Nothing was making sense for Enterprise.

Neither she, Cleveland, nor Belfast could make sense of it all. Before, they had believed that the articles they poured through were nonsense. The picture that they had pieced together with meaningless words and phrases elicited no understanding.

The Silver Star Federation. Some disaster named Ulysses. Ongoing reconstruction and recovery efforts. Refugees. International superpowers. The Verusan Entente. A person or people referred to as "the Tempted". Space exploration. Asteroid defense. Millions if not billions poured into defense spending to guard the world from threats both conventional and extraterrestrial.

A history which held no context; no anchor in familiarity. A world they did not recognize.

The more Enterprise tried to make sense of it all, the more dread gripped her heart.

It all made sense: the Sirens, the mysterious fog, the sudden appearance of unknown ships. There was only one conclusion that was beginning to make sense, yet it was something Enterprise still couldn't believe.

It all felt like a dream.

And now the three of them found themselves escorted to a room that honestly looked more like a courthouse. Before her was the grand sight of an emblem she never saw before: an eagle boldly displaying its wings while its talons clutched an anchor and an olive branch. Surrounding the eagle was a ring of uniform stars.

Enterprise knew in an instant that this was the banner in which the Silver Star Federation flew under; the icon which gave it its name.

And directly below the large emblem sat a stern-faced woman dressed in a white dress uniform and a dark-blue officer cap, dwarfed by the flag she sat underneath. If the emblem was the grand spirit and identity of the nation and its maritime force, then this woman must be its herald.

Already, Enterprise had a bad feeling about this.

"You, carrier," began the woman, her voice devoid of emotion or sympathy. "State you name and affiliation."

Enterprise quickly looked around. Surrounding her, Cleveland, and Belfast were a handful of others she had never met, curious eyes meeting curious eyes. Behind her stood the three carriers that they had fought before: the tomboy behind Cleveland (it was a ruckus along the way with all their bickering), the spectacled brunette guarding Belfast, and finally the white-haired soft-faced carrier attending her.

Flanking the woman in front of her stood a blue-clothed secretary while a little further off sat a formally-dressed girl with long black twintails, a personal computer situated in front of her.

Was this the questioning? This already felt more like a prosecution.

Enterprise thought her words carefully. "I am Enterprise, Yorktown-class aircraft carrier CV-6 of Eagle Union, member of the military alliance Azur Lane."

Hushed murmurs spread throughout the room. The woman, nary a movement, shifted her eyes towards the twintails who, after a brief second of scanning the database, replied with a head-shake.

The woman's frown evolved into a scowl. "What nonsense is this? What even is this 'Azur Lane' you speak of?"

"Where we come from, we are ships brought to life in the defense of our world against its mortal enemy whom we call the Sirens. To unite against a common threat, nations have come together to fight them, an alliance called Azur Lane."

More murmurs, more spirited this time. However, the woman was unmoved and remained silent.

Hesitantly, Enterprise took the silence as a cue to continue. The more she talked the more awkward it felt. "The Sirens are an otherworldly race bent on the destruction of our world and the subjugation of its oceans. They are mysterious as they are dangerous with their immense powers, abilities, and technology that are - and still remain - beyond our understanding. Over the past few months, the Azur Lane has made steady progress against the Sirens but some of our own have splintered off to -"

"Ahem!" A sharp cough from the woman cut in. Despite having elaborated on the situation, Enterprise could see that her disposition has changed little.

"Get on with the point. What was your goal in attacking us?"

"An attack? Are you trying to make it sound like we're the big bad guys here?!" Cleveland demanded. This instantly earned a glowering look from their interrogator.

"... You should know better than to run that little mouth of yours, before it gets you sent to someplace deep and dark..." she growled.

"It was not a deliberate attack!" argued Enterprise, covering for her friend. "We are members of an organization tasked with safeguarding the seas!"

"Then how do you explain your sudden intrusion in which you were clearly armed?"

"Because we were in the midst of battle against the Sirens, during which an unexpected mist rolled over us," the carrier attested. "The next thing we knew, your carriers shortly arrived."

"In response to your act of hostile intent," the woman swiftly stabbed in. "Reports confirm that you performed an unprovoked attack on Silver Star Federation military assets." (Hearing this, Cleveland did her best to look innocent.)

Enterprise sighed. Whoever this woman was, she already did not like her.

"At the time, we suspected it was an enemy ploy. We had no reason to suspect that something like this would occur."

Enterprise paused. It was now or never.

"... We had no way of knowing that they would send us to an alternate world."

Excited whispers spread throughout the room in response to that bombshell. Enterprise felt eyes shifted between her and their interrogator. Though silent, Enterprise's statement stirred something within her.

Did it work?

Then the woman spoke again. "Enterprise," she said as if disgusted by the name. "... Do you really expect us to believe all of this?"

Enterprise was left dumbfounded. What was she even to say to convince her? What else is she to say other than the truth? What exactly had happened up to this moment?

She could feel her gaze stabbing right into her.

The woman finally shifted in her seat, disinterest guiding her intention. "I believe I've heard enough fiction today."

Suddenly, a voice cut in. "... I think we have every reason to believe what she's said."

All eyes - Enterprise's especially - turned to see the other silver-haired ship step forth.

Enterprise's eyes widened in recognition. It was her.

The woman leaned forward, her eyes shooting annoyed daggers at the speaker. "... And what reasons do you have to take her word, Kestrel?"

The ship that Enterprise now knew as Kestrel stood beside her. Looking at her was almost like looking at a mirror, and with the two standing side-by-side the physical similarities they shared could not be ignored.

The spotlight was all on Kestrel now. The carrier began speaking with graceful clarity and softness, yet with firmness and conviction. "Captain Barbet, we may have our right to be skeptical with… Enterprise's claims, but can we definitively disprove them as fiction? We have no further evidence but their own words… We knew nothing of who they are or where they came from, so it would not be right to dismiss their claims without a reason to do so."

"I should remind you once again that it is they who opened fire first."

"And it was all due to the fact that neither side knew each other," Kestrel insisted. "Premature assumptions were made and both sides acted on impulse. And as she has stated, the entire incident was unforeseen, for us as well."

The woman whom Enterprise now knew as Barbet narrowed her eyes. "Why are you suddenly compelled to take their side in this case?" Her voice had narrowed almost to a hiss, an intonation that send shivers down many spines. Looking at her now, Enterprise never realized how different she was from Kestrel: the dark and whites of their outward appearance in opposite places like a yin-yang.

Enterprise glanced over to Kestrel. She was not immune to the intimidation of her own superior: her face told her everything. A tinge of anxiety dotted her expression, a tone Enterprise was familiar with. The face of cracked confidence, a hint of defeat that a severe stare could only wedge wider.

Which surprised Enterprise all the more when Kestrel spoke again.

"... Because I know her now."

Silence.

A long tensioned silence.

A hand was thankfully raised. "May I be authorized to speak, ma'am?"

Barbet glanced to the side where the speaker, the twintail behind the computer, sat. "What is it you wish to say?" she sighed.

"The report filed for the incident was widely noted to be of an anomaly in that it defied conventional understanding of the physical world. This claim combined with the statements from Enterprise suggest there may be a correlation. Perhaps there is merit to be found in her words."

Beneath the beak-like bang of hers, Barbet quietly rolled her eyes. But further questioning came to a abrupt halt when the room began drowning in blares. Wild looks and gossip sprung up as suddenly as the alarms.

"What the…?!"
"What's going on?"
"An attack?!"
"Bet good money that it's another false alarm..."

Barbet suddenly shot up to her feet. Though surprised, her tone was dripping more with annoyance. "Andromeda! What's going on?"

The intelligence vessel diligently went to work at the computer. "... We've detected additional contacts emerging from the anomaly site. Four blips on radar!"

Enterprise looked up in surprise. 'Four…?' Swiftly her mind raced along the track of deduction. Emerging from the anomaly site - the mist. The mist that brought them here. Four new contacts. Four more of their own, from the Azur Lane?

Did rescue arrive?

Enterprise sneaked a glance at Cleveland and Belfast, their gaze betraying the same thoughts as she had. She looked back at Barbet who was now uttering private exchanges with the secretary beside her; the blaring alarm camouflaging whatever they were talking about.

"Barbet! I have a proposal to offer," the Eagle carrier called.

Barbet glanced at her with those sharp eyes of hers. But unlike before, this failed to intimidate Enterprise. "Whoever those 'unknown contacts' are that appeared, they're likely to be from our world. Chances are, my fellow ships have already noted our absence and have dispatched ships to search for us."

The Silver Star Federation's commanding ship turned to face her directly, maintaining her scrutinizing glare. "... Your point being?"

"... Send me and my friends out there to greet them," Enterprise answered.

Barbet remained silent, yet this made Enterprise smirk for the first time.

"If she is willing, my sisters and I can provide escort as a precaution," a voice beside her proposed. Eyes turned to see that it was Kestrel yet again. "If they are indeed more of Enterprise's kind, then -"

"Fine," Barbet sharply interrupted. "Do what you will. Their rigging will be returned once they are cleared by Andromeda. Additional ships will be sent to accompany them..."

She paused as she shot one more glare at Belfast, Cleveland, and especially Enterprise, making sure each and every one of them received the message.

"... Misuse our trust at your own peril. Dismissed."

She watched her subordinates file out of the room, watched as her three carriers promptly escort their guests out. As she did, Barbet found herself preferring to watch them depart, to make themselves scarce from her presence.

She did not enjoy looking at the face of that Enterprise.

It revolted her, knowing how much it reminded her…

Then a thought sprung up in her mind as her temper steadily steamed in realization to that new thought.

"... And somebody shut off that damn alarm!"

The open sea, clear blue like no other.

And yet, as the ships stood on the gentle waves, the seeming familiarity did little to assuage their worries.

A sigh was let loose. "... Where, oh where can have our darned sis disappear off to?" She chewed over the thought just as much as she did for the bubblegum in her mouth, letting it pop for the fifth time. By now, its flavor had long worn thin during their search. The beaming sun reflected off a pair of sunglasses that rested on her blonde hair, her eyes already preoccupied with the binoculars she brought along for such this occasion. Bright like the day, she wore a mix of blue and white, even going so far as to make the unusual distinction of wearing only one striped thigh-high sock.

Eagle Union Light Cruiser
COLUMBIA

Columbia sighed again. They had finally emerged from that mist only to find themselves (from her perspective) lost. Yet as she did, another girl did not.

"Big sis has to be here… She has to." Muttering both to Columbia and to herself, this ship bore a more serious complexion, dressed in more subdued gray and white over extravagant palette of her sister. Her long gray hair flowed freely, matching her aesthetic but a more curious sight to an onlooker were the ear-like strands on her head.

Eagle Union Light Cruiser
MONTPELIER

Montpelier scanned the horizons: only the open seas and untamed skies illustrated the world before her, nary a landmark to muddle the picturesque image. Then she glanced behind her, for her eyes to be met with only dreary white. The mist they had breached through was unusual, but she paid it no mind.

The whereabouts of Enterprise, Belfast, and her big sister Cleveland took precedence.

Overhead, what should've been a peaceful view of the ocean was disturbed by the abrupt buzz of airplanes. A trio of marine-blue Seafires zipped by. Tracking their flight, Montpelier eyes were led to their owner: a rather diminutive girl, wrapped in a silk white dress. Her carrier rigging, though small, was reflective of the ship's small innocent stature. Adding to this image was the plushie-like unicorn she clutched in her arms.

Royal Navy Aircraft Carrier
UNICORN

Unicorn gazed upward as her planes circled one last time before returning to her. A worried expression spread throughout her face.

"Anything?" Montpelier asked.

Unicorn shook her head. "I can't find them… miss Belfast, Enterprise, Cleveland… I don't know where they went..."

This was becoming more strange - and concerning - by the second. The trio were last seen near the end of that grueling battle and before anyone knew, contact was lost. Their radios were silent and nobody could find out where they sailed off to.

It was as if they simply vanished from the world one day.

And now there was this weird colossal mist, their only clue of where Enterprise, Cleveland, and Belfast went - or what became of them.

None of them were sure what was worse: theorizing what happened or spending every hour searching for them to find out.

"Unknown ships approaching!"

Everyone's head shot up at the call. True to word, faint silhouettes dotted the horizon. As Columbia, Montpelier, and Unicorn stood in expectant formation, another ship swiftly joined them in the front. Like Unicorn, her purple mane and white dress were noticeable characteristics of this ship, but even more noticeable was the distinct phalanx in her hand. And unlike the carrier's childlike shy disposition, this was fit and energetic for frontline duty.

Royal Navy Destroyer
JAVELIN

"Not sure who they are, but they're unlike anything I've seen!" she cautioned.

Although her rigging was raised, Unicorn hid behind her unicorn whom she named Yuni. "Should… we report back?"

Columbia scrutinized the distant figures with her binoculars but could draw no conclusion of their identities. "Dunno. Doubt they're another expedition fleet just like us."

Then she looked even closer.

"... No way..."

All eyes widened in realization as the figures approached.

Eventually a ship sailed up, breathless but smiling widely. "... Hey sisters!"

Columbia and Montpelier ran forward, arms outstretched. "Cleveland!"

"Big sis!"

"Heya!" Cleveland grinned before the impact of her sisters caused her to stumble backward. "Hey hey! It's alright, I'm A-OK!"

"Just where have you been?" Montpelier demanded.

"That in itself is quite the tale to tell." Eyes turned to see a white maid step forward behind Cleveland, giving a curtsy.

Javelin and Unicorn raced towards her, embracing the maid in a hug. "Belfast! It's so good to see you again!"

Smiling, Belfast returned with an affectionate pat to both of their heads. "Were we gone for that long?"

Laughter and chatter filled the air as Enterprise watched. She watched as the Cleveland sisters bantered and joked. She watched as Javelin and Unicorn express their joys and sympathies at Belfast's return.

Seeing them be happy was enough for her.

Enterprise caught Montpelier's gaze and for a moment shared with her the same warm eyes she gave to Cleveland before her stoic expression immediately curled into alarm. "Hey, who're they?"

Enterprise turned to see that, behind her where Monteplier was looking at, the Silver Star Federation's fleet stood. At the center, flanked by her own sisters, was Kestrel.

Her smiling face revealed that she too shared Enterprise's sentiment.

She turned back to the light cruiser, her confusion and doubt now joined by the others.

"Well… it's a long story," Enterprise replied with a calm smile.