Final Frontier

by Cipher32

For us the storm has passed, it's time to honor those who never return in this dreadful voyage. As human carved their loved ones' names to a stone pillar of remembrance, they carved ours' into their hearts as an utmost symbol of gratitude, and in them we would never be forgotten amidst time for it is the greatest way they honor us. UNSC Enterprise, requesting immediate recovery.

12. Chapter 12: Per Constellatum

Chapter 12: Per Constellatum

A deep sigh from Vestal made Hornet pause her munching, her eyebrows shot up as she watched the Repair Ship gingerly return back to eat her lunch.

"So?" Hornet began after swallowing the food in her mouth, leaning slightly forward towards Vestal and asking "What was that all about?"

Vestal took a scoop from her portion of mashed potato, or at least she was certain it was a potato since it tasted like one, before answering Hornet. "It's that time of the month"

Hornet blinked but didn't say anything in return, silently going back to eating her food. She totally understood the feeling and the distress especially if it was the first time that happened, speaking from her own experience which was not pretty at all.

"How's she holding up?" The blonde then asked, although she had pretty much figured out the answer.

"Exceptional, all things considered. She didn't freak out like a certain someone did" Vestal said teasingly, giving Hornet a look that instantly made her shrunk and turned red from embarrassment. "She asked for medicines to ease her hormones, though"

"... did you give any?"

Vestal rolled her eyes as if it was obvious. "Of course not, that is a natural occurrence and I will not be giving drugs to someone perfectly healthy. She's a healthy KANSEN with a healthy female body, albeit a rather unusual one that is"

"What do you mean?" Hornet asked, puzzled. The remainders of her food stared at her from her tray as if asking to be consumed, perhaps aware Hornet's attention was now directed to Vestal.

"Her body is... not natural" The pinkette sighed before she looked around subtly, when she spoke next her words dropped to mere whisper. "It was heavily augmented"

Hornet's eyes widened, glancing at the Heavy Carrier from the corners of her eyes before leaning closer to Vestal, voice going down to a hushed whisper too. "Do you think she knew you knew?"

"I..." Vestal trailed off before swallowing the lump in her throat. Patient confidentiality was one of her medical codes, and the fact Enterprise didn't say anything about it made Vestal more or less uncertain whether she should bring it up or not. The ravenette knew so little of KANSEN and their supernatural traits despite her being one herself, not having someone to explain it decently to her would give that result. As much as Vestal hated it, deep in her heart there was still a little bit of distrust and Enterprise knowing less of them satisfied that desire somewhat.

The Heavy Carrier had her secrets as did Vestal and her friends, secrets that sometimes had no negotiable values. Wariness, suspicion and uncertainty kept a healthy degree of coordination between two factions, clear signs that neither had control over the other unless what was stated.

It was undeniable they owed a lot to Enterprise, however, and Vestal would want to at least respect those secrets of hers by not unnecessarily bringing them up, not even to Hornet.

"Heeeeyyyyyy..." Vestal blinked when a spoon filled her vision, going left and right back and forth as Hornet tried to gain her attention. "Why are you freezing up?" She said with a frown, taking another scoop when she was sure she had Vestal's undivided attention back. "You were saying?"

The Repair Ship sighed deeply, brushing a strand of her hair to the side of her head. "No, nevermind"

"Really? When we're about to get to the interesting part?" The blonde almost whined.

"It would be wise to not continue the topic"

"But why...?" Vestal didn't answer as she returned back to eating, leaving Hornet hanging in unsatisfied curiosity. She sighed then, half annoyed and half frustrated before returning her attention back to her food. "Fine, keep your secrets"

Vestal couldn't help but to roll her eyes. "You're being childish again"

"You know, I might just ask her myself" Hornet grumbled, making Vestal's eyes go wide.

"No, you better not"

"Why?"

"Just don't, Hornet"

"But I want to know..."

"Hornet, sit down"

"But-"

"I'm not repeating myself"

"Fuck, alright, Mom. Whatever you say"

"Language"

"... I'm sorry"

---

Enterprise didn't know what to feel.

Seeing her cafeteria filled with people since her destruction gave her a strange sense of unease and familiarity, for the first time in weeks chatters filled the usually silent compartment. It felt so full, so alive, than how it used to be.

It's been decades, she thought, decades since people actually talk so merrily here.

When Enterprise was a newly launched warship, her crew had been so excited to command her, naturally so when she's one of the most sophisticated ships UNSC Navy had. She remembered that feeling pretty well, the eagerness that even Enterprise felt deep inside her soul. Epoch had been there to send her off to her first mission, she also sent Enterprise a playful message to keep it low so she wouldn't hit an asteroid on her way out of Reach's high orbit on her maiden voyage. Enterprise had waved her off then.

But over time, that eagerness died out. The apex was when the Human-Covenant War broke out. Everyday was filled with trepidation, fear and anxiety emanating from the people serving on her, knowing full well they might never come home one day. Battles after battles she fought, and with each wound and death a piece of her past self was chipped out until she was nothing but a rigid shell of a cold individual.

It was hard to cope, to come into term when everything everywhere was dying.

A warrior through and through...

Enterprise's eyes shifted towards the seat across from her, seeing Code G sitting and staring straight at her. The Heavy Carrier didn't say anything in return as she continued her silent observation, watching and listening from afar.

For a brief moment, her maroon eyes settled on Hornet and Vestal. The blonde had returned to her seat after getting a napkin from Helena in the kitchenette and was currently wiping the table with it, while Vestal kept apologizing to her for spilling her drink.

You didn't hesitate.

Code G said once more, this time she was on Enterprise's side, making it impossible for Enterprise to ignore her. "What do you want?" Enterprise hissed, leering at the being beside her. She understood what Code G meant by that but she would be damned if she relented and admitted it to her.

Vestal knew of her abnormal physical traits, the results usually found in the Spartans. It confused her, however, since she never underwent the necessary augmentation yet she had everything that came with it. There was no surgical wound in her body, only some remnants of her battle injuries of the past time.

You wanted to kill them.

"I didn't"

It was most certain you did. Your people reckon secrecy greatly, so do you.

"You're talking nonsense" Enterprise scoffed, taking a sip from her own drink with deliberate slowness. Her reply seemed to amuse Code G, a notion Enterprise didn't share.

That gleam in your eyes... a predatory gaze befitting of an eagle...

"... go bother the other Enterprise. She's also your subject of interest" Enterprise gritted her teeth at the end of her sentence, practically growling the words out. Code G, as usual, didn't seem phased one bit. She knew she was being a bother to her, and a part of Enterprise wondered if she did it on purpose. After all, for whatever reason nobody could see her other than her and the Aircraft Carrier Enterprise, even so it was only when Code G wanted her to see her.

There will come the time she learns the truth. She is not you, she doesn't have the endurance of learning so spontaneously, it will break her mind and her spirit.

"Whatever"

I meant what I said, nay, I knew what I said. She is strong indeed, stronger than anyone else that is not you or the Dream Teller. But she's fragile, the bonds she has with her kin tied her spirit still, yet the truth will sever it and cause her to lose in sail.

"Then why do you want me to tell her? Don't just dump your problems on me" Enterprise said it offhandedly, so when Code G didn't say anything back she was a bit surprised by her lack of response. When the entity talked again her voice had changed to something more solemn if Enterprise discerned correctly.

I require your assistance, Servant of The Fostered. I cannot do it on my own accord, no, not enough time.

The urge to pull her hair off was so strong Enterprise resorted to glaring at the table frustratedly. She would have gone off somewhere had she been alone but with so many people around the action would cause some misunderstandings she would rather not be happening.

The truth of this world... it was not to be taken lightly. Enterprise had a hard time to process it at first and she could make tactical decisions in the most stressful of times like it was nothing. Information processing had been one of her specialities, it was vital for her to be able to relay orders, make split second decisions, and read the latest intel provided by the forces even when the sky around her was practically falling apart.

She was not sure how they would react hearing it from her, it was also possible they might look at her as if she's insane. Not that Enterprise cared what they thought of her but it might impede future predicaments involving them.

The Heavy Carrier leant back on her seat, eyes growing distant. The Ship-girls all began to gather around her port windows to view Mars just outside them, closer than any human their world had ever been. The Red Planet was that, a lifeless red rock previously only seen in history archives, so unlike the heavily terraformed UNSC Mars.

It was beautiful, in its own way, an untouched and unblemished diamond in the rough.

"Hey"

Enterprise's eyes settled on a head full of blonde hair, maroon eyes narrowing inquisitively. She had seen them navigating through the various tables lining the room towards where she was sitting so it wasn't their arrival that puzzled her.

"Yes?"

Cleveland smiled sheepishly, gesturing at the seats around Enterprise's table. "Mind if we sit here?"

"Why? There's a lot of available seats elsewhere"

Her question was not of contempt but rather genuine curiosity, yet Cleveland misinterpreted it as rejection. The Light Cruiser bit her lip and pondered whether she should just leave, but Columbia cut in before she could decide.

"We want to ask you some things" Columbia said to Enterprise, taking a seat without waiting for her reply, her trayful of food clanking on the metal table as she set it down.

"I'm not giving up weapon schematics" Enterprise responded sternly, sending Columbia a hard look the blonde pointedly ignored. "I won't be giving anything".

"Yeah we know, you've made it pretty clear to Wisconsin"

The Heavy Carrier leant back and crossed her arms over her chest, unimpressed. Wisconsin had been very adamant in her requests had it not been because of Intrepid's intervention Enterprise would have thrown her out of the airlock herself.

It was an exaggeration, of course, but Enterprise had started to actually ponder the thought. The Battleship repeatedly went to her, nagging Enterprise about her Mark 15 coilguns and the possibility of their implementations for her use. She tried to explain again and again there was no way she could fit the guns to meet her draft, not when they weigh almost half of Iowa-class and wider, too. When that didn't work, Enterprise changed her reasoning to the fact they wouldn't have the capacity to power the guns. When that didn't work too, she had printed a vague sheet of information regarding the guns for Wisconsin's reading, something that would give her a gist of the reasons but not enough to compromise protocols.

The Battleship had been nose deep in that since then, much to her friends' astonishment. Apparently and supposedly she didn't like reading that much.

"What is it?" Enterprise queried as Cleveland and her two other sisters sat down. Enterprise's eyes briefly lingered on Denver and Montpelier before they settled back to the leadship.

Cleveland noticed the question was directed to her, hesitantly she elaborated. "Well... It's about us, or specifically us from your world"

"We want to know what happened to them" Columbia piped in, mouth full with food. "Or was it us? I don't know, it's confusing" She added with a shrug before shoving another spoonful of food into her mouth.

"Yeah, if the war really was going smoothly then there's a chance we survived, right? I mean I wouldn't mind being a museum ship or something. It actually would be cool that people come to see me and tell the tales of my battles through generations"

"She likes kids" Columbia once again said, gesturing with her thumb towards her older sister. "Me? Not so"

"What? Giving them a tour is actually kind of fun, you know?"

"Nope, not in the slightest. They're loud and obnoxious, more so than Denver"

"Hey! I'm not loud! Or obnoxious!"

"Have you seen yourself?"

"What is-"

"None of you existed past the 60's"

And just like that, they went dead silent. Enterprise didn't realize how loud she was until she noticed almost everyone in the Cafeteria was looking at her. It was unintentional, since Denver's voice was well above normal.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Cleveland stuttered, an uneasy smile on her face.

The Heavy Carrier sighed inwardly, leaning forward and resting both of her arms on the table. "USS Cleveland CL-55, decommissioned on 7 February 1947, sold for scrap on 18 February 1960. USS Columbia CL-56, decommissioned on 30 November 1946, sold for scrap on 18 February 1960. USS Montpelier CL-57, decommissioned on 24 January 1947, sold for scrap on 22 January 1960. USS Denver CL-58, decommissioned on 7 February 1947, sold for scrap on 4 February 1960" She paused to gauge their reactions and by extent everyone's in the room, noticing the shock in their eyes. "Of all 27 sisters, only 1 was preserved as museum ship"

To her credits, Cleveland recovered quickly. Her mouth closed and lips formed a thin line before yet another uneasy smile found its way there as she uncurled her fists she didn't know had been tightening. "Oh..." She mumbled her surprise, laughing dryly. "Well... that's unfortunate"

"No... that... that's a lie..." Montpelier stuttered in distraught, hazel eyes wide and face contorted with a myriad of emotions. Anger, sadness, disappointment, dread and horror fought fiercely in her heart, raging a merciless battle to decide her general reaction. She didn't know what to do, as Enterprise and her sisters stared at her, the latter had this flat discerning look while her sisters slowly recovered to work their own emotions. In the end, Montpelier decided the best course of action for her predicament. One that would give her time to accept and absorb the information.

She ran.

"Ah..." Columbia muttered as Montpelier brushed past her, her utensils clanking down the metal floor. She blinked and turned towards Cleveland who was about ready to chase the younger sister and waved her down. "I, uh... I've got this" Columbia quickly said, jumping off of her seat and going after Montpelier right when the silver haired Cruiser rounded a corner. In truth, she also didn't know what to do or what to feel especially in front of Cleveland. Going after Montpelier was just partially an excuse for her, she knew Montpelier would be fine regardless of her intervention.

Denver had to stay, and as much as Columbia disliked Denver's antics towards her at times she exactly didn't hate her enough to not feel sorry for leaving her alone with Cleveland. Columbia was conflicted, uncertain and most of all confused.

She reached Montpelier not long after, the younger girl had actually stopped not so far off. Perhaps, had they been on the base she would have been hiding somewhere on one of the many beaches scattered about but here she was a guest and was not entirely accustomed to Enterprise's schematics to find a good place to be alone.

Columbia's feet slowed down, gradually losing their frantic thumping until they came to a halt. The blonde stared at Montpelier's back, crafting her words carefully. Her sister was standing behind one of the many observation windows, silently staring at the shrinking, distant red planet that was Mars. She didn't react to Columbia's presence but the blonde knew her sister enough she had heard her footsteps.

Columbia also knew her enough that she had been crying.

Fuck, Cleve, I'm not you. Columbia internally lamented, gritting her teeth in anguish. Cleveland would know what to do to comfort Montpelier, she always had words for her sisters, and Columbia too oftentimes bought her words. It sucked she didn't inherit that one certain ability, more reason why Cleveland was irreplaceable for her sisters. Not with Columbia, and most certainly none of her younger sisters could replace her.

"Shit..." The blonde cursed under her breath as she stepped to Montpelier's side, subtly glancing at Montpelier from the corners of her eyes, and promptly grimaced when she noticed the fresh tears running down her cheeks. "Yeah, that was unexpected"

Montpelier sniffled audibly and fell silent, for a moment Columbia thought she would just ignore her until she felt like leaving. Much to her surprise, she spoke, albeit hesitantly and sounded a lot like musing.

"What disservice did we do to receive such miserable ends? We fought to defeat the enemy of our people, and once they were defeated our people turned against us. Incomprehensible"

"We are not the first one to receive such ends, and we certainly wouldn't be the last either. It's just how it is"

"Even after all we've accomplished?" Montpelier shot back, surprising Columbia with the raw anger in her tone. The blonde regarded her for a long time before sighing tiredly.

"Look, I'm suck at comforting people so I won't. What I'm about to say is the truth, one that you know as much as I do, and it's not pretty. We're warships, built and purposed as instruments of war, our sole reason for existing is to fight, never more" Columbia paused, turning her body to directly face Montpelier. "When peace time comes and we are no longer needed, all that remains is to decide where we are to go. The Navy can't continue to commission old and inferior warships, and having so much of them was not a good idea, so inevitably they have to discard old ships and replace them with the newer ones"

"But scrapping us is a death sentence! a shameful end that tarnished our legacy!" They could've at least made us museum ships!"

"And how many of us are there to be?!" Columbia yelled in return, grabbing both Montpelier's shoulders and pulled her close to her face. "Tell me, Monty, how many of us would stay while the rest die?! Because if I were to exist alone I wouldn't want it! They would've to place us in different locations, even states away, alone not knowing what the others were up to"

"All of you are my family, the only people I can rely on. Separating us is a worse fate than death to me so no, if I were to die I'd rather die together with my sisters" Columbia continued, suppressing her voice so Montpelier wouldn't notice her choking on her words. It hurt, no matter what she said it was a really bitter end.

Montpelier fell silent, her eyes drifted down, away from Columbia's burning hazel eyes. She hoped she was like her sisters, so capable of openly conveying their emotions to each other but she just couldn't. People often said she was the oddest addition in their otherwise unusual group, the quiet and somewhat distant piece in the burner, and she wouldn't deny any of it.

Even the Heavy Carrier thought of her as so, Montpelier just knew the meaning of that discerning gaze she received from Enterprise the first time they met, a pair of still and cold amber that regarded her as the most dangerous of the four sisters. Again, she wouldn't deny Enterprise's assessment because that was exactly what she was. Whilst her sisters saw Enterprise as a new addition to the base and a potential friend, all Montpelier saw was trouble and a deathly ship capable of running over them just by her sheer size.

She had then confronted the gaze, despite the fear coursing in her veins, perhaps as a sign of defiance against Enterprise. Montpelier meant no harm nor disrespect, it's just how she saw an imposing power; back with her own wits.

"I just want a happy ending... For all of us" Montpelier whispered to Columbia, her words felt like a dagger to the blonde's heart.

"It's..." Not possible? A distant dream that is often only achieved in fictions and tales? "It's difficult" Columbia opted to say. Even she didn't know the answer for that. She afraid if she were to promise Montpelier a happy ending she longed it would only make her a liar to her sister.

"We don't deserve such a bitter end, Columbia... none of us do"

Columbia bit her inner cheeks to stop herself from saying her negative thoughts. "Yes... none of us do"

Montpelier sniffled once more and she fell quiet, taking a step back from Columbia's outstretched hands before turning to her side, once again letting her gaze wander into the endless darkness outside the observation window. Columbia knew her sister wouldn't say anything after that so she allowed her arms to hang limply on her sides. Following Montpelier's example, she let her gaze wander off.

It was strange. Mars was so distant now yet it still looked more vibrant than the pair of hazel eyes reflecting on the reinforced glass, ones that weren't her own.

---

Enterprise watched Columbia go almost disinterestedly, somewhat predicting this was how it would be. She really didn't want to go down this topic since it might cause some unnecessary interpersonal intricacies but she didn't have much choice. One day someone would bring it up, and a small part of her realized it better be sooner than later, at least for now they had time to reconcile, no matter how small it might be.

Hornet came forth shortly after Columbia disappeared into the hallway, the blonde Carrier didn't say anything as she sat down on the spot Columbia occupied before. Cleveland gave her a glance but there seemed to be nothing in that gaze except hollow befuddlement.

"Was that really necessary?" Hornet asked after a while, gesturing to the hallway with a tilt of her head.

"No" Enterprise responded flatly.

"Figured" The Aircraft Carrier mumbled in return before turning to Cleveland. "You know... I've been wondering..."

Cleveland blinked and raised her head to look at Hornet. "Yeah?"

"In a world where peace is achieved, they have no need of us KANSENs so I figured those survived the war would end up in the breaking yards... Right?"

Enterprise nodded, folding her arms on the table. "The United States Navy in particular only kept a few of their warships as museum ships. The Fletchers, despite their numbers, were only preserved four" At this point almost everyone in the cafeteria didn't even try to hide their eavesdropping attempt, especially Wisconsin who decided to drag a chair and set it behind Hornet, sitting there with her legs folded. "The Iowas were the perfect example of complete preserving, however"

Hornet could have sworn she heard Wisconsin whispering "Hell yeah we are" in an excited tone.

"Iowa was berthed on Los Angeles, New Jersey rested amongst her people in New Jersey, Missouri was on Pearl Harbor and Wisconsin was on Norfolk"

"Why's Missouri on Pearl?" Wisconsin asked out loud, butting in into the conversation.

"She's very popular and almost every state wanted the so called Battleship of Victory. In the end, however, a decision was made to put her on Pearl exactly astern to the remnants of Arizona. It was a symbolic gesture that told everyone the war started with Arizona's sinking and ended with the signing of surrender on Missouri. She was there, with guns elevated as if to protect Arizona from the same tragedy that befallen her" It was what recorded in history, the meaning behind the decision, Enterprise had no intention to be poignant yet her words moved many of them to somberness.

"Oh, man..." Wisconsin stood up, her feet carrying her back and forth as she paced around her chair. "Oh man, I'm so hugging Arizona once we get back... Shit, I wish she were here to hear this"

"The Navy takes care of its own" A voice said from behind them, revealing Commander Allenforth with a can of soda raised high on his hand. "We honor the fallen our own way"

Staff Sergeant Dayton followed suit with his Marines, resulting in a collective of "Oorah's!" and "Aye's!" from the Ship-girls.

Despite herself, Enterprise allowed a small smile to adorn her face. "Humanity never forgets us. Our names will be entrusted to the next generation and we will go down in history, there will always be us in the future"

Hornet hummed, grinning widely as she slapped Cleveland's back lightly. "Hear that? We exist after all that. You actually don't have to look far"

"What do you mean?"

"Remember two of Essex's sisters are named after me and my sister Yorktown!"

Cleveland paused before a smile formed on her face. "I remember you freaking out the first time you learned of that"

"Well... yeah. It's just a bit odd, that's all" Hornet said sheepishly, earning a series of chuckles from her friends.

"A bit doesn't justify fainting on the spot" Cleveland deadpanned, once again eliciting a series of laughter from the people listening, much to Hornet's embarrassment.

---

The walk back to the Conference Room was mostly spent uneventfully with the only interesting event was when Enterprise announced they had arrived on Jupiter's high orbit, the largest gas giant faced them with all her glory and greatness on display. Unlike Mars or Earth, Jupiter despite its size rotated faster, giving an illusion of a never ending stream of golden veins to those watching.

Intrepid witnessed it all in thoughtful silence, too captivated to even move a muscle and excited beyond what she could comprehend. She always had a strange attraction towards astronomy, to imagine what those twinkles and pulses were, or how they look closely. This whole experience had been ecstatic, not only because she could achieve one of her dreams to one day venture the stars, but also to learn the secrets the universe so shyly hid in her careful cradle. Intrepid had to contain her happiness each time she glanced outside the thick glass of Enterprise's windows and saw a planet previously so distant spinning there, looking so close that if she could just reach out then...!

"Enjoying the view, ain't we?"

The blue haired Carrier paused, her hand she had no recollection had been outstretched slowly fell to her side. Schooling her expression, she turned towards the voice and instantly frowned.

"Done doing your homework?" Intrepid shot back, placing her hands on her hips.

Wisconsin rolled her eyes good naturedly before replying to Intrepid's jab. "Couldn't understand jackshit"

Intrepid snorted. "Didn't expect anything else from that walnut for a brain of yours"

"Bitch, you really want me to punch you in the face?"

"Try me"

"Fuck you"

"Thought so"

The Battleship scoffed audibly, crossing her arms over her chest. "Fine, whatever, I don't give a fuck what you're thinking" She grunted angrily before taking her leave.

Intrepid snorted dryly, letting her eyes wander off once again. She and Wisconsin were... complicated. Intrepid didn't remember where or when it all started but as far as she could remember she didn't like the Battleship's gut since decades ago. It was a rather unusual relationship she had with Wisconsin, a mutual distaste that stemmed from their conflicting characters.

At least, that's what she'd like to think. In reality Wisconsin was as much of a friend as anyone else Intrepid knew. The Battleship had fought and bled to protect Intrepid, so did Intrepid to Wisconsin. Before she knew it, this semi-hostile relation she had with Wisconsin had become a norm for her, a routine she got to face daily. It gave her a sense of familiarity to the world around her, despite all that happened.

Intrepid appreciated Wisconsin, and she valued their relationships greatly.

The group moved up not long after, once again following the Heavy Carrier Enterprise. Intrepid was still trying to wrap her head around this whole ordeal, all they had learned from the spaceship was nothing but a shock. It was unbelievable, unprecedented and unthinkable, that there existed a planet similar to theirs with very much similar history. Intrepid had been thinking, if there was a world where the Siren never descended and started a war, did it mean their world would have also followed the same history path Enterprise's world had? It was an interesting prospect for certain, if only Intrepid was supposed to think about it then she might actually care more to find out. Right now all that mattered was what in front of her, and that meant Shinano, Yamato and their Commander.

She'd love to glare at them specifically for the rest of this meeting. Made them think and realize the consequences of their misdeeds. The fact it made them squirm uncomfortably was just a bonus.

"What you're about to see must never leave this room" Enterprise announced a few moments after they sat down, once again booting up the display screen in the wall. "I will ensure no leaks by any means necessary. Are we clear?"

They nodded silently, fully understanding the underlying message in Enterprise's words. She would do anything to keep it a secret, and there was no saying what would that anything include.

"Alright then... First, introduction"

Intrepid nearly jumped off her seat when something flickered on the table, a bluish hue that illuminated the brown surface. She was not the only one caught off guard. Though, for some reason Admiral Allenforth, the Commander and his girls didn't look as surprised.

"What's this...?" Wisconsin mumbled curiously, reaching forward to touch the strange ball of light. As expected, her fingers went through it, making the Battleship frown in confusion. "What"

"That's a hologram" Enterprise informed, not a moment later the small ball expanded to the size of the table itself before, much to their amazement, it morphed into a giant model of a very familiar ship.

"Holy..." Wisconsin muttered.

Hornet nodded to herself, agreeing with Wisconsin. "It's so detailed..."

"Is this accurate?" Admiral Snow queried, studying the display before him intensely.

"Yes, sir, down to every details"

"I know you're big but... This is something" Vestal said to Enterprise, gesturing loosely towards the hologram. "You haven't given me your specifications yet"

"Right, we didn't exactly have the time" Enterprise made a sweeping motion with her hand, and almost instantly words appeared right beside the model. "This is a model of a UNSC Epoch-class Heavy Carrier, one of many UNSC capital classes in service. What you see is me, a second ship of the class"

"Wait, is this real? It is said your most armored sections are protected by up to 3 meters armor?" Hornet interrupted, leaning forward to look at the small floating window containing Enterprise's basic specifications.

"3 meters Titanium-A Battleplate, specifically here, here and here" The spaceship elaborated, with each point a part of the hologram was peeled. Hornet squinted to get a better look, noticing those parts were mostly near the engines, belly and sides. "Engine compartments are purposefully reinforced to prevent EMP effect and protect my reactors, overall protections can and will shield my power units from nuclear explosion at point blank range in space"

The blonde, and the rest of her friends, stared at Enterprise as if she had just sprouted a sunflower ontop of her head. "You can't be serious".

Enterprise stared back, as if telling Hornet when she had been joking. "Bear in mind nuclear explosion in space is significantly dampened. In atmosphere my armor is rated to survive nuclear attack from 800 meters away"

"Seeing how a nuclear explosion can cook someone alive from 5 kilometers away, I suppose that is an incredible feat" Commander Allenforth chimed in.

Enterprise nodded, with a flick of her wrist the peeled sections then returned to their places. "The UNSC also often implement slingshot tactics, basically a tactic where you use a planet's gravity force to boost your speed or fix your trajectory, which sometimes take us no more than a few thousand kilometers away from the surface of the sun"

"Good God..." Admiral Snow mumbled, if his stare on Enterprise's model was intense, it was now borderline transfixed. "What kind of war machine are you?"

"One that is expected to do its job"

Yet you fail.

Enterprise mentally scowled. Not now, she could loathe her failure some other time.

"Speed..." Biloxi began, earning Enterprise's attention. The Light Cruiser was content to watch everything unfold from behind and although Enterprise had just met her the way her friends spoke of her had Biloxi on Enterprise's better side. Biloxi was cautious, direct and smart, a dangerous combination that made her a good soldier. Enterprise could appreciate that. "How fast are you?"

"Constant speed is a bit difficult to measure in space, but as you may have noticed I can travel to another planet in just under an hour. This has become a standard for UNSC transportations"

"You mean all ships are capable of achieving similar feats?"

"For the most part, yes. Some civilian ships are slower due to the limitation in the necessary protection"

"Uh... What does protection have to do with speed? Obviously mass is not a factor and won't slow you down?" Cleveland asked.

"No, mass is not exactly the problem, it does lower your acceleration but in the end the velocity will stay the same. It's the armor plating"

The blonde frowned, thinking hard until she realized what Enterprise meant. "Ah... I get it. True that space is not only hazardous because of radiation"

Enterprise nodded. "In actuality, radiation in space is the least of problem for us spaceships. They're easy to contain and isolate, provided you have the right tools, and we're built to withstand a direct contact of supernova explosion. Space debris, however, is an entirely different matter. The faster we go, the more force we have, and by going hundreds of millions of kilometers per hour even a grain of sand can punch right through the toughest of metal"

"That is kind of hard to imagine..." Wisconsin mused out loud, yet Enterprise indulged her.

"Take bird strike to airplane for example. Despite just traveling in a few hundreds kilometers per hour it will cause a significant damage to the airplane" The ravenette then proceeded to show them pictures of various bird strike incidents, coming from the late 20th and early 21st century, everything from minor to major incidents. "In space, some objects might be stationary for hundreds of thousands of years, some might be moving. The latter would possess more force but the effects are generally the same"

"And those are...?"

The display changed, yet before they could voice their wonder Enterprise had begun talking. "Broken hull, breaches, deaths. Those were common occurrences during the early stage of space travel. Back before the Slipspace Engine was invented, mankind traveled the Solar System in sublight speed, even so they still moved at incredible speed. Back then spaceship designs were crude, with armor mainly in front to protect not just against an attack but also space objects"

"Holy shit..." Wisconsin muttered, eyes wide as she stared at one particular picture. Enterprise glanced at what she was seeing before bringing the display up for everyone to see.

"Ah, the case of Unperturbed Iron Maiden..."

"What the hell happened to her?"

"The UNS Unperturbed, a Kuiper-class Light Cruiser, seventh ship of the class. She fell victim to enemy's attack during the Jovian Moons Campaign"

"Fell victim?! She's fucking littered with holes!"

"Yes, most unfortunate out of her one thousand three hundred forty six crew members none survived the attack. Post battle reports showed she hit fragmented asteroids utilized by the enemy to hamper UN forces' movements at full speed, killing everyone onboard and almost making her reactors go critical"

"Fuck me..." The Battleship whispered, hiding her discomfort as the various pictures of the victims came about.

"That is messed up" Columbia commented, eyes never leaving the display. Some of the Ship-girls were proven to be not as tolerable as the others to gruesome scenes, even Columbia who had seen her fair share of horror found the images to be beyond disturbing. Enterprise, despite her lack of social courtesy, could still see the discomfort in them. Mostly from a very green Intrepid, though.

With a silent command, she switched the display to show her model back. "Now, I believe it was an enough example-"

"I think I'm gonna throw up" Cleveland said shakily, face abnormally pale and sweaty. Her sisters, naturally, jumped away from her almost immediately.

"-down in the hallway, right hand side, 75 centimeters off the door is an emergency crew utility station. There should be a paper bag there"

"Thank you"

A few seconds later they were forced to ignore Cleveland retching her stomach out.

The blonde returned after a full minute, still looking pale but significantly better. Enterprise wordlessly grabbed an electrolyte drink from a nearby storage compartment and handed it to her, only nodding when the Light Cruiser gave her a thanks.

"Moving on-"

"Let's talk about weapons!" Wisconsin cut in excitedly, grinning from ear to ear. It seemed neither the Admirals or the Commander wanted to intervene and instead chose to silently watch the Ship-girls. They knew any questions they actually had for Enterprise needed to be reserved for when they were alone with the spaceship.

Enterprise understood the sentiment, but she couldn't help but feel annoyed by Wisconsin's antics. Today was the most she ever spoke in her rather short life and she had been pushing her limits. "Sure"

"Sweet! So, what are these?"

The ravenette barely glanced at where Wisconsin was pointing. "M810 Helix Point Defense guns, mostly used to defend against boarding party, fighters, and incoming ordinances"

"And these?"

"M870 Rampart Point Defense guns. They're heavier in caliber"

"So, like secondary point defense?"

"Sort of"

"Huh... I guess they're like the Bofors..." Wisconsin muttered to herself.

"They're coilguns, they don't need gunpowder to propel their ammunition"

"A what?"

"A coilgun is basically an electric based weapon, it uses electrical current and conductions to deliver the mass unlike traditional gun which uses combustion"

"Uh..."

"All of that went through her head like it wasn't even there" Intrepid interjected, rolling her eyes. "Hey dumbass! The Sirens also use electric based weapons, if you didn't know. Or perhaps the shock actually fried your brain in the past? That'd actually explain your stupidity"

"What the fuck did you call me, you piece of shit?!"

"D-U-M-B-A-S-S"

"That's it! I'm going to kill you!"

Essex got up suddenly and grabbed both Wisconsin's and Intrepid's faces before she forced them both down. "I am going to personally make you suffer if neither of you behave" She growled, all the frustration and pent-up anger she had leaking out with each word she said. Both Carrier and Battleship huffed but fell silent immediately, however.

"Listen to what your eldest said to you, Intrepid" Wisconsin said with an open smugness that quickly turned to dread when Essex glared at her.

"You don't want Iowa listening me"

"Fine" Wisconsin conceded before she returned her attention to Enterprise's model, unaware of the headache she just inflicted on the Heavy Carrier. "What about these main guns of yours?"

Enterprise paused. "What makes you think they're my main guns?"

"Huh?" Wisconsin frowned, an action the Ship-girls and Officers mimicked.

"Are you implying that these two giant guns are not your main battery?" Prince of Wales spoke for the first time, gaze drilled between the Heavy Carrier model and her human form. The revelation was... concerning, given how large those guns were it was safe to assume they could easily punch through even Yamato yet the fact it wasn't Enterprise's ace in the hole suggested there was even a more lethal weapon.

"So all this time we thought wrong?" Warspite added, folding her arms on the table. "What sort of devastation can you muster, precisely?"

Enterprise, had anticipated the question, merely blinked before once again opening her model up in limited access to her blueprints. She wisely covered all crucial parts and completely altered some in a classic deny and deceive tactic. There was no need for them to know than what was necessary.

"This is my main gun" The group fell silent, eyes glued to the pulsating yellow in the otherwise blue hologram. The first thing that came to their mind was how long it was, easily stretching for almost a quarter of Enterprise's length, and how big of a caliber it was. Almost everyone present were automatically drawn to it, their feet carried them forward without them realizing it and those sitting had their bodies leant on the table. Nobody said a word as the details sunk in. "It's called MAC, abbreviation for Magnetic Accelerator Cannon"

Alicia was the one to recover, having heard of a tale about the weapon she was now seeing from Shinano. The Supercarrier told her once of her dream where the skies were split by a golden rod of God, one that pierced through Earth and steel with ease, spat from the bow of giants. In that same dream she described how the very soil itself shook and split, rippling like a pond during heavy rain.

The Commander would never forget the awe and fear in Shinano's eyes when she told her that, as if she just witnessed the heavenly wrath personally.

She turned towards Shinano, watching that certain dread had returned in those blue eyes of hers. "It's alright" Alicia whispered in her native tongue, rubbing the back of the fox-woman in a comforting manner. "It's alright..." She repeated until Shinano gave her a shaky nod.

"Yes..."

Essex gave her a nasty look but didn't say anything.

"Is it just me or does it look like it was longer than me?" Wisconsin asked nobody in particular, making a mental calculation.

Enterprise walked near the table, as she did the gun lit up and displayed information regarding it. "This is a Mark II model 52A6F9 Rapid Fire Variant, a light coil. Depending on the length, a MAC varies in terms of firepower. Mine is rather weak with only 300 meters long barrel"

"What do you mean it's weak?"

"Compared to the other UNSC capital ship classes, us Epochs have an inferior MAC. The one you see right now is based on a model usually mounted on Paris-class Heavy Frigate" The model of the said Frigate showed up beside Enterprise's, once again giving them a glimpse of UNSC warships. It was not as imposing as the Heavy Carrier but it still had more guns than anything they had ever seen before. It also didn't escape them how Enterprise easily dwarfed the Frigate. "With only difference being our capability to fire quicker and the higher range of ordinances we capable of delivering with the gun"

"How much firepower does this... MAC... have?" Prince of Wales struggled to ask, her throat tightening with the shock they could have been on the receiving end of such a weapon. Hornet was right, she made some pretty brash decisions, but in the face of a looming unknown she couldn't think of any better approach than a cautious one.

The Heavy Carrier paused for a second, wondering should she give them the full disclosure or not. She had thought of it before but still hadn't met a conclusion. On one hand, that would work as a deterring factor, on the other she was not really comfortable in sharing the details of one of the most destructive weapons ever created by mankind, especially to this early Humanity.

Although...

"A MAC standard round is a ferric-tungsten round, a hyper dense combination that weighs six hundred tons for this one gun type. As I said, ordinance may vary depending on the mission and function, however one standard round is deliverable in zero-point-one percent the speed of light"

Biloxi made a face upon hearing it before she turned towards a certain grey haired Carrier. "Hey, Intrepid, how fast does light travel?"

Intrepid blinked, racking her brain for the answer. She was certain she had read it somewhere, along with her fascination towards stars and planets. "Uh... pretty sure it was around two hundred ninety nine thousand kilometers per second? Almost three hundred thousand?"

"Shit, does that mean the round travels at twenty nine thousand kilometers per second?!"

All eyes were drawn to the Heavy Carrier whose visage was unchanging.

"That is terrifying" Hornet deadpanned, her earlier view on Enterprise changed a little. She thought she was exaggerating when she said there was no force capable of stopping her in their world, but now it was clear it was not meant as a jest.

"Tell me about it, she almost blew my base to kingdom come with it" Commander Alicia said with a small chuckle, perhaps in an attempt to lighten up the mood. Hornet's eyebrows shot upwards upon hearing it.

"She almost did that?" The blonde asked with a tone filled with surprise and disbelief. It was, however, not all Enterprise did.

"She also put Musashi into intensive care" The Commander added, fully aware of the way Yamato crossed her arms together right after she finished talking. The Battleship still couldn't fully fathom the fact her sister had been taken out with but a single strike, a notion which was impossible considering Musashi was one of the strongest KANSENs in the world. Even Montana herself admitted their strength and she was known to be the most destructive Ship-girl out there.

"Is it some kind of custom for you to harm those you just meet?" Warspite asked the Heavy Carrier pointedly, shifting to show the wound still fresh on her arm.

Enterprise shrugged. "I only harm those I find deserving"

"That technically included us" Vestal muttered to herself before sighing tiredly. "So, how much destructive power does a single MAC strike have?" She wisely changed the topic, not wanting to linger on the past.

"Sixty four kilotons, which is roughly four times the bomb dropped on Hiroshima"

Vestal blinked, before slowly she let her body sink on the seat she was sitting on. For a good half a minute nobody uttered a word until Wisconsin broke the silence. "You know... I don't think I want your guns anymore, I've just got a newfound fear"

"Against you? There would be no need to use the MAC. A hundred percent power strike is capable of destroying a good portion of a city, or an entire fleet of wet Navy ships, that's why we don't use full power for orbital bombardment. There is also a strict rule to not fire the gun in atmosphere unless authorized directly by UNSC Command"

"Why is that?"

"Collateral damages. The shockwave from firing it itself can destroy skyscrapers in 200 meters radius, not to mention the safety hazards to the human body. It is also possible in horizontal firing the round might ricochet or miss the hit mark, which is a disaster since the round travels so fast it will go all the way until it either burrows itself into a mountain or escapes the atmosphere"

A weapon so terrifying the mere motion of unleashing it was so destructive, and a ship so strong she could withstand firing it. There was a clear picture of how powerful Enterprise and her peers were, a tantamount relationship between the shield and the sword. It was even possible Enterprise was indestructible by their current technology if even a nuclear explosion couldn't harm her, a prospect which was not really that comforting.

The spaceship's loyalty was bound to Mankind, but ultimately it was her people she meant. Right now, working together with them was her compensating for her liability to contact her superiors, a 'just for the time being' action she did to fill her time while she looked for her way back to her people.

It was a fact Hornet realized since their conversation in the base's cafeteria days ago, yet it would be a lie to say it wasn't hurt to think about. For Enterprise, their war and struggle were nothing but a petty conflict. She who was used to jumping from one world to another probably thought a single world meant nothing worthwhile.

The Heavy Carrier went on to explain her other weapons and general specifications, her displacements, length, width and all about her. Despite her raging thought, Hornet couldn't help but to shake her head when she heard Enterprise's entire length was over two point five kilometers, more or less confirming their assumptions.

However, one thing caught Hornet's attention when she idly read the display before her.

"Are these numbers correct? That is an awfully small amount of aircraft you carry" The blonde began, pointing at the floating window with her hand. "I thought you carried thousands of aircraft with your sheer size" Somehow, her words had a certain accusatory tone in it, which Hornet didn't realize until it was too late.

Her growing distrust of the Heavy Carrier got the better of her for a moment until she completely squashed it.

Stop! She did nothing wrong! You're being unreasonable!

Hornet mentally chided herself. She told Prince of Wales to trust Enterprise yet now she questioned her allegation? That wouldn't do, she wasn't a hypocrite.

Thankfully, Enterprise didn't seem to notice the underlying tone, or if she did then she didn't show it. Hornet was more keen to believe it was the latter, though, considering how sharp Enterprise was. She would apologize to Enterprise later, there was no need to sour their relationships like that.

"Carriers are more diverse, unlike our blue Navy counterparts our purposes include planetary assault. Us Epochs are even more special with our main focus is to be the spearheads for UNSC forces, that means securing beachheads or staging grounds. Unlike Orion-class or Punic-class, the Epoch-class is specialized for ground force rapid deployment and support"

"Wait, I'm confused" Intrepid interjected, frowning. "So you are a Carrier but your main purpose is not to carry aircraft? That... is not what Carrier is"

"If you put it that way" Baltimore began, crossing her arms over her chest. "Carriers aren't supposed to carry that many guns to begin with. I believe military doctrines have changed drastically in those five hundred years"

"Correct" Enterprise appeased, bringing the pictures of a Marathon-class Heavy Cruiser and Paris-class Heavy Frigate. Two ships which they had seen previously from her. "Unlike today's classifications, UNSC warships are generalized by our class. Heavy Cruiser is CA, Cruiser is C, Carrier is CV, Destroyer DD, Battlecruiser BC, Super Heavy Cruiser is CB and Battleship is BB. However, one class that retains additional codes is our Frigates since they vary in purposes. Our Frigate force suppliers, which rely on heavily armed and armored Frigate classes, are usually designated as FFG despite the fact all UNSC ship classes carry missiles"

There were more designations the UNSC used for its ships that Enterprise didn't mention since they would be tricky to explain. For example, UNSC stealth and experimental warships were usually designated with additional 'X', whilst Command and Control ships received 'C' designation. The latter was rare at first, but as the war dragged on they were forced to modify ships to be command ships to the point even Frigates were used as Command and Control Vessels which was nigh impossible in the past.

It showed how desperate the UNSC was.

"The Epoch-class Heavy Carrier was designed in the late 2490's with the first ship entering service in 2499. At that time, my sister Epoch was considered as one of the most sophisticated warships ever created and her initial success preceded the expansion of the class. Two years after her shakedown cruise, the UNSC approved for more Epochs and in 2502 I entered service"

"Is there any difference between you and your oldest sister?" David asked, curiosity getting the best of him. Learning about Enterprise history was, to put it mildly, interesting.

"Aside from the fact I only cost sixty-six percent of the first ship? Not a lot. We younger sisters have varying little differences. I, for example, am mounted with an array of experimental High Intensity Laser Defense Systems, a weapon denoted from the M6 Nonlinear Grindell/Galilean Rifle or commonly known as Spartan Laser. It's a failed system, though, since the energy output is rather undesirable it can only hit targets from two kilometers away. Nevertheless, I still keep them under my hull for last resort defense"

"You still have your original guns? After over fifty years in service?" Hornet asked, baffled.

"Taking them off would cost more than what's needed, repurposing is the better option. Whilst it's failed, the data we got is proven to be invaluable for future Directed Energy Weapon development as proven in 2531 we implemented another system that is more successful. Details are classified, however"

There was no way she's going to disclose the information about the XEV9- Matos Nonlinear Pulse Cannon. Those were ONI's intel, the fact she had it in her database was surprising enough considering ONI didn't particularly like sharing anything with the rest of the Navy unless it's necessary. Even that came in scarcely sometimes.

The XEV9- Matos Nonlinear Pulse Cannon was one of the well guarded weapons in the UNSC. It's mainly mounted on Prowlers due its low level emission despite being an energy weapon, unlike Covenant energy weapons which could give enormous readings even from the next planet. It was expensive, sophisticated and, above all, effective. There's a reason why it wasn't implemented on all UNSC warships.

Enterprise cleared her throat after a long pause, feeling it had dried up from all the talking she did. For someone who was quiet most of the time, the burden of having to explain everything orally had been taxing. Enterprise would rather ram a CCS-class Battlecruiser than talk like this.

"Any question?" She asked, shifting her weight slightly to her hind leg. When nobody gave her any, Enterprise's expression hardened. What came next was not a subject she wanted to discuss but ultimately she had to. "If none then I shall continue to the next topic"

The hologram disappeared as its projectors were deactivated, instead Enterprise moved towards the screen again. Hornet watched the Heavy Carrier move with apt attention, noticing the subtle jitters in her gesture. She frowned, wondering what was it that upset the Heavy Carrier so greatly she seemed... uneasy.

Of course Hornet only noticed it because she was used to seeing similar gestures from her own sister, whenever her sister Enterprise was bothered by something she would often clenched her jaw and glared at nothingness. It was not necessarily what the Heavy Carrier was doing, she didn't clench her jaw nor glare at the air. No, it was the way she spoke that gave it away.

Is that anger I'm hearing?

"As you may have noticed, Humanity is at war" The ravenette began, turning on her heels to face the others. Her maroon eyes narrowed down as she regarded those in the room with her, judging and calculating. "It's not a war of territory, profits or resources. This war is different"

They watched as an image of a planet appeared on the screen, beautiful blue and lush green like Earth itself. It spun slowly on its axis, moving with certain purpose of day and night while countless stars glimmered around it, twinkling little white and silver specks amidst the endless darkness.

"This is Harvest, the fourth planet of the Epsilon Indi system. Harvest is one of Humanity's garden worlds, mainly purposed for food resources. It is also the first planet I was deployed on shortly after my maiden voyage to squash growing rebellions in 2502, a trial by fire if you wish to call it" Enterprise paused, looking at the planet. How long had it been since then? fifty years was what her recorded archive said but between Slipspace travels and her never ending fighting it felt so long ago, too long even. Harvest was such a beautiful planet, the first she saw when she exited the blue vortex that was Slipspace rupture that wasn't Reach. Short as it might be, her four months service above the planet had been very insightful for her then still naìve self.

Harvest had been an invaluable experience, both for Enterprise and Humanity.

"In 2525, all contacts to Harvest suddenly ceased"

Baltimore frowned, noticing the expression was also on her friends' faces. "Ceased? You mean an entire planet went dark just like that?" She queried, ignoring the cold coursing in her veins. An entire world failed to send any form of communication was dreadful to think about.

"Communication between planets usually takes days or even weeks considering the distance, we didn't know the severity of the situation until it was nearing the end of the year that the planet had completely gone off the grid. Prior in April, Colonial Military Administration reported of a disappearance of some of their ships but we didn't consider it to be a serious problem since accidents were prone to happen" It was probably one of the biggest mistakes the UNSC had ever done, if only they reacted earlier they could've saved more life but alas.

It was not a thought Enterprise fond of thinking.

"UNSC FLEETCOM and CMA sent a Battlegroup consisting of three Frigates to investigate Harvest. What they found is this"

There was a slight pause in Enterprise's gesture before she pressed the remote button, at first nobody was certain what made her like that until the very first image popped up.

It was Harvest, the same planet and the same orbit as the previous one. Except for one glaring difference.

The planet was burning.

Almost everyone shot up from their seats with Admiral Allenforth and Shinano being the exception. The former merely grimaced whilst Shinano averted her eyes from the horror the image instilled. She had been there, on the ground watching everything unfold with her own two eyes, helpless to help as the smell of burnt soil, flesh and metal invaded her nostrils.

How many times had she shot straight from her slumber thanks to the recurring nightmares Enterprise's war gave her? How many times had it been for Shinano to weep for the long dead? For all she knew, there was no day she was awake without having the images of countless dead bodies burning in merciless amber.

She meekly shifted her gaze to the Heavy Carrier, as if the prospect of looking at someone involved in that war was so fearsome. In a way, it was, judging by the fact that war shaped many rough souls into iron willed people, ones that heedless to the means, only the victory.

It terrified her.

Shinano herself understood desperation, after all in her past life she was about ready to use Kamikaze craft before Archerfish got her halfway. Her past life had been brief, but it gave her a clear picture of how much humans were willing to go when they're cornered. Enterprise's Humanity, however, took it into an entirely different level, more than what Shinano's own had ever dreamed of doing.

"Harvest is under attack by a coalition of alien life forms called the Covenant" Enterprise finished, giving the others a good minute to absorb the information. Most of them just gawked at the still image, speechless beyond anything, while some didn't even try to hide their horror.

"Covenant..." Shinano whispered to herself, having heard and seen the name in her dreams. Her Commander had been very strict about it, telling her to not say a single word about her dream even to Alicia herself except what was necessary. Alicia, of course, knew of the Covenant, but she didn't know anything else than its name.

"What are they?" Alicia asked, terror reigning supreme over her tone. The Siren was one thing, this was another else.

"They are the enemy Humanity has never encountered before, a force beyond our comprehension. What might we have was squashed like it wasn't even there, stream rolling past through everything we put"

"You mean even you can't stop them? Your sheer power? Your technology?"

"Humanity is at war" Enterprise repeated, her gaze stared through everyone in the room. For those who looked back, they would notice the clear anger and hatred in those maroon eyes of her's, drilling holes through the souls of everyone present. Yet for those who didn't falter and keep their gaze on her they would also notice the sadness and pain hiding behind those silent amber, hard and unforgiving. "And we are losing"

---

"Holy shit, this juice is banging"

"Fuck me, you're right. Where the hell did she get this shit?"

"Dunno and don't care, it tastes good enough for me to stop caring about anything else"

Staff Sergeant Dayton rolled his eyes as he walked towards where his men were lounging, grabbing one of the drinks placed on the metal floor they encircled and smiled when he felt the all welcomed coolness it had.

"Shit, Sarge, if we had something like that we'd be slightly more pleased" One of his men said somewhat matter-of-factly, earning a series of agreement from the rest.

"Ask the lady, this is her ship and whatever this shit is it's from the future" He replied briskly, scanning the hangar bay to find a place to settle. "How does this thing taste again?"

"Good"

"It hits right"

"You know that feeling when you drink a very old and expensive liquor? Something like that?"

"Y'all morons ain't helping. And Dee, get yourself checked you ain't no drinking expensive shit"

"But Sarge, I did! Once!"

"Yeah and I shit carrots" He grunted before walking away from the laughing Marines towards one of the neatly stacked crates near a wall and sat down on it, cracking open the drink and chugging its content down. His boys were not joking, the thing actually tasted good.

"Oh yeah, that's the stuff" He mumbled to himself, taking another large sip from the God sent energy drink. His time in solitude, however, was short lived when a feminine voice called out to him.

"Mind if I sit here?"

The Staff Sergeant blinked and glanced to his right, finding a smiling familiar face not so far off. "Of course not, ma'am"

Baltimore's smile broadened for a brief moment before she plopped down on the assortment of metal crates. "Drop the ma'am, it makes me feel old" She said dismissively to him, bringing the can of soda he didn't know she was carrying. "Although I'm still older than any of you"

"Well, the prospect of age has always been strange with KANSEN"

The Heavy Cruiser chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck absentmindedly. "Yeah, we don't really look like how we are"

Silence befell them, aside from the constant blabbering from the Marines the only sound that existed was the now all too familiar humming of the spaceship. Baltimore let her thoughts wander, about everything they just learned and the implications behind it.

"Humanity is at war..." Baltimore mumbled, eyes growing distant as she recalled what Enterprise told her. She had just met the woman today, and the shock of learning there had been a spaceship as an ally hadn't fully settled on her to start making sense of the situation. Today had been a constant series of shocking experiences, and just when Baltimore thought nothing could beat the fact a technically invincible warship from distant future was just not a science fiction story, said spaceship had to drop the ball and told everyone there existed a higher power than she was. Power strong enough to swat the giants like they're flies.

Baltimore was pulled out of her train of thought when something clicked on her side. Blinking, she saw the Sergeant had lit up a cigarette and put it between his lips.

"Have more of those?" She asked quickly, surprising the Marine.

"Uh, you smoke?" He tentatively asked, eyeing her up and down oddly as if it was his first time seeing her.

"Only on occasions" When he didn't look all that convinced, Baltimore sighed. "If you're worried the Navy's gonna get mad at you for giving one of their assets addictive substances, don't. Many of us are not a stranger to them"

He made a face at her blatant dehumanization of KANSEN. "That is not reassuring at all" He confessed but still fished out his pack of cigarettes and offered it to Baltimore who took one and lit it up with a match.

"They have better things to worry about" Baltimore said, huffing a large lump of smoke and hissing through her teeth. It had a rather bitter aftertaste which was not entirely unpleasant. "So, Sergeant...?"

"Sully Dayton"

Baltimore nodded. "How long have you been a Marine?"

"Twenty five years now. Joined the Corps back in the fifty, seen shit that would keep lesser men awake for the rest of their lives"

"You've had it rough" Baltimore commented but he shook his head.

"Not as rough as you or your fellow KANSENs"

Baltimore chuckled. "That might be true. What made you join?"

He shrugged almost nonchalantly, tapping his cigarette to let its burned tip fall. "Pop's a Marine during the Old War, was there in Okinawa and Iwo Jima and was also the few survivors when the Siren attacked. Lost a leg but still kicked"

"Twenty five years is a long time, I take it you decline those promotions?"

"Yep. Desk jobs just don't cut it for me, I'd rather be here with my boys and fight" He gestured towards his men, watching one of them licking the side of one of the parked Pelicans and sighing. "Though, I sometimes wonder how in the world did I not get a brain aneurysm with people like them"

Baltimore had to suppress a laugh, taking a whiff. "Can't say I have never seen weirder ones but you've got a point. So, where are you from?"

"Baltimore"

The brunette's eyebrows shot up, surprised. "Huh"

He merely smirked. "Sorry if I don't look like it, I've spent too much time away from home"

"Ah, no. It's not that. I just didn't expect to meet someone from Baltimore here, of all places"

This time it was his turn to chuckle. "You're like the city's daughter, no Baltimorean doesn't know or love you. With all due respect, Ma'am, you are our pride"

Baltimore couldn't help but to cast her head down, letting her hair obscure her face. She knew the blush on her face was impossible to conceal, along with the embarrassment and happiness inside her chest. It was normal, actually, for the people of the region to take a Ship-girl with their region's name as some sort of mascot, representing the very people and their will to fight the menace that was Siren. They were unconditionally loved, oftentimes their visit would be accepted with open arms and smiles as if it was their own daughter who returned from a never ending war. There would be a feast, story telling, music and hugs. A lot of hugs.

Baltimore would never forget the first time Arizona set her foot back to Union soil after years and what happened in Pearl. The girl was not just loved by her people but literally everyone.

"You're making me blush" Baltimore murmured, wordlessly grabbing her drink and pressing it against her warm cheek. "What do you think of today, Sergeant?" She began, desperate to change the subject.

"Batshit insane" He replied, kicking the metal floor with his sole. "She's not even on my list of Holy-Fucking-Shit. I'd never thought of the possibility"

"And the war? her war?"

At that the Staff Sergeant fell quiet, for a brief moment his eyes grew distant as he recalled what he saw in that room. "Over thirty long years, hundreds of planets and billions of casualties. I can't even begin to imagine such war"

Yet what he saw was real. All sorts of war machines failed against those aliens, victories were scarce and what little they achieved served as nothing but a small inconvenience to the inevitable destruction. How's a species supposed to survive an unstoppable genocide?

Although...

"Those Spartans... what are they? They can't be human... right?"

"What do you think they are?" Baltimore asked back, also wondering the same thing. For a brief moment during the presentation, they caught a glimpse of something unnatural. Something the spaceship dubbed as one of few keys to Humanity's victory. Hornet had asked her of that, pointing out that the Spartans wore the same armor the spaceship used. It confused Baltimore and the rest of the non permanent settlers of Azur Lane base until the blonde explained that during their first meeting Enterprise was wearing similar armor albeit with the characteristic of Ship-girl rigging.

"They're the ultimate soldiers" Was all the spaceship said without elaborating further, obviously evading the subject altogether.

"Robots, perhaps?"

Somehow Baltimore doubted it, whilst their armor looked super heavy they also moved with the fluidity only organic could achieve. And those lightning quick attacks, coordinated and precise like a scalpel. "That doesn't sound like a viable answer. I mean, why employ humans when you can mass produce robots? It just doesn't make sense"

Enterprise herself told them that UNSC Marines were the ones taking the bulk of the war, hopping from one planet to another.

"Maybe they are expensive?"

"I wouldn't spare an expense when fighting against such an overwhelming force. Money included"

At that he just shrugged. "No idea, then"

Baltimore hummed, taking one final drag of the cigarette between her fingers before stubbing its burning tip against the hard metal she sat on and pocketing it. It would be impolite to just throw it inside Enterprise, she would dispose of the bud later. "In any case, it wasn't a power we can go against. She might have told us that KANSENs can easily fight off Covenant ground forces but we can't do anything against their spaceships even if we can land a hit. Even she isn't sure she can take them by conventional means"

The question was delivered by none other than Admiral Allenforth exactly at the end of the presentation. Enterprise had just finished wrapping it up with the destruction of her birthplace which was also the final bastion of Humanity, a planet called Reach with supposedly enough military assets to take over a whole world. Just like many others, it also fell in a blazing hue of red and orange.

"The Covenant. Is there a chance they might find this planet?"

"No reason to think they can't. I've been pointing an array of long range observation satellites into the deep space as an intrusion warning system but even so I can't detect a sudden Slipspace jump in time to react. They can just appear one day and I wouldn't know it until it's too late for all of us" Enterprise admitted. If the fact a galaxy empire hell bent in erasing mankind's existence suddenly appeared and murdered everyone bothered her she certainly didn't show it. "One thing for certain is that my people will never come through the Slipspace"

"How come?"

"This planet is well off our territory of mapped space, and with wartime situations we don't exactly have the resources necessary for further exploration. Additionally, I failed to congregate reference points such as stars, planets, and nebulas and cross-reference them with existing data. My conclusion is I was flung to a different side of the galaxy, far off from where my people are"

"Or you could be in an entirely alternate universe?" Cleveland proposed but Enterprise disagreed.

"The idea of alternate dimensions is as absurd as time travel. We've eleven observable and comprehensible dimensions but that's an entirely different thing"

The blonde shrugged. "Just saying"

"The Covenant is an uncertain threat, they might or might not appear so I say let's focus on what we have instead, namely the Siren. For now let's wrap this presentation up first, however, because you would do better if you understand them"

"I still can't believe it" Baltimore began, scooting back on the stacked crates so her legs dangle on their front. Her eyes lingered on the blocky white 'UNSC' on the otherwise green surface, fingers grazing the smooth metal. "A civilization that advanced hell bent to Humanity's extinction? and their only reason is because of their religious belief?"

An image flashed inside her head, a video Enterprise played shortly after she told them of Harvest.

"Your destruction is the will of the Gods... and we are their instrument"

Baltimore shook her head and felt a fear she never felt before settled deep in her heart. What happened next was what could be described as outright extermination, not even a war but genocide against a species. The Covenant attacked, rummaged, burned and devoured humans of all genders and age, systematically and brutally. If they thought it couldn't get worse than glassing, they were dead wrong.

Draco III was a beautiful planet.

"They also have technological edges against the UNSC. Whatever they throw at them is centuries ahead. And the UNSC is not primitive"

"Energy shielding... Directed Energy Weapons... armor and even their means of travel are superior" The Heavy Cruiser agreed, somewhat feeling the need to smoke again despite having just finished one. "It's like the Siren but far, far, worse"

"At least the Siren don't eat you" He said grimly, recalling a very unpleasant image of one of those avian like creatures gnawing on a human's leg. Like a rabid dog. "They just drive you mad"

"I don't know which is worse, honestly"

It was a false blessing he knew which was.

---

"So let me get this straight" David said, eyeing the person across from him with a scrutinizing look. They had left the Conference Room half an hour ago and were now standing on the middle of Enterprise's vast bridge, surrounded by flashing consoles and monitors alike. He didn't have the time to marvel at each of them, too busy processing what the Sakura Empire Commander had just said. "You are planning a military Coup against the Emperor based on the speculation he has been compromised by the Siren?"

His voice was rough and filled with disbelief, enough to upset other people that wasn't Alicia who merely grimaced and crossed her arms. "It's not based on speculation, Commander. There are patterns in this aggressive behavior if you look close enough into it!"

"All I see is the repetition of the Old War"

"Commander Allenforth has a point" Admiral Snow cut in before Alicia could respond. "You have us concerned to the point HIGHCOM deems it necessary to fortify Pearl"

"Which is regrettable. I know you lost a fair amount of citizens because of it but..." She bit her lip, mulling over her words. "But there's nothing we can do about it now"

If look could kill, she would be dead already with the way David glared at her. Alicia wished they could meet in better circumstances, she knew they would be friends with the way her sister spoke of him but this wasn't the best of situations.

Endure. She told herself, knowing full well the anger she received was fully justified. She had no right to protest against it, to show any sort of opposition because she was wrong. They were right and Alicia was wrong. They saw her as a representative of the nation that brought them hardships, the cause of unnecessary deaths, and she would forever be that way.

"So what do you imply?" Admiral Allenforth asked. He was by far the coolest head in this argument, always keeping his emotions in check. "You want us to help you? That's the whole deal you're coming here?"

"Yes... I require help from the UN"

"And what exactly is your plan? Storm Tokyo? Force your government to surrender? Because that is not going to work"

"I have a contact that will help me in the government. She's onboard to my idea but unless I'm fully certain I will succeed I don't want her to partake, at all"

David crossed his arms and scowled. "What about the people?" He queried, keeping his eyes locked on the woman before him. "What would they do?"

"A lot happened in those months after we seceded from Azur Lane... I'm certain they understand it's for the best"

"And if they don't?"

"Then my name would live as the biggest disgrace of my country, the traitor that betrays her own country" Alicia smiled bitterly, hiding her dread with a well crafted mask of bravery.

"This is stupid" David muttered distastefully. "I'm in for peace but this sounds a lot more like revolt. Push has come to shove and now you ask us to help kick?"

"Conflicts may be averted!" Alicia protested, angry and disappointed he wouldn't see reasons.

"You want us to get to Tokyo, the heart of the Sakura Empire! Not to mention the Imperial Palace. You guys built walls and fortresses on your coast with enough firepower to stop a full Siren invasion and you want me to send my girls through the thick of it?! Through the Okinawa Garrison?!"

"Then you must understand if it comes to open war the casualty will be enormous! More than what we might face if we go now!"

David opened his mouth, a retort burning on the tip of his tongue. What Alicia proposed was nothing but a brash action, an ill prepared operation he wanted nothing part of. The dawn of the Siren War saw the Sakura Empire massive military rebuilding, including bunkers and other military installations everywhere in their land and beyond. They had helped them, understanding that rather than limiting them it would have been better to let them take a broader reach.

It now bit them back.

Before he could say anything, however, the thick bulkhead leading to the bridge suddenly slid open, drawing all their attention towards it. Two familiar faces greeted them but it only served to make David confused.

"Enterprise? Helena? What are you both doing here?" He asked exactly the moment both girls stopped near him, but his question brought confusion to them too.

"I thought you called me?" The Aircraft Carrier Enterprise said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I didn't"

From her Captain chair, the Heavy Carrier rose up. Her quiet steps went unheard until she was a few feet away from the group. "I did" She simply said, casting her red orbs to her counterpart, expression hardening. "How long?" Enterprise harshly asked the silver haired girl, receiving a bewildered response from her.

"What?"

"Don't what me. How long have you been having that recurring nightmare?!"

"I frequent nightmares. You need to be more specific"

The ravenette scowled. "Code G"

Something unexpected happened in that exact moment, something that made David and Alicia stiffen.

Enterprise, who was ever so composed and impassive, suddenly gasped in terror, eyes wide and wild as she looked at the Heavy Carrier who merely narrowed her eyes in return. Her mouth trembled, trying and failing to contain the fear in her heart until in the end she twirled on her heels and attempted to flee from the ravenette.

Only to crash on David who subsequently grabbed her.

"Enterprise?! What's wrong?!" He demanded, looking between the girl in his embrace and the woman bearing the same name as she was. "What's a Code G?!"

But it seemed none of the Carriers were willing to answer, one was too terrified whilst the other was too busy scrutinizing her counterpart. He pushed aside his confusion to attend to the one clinging on to him, however.

"What's wrong?" He repeated, more gently and more slowly. Her face was buried on his uniform so it was impossible to make out her expression, not that matter since he could get a gist of it just from the way she shivered.

"You can see her, don't you?" The Heavy Carrier continued, disregarding the fact she just spooked someone so greatly she completely shut down. "Face similar to ours, hairstyle like mine but color close to yours, rigging much like yours but colored almost like mine"

"She's not— She's not real" Her voice was slightly muffled by David's uniform but it was obvious she was hyperventilating.

"She's real and she's here"

David raised his palm towards the Heavy Carrier. "Can you please enlighten us?"

Those sifting maroon eyes settled on him the moment he finished talking, making him bristle. Her eyes were just so odd, vibrant in color yet her gaze was anything but lively. It was almost like he was staring into a pair of dying stars, ready to consume and burn his very soul.

"Back in your office when we examined the Wisdom Cube she and I were drawn to touch it by some unknown force. We both passed out but we were put into this strange dream with burning sea and destroyed warships. She was there, and there's something else too"

"Something else?"

"The Ash..." Alicia whispered, drawing everyone's attention to her, even the frightened Carrier who slowly backed away to behind David. Enterprise's purple eyes were still locked to somewhere near her counterpart, though, a fact David was aware of.

"What's an Ash?" The ravenette stalked forward to the smaller woman, making her flinch from her sudden action. Being stared at by the three Union officers was one thing, getting her attention was another. Alicia swallowed her nervousness and began to explain.

"When... uh... Shinano told me of them. She said there are these... girls... who have resemblance to many Ship-girls from various nations in her dreams" She paused, averting her eyes to the distant space outside, deciding that the endless void was more welcoming than the slowly but surely intensifying red orbs before her. "They have no affiliations, no certain objectives that we know of or any clear intentions. They're only roaming the never ending seas for all she knows"

The Heavy Carrier Enterprise didn't say anything at first, her head tilting slightly to her side and her eyes lost their intensity for a fraction of second before hardening again.

Alicia failed to see the way the other Enterprise also moved her tentative gaze to the same side the Heavy Carrier tilted her head.

"So there's more..." She muttered, giving her counterpart one final glance before she gestured for them to follow her to the center of the bridge. "Commander Allenforth, regarding the conversation we had before"

David nodded. "Go ahead"

A split second later, a hologram sprung in front of them.

"Is that... a Carrier?" Admiral Snow asked, studying the green tinted image with avid eyes. It was an Aircraft Carrier for certain, a modern design at that. He couldn't make sure whether it was very big or the superstructure was just too small with more angular edges and less visible electronics but as his eyes traveled across it he came to other details.

The weapon systems were odd, there was no anti aircraft artillery visible. Instead it had these strange square boxes mounted on defensive positions and what resembled a Vulcan Phalanx in the mix. He scratched his chin, the weapon system was still under development and was expected to be perfect in a few more years with the advancement of computers so there was no way they had it installed already.

It was then he noticed the large gaping hole in the ship's starboard, just right above the waterline. Narrowing his eyes, the Admiral began to look for more battle damage but was surprised that a single hole was the only one.

"She's a Carrier, yes" Enterprise said and when nobody commented she continued. "A Gerald R. Ford-class Supercarrier CVN-80. USS Enterprise to be precise"

"From your world?" David drawled, unsure. There was something wrong here, something that told him he wouldn't like the answer.

"No. The one from my world was decommissioned in 2068 after her final service at the end of the Global Stability and Relief Effort Plan 2050 and kept as a museum ship. This one over here was destroyed by an enemy attack, analysis yielded result it was caused by People's Republic of China's anti-ship Cruise missile YJ-100"

"If yours was kept as a museum ship, then what is this?"

"This is what I found at seven hundred meters depth, three thousand kilometers off Sakura Empire's coast" She didn't even hesitate when she delivered the news. What came as a shock to even Enterprise was merely a report she must give. "The United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Germany and the rest of the countries existed in this world, too. But it was in the past. A war broke out for the third time, and in the frenzy they triggered the end of the world"

"This is the truth of this world"

---

Hope lies abandoned, suns set and rise on the Earth.

Soils and seas boil, nothing is left to shield the hurts.

Nowhere is safe.

Nothing is certain.

Nobody can ascertain.

None remains.

Except the duty of an ancient guardian, forgotten in the midst of her children. Thriving, thrilling, prospering.

And dying.

She stirred awake.

TBC.

Man, I feel like an ass.

So apparently Fanfiction differentiates the PM function between web and app, some messages didn't reach me and I only realized it when I checked through the web. A lot of people came asking me from months ago and I didn't even know. This is troubling, in all honesty, that's why if you guys have any questions I think it's better if you just leave it on the review section.

Moving on...

I don't really have anything to say except that I think I will need another chapter for this arc. These two chapters are my least favourite since they're so full of expositions so the characters don't really have moments to interact. I'm terrible in writing a scene where many characters are involved so I'll let you guys be the judge on these two chapters, please let me know what you think but I hope they turn out satisfactory.

One more thing I want to say is a bit of spoiler of Halo Infinite, so if you guys don't want to get spoiled you can move along now and spare yourself the trouble.

So, Infinity is presumed destroyed so far, correct? Though even if it's not true her status is still missing. I couldn't say I didn't predict this outcome where Infinity is either destroyed or disabled since she's probably the most OP ship out there and her presence wouldn't fit the whole setting of Halo Infinite but still, they could've made it more believable. 4 minutes is just too much, like she's supposedly capable of punching through even Forerunner starship yet fell to a bunch of Banished warships the size of, what, Marathon-class Heavy Cruiser? It's just unbelievable. I feel like they just betrayed my girl there by using her as nothing but plot leverage.

The only ways I can see this goes down are either a Guardian disabled her leaving Infinity vulnerable, a sabotage from the inside or just she suffered major damage and thus hardly combat effective. Perhaps it was written in a book or something? maybe someone can enlighten me.

So, that would be all I guess. I will add chapter 13 to show how the characters react to the information they got and then some before we move on to chapter 14. In any case, just hang tight and I will get it done for you guys (As long as I don't die or something because that would be suck).

Thanks for your support and patience, please leave reviews on your way out!

Peace out, guys.

My responses:

- No, there won't be any Covenant ship.

- Retrofit will not happen because a few small patches doesn't count as retrofitting. Will there be any special effect to the ships repaired with Titanium-A? Haha, perhaps?

- Spartastic, you've been following me since essentially day one man I really appreciate your continuos support. Unfortunately there's nothing I can do about my wrong take on Vestal's physical appearance, I could've sworn she was how I described her in the game but I was wrong. I don't want, or rather can't, to change her since it might throw everyone off so just bear with me please. Also regarding my 'unclear' description about who Enterprise met in chapter 9, I actually think it's clear enough compared to my original take. In any case, it's supposed to be vague.

- I met a reader in a game I play, so if you're reading this I just want to say hi.