watched him meet up with Enterprise and Hornet and together, the trio left the sea, heading to the battlefield.
Perhaps it was the finality of it all, perhaps it was the stakes at play. Whatever the reason there was, Yorktown could not help but worry as she saw the armada depart the base.
All throughout the journey, there was silence. It was a tense and uneasy silence permeating the air. He could feel it as he looked at everyone else. He could even feel the silence in the world around him. It felt like the world itself became silent, in preparation for the battle to come.
"Commander," said Langley, as they drew closer "from what we know, the Sirens are trying to bring something over from their world to ours."
"Is it something like what we recently faced with the Royal Navy?"
"No, we don't see that," said Ranger "that device was spread its influence across the planet. This one is centralized, focused on one location."
"Given how long the portal's been open, we can estimate a sizable force waiting for us when we get there," suggested California.
"Which means we need to take out that device before its too late," suggested Langley.
"I'll factor that into the plans," he said, "thank you."
Langley, Ranger and California nodded then returned to their positions. As much as they wanted to press the idea of committing all forces into taking out that device, they remained silent.
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Even from a distance, they could see it, a towering vortex of space hovering in the air, like a tear in reality. Through it came scores of Siren ships of different classes. The ship the Commander was on stopped near an island, allowing him to get off. As much as he wanted to, he could not fight alongside them. Vestal was also placed on a nearby island and she quickly started working on a triage center for the wounded.
He watched the ship leave then quietly walked towards the nearby hill. All the way up, he had a clear view of the battlefield, seeing the armada move into their designated positions and ready themselves. He had already told them their plan on the way here. The rest was up to them.
"You all know what's at stake," he said, speaking into his communicator "Together, let's bring back the blue sky we all know and love."
"That was a pretty terrible speech," said another voice, indicating he was not alone on top of the hill.
He turned in the direction of the voice and saw Omega watching the same scene he was.
"How did you find me?" she asked, turning to him.
"I thought of which place offered the best view of the battle. Figured you'd be here too."
"Do you, think about Earth? I do. I often think back to that world and my earliest memory."
"Was it something pleasant?" he asked.
"I wish," she replied, with a self-deprecating laugh. "My earliest memory was me hiding under the bed and seeing my mother getting raped by the police that was supposed to protect us, while my father watched, helplessly."
"Then, I remembered watching my brother being gunned down like an animal just for getting me bread."
"Where did you live?" he asked.
"Does it matter? Our world is filled with wars breaking out each and every day. I grew up seeing so much death, that when I was suddenly brought to a new world, the only thing I wanted to do was help the people there."
"You see, that world was in the midst of a terrible and bloody war between the royalty and peasants. The peasants brought me there in the hopes that I could be their savior, but how was a little girl supposed to save the world?"
"It was a difficult and long journey. I lost many friends along the way, but in the end, we won and for my efforts in leading the peasants to victory, they made me the Queen of their world. Just as I had reached the top of the ladder, everything I built came crashing down."
"In my rise to power, there were many who grew scared of me and felt that I was too dangerous to rule. They plotted against me behind the scenes and finally overthrew me when my guard was let down. I should have just lied down in that dank and dingy sewer, accepted my fate and died. But, I persevered. I continued when I shouldn't have, rose back to power and reclaimed my throne from the ones who betrayed me."
"But the end of my conflict would not come. One after another, other groups rose up against me and one by one, I put them down. As this continued, I noticed something surprising."
"Conflict drives change. As long as there was war and death, fighting and killing, we were continuing to develop new weapons, scale new heights and use powers we earlier thought were impossible. This eventually led to a fusion of body and machine, representing the pinnacle of my world's technology."
"When I came out of that chamber, my body a combination of machine and flesh, I gave up my connection to the world and became something different, something better. I became, a Siren."
"Soon I had built an army of Sirens and after gaining control of the world, I set my sights to this one and the treasure it had. During our first war, we were halted thanks to the Azur Lane and were forced to retreat. In defeat, I learned what went wrong, what mistakes were made and not to repeat them again. That's why when we returned, our power was undeniable. This would should have already been mine."
"If it weren't for me," he said, interrupting her.
"But I digress. The reason why I'm doing this, why I'm waging another war is because only through conflict can we evolve. We become stronger and better, we reach new heights by pushing ourselves to new limits. We become better than what we used to be."
"You and I both know this better than anyone else on this planet. Our world is rife with conflict and through that conflict, humanity has reached new heights. Sticks became spears, spears became swords, swords became guns and guns turned into one-hit-kill buttons. All of this, this evolution came about only because conflict is an eternal force."
"See, that's where you and I are different," said the Commander "I've never believed that conflict is something eternal. To me, it's more like a storm. When it hits, its devastating and painful but in the end, the storm passes. A new day dawns and when it does, you try and make sure you're ready for the storm the next time it comes around."
"Such naivete," said Omega, shaking her head "you only say that because of the life you've lived. If you lived my life, if you went through what I did, you'd be just like me."
"But, then again, if you were like me, this world and it's people wouldn't have embraced you like they do now."
"It seems Commander, we've reached an impasse. I believe that war and fighting is an eternal force, but you on the other hand, believe that conflict is temporary. This war isn't kind enough to let both ideals exist."
"There's only one way an outcome can be reached," she added, forming a sword in each hand.
"In the end," he said, drawing his sword "it had to be this way."
The sound of Takao's cannons echoing through the battlefield signaled the start of the battle. On the seas, the Siren Fleet and Azur Sky started firing at each other. On the land, the leaders of their respective fleets ran towards each other, their swords drawn. The pair met in the middle, their swords clanging together.
The final battle had begun.