Somewhere in the Ceres Ocean...

She had always found the sea alluring.

The cool breeze sweeping through her hair, the calming sight of the blue tides, the graceful glide of birds, the sweet scent of salt. An open landscape, where the very earth dared for all to trespass. A realm for the adventurous to test their mettle for glory. Vast and bare, the oceans served as a grand stage for all to perform on equal footing and in the same conditions. No ranks or affiliation to hinder them - the seas were home to all regardless of background or intent.

No matter the time or place, Kestrel found this trait to be admirable.

Skimming over the surface of the water, casting speckled waves in her wake, the three sisters sailed in V-formation. Leading the formation was the Kestrel, her sisters Buzzard and Vulture brought up the rear. Now having taken to the sea, the three now wore rigging evocative of their type and nation.

Flanking their sides by the waist lay the two halves of the charcoal-black carrier flight deck - the angled runway and the takeoff strip - connected by armatures. Angled in their high-speed movement, the ships possessed a gull-like appearance - the protective wings of the Silver Star Federation. A set of two tailfins rested behind their shoulders, complementing the ships' sleek image. Over their right shoulders lay a tower-like apparatus, while the left contained the carriers' personal weaponry: multi-barreled cannon and a box-like pod where ordnance lay within.

Kestrel felt the wind blow against her, even feeling it curl around her mechanical rigging. Though made of metal, it was as much a part of her as her own human body. Cold steel, yet she felt none of its bite. If anything, the chill from the wind felt soothing; open freedom beneath the golden sun.

"Do you ever get that same feeling?"

Buzzard and Vulture looked up in surprise at Kestrel's question. "Huh?"

"This… to be under clear skies, to sail in the clear seas. To be as close as one to the natural world as we possibly can. This world can be beautiful, if only we know where to look."

The two siblings glanced to see what their sister was talking about. "Yes, I suppose so. The oceans today are rather nice." They couldn't quite see through Kestrel's eyes, but as sisters they respected her views. To protect their world and its sanctity was their mission. But that didn't mean they couldn't appreciate the world they were to guard.

A disembodied voice of a young girl crackled into life in their ears. "Kestrel, Buzzard, Vulture, do you read?"

"Hey, I know that voice anywhere!" Vulture grinned. Before another word could be said out of line, Buzzard shut her off before nodding to Kestrel.

"Yes, this is Kestrel, we read you loud and clear."

Somewhere behind the carrier's formation, across vast distances, lay a single ship. She was of slim form and build, her dark blue waistcoat and light blue undershirt a glimpse of her character. Light freckles and rectangular frames occupied her face, but what dominated her appearance were her long flowing black hair held into twintails by clips that implied they were more than mere decoration thanks to the presence of rods that stuck outward.

Though a war vessel like the Kestrel, Buzzard, and Vulture, hers was a vastly different design, of a different purpose. Her rigging was devoid of any implement save for a series of antenna and transceivers on her back. Plates of gray that resembled a ship's hull adorned her sides and the conspicuous trait of all was the prevalence of glowing blue lights and lines. Accompanying this technological display was a plate-sized digital tablet the ship had in her hands.

"Good. I'll give you an in-flight briefing so listen up."

Silver Star Federation Intelligence Vessel
ANDROMEDA

"At approximately 0930 hours, sensors picked up interference of unknown type and cause. Only after it was found that the sensors weren't malfunctioning was it found out that the sensors had picked up something that they don't know."

"Are there any theories as to what the source may be?" asked Buzzard.

On the tablet, a string of text flooded the screen, granting Andromeda the relevant information. "At best, it is believed that the source could be an anomaly of extremely abnormal circumstances, something that contradicts conceptual understanding of the laws of the world."

Vulture raised an unenthused eyebrow. "... Uh, plain English?"

"... In other words, something that shouldn't happen may in fact have happened." The three sisters all exchanged quick looks upon hearing this.

Andromeda continued, unaware or unconcerned of the intrigue her words had just created. "Mission parameters are as follows: head to the designated coordinates close to where the anomaly was detected and carry out observation. We don't know what to expect so be prepared for anything."

The carrier sisters nodded and voiced their affirmations.

"Understood."

"Wilco."

"Righto!"

"Keep me posted." And with that, the carriers were left in their personal silence as they continued sailing. The waves beneath them sped by in a blink of an eye while the far horizons remained unchanging. According to their navigation, the destination lay directly ahead, hidden behind sheer distance.

But as the three continued sailing, a small but noticeable deviation slowly creeped into their vision. Seeing this, Kestrel slowed her pace which the other two mimicked. Kestrel peered forward in an attempt to determine what she had spotted.

A proverbial wall of cloud lay in the distance, its presence forming a juxtaposition against its surroundings. The SSF ships were no strangers to sailing through mists, yet for some reason the indiscernible fog seemed ominous. The sun was high and bright, yet this shroud of thick cotton-like white stood in defiance. What breeze there was drew nary a wisp. What realistic explanation there was for a cloud to uncharacteristically lie in the middle of the ocean, there remain none.

Buzzard frowned at the sight, struggling to contemplate the mist's existence. "Is… this the anomaly we're to reconnoiter?"

"Yeah. Reeeeeal spooky," Vulture snarked. "No wonder command shut down last year's Halloween party."

Kestrel wasn't sure what to make of it herself. The sight was uncanny; it existed within the world yet in an implausible way. In the guise of a natural phenomenon but in disregard to its rules.

"Well, we found the weird thing," Vulture shrugged. "So what now?"

Kestrel stepped forward. "We need to see what the mist is exactly. We may have found the anomaly, but that alone doesn't solve the mystery."

This earned a nod from Buzzard. "Very well. Vulture and I shall hold position."

"Alright, go for it sis!"

With impulse earned not through training, but through instinct as a ship, an armature of Kestrel's rigging nudged and rotated in horizontal orientation. On the flat deck, ebon objects began to materialize, first amorphous but within a second solidified into a squadron of F-14 Tomcats clad in raven-black.

Preparations were complete.

Kestrel drew in her breath, then swept with her hand. "Aircraft, launch!"

The aircraft catapulted from their launch deck in rapid succession before assembling as a unified group. Skimming above the water like obsidian arrows, the four planes then ascended into the sky in graceful patterns before spreading their wings.

The Kestrel's four swords had now taken flight.

'... It feels like we've been sailing for minutes...'

This confused Enterprise to no end. They have been moving at the same heading since they lost the Siren's trail. Yet the mist persisted, perpetually choking them in the same white smog. The matte blue water beneath their feet left no hints; Enterprise wondered whether they were even getting somewhere or if the mist was following them. She already had her suspicions and every second they spent combing their way like a blind bat was every second dread and uncertainty filled her heart.

'... Forget being confused. I'm honestly more frustrated than anything.'

As if Belfast could read her thoughts, she made them known. "... This is most puzzling… and concerning. No such mist could ever be this expanse."

"Yeah, what gives?" Cleveland complained. "If this is some Siren trick, then it ain't funny!"

"As if they could ever be," Enterprise remarked under her breath. She had considered sending her own squadron of planes to scout ahead, but after the difficult battle she had little to spare. And if this was the work of the Sirens, she wanted to keep whatever cards she had close to her.

But where are they?

The blanket of white was beginning to be suffocating. She could barely perceive what lay more than a few meters around her and she quietly prayed that the same handicap applied to the Sirens.

But again, where are they?!

Enterprise let out an embittered sigh, but suddenly something caught her eye. She blinked, and she paused. The other two stopped in their tracks, surprised.

"What's up, Enterprise?"

"I… thought I saw something," she confessed. What was it that she noticed?

She resumed moving but at an attentive pace. Nothing came into view; nothing could be discerned from the ceaseless cloud.

Then it hit her.

Everything was becoming brighter.

Spurred, Enterprise picked up speed. "Come on! I see sunlight!" The trio surged forward, hope giving them wings. Together they ran towards the light, brighter and brighter.

At last, their eyes were greeted with unending blue.

"Yeah, finally!" Cleveland cheered.

"Quite so," added Belfast.

Never in Enterprise's life was she happy to be almost blinded by the sun. She couldn't help but smile. "Yeah… yeah!" Lowering her hand, she let her eyes take in the sight of the bright sea and clear skies once again.

Cleveland looked around. "So where is everyone?"

"That won't be a problem." Enterprise reached for her wireless that was tucked into her own rigging. "Enterprise to Azur Lane, come in Azur Lane." She waited for a reply.

No response.

"This is Enterprise. I've lost contact with the Sirens due to an unexpected mist. Azur Lane, what is your situation?"

Again, no response.

Cleveland looked confused. "The thing's not busted, is it?"

"It shouldn't be. I don't see any damage."

Belfast stepped in. "Allow me to try… To all Royal Navy and Eagle Union ships in the area, this is Belfast. Please respond."

Still no response.

'What is going on?' Enterprise scanned her surroundings. Behind them lay the thick mist they had emerged from, its ivory walls in an unnatural arrangement against the clear sky and calm breeze. She then cast her eyes to the vast waters: sparkling waves, a cheerful climate, and a sky to match the oceans. Nothing was out of place.

Hold on…

Enterprise squinted at the sky, above the horizon level. Tarnishing nature's domain of the skies were specks, clumped into a small group, drifting through the air. Experience forged by battles after many battles taught her that aircraft were in the air. She looked closer, and although details hid from her, the feeling of alarm swelled in her gut.

"I see aircraft - a flight squadron!" At Enterprise's call Cleveland and Belfast immediately shifted to battle readiness. They glared at the incoming dots in the sky; like the carrier they raised their guard but without confirmation they held their fire.

"Are they ours, or theirs…?" Belfast wondered.

The black birds flew in silence, the only sounds accompanying them were the droning whine of jet engines and the roar of whipping winds. From up high, the magnitude of the anomaly was better realized: while its appearance and existence was questionable, the apparent fact that it stood in lonesome, accompassing only a specific region of the sea was even more unusual.

But what was even more unusual were the three unknowns that ran out from the anomaly, seeming out of nowhere.

"That's strange… Something just appeared from the mist," Kestrel noted aloud. Even from afar, the planes were her eyes and ears as an extension of her very self. For long-range missions such as this, it was an odd feeling to be here and there simultaneously.

Buzzard looked up, surprised. "What? What are they?"

"I'm… not sure. I'll need to take a better look."

Over at the anomaly site, the four black birds turned towards the three new visitors.

"They're heading towards us!"

Enterprise's pulse quickened. Was this an enemy recon flight? An airstrike? But with only a handful of fighters?

The unknown planes creeped closer and this time Enterprise could see that her eyes did not deceive her: the arrow-like aircraft were stark black even against the sun.

They were Siren aircraft.

With a grunt, Cleveland sped ahead, her rigging primed and combat-ready. The black planes kept their angle of approach but where they were right now they were ripe for swatting down. They could be shot down before they could even react.

But something felt off. Enterprise hesitated, scrutinizing the planes' movements, realizing that their behavior was contradictory. If they were scouts - which their numbers suggested - why not turn back with their findings? If this was a bombing mission, why bring so few planes? The Sirens were many things, with their confounding nature and disposable armies, but even this was unlike them.

As the planes got closer, another realization struck her.

They were not of Siren design.

"Cleveland! Wait-"

"Come get some!" With a war cry, fire and thunder lit up the innocent skies.

"They've opened fire!"

The news stunned Vulture and Buzzard but almost immediately Buzzard recovered and began issuing command with the perseverance rivaling autopilot. "Pull them out immediately! Andromeda, come in. Contact has been made, I repeat, contact has been made!"

"Say what?!" Andromeda reacted with aghast. "What have you encountered?"

"Hostile force composition and origin unknown but they did open fire at Kestrel's planes. Request permission to engage, over."

"... Permission granted. You are authorized to use force but try if possible to determine who they are or where they came from."

"Wilco." Hanging up, Buzzard turned to her sisters. "We're moving in; whatever they are, they're armed and so are we. We're cleared to engage all hostiles. Secondary objective is to ascertain their identities and origins. Let's make this quick and clean, alright?"

Both sisters nodded in confirmation. "Right!"

The carriers resumed their formation with Kestrel once again in the lead. They surged forward, gradually accelerating towards into combat speed. Ahead in the distance lay Kestrel's jet fighters, all four safe and accounted for.

The black Tomcats swooped overhead before circling to follow in the wake of their master. But this time, they were not alone. Taking this opportunity, Buzzard and Vulture summoned their own planes to take to the skies, toward battle. The skies darkened with the presence of Tomcats, Hornets, and Eagles.

Kestrel had already thanked fortune for keeping her planes safe. Now she prayed the same for her sisters as they headed towards war.