Disclaimer [read by Z23]
The following is a nonprofit fanfiction. AZUR LANE and all associated characters are property of Manjuu Ltd., Yongshi Ltd., and Yostar Games. Please support the official release. Awaiting your arrival at port, Herr Commandant!

Steel Oceans Under Different Skies

CHAPTER 3: START YOUR ENGINES

When I came back into the waking world, I noticed two things. First, it was dark, and second, Vestal had a small frown on her face, the kind that belonged to someone who'd clearly been trying to wake someone up for a while and was becoming progressively more annoyed with said task. "There you are," she said, a note of relief in her voice. "Sheesh, I leave you alone for an hour, and when I come back, you're dead to the world. You must have really needed the sleep, huh?"

"Yeah, something like that," I replied, stretching. I let out a massive yawn, and the feeling of waking up after a good night's rest settled over me. "Damn, I slept like a rock. You sure it's only been an hour? I feel like I slept a week."

Vestal frowned. "I've been trying to wake you for the last fifteen minutes, and nothing worked. Honestly, I was starting to think I'd need to bring out a bucket of ice water."

"Sorry, guess I was just really tired. Didn't mean to cause a fuss."

Vestal smiled. "It's alright. I understand. You've been through a lot. But, judging by your rate of recovery, you're going to be alright. So far, I've not identified any lasting effects from the lightning strike. Just some minor electrical burns on your arms and torso, and the shock to your nervous system. The good news is, the burns should heal up within a few days, and it looks like your nervous system's taken care of itself, for the most part. So, with a bit of rest, and some proper food and drink, you should be right as rain."

"That reminds me, do you guys have any Mountain Dew? I could go for a glass or two."

"Mountain... Dew? I'm afraid I've never heard of that before."

"Oh, it's a carbonated soft drink, a popular brand in the States, where I'm from," I replied.

Vestal sighed. "Sorry, sir, the only carbonated soft drink we have is Oxy-Cola. That being said, it's really good. Here, try some." She grabbed a bottle from the side table and handed it to me.

What immediately jumped out at me was the strange symbol on the front of the bottle, like five benzene rings attached to each other side-to-side. "Uh, what's with the symbol?"

"The symbol? Oh, that's the logo of the Oxy-Cola Corporation," Vestal answered.

"...And you're sure this won't kill me if I drink it?"

"Of course. Why would it kill you?"

"Uh, it's just... we don't have a symbol like this back home. In fact, it's kind of an odd symbol in general. I think that's... picene. You know, a hydrocarbon left over from the distillation of petroleum? That's not exactly making me think it's safe for human consumption."

Vestal shrugged. "I mean, we Kansen drink it all the time."

"Yeah, but you're Kansen. You guys guzzle oil - I mean, literally, actual oil - like it's water, so maybe I shouldn't use you as the baseline." I raised an eyebrow at her. "Unlike you, I don't have a stomach made quite literally out of scrap metal."

That got a chuckle out of her. "I assure you, Commander, it's perfectly safe for humans," she assured me. "The ingredients are listed on the back, if you want to read them."

"Yeah, I might do that." And so, I turned the bottle around... only to find that the ingredient list outright matched Pepsi's. "Huh. Looks like the only real difference between this and a Pepsi is the name, and the symbol. Well, I guess the only thing left to do is give it a try, then."

So, I opened the bottle and gave it a sniff. Sure enough, it smelled exactly like a Pepsi. So, I took a sip... and damn, did it taste exactly like a Pepsi! With a smile on my face, I proceeded to take a much deeper swig of the bottle; even if this world didn't have Mountain Dew, there was at least a carbonated, caffeinated soft drink that would do the job, and damn did it taste good. "I'm guessing you like it?" Vestal asked, an amused smile on her face.

"Yeah, this stuff is great! Tastes just like the stuff back home!"

"Well, I'm glad. It's always nice to see someone enjoy a bottle of Oxy-Cola, and it's not very often that we get to see someone experience it for the first time."

I took another deep swig of the Oxy-Cola. "Honestly, if I hadn't seen the weirdo logo, I'd have thought it was the real deal. But, hey, tastes good, so who cares, right?" My thoughts then shifted to the future. "So, how long do you think it'll be before I'm out of this gurney, anyway?"

Vestal shrugged. "We're keeping you here in the infirmary for observation overnight, but... given your recovery rate, you should be out of the gurney and walking around in the morning, no problem. After that, just a little rest and recuperation, and you'll be back to your old self. Or... new self, as the case may be. Enterprise is gonna put you through a crash course in commanding the fleet, though, so don't expect a whole lot of down time. Speaking of which, we need to figure out a name for our new Commander."

I thought for a moment. "Name's Tyler. Tyler Smith. And I'm gonna be King of the Pir- no, wait, wrong universe."

Vestal laughed. "Oh, you. Alright, I'll inform the higher-ups, then. And... welcome aboard, Tyler."

"Glad to be here, Vestal. And I can't wait to start kicking Siren butt. That reminds me, though... how long was I out?"

Vestal patted my shoulder. "About seven hours. It's 2300."

"Was I really that friggin' tired?" I grumbled. "No wonder it's dark out."

"Yes, you were. But, you're awake now, so..." Vestal yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. "I guess it's getting a bit late for me, too. Try to get some more rest, Tyler. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Vestal." And, after another yawn, she departed, leaving me alone in the infirmary with my thoughts.

I sat there, thinking about everything that had happened. "Ah, fuck..." I muttered. "Mom's probably worried sick about me. And... and I'm worried sick about her. She's probably got no idea what happened. She'll be out looking for me. Hell, by now, the police'll be involved, and..." A lump formed in my throat. "...I'm stuck here. I can't go back, and there's nothing I can do about it. She's going to think I've vanished off the face of the Earth, and there's no way I can get a message back to her. Man... I just wanna go home."

Groaning, I fell onto the pillow and tried to keep the tears out of my eyes. "I can't do this," I whispered, my voice shaking. "I'm not the person they need me to be. How can they think I can save the world?! I'm... I'm just an ordinary guy, I'm not some great military genius or whatever the hell they're thinking. All my knowledge is just book learning, it's not like I've actually fought in a war before, and..." A single tear slid down my cheek. "...I'm gonna fail. I'm gonna fail, and I'm gonna take the world with me."

Then I remembered that terrible future Shinano had shown me. The dead skies, the dying ocean, the desolate landscape. Nagato, a Kansen from the Crimson Axis, dying in my arms, telling me that we'd failed. "...No," I growled. "No. I can't. I have to find a way to stop that future. Even if it kills me. There has to be a way to change things, and I'm going to find it."

A sense of resolve settled over me, and I laid back, closing my eyes and relaxing. "It's going to be alright," I muttered. "Everything's going to be alright. This... is my chance to make a difference. A chance to change the world. And I'm not going to waste it."

And, with those thoughts, I fell asleep.


I awoke the next morning to birds chirping, a bright blue sky, and EAGLE. I won't lie, I screamed like a little girl; after all, seeing the face of a notoriously surly North American bird of prey staring at you from only a few inches away is a rather jarring sight. The creature's yellow eyes stared at me unblinkingly, and it ruffled its feathers in response. Then, it screeched at me, flapping its wings. "Ah, crap!" I yelped. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"Commander, are you okay?" Vestal asked, appearing at the door, only to catch sight of the bald eagle perched on my chest, its face mere inches from my own. "...Grim! What are you doing?! Aren't you supposed to be with Enterprise? Come on, off the Commander, you silly bird!"

It had no intention of moving, though. Rather, the bird - Grim, as Vestal called him - simply stared at me, its head cocked, its eyes locked on mine. Then, the bald eagle effectively sat down on my chest and folded its wings. "Uh... help?" I said. "I don't want to move, and I'm not really comfortable with the idea of getting talons to the face."

Vestal sighed. "His name's Grim Reaper. He's Enterprise's bird; got the guy from Yorktown, in fact. Although I'm surprised he's not snapping at you... he usually snaps at anyone who's not Yorktown or Enterprise."

"I feel honored," I intoned. "Seriously, though, get him off of me."

Vestal reached towards the bird, but as soon as her hands came close, Grim's head snapped around, and he let out a screech, ruffling his feathers and flaring his tail. "See what I mean?" Vestal remarked.

As I made to get up, Grim got off of my chest... only to perch atop my head. "Ow," I said as its talons dug into my scalp. "...Vestal, if this thing leaves a present in my hair, I am not going to be happy."

Grim let out an indignant screech. "Grim's an eagle, not a seagull," Vestal chuckled. "Eagles don't do that. Besides, he's an indoor bird, not a wild one. So, he knows better than to drop a present on your head."

I reached up, gently nudging the eagle. To my surprise, I wasn't immediately missing a finger or two. "He doesn't seem hostile, at least."

"Oh, no, he's not. Grim's actually pretty friendly once you get to know him. He's just... normally, he doesn't warm up to anyone else besides Enterprise and Yorktown."

I smiled. "Well, looks like he and I are already starting to hit it off." I carefully reached up, extending a hand towards Grim. He watched it, cocking his head as it got closer. And yes, he did nibble at my hand, but he didn't draw blood, or crush any bones. Instead, he simply nibbled, as if testing the meat of a fresh kill.

Grim let out a squawk before hopping onto my arm, and I could almost swear that, in his eyes, I saw him give a look of approval. I simply shrugged, an action Grim mimicked before squawking again.

Then, Enterprise entered the room, catching sight of Vestal. "Ah, Vestal, there you are. Have you seen Grim anywhere? I left him in my quarters, but when I woke up, he was gone, and..." She trailed off, seeing the bald eagle perched on my forearm. "...and there he is. I'm sorry, Commander. Grim doesn't usually get up to mischief like this, but every so often he gets bored and likes to go exploring."

I nodded, extending my arm and letting the bird hop onto her shoulder. "Yeah, mischief. Like scaring 20 years off my life. Thanks a lot for that, Grim." Grim let out a little chirp, sounding awfully smug.

"Sorry," Enterprise replied, giving the bird a light scratch under the chin. "He's a good bird, but he has his moments. Although... it's rare for him to warm up to someone so quickly."

"I don't know what I did to earn his approval," I replied, "but I'm not gonna question it. It's a pleasant surprise. As for exploring, yeah, I can kinda understand the itch to spread one's wings, even if it's just going somewhere new."

Enterprise smiled. "That's good, because you're gonna have a lot of it."

Vestal smiled. "Before we go anywhere, though, it's probably best to do a physical, just to make sure there aren't any lingering side effects from the shock. Just sit tight for a few minutes, Tyler, and we'll get started."

I sat down, and Vestal ran me through the standard battery of tests - heartbeat, blood pressure, reflexes, vision and hearing, and so on. All of them turned up perfect, and by the end of the test, Vestal was smiling. "Alright, looks like everything's normal. No permanent damage from the shock. And... you seem to be a fit and healthy young man. You've got some muscle, and while your weight is a little on the low end, it's not unhealthy. In short, you're in good shape. In fact, I'd say you're well enough to be discharged from my care for the time being. Just... please, check back in every once in a while."

I nodded. "Don't worry, Vestal, I will. Now, shall we get going?"

"Sure thing," Vestal replied. "I'm sure Enterprise's got a busy schedule for you. We'll see you around, Tyler."

I grinned. "Yeah, see you around."

With that, I followed Enterprise out of the infirmary, Grim sitting happily on her shoulder. Enterprise, however, looked a bit grim-faced as she delivered the news to me. "There's... something I should tell you. In the wake of the incident involving the lightning strike, the Kansen of the Azur Lane expressed concern over your mental state... memories, personality, that sort of thing. So, for the time being, they've transferred their command to the leaders of their respective factions, and even the leaders - including myself - are acting more or less autonomously for the time being. The reason is that we're trying to get a better handle on you, to get an idea of how you'll interact with the other Kansen, seeing as you're effectively a whole new Commander after that lightning strike."

"Makes sense," I replied. "I mean, it makes sense, considering I'm not really the same guy they had a couple days ago. I guess I should expect to be treated a little differently for the time being. I'd feel the same way if our positions were reversed. So don't worry, Enterprise, I'll do my best not to cause any problems."

Enterprise smiled. "You know, you're taking this surprisingly well. Considering your position."

I chuckled. "I mean, what else can I do? Sit down and cry? I'd probably do that, but it's not exactly going to help the situation. Besides, it's not like the Kansen can really get a better handle on me if I'm moping around like a kicked puppy. Might as well try to be productive and get right to work."

Enterprise grinned softly. "Now, that's not to say you'll be starting from a totally blank slate. Both the Eagle Union and Royal Navy held a vote among their respective members to see which ship they would send as your... erm... 'Starter Squad' of sorts. And... the votes were unanimous."

I raised an eyebrow. "And? Who did they pick?"

Only then did I realize we stopped in front of the door to the mess hall. "Why don't you see for yourself?"

With that, she opened the door... and I saw three other Kansen there. The first was a woman sporting long blonde hair and cyan eyes, wearing a sort of frilly one-piece outfit consisting of a black, skin-tight top and frilly lace skirting. She also wore elbow-length grey arm warmers and white gloves with lace trim, and white thigh-high stockings with identical lace trim on the end, as well as elegant grey and red high-heeled boots and a gold and red crown atop her head. "Ah, Enterprise, I see you've brought the... 'new' Commander," she said in a haughty British accent.

Enterprise smiled gently. "Your Majesty," she replied, giving a bow, indicating that I should do the same with a gentle nudge... and so I did, with a look of mild shock. "Commander, meet Queen Elizabeth, the leader of the Royal Navy. Or, as I like to call her, 'Her Majesty'."

I blinked in shock, then quickly regained my composure. "A pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty," I replied, still a bit in disbelief at the sight before me.

She gave a curt nod. "Yes, yes, a pleasure, I'm sure. As you've probably guessed, I am the one in charge of the Royal Navy, and it is my responsibility to see that it remains strong and ready to combat the Sirens." She then gave a concerned frown. "Although, given the... er, incident, it may not be such a simple task. After all, you are a whole new person now. And we don't really know if you're quite the same Commander."

"Enterprise told me the same thing," I replied, nodding. "Don't worry, I ain't mad or anything."

Elizabeth nodded. "Well, that's... definitely a point in your favor, I'll give you that. Now, onto the others, yes?" She indicated the other two Kansen present, both smiling at me; one stood in front of Queen Elizabeth, while the other stood at first on her own... that is, until Enterprise stood behind her.

Only then did I get a good look at the two Kansen; sure enough, one was from the Eagle Union and the other from the Royal Navy. The former was a red-eyed, white-haired girl with long twintails held together by hairclips with bunny ears. She wore a blue-and-white tanktop-like garment with a red skirt underneath, over which was a pink jacket with rolled up sleeves, while on her legs, she wore white thigh-high boots with red soles. All of that was well and good, even if she had a tired look on her face... but then I saw the brown bottle in her hand which was all too likely to hold alcohol, and I was instantly concerned. 'Great, what do I do? She looks like a minor, but... aaaahhh, screw it, old enough to kill, old enough to drink,' I thought.

Then, with a yawn, the girl introduced herself. "Benson-class destroyer, Laffey, awaiting your orders..." A couple seconds of silence followed, and then the newly-introduced Laffey said, "Commander, these ears aren't real... you don't need to stare at them..."

"O-Oh, sorry, Laffey," I stammered.

Then, I focused on the girl standing in front of Queen Elizabeth, a light purple-haired girl with a little hairclip and a small crown atop her head. The rear of her hair was tied off in a ponytail by a bow, and she had what looked like a bear-head hood 'round her neck that seemed to attach to a white top via blue button-up straps, resembling a tank top of sorts. Then, there was the way-too-short tartan-skirt combo around her waist, and she also had black socks and blue boots clothing her feet. With a smile, the girl saluted and said, "I'm Javelin, Commander. Nice to meet you. Oh ho? You look like you have no idea what to do with a girl of your type being assigned to you!"

"You weren't assigned, you were picked in a vote!" Queen Elizabeth chided.

"Ah, yeah, you're right! I'm sorry, Lizzy," Javelin giggled. "It's not my fault I'm so popular, ho ho~"

"You are not that popular!" Queen Elizabeth sighed. "Forgive me, she gets like this... she has no concept of 'not showing off'..."

"Hmmm... judging by Laffey being a destroyer... I'm assuming you're a destroyer, too. J-class, correct?"

Javelin's eyes widened. "Wow, you're good at recognizing ship classes. How did you know?"

I shrugged. "Let's just say I'm a nerd, and leave it at that. Anyways, Javelin, Laffey..." The next moment, footsteps could be heard echoing through the hallway. "...who the hell is that?"

Enterprise gave a thoughtful frown. "That's odd, I didn't know she was coming today. I know she handed us an intent to defect to Azur Lane, but..."

"Wait, someone defected to Azur Lane?" I asked. "Who the hell was it?"

Then, the doors burst open, revealing the girl who had stepped into the room, and when I saw her, my jaw hit the floor. 'Aaaaaand that completes the EN Starter Squad,' I thought, for there in front of me was a dirty blonde-haired girl with lavender eyes wearing a sleeveless shirt of sorts with black on the sides and white down the front, as well as a small cape with red inner layer just off the back. On her feet rested dark red socks and red boots sporting a cuff with the typical Iron Blood cross on it, and she wore a similar cross in her hair. "Guten Tag, everyone!" she announced, her voice bearing the telltale accent of someone from the Iron Blood. "Did I miss the introduction?!"

"Nope, you're just in time," I replied, still a bit floored by the fact that this girl had apparently defected from the Iron Blood. "But, uh, could someone explain the whole Iron Blood girl standing in front of me, please?"

Enterprise cleared her throat. "Oh, right, introductions. Commander, this is Z23. She's from the Iron Blood, but she recently contacted Azur Lane about an intent to defect."

"Z23, huh? Nice to meet you," I said, extending a hand.

Z23 shook it, smiling. "Guten Tag, Herr Kommandant! I am Z23. Let's study hard together and aim for the top!" she said enthusiastically.

I smiled back at Z23, a little confused. "So, what brings you to the Azur Lane?"

"Bismarck... she and the rest of the Iron Blood, I fear, are going, how you say, 'Cuckoo for Siren Tech'," Z23 explained, her smile fading. "Even more so than normal, I mean. So, I slipped out when I could. Though I don't think Bismarck even cared that I was gone. She simply said, 'Ally yourself with jellyfish, then. We will have no need for the weak.' That was it."

'We might be closer to war than I thought...' I thought. "Well, you're welcome to the Azur Lane, Z23," I replied. "Iron Blood or not, you'll fit in fine. Besides, we need all the help we can get."

"Danke schön," she replied, grinning. "I appreciate that, Herr Kommandant."

"Looks like we've already got a little multi-faction fleet goin' on!" I said, smiling widely. "So, what do you say, girls?" I held out a fist. "Ready to kick some Siren butt?"

"Hell yeah!" Javelin shouted, enthusiastically bumping her own fist into mine.

"Yeah... sounds fun," Laffey murmured.

"Ja, I am!" Z23 exclaimed, following suit.

"Then let's do it!" All four of us raised our fists high in the air with a cheer.