"The Sirens...The Sirens...They took her..."
When everyone present heard what the fate was of the Tsubaki from Zuikaku META's timeline, the room dropped in temperature. The Sirens were the enemy of the Azur Lane and humanity. They killed completely without mercy. Everyone dreaded what was happening to the girl and what would become of her. "Oh, my poor Tsubaki, what are those monsters doing to you?" Shoukaku thought when she heard what happened, even though the Tsubaki Zuikaku META spoke about wasn't her own, it still hit the shipgirl incredibly hard; she wanted nothing more than to be with her own daughter right now, but she also had to help this version of her sister.
Putting a hand on her sister's shoulder, Shoukaku spoke to her in a calm and comforting voice. "Zuikaku, it's not your fault; I know you did what you could, so don't blame yourself - blame the Sirens." When Zuikaku META felt her sisters hand, her eyes widened, and she came to a realization - the people around her weren't spirits. They were real. "Sister, is that you? Is it really you!" she exclaimed. Zuikaku believed that the people in front of her had survived the attack on the Azur Lane HQ. She felt overjoyed that Shoukaku and everyone else here were alive. However, Shoukaku had a look of sadness on her face. She had to tell her the truth.
"No Zuikaku, I'm sorry, but we are not the same people you know; I am a different Shoukaku, not the one from your time," Shoukaku explained to the META. Zuikaku was crestfallen that this Shoukaku wasn't the sister she knew. However, before she could ask her what she meant, Enterprise, who had been quiet for some time, finally spoke up. "We know you came from the future. Every other META that we have encountered has told us similar stories of the future they arrived from, I trust this is the same situation as you?" Zuikaku was shocked. "I came from the future? And there are others like me as well? I can't believe it!" Zuikaku thought. "But what does the Grey Ghost mean by META?" Zuikaku pondered to herself. Zuikaku META had to find out what Enterprise meant. "Grey Ghost, what do you mean by META? I do not understand." Zuikaku asked.
To demonstrate to Zuikaku what she meant, Enterprise asked Vestal to get a mirror, and the repair ship left the room. A few minutes later, Vestal had returned with a mirror and handed it to Enterprise. Enterprise then held the mirror up in front of Zuikaku. When the META ship saw her reflection, she was absolutely speechless. "Is that me?" she thought, looking at her reflection. "No way! There is no way that can be me!" she told herself, looking at her reflection. Zuikaku could see her skin was deathly pale, her once brown hair had turned grey, and her eyes—which used to be brown—were now a blood red; she couldn't believe that she had changed so much. Enterprise then broke Zuikaku's train of thought by speaking again: "This is what I mean by META. All the other ships we have encountered have some similar features like yourself." She paused for a moment before continuing, "They also have enhanced combat abilities. Not all META ships we have encountered have been friendly. We have clashed with several of them." She finished by asking Zuikaku, "Are you friendly, Zuikaku?"
All of this information was getting too much for the META to absorb. "They have fought others like me? And they have stronger abilities?" Zuikaku thought to herself. Shoukaku then spoke up in defence of her sister. "Zuikaku has to be friendly, Enterprise!" she exclaimed. "If she wasn't, she would have attacked us by now! The METAs we have fought attacked us straightaway! I can't believe you have to ask that!" Enterprise listened to what Shoukaku said and came to the conclusion that she was right. "My apologies, Shoukaku," Enterprise said to the white-crane. "But I just wanted to make sure, we can't be too careful with the METAs."
John, who had been watching the whole exchange, then decided he needed to find out more about how she came here and what happened before. He had to know not just for this META's sake but also for her Tsubaki. There might be a way to help her with what she could tell them. "Zuikaku, I want you to tell me everything that happened leading up to when you got here," John said to the META. The KANSEN didn't want to tell everyone her story; she didn't want to have to go through everything that she had been through, seeing her sister die, struggling to survive and keep her niece safe, and the Sirens taking Tsubaki from her. To gain everyone's trust, however, she knew she had to tell them, with a sigh and a heavy heart Zuikaku META began to tell everyone her tale...
When she had finished speaking, everyone in the room felt pity for the META. They could not believe what had happened to her. Shoukaku especially felt the worst for her. "Oh sister, I am so sorry you went through all that," she said. John also felt pity for Zuikaku META, but he also learned some valuable information. "So the Sirens use portals to travel, and it seems they come from another time, but what time are they from? And why come here? If they wanted to, they could go back further in history and take over mankind while we aren't as advanced as we are now, so why haven't they?" John pondered to himself. The man also remembered one other piece of information. "And why have they taken Zuikaku's Tsubaki? Is there something special about her that warrants their interest?" Knowing what happened to the other Tsubaki, John knew he would have to keep an extra eye on his own daughter, while she was special to him because she was his flesh and blood, for the Sirens to have taken an interest in her that had to mean that there was more to his daughter than met the eye.
Now, knowing all he did and believing that this META wasn't a threat, John had to make a decision - where to take Zuikaku META before high command arrived at the Azur Lane HQ. He led the others, bar Zuikaku META, to talk outside the room; it would also give the shipgirl a few minutes to clear her head. "Alright, now that we can confirm that Zuikaku META isn't a threat, we still need to make sure that she isn't here when high command arrives," John said to everyone else outside the room. Shoukaku then thought of an idea. "Wait, my sister only needs to be off the base, but he isn't saying that she can't be at home. High command can check everywhere else, but they aren't allowed to check where we live. Technically, our home isn't classed as part of the base; Vestal can still treat her injury, and I can keep a close eye on my sister...that can work." Shoukaku then spoke up. "John, I have an idea." John replied, "Okay, let's hear it, Shoukaku." Shoukaku then explained her idea to her husband and her reasons behind it.
Once John heard his wife's plan, he said "Okay Shoukaku, we can keep her in the guest room, but Tsubaki can not go in there under any circumstances, Vestal bring what medical kit you can to treat her injury while you are with us," John continued. "Do you mind staying with Zuikaku META?" John and Shoukaku's home did have a guest room which Zuikaku sometimes used to stay over; that was the perfect place to keep the META ship. Vestal replied, "It's fine, commander. I will stay with her and treat her injury, I will bring what I can over tonight and collect more tomorrow." Enterprise didn't like this idea, though the reasoning behind it was good; there were too many factors with it that could go wrong. She voiced her opinion: "Commander, while I understand why she could stay at your home, I still think it's a bad idea. You have a young child, and with what happened to this Zuikaku's Tsubaki, if she sees your Tsubaki, who knows how she will react." John listened to this opinion and realized he and Shoukaku hadn't taken this into account. Shoukaku, however, answered Enterprise: "I will speak with my Zuikaku in the morning, I will tell her that Tsubaki will stay in the Sakura Empire building and explain the situation. While I don't want to be away from her for the next few days, Tsubaki should be fine. If Tsubaki wants me there as well, I will move into the building until high command has left. Then Vestal can take Zuikaku META back to the medical bay, and we can move back home." Shoukaku explained her plan.
Enterprise still wasn't completely on board, but decided to let her commander and his wife go ahead with their plan. Once the plan of action was decided, Vestal went to collect medical supplies, and she asked Enterprise to come with her to collect a wheelchair. A few minutes later, they both returned; once John was satisfied, they had everything they needed for tonight. Everyone went into the room where the META shipgirl was. Once everyone was inside, John spoke to Zuikaku META. "You will be coming to our home tonight, along with Vestal. She will treat your wound while you stay with us. High command will be here in a few days to inspect the base. They can not see you; once they have left, you will return here, and Vestal can finish up your treatment." Zuikaku META replied, "That is fine. I understand. I will be in your care, Commander." John felt a bit strange with Zuikaku calling him "commander," as she only called him that with other KANSEN bar Shoukaku present, but quickly remembered this wasn't the Zuikaku he normally knew. He then helped Zuikaku META into the wheelchair that Enterprise retrieved, and together, all four individuals left the medical bay.
Looking outside, everyone could see it was still dark, which they were relieved because this meant that all other KANSEN should be asleep. Everyone then started to head to John and Shoukaku's home before the sun started to rise. After some walking, they had arrived at the commanders' home. John opened the door and let Vestal in first so she could get ready in the guest room. John then scooped up Zuikaku META in his arms and carried her up the stairs to the guest room, leaving Shoukaku and Enterprise on their own. "I hope you two know what you are doing," Enterprise voiced her concern to her fellow KANSEN. Shoukaku replied, "We will be fine, Enterprise. I understand your concern." Enterprise still wasn't convinced, but realized it wasn't her problem anymore. She bid Shoukaku goodnight and left to return to the Eagle Union building to get to sleep, as it had been a long day, and she was exhausted.
Shoukaku brought the wheelchair in and placed it in the living room. She then went upstairs to check on the META version of her sister and Vestal. Heading to the guest room, she saw the door was open; looking inside, Shoukaku could see that the META version of her sister was asleep again, while Vestal had changed her bandage and had cleaned her wound. Satisfied the META was in good hands, Shoukaku went to her and John's room and found the man asleep in their bed. Shoukaku knew she should do the same, so she changed into sleepwear and followed suit. Before she drifted off to sleep, Shoukaku realized she would have to do a lot of explaining to her sister tomorrow; she also wanted to see her daughter, but until high command came and left, it had to be this way. Once her eyelids got too heavy, Shoukaku fell asleep.
Many miles away, a large fleet of ships was on its way to the Azur Lane HQ. On the largest of these ships, many men in military uniforms were sitting in the command room around a large table. These men were the high command, or admiralty, as they were otherwise known. All of these men were the heads of their respective navies, navies that had joined together to form one force to fight the enemy of humanity, the Sirens. All of these men were about to start a meeting, but they were waiting for one individual to arrive - the admiral of the combined fleet. Minutes passed, and eventually, the doors to the command room opened, and in stepped the admiral of the combined fleet, Admiral Robert Nelson. Nelson was a man in his fifties, with brown, balding hair and wearing a U.S. Navy uniform. He was a veteran of many conflicts and had received many honours. He was the man who agreed to the creation of KANSEN and the Azur Lane; however, due to certain past events, he was now starting to regret that decision.
"Good evening, gentlemen. I trust you are all well? Nelson asked everyone in the room. He received replies of "Yes" and "Thank you for asking." Nelson then took his seat at the head of the table. Nelson then began to start the meeting, a meeting about the Azur Lane. "I believe we all understand why we are here, correct?" Nelson said. "This is about the Azur Lane, or more specifically certain rogue KANSEN that have been attacking our fleets lately." The combined fleet had suffered attacks at the hands of KANSEN, and he was pointing the finger at John and the Azur Lane. However, what he didn't realise is that these attacks were caused by META ships.He knew John when he was a rookie officer and knew he was a capable commander. But with what had happened recently, he wanted to know if John was in some way behind this or if these shipgirls had acted on their own. That is why he wanted to inspect the base, if any evidence was found about these rogue KANSEN and John had anything to do with it, he would close down the Azur Lane and order the destruction of every single KANSEN, whether they were involved in the attacks or not. John would also be stripped of rank and thrown in prison for treason. Humanity already had to fight Sirens; they didn't have the resources or manpower to fight KANSEN as well.
One admiral spoke up. "One of my fleets was attacked a week ago. One destroyer was sunk, and many men were killed aboard. Several other ships suffered heavy damage. These KANSEN are too dangerous; they need to be gotten rid of." Another admiral then told his story. "The port that a fellow admiral and good friend of mine is in command of was hit. Five frigates in dock were sunk. Thankfully, nobody was on board. If anyone had been on those boats, hundreds would have been killed. Several buildings were hit by shells. By a miracle, no one died, but many were injured. Admiral Nelson, I implore you to shut down the Azur Lane. Humanity can fight the Sirens with the developments in technology happening at a rapid pace. If you don't, we will be fighting a war on two fronts." Hearing these stories was starting to convince Nelson that the Azur Lane needed to be closed down. But many under his command believed that the KANSEN were the best chance at defeating the Sirens. If he closed it down now, it could cause a huge mutiny. That's why Nelson knew he needed undeniable evidence; with it, the Azur Lane could be closed down without the possibility of any insubordination. He wanted this inspection to yield that evidence.
The doors to the command room then opened, and in stepped an ageing man in a lab coat. "Please, gentlemen, enough about destroying the KANSEN; you can not see the potential that they possess." The man said to everyone in the room. Another admiral then spoke to this man. "Stop trying to defend the KANSEN, Kowalski; you haven't seen the damage they have done." The man in the lab coat was a scientist by the name of Borys Kowalski. He was a man roughly in his sixties and had thinning grey hair. He also was of Polish descent. He was an expert in cybernetics, human anatomy, and weapons development. To many, he was a pioneer in his fields, but to others, he was a man of questionable ethics and morals. He had been accused of being involved in morally bankrupt experiments on people and animals but was never tried and convicted. Kowalski was a man driven by results. He wanted humanity to ascend to the next level; he believed that the KANSEN are what humanity should aspire to be next, which is why the man had such fascination with them. Especially one KANSEN in particular, the shipgirl known as Enterprise.
Nelson saw Kowalski enter the room; the admiral never really liked the scientist. However, he did admit that, due to his development of weapons for humanity, the man had his uses. Even with the accusations thrown at Kowalski, Nelson knew the man was needed; humanity was fighting for survival, and he could look the other way as to what Kowalski did to improve their weapons, as long as he got results. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your company, Kowalski?" Nelson asked. Kowalski replied, "You really are quick to judge the KANSEN and the Azur Lane. I remember not too long ago, many of you were singing their praises. That you were glad for their creation. Now, due to a few rogue KANSEN, you want them all destroyed? Tell me, if it wasn't for them, how many people would have died? Remember, these beings have saved many of your men. And you are now calling for their complete destruction. They have been better humans than us, and they aren't even human; we should strive to be like them." This speech caused several admirals to reconsider their original idea of getting rid of the KANSEN, but many were still not convinced; they believed the KANSEN had become too dangerous.
"Say what you want Kowalski, the inspection is still going ahead, we can afford to lose the KANSEN if it needs be, weapons are being developed and improved as we speak. I'm not going to go back on my decision, we will destroy them all if I find the evidence that I need to, so your speeches won't work on me, get back to your lab and do your job, you make and develop the weapons, us men of war will use them." Nelson said to the scientist. Seeing that he wasn't going to convince the Admiral, the scientist left the command room to let Nelson carry on with his meeting. "Fools, damned fools, all of them," Kowalski muttered to himself as he walked back to his lab on the ship; he couldn't believe that these men wanted to destroy these amazing creations. They were the pinnacle of weapons development in his eyes, developing normal weapons was child's play, these beings to him were perfect.
As Kowalski entered his lab, a creature stood before him. This creature was in the shape of a human female, but her skin was a deep blue, and her eyes were white and completely empty. This creature was a Siren, a Siren by the name of Predator. Kowalski had come into contact with her a short time ago; he believed that with cooperation between the Sirens and humans, humanity could advance even further. He was willing to make a deal with the devil to achieve that goal, despite humanity and the Sirens being enemies. Shutting his lab door behind him, so no one heard their conversation, Kowalski then spoke, "What are you doing here, Predator? Contacting me like this is dangerous. If anyone finds out you are here, Nelson will send every man available to destroy you." Predator, however, didn't seem fazed by what the scientist said. She had come here for a reason, one that would benefit them both.
"I have my reasons for being here, human. They regard the KANSEN." The Siren said. Kowalski believed it was about the Shipgirl Enterprise. Both he and the Sirens were fascinated by her. She was the pinnacle of KANSEN they both believed. "I take it this is about Enterprise?" The man asked. The Siren, however, shook her head and told the man "No human, while Enterprise is still of great importance to us, there is another KANSEN we have taken interest in, someone more valuable." This piqued the man's interest, for someone else to be more important than Enterprise they must mean a great deal to the Sirens. "And who would that be Predator? You have my complete interest." He asked. The Siren grinned then explained who she meant "You know of the human commander of the Azur Lane, correct?" Kowalski nodded, he knew of John Grey, he had seen the man twice before on previous inspections, Kowalski didn't think much of John, to him he was just a standard military man, but why did Predator bring him up he wondered. "Did you know that he has a daughter?" The Siren asked. Kowalski didn't understand where the Siren was going with this "No I didn't, Predator, so he has a daughter. Where are you going with this? tell me."
The answer the scientist received completely shocked him when the Siren told him "The daughter of the human commander…her mother is a KANSEN."