Chapter 8
*September 7th, 2023: ...I know it's been awhile since I actually wrote in this thing, but with things the way they are and all... yeah, now or never I guess.
Honestly? I'm nervous as fuck, scared shitless, and would love NOTHING better than to not have to go out there and command my girls to fight and maybe even die against the Sirens. Yeah, I know. That's why they were created in the first place and whatever, but fuck that. I don't want to lose them. I don't want to die either. Fuck, fuck, fuck!
Can I really do this? Will I fuck this all up and give bad or shitty orders?
Will my girls be okay? Oh, right, and I can't swim for shit.
...I seriously need a stiff drink, but yeah, no.
Man, if I'm this bad sober, then drunk me would be a hopeless wreck.
...Anyway, venting/rant session over. For now, anyway.
...
Y'know? writing out all this shit really did make me feel better. Still, I really, REALLY hope these aren't my last words. Ngl. It'd be embarrassing as fuck if somebody found this later and realized how much of scared little shit I was. Call it useless male pride or whatever but yeah... *
xxx xxx xxx
- Pacific Ocean: Area C-222 -
[Explorer Unit 419 to Operations Leader Tester: Multiple unknown energy signatures detected entering within range of our assigned patrol area. Distance, 700. Orders?]
[Operations Leader Tester to Explorer Unit 419 and all other surrounding patrol units: Commence 'Open Observation' pattern 31-C. Engage only if it is confirmed that the unknowns contain an aerial combat support carrier and/or accompanying shipgirls. In which case, switch from 'Open Observation' to 'Gradual Probing' patterns 11-A through 25-E. Contact for further instructions if/when the situation should change. Otherwise, ignore them unless the unknowns present a clear threat to the operation.]
[Explorer Unit 419 and all other surrounding patrol units to Operations Leader Tester: Understood.]
xxx xxx xxx
"...Ahh~! Take a good, long whiff of that sweet, salty ocean air!" cheerfully exclaimed a tall and buxom long haired bluenette wearing a rather form fitting (and very flattering) skintight outfit as she glided along the water's surface with her glittering, equally vibrant blue eyes taking in the sight of the world outside her island home while the petite light aircraft carrier, Unicorn, shyly nodded in reply while their petite pinkette fleet leader giggled at her friend's antics. "Hmm? And what's so funny, huh? Got something to say, Pinky?" New Jersey asked in a teasing tone while looking over her shoulder.
"No, no it's nothing. I guess seeing you so excited like that just helped calm my nerves is all," Saratoga honestly replied with a soft smile. In that moment, the normally hyperactive and loud pinkette gave off an aura very much like the 'Big Sister' she often claimed herself to be. At least, that's what New Jersey and Unicorn thought when they saw her anyway. "...Hmm? What is it?"
"Huh?"
"It's just, you're both looking at me like this is the first time we've ever met or something. Is everything alright? If you have something on your mind, you know you can always talk to your Big Sister Sara!" said the little aircraft carrier with a wink before twirling into her characteristic little idol pose and somehow generating sparks to go with it.
New Jersey just smiled seeing Saratoga back to her usual and more familiar, silly self. "...'s nothing. Just that you really did look like a 'big sister' there for a second, that's all. Kinda caught us off guard for sec, hehe."
"Hey! I'll have you know that Sara is totally a Big Sister, so of course I'd look like one! Right?"
"Hahahaha!"
Meanwhile, while New Jersey and Saratoga were preoccupied, Unicorn simply let them be for now to quietly enjoy the feel of the cool ocean breeze against her skin instead while letting her body move on autopilot for a while.
...
...Or at least, she would have anyway.
xxx xxx xxx
[Confirmed: 2nd generation 'Kansen' units detected. Repeat: 2nd generation 'Kansen' units detected. Now shifting over from 'Open Observation' to 'Gradual Probing' protocols. All units, begin with scenario pattern 12-B]
With practice and fluid synchronized motion, every Explorer type executor and their escort Pawns, Knights and Bishops simultaenously turned their guns on the still unaware Liam and the others...-
...
[...Commence opening barrage!]
-...Fired.
*BOOM! BOOM!*
xxx xxx xxx
- On the bridge of the Liberty -
"Wide area enemy artillery fire incoming! Directions: ten o'clock port side and two o'clock starboard! Distance: 300!" called out Enterprise from her console. "Estimated impact in just under a hundred seconds!"
"All Escort combat fleets, pull back to the rear and let the Liberty tank the shots! We will then commence begin firing our own guns to cover you as you move in to counterattack!" Liam ordered as he glanced down at the combat reports the girls and Metis were quickly sending his way. "Deploy reactive energy barriers and shift over to combat speed one! We're gonna charge in and force the enemy formation in half so the girls can take them on one at a time!"
"...A bit risky, but I do agree that it's likely our best option now that we've lost the element of surprise. Fortune favors the bold, after all," Metis commented as she ran through various simultaneous combat scenarios to see how her Commander's orders would likely play out. "But, that's assuming the enemy doesn't have any more surprises waiting for us anyway."
"Our submarines haven't detected anyone else so we 'should' be alright for now," Liam replied, quickly going over their reports from the last ten to fifteen minutes. "Still sucks that they got the jump on us though..."
Metis nodded. "True, but all that really means is that whoever they were waiting or searching for must be a high priority target for them. It also confirmed that we really couldn't afford to ignore them after all... If they're this trigger happy now, imagine what they'd have been like if they began seriously trying to search for Outer Heaven instead."
"...Yeah. We'd be screwed," Liam agreed, shuddering a bit at the thought. "We'll have to do whatever we can to drive them off. Besides, something like this wasn't outside the realm of possibility for us, right? That's exactly why we decided to use everything we had and not hold anything back."
"True. And speaking of which," Metis then turned her attention to the three very busy maids currently working frantically to coordinate the two fleets of shipgirls as they moved to go on the offensive against the now divided enemy lines on either side of the Liberty. "It might not have been a bit rushed, but it looks like our training has paid off, at least a little."
Liam nodded, thankful for at leas tnot having to go into this battle completely lost and blind. "...Yeah." 'Still, I wish we had a bit more time. Or maybe that's just me worrying too much? Who knows... Hindsight and all that...'
...
"This is Sirius to escort combat fleet leaders Prinz Eugen and Saratoga. Enemies currently number roughly twenty units apiece with the majority being mass produced Pawns and Knights led by humanoid Explorers. They're fast, but shouldn't be anything you can't handle. The Liberty will back you up with covering fire, so keep your comm lines open for the warning."
[This is Prinz Eugen. Understood.]
[Sister Sara here! Roger that~!✩]
Meanwhile, Sheffield was working furiously to calibrate the Liberty's reactive shields, cursing her lot in life the whole time. 'Tch! Dammit all to hell! Why did I let those two talk me into deciding who gets what job with a blasted game of rock-paper-scissors!'
- With Prinz Eugen's fleet -
*BOOM!*
"Uwaaa! Too close! Blasted mass produced Siren wretches!" Vampire shouted with pure, haughty disgust as she narrowly evaded another round of fire from the two Pawns in front of her, even managing to knock a shell away with her unique, chain and anchor-like tail. "Tch! How dare you! For you soulless little puppets to think to bare your fangs at me! ...Know your place!"
Anger fully roused, the now very incensed silver haired noble vampire(?) summoned forth a blood red rapier to her right hand from within a swirl of rose petals, complete with a flourish before aiming her own guns at the now distracted mass produced Sirens. Meanwhile Belfast, who happened to be headed her way after finishing off her own enemy units, could only lightly giggle at her fellow Royal Navy fleet sister's rather showy antics. Eugen, on the other hand, could only shake her head and sigh at the petite silverette's theatrics.
"...Is she always like that?" Eugen, who hadn't actually spent much time with Vampire herself(not counting the time she had ignored everyone other than Laffey during one of their more recent drinking contests that is), couldn't help but ask.
"Oh yes. Lady Vampire is quite the lively one indeed. Especially when she gets caught up in the moment like this. Just ask Master Liam after she's had one too many glasses of wine and feels the need to 'feed on his most sweet and delicious blood'," Belfast replied, smiling a bit at the memory of the absolutely priceless look on her beloved master's face during the their first night together carrying out her 'nightly' duties.
"...Oh~? Now you've got me very interested..." Naturally, Eugen wasn't going to let this prime bit of future teasing/blackmail material escape her scheming grasp so easily now that she'd caught wind of it.
"Later, I promise. And only if you get more kills than I do, Lady Eugen."
"Oh, you're on!"
- Meanwhile, a little further behind the three 'vanguard position' shipgirls -
"She really leans into the whole gothic-y 'noble vampire' with dark magic aesthetic, huh? What with the rose petals and all," Kii remarked, mildly impressed and amused at the smaller, silver haired and twintailed beauty in action with blade in hand and guns blazing in a whirlwind dance of death, flower petals, and haughty insults.
"A little too flashy for my tastes, but I won't deny the results," Jean Bart calmly replied. "Then again, Alabama there probably takes the cake. What with actually kicking the ones unfortunate enough to get to close to her and all..."
And, true to her word, the very athletic and sporty looking Union girl put her toned and slender legs to good use as she sent another unfortunate Explorer tumbling backwards before finishing the very stunned Siren off with her mounted 356mm main guns. "...Eat this!"
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!*
Incidentally, and much to Liam's relief to be quite honest, defeated humanoid Sirens didn't leave behind flesh and blood corpses upon defeat, instead exploding into tiny fragments of light and foreign nanomaterial thanks to Sirens being essentially supremely advanced androids themselves. Liam and the others believed that this was likely the secret behind their seemingly endless numbers and ability to carry out highly coordinated blitz tactics.
"And that takes care of that!" Alabama declared with a proud, if subtle, grin and twinkle in her eye before moving on to help Eugen and the others. Just then, however, a call came in from the Liberty.
[Liberty to combat escort fleets 1 and 2: Energy charge now complete and we will soon commence the first round of covering fire roughly thirty seconds from the end of this transmission. Take cover girls!]
"Alright, you heard the Kommandant! MOVE!"
xxx xxx xxx
A literal rain of fire and death covered the sky above before the first explosions rang out from the combined assault of the Liberty's artillery fire and shipgirls' own guns and bomber squadrons. In a matter of moments, the entire battle situation completely turned around when the Sirens made the mistake of pushing in too far, too fast and left themselves wide open for a sudden barrage when they took the bait and focused on chasing them down instead of keeping their distance; a situation the Explorers in charge were quickly and desperately trying to deal with before all of their current forces were wiped out right then and there.
[Explorer Unit 323 to surrounding forces: Status report.]
...
[Explorer Unit 419 to Explorer Unit 323: 75% of total right flank combat forces either crippled or taken out completely. Unable to continue engaging. Recommend either retreat and regrouping, or move and reorganize our remaining forces to reinforce and support the left flank.]
[Explorer Unit 323 to Explorer Unit 419 and accompanying surviving units: In accordance with the overall objectives as outlined by Operations Leader Tester, it is highly advised to retreat and regroup back up with the main fleet. We only need to test them, not actually beat them.]
[Explorer Unit 419 to Explorer Unit 323: Understood. Withdrawing remaining forces.]
With roughly under half their total forces left, the remaining Sirens, under the general leadership of Explorer Unit 323, decided to initiate one final offensive and see just what these new kansen were capable of. If nothing else, the data they would collect and send back to Tester would aid them with their true mission regardless of the outcome.
[Explorer Unit 323 to all remaining forces: Prepare to shift to the second stage of the probing operation: You are now authorized to release limiters and increase individual unit combat power by 15% for the remainder of the engagement. As long as combat data is sent back to Operations Leader Tester then suicide attacks are permitted so long as the test subjects have a higher than 50% chance to safely evade in time.]
With a chorus of affirmatives, the remaining Siren forces once more went on the move, beginning the next round of their battle marked with the deafening roar of artillery fire and torpedoes.
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- Several minutes into the shipgirls' second engagement with the Sirens -
"...Nnn! Go, away...!" quietly hissed the blonde little zapper as she discharged another blast of super charged bio-electricity at the Knights chasing her.
*ZZZZAAAAPPPP!*
Thanks to being on the water, Eldridge's already potentially dangerous and deadly attacks were enhanced, nearly doubling the amount of damage and completely halting them in their tracks as all their systems shut down and locked up from the shock, even temporarily cutting them off from the shared network they used to communicate and coordinate their actions. Seeing her handiwork, there was no way the little blonde 'wasn't' going to take advantage of that golden opportunity. Meanwhile, and off to the side, Anchorage was obliviously cheering happily for her blonde fleet sister without a care in the world while Black Prince just shook her head and sighed at the little zapper's antics and Anchorage's reactions.
"...Zappy, zappy! So cool...!"
"...These girls, I swear. Just what was the Commander and Metis thinking, mixing up the fleet comps like this..."
[Oh come on, don't be like that. Besides, Sister Sara is SUPER happy that she gets to have such cute little sisters on her team! And a fellow pinkette too! Just enjoy the moment, will you?]
"...Really? Can't you take this more seriously, Miss Sara?"
[Oh, but Big Sister Sara is always serious~!✩ Besides, it's not like being overly serious would do us any good, especially for these girls; which is why Liam made sure to assign them to the same fleet with plenty of reliable big sisters to keep an eye on them, like yours truly~!✩]
Despite Black Prince being unable to refute anything the smaller pinkette said, she still couldn't help but roll her eyes. "...Uh huh, right."
Just then, and before the two could say anything further, Anchorage had decided to join Eldridge with the two ending up looking like they were playing around more than fighting at this point. Luckily, there weren't as many enemies around thanks to the Liberty's earlier attack. New Jersey and Saratoga, who was still talking to Black Prince, were busy keeping the rest away from the childish pair with Eugen's group.
"...Eldridge, so cool...!"
"... 'V'!"
"Well, at least they're staying on task, if nothing else. Anyway," Black Prince then reconnected with Saratoga. "We're finally done here. Do you want us to meet up with Miss Eugen's group, or hang back and guard the Liberty?"
[We've got it handled here, so just patrol the Liberty. We should be done soon anyway.]
"Roger that," Black Prince then turned and called over to Eldridge and Anchorage. "Come on girls, time to take a stroll and make sure no one gets too close to Liam, okay?"
"...Keep Liam, safe? Okay!" 'Good job means headpats... and lap!'
"Go, go!" 'Keep Teach safe means headpats and reading time!'
Without waiting for their fellow vanguard's reply, the two dashed off ahead, apparently hoping to see which one of them could get there first and prompting Black Prince to lightly shake her head before following after them. 'Well, I suppose making sure they stay out of trouble is a big sister's job too, right?'
- On the bridge of the Liberty -
"...Wow. I, seriously didn't expect that to work out as well as it did. Huh, lucky us I guess," Liam remarked to no one in particular, letting out a sigh of relief, before frowning slightly after giving it a little more thought. 'Though, that still felt a little too easy. I mean, would the Sirens really be caught off guard so easily like that? Especially when they were able to get the jump on us in the first place?'
"Commander? What's wrong?" Metis asked, seeing the slight frown on Liam's face.
"...Just, I'm not really sure what to make of what just happened, I guess. Like, don't you think their formation crumbled a little too easily there? I mean, I know we got them in a surprise attack too but still. I know I'm no expert on these things or whatever but..."
Metis shook her head. "No, you're right. They got us first and pushed their advantage right after. We might have succeeded in giving our girls some breathing room just now but... the Sirens really shouldn't have taken nearly as many losses as they did. That really was too careless of them even if the Liberty was an unknown variable and somehow managed to surprise them..."
"...Hey. You don't think that they 'let' us hit them like that, do you?" Liam asked, voicing the only idea that made any sense at the moment. "Like, maybe they wanted to test what we could do? I mean, they have the ability to just keep pumping out more of themselves seemingly without end, so maybe they're okay with just... throwing away numbers like that if they think they can learn something from it...?"
"...That's true. Such behavior was quite common for them during the early years of the First Siren War... Wait, if that's true then-"
"-Incoming enemy reinforcements!" Enterprise shouted from her console currently observing the battlefield. "Distance: 200! Numbers: roughly sixty, with the bulk being humanoid Executor types with one very high level signal at the head of their formation... *gasp!* Signal match confirmed! It's an Elite Command Unit!"
"...Well, fuck me...!" Liam groaned, facepalming and cursing their incredibly bad luck. "Well that clinches it. They baited us, and good too ... shit."
"You're probably right," Metis conceded, frustrated that she, a supposedly hyper advanced combat AI loaded with decades worth of combat records concerning the Sirens, could have missed this. "We hadn't seen them use these sorts of tactics in over half a century even after they returned, so it's no wonder we didn't notice... Dammit! And there was no reason why I shouldn't have thought of something like this either!"
"Well, AI or not, this is your first time in the field so don't feel too bad about it," Liam said reassuringly before turning his attention back to his three maid bridge crew. "Enterprise, keep an eye on the enemy and send that info to the others. Sheffield, get in touch with the submarines and call them back, then tell the reserve fleet to get ready to sortie. It's earlier than I'd have like but oh well. Sirius, begin charging the bow mounted ether cannons and resetting our reactive shields in time for the next wave!"
The three blondes nodded, each giving their affirmative before quickly moving to fulfill their Commander's orders.
"You're holding up rather well for a rank amateur. Even looking the part of a real Commander, even if only a little bit," Metis half praised, half teased. Liam, meanwhile, just shrugged and smiled somewhat sheepishly.
"Fake it til you make it, right? Seriously though, my mind's running a mile a minute and I'm honestly scared shitless."
"Still, you really are doing a good job."
"Hehe. Thanks."
- Liberty: Reserve fleet deck -
"Looks like things are getting serious..," Peter Strasser thought aloud as she went over the latest sitrep Enterprise just shared as she and the others prepared to head out.
"Oh, but that's quite fortunate for us, no?" Akagi said with a predatory smile on her face and matching glint in her eyes.
"I agree with the sly vixen," Taihou added while waving her tessen about, causing small crimson flames to flicker in and out, her eyes glowing ever so brightly with anticipation.
"...And of course you two battle maniacs would be excited..," Strasser muttered with a sigh, resigned that she'd likely have to let them do their own thing once they actually got outside. Meanwhile, Ayanami and Javelin were still trying to wake up the ever sleeping Laffey.
"Hey, Ayaya. I don't think just shaking her is gonna get her up..," Javelin said from looking over her often spacey fellow destroyer's shoulder. Ayanami, or 'Ayaya' as other seemed to like calling her for whatever reason, just looked back and asked back.
"Well then. What do you suggest we do?"
Hand on her hip and with an all too smug grin on her small and cute face, Javelin quickly produced a certain soda and uncorked it before stepping closer to the sleeping little rabbit. "Just leave it to me, kay? I've got this."
Ayanami just quirked an eyebrow but didn't reply, instead just stepping back and watching as the ponytail'd purplette held the freshly opened oxy-cola bottle close to Laffey's nose. The results, were instant.
"...?"
With speed faster than one would think possible, said freshly opened oxy-cola vanished and was being chugged down with reckless abandon by one lavender haired, twintailed bunny themed, ever sleepy destroyer complete with a soft little burp of utter satisfaction at the end before producing another fresh bottle from... somewhere.
"...Holy crap, that actually worked? And where does she even keep pulling those from...?"
Javelin just shrugged. "Who knows. Anyway, Laffey's up now, so it's whatever, right?"
"Hey, I hate to intrude on your cute little merrymaking, but it's time to go," Strasser said, getting the three destroyers' attention.
"...Time to go?" Laffey asked, not really knowing what was going on since she only just woke up.
Strasser nodded. "Ja. We've got Sirens to fight."
This statement seemed to perk up the little rabbit as a strangely, fierce light shone in Laffey's normally perpetually sleepy looking eyes.
"Oh, and we'll apparently be facing an Elite too," Strasser added.
"...Roger that..!" Laffey replied, now fully motivated and awake... well, as 'awake' as she could manage anyway. Ayanami and Javelin simply nodded and silently followed after their taller Iron Blood fleet sister.
"Alright girls, I don't know what to expect out there but keep an eye out all the same and remember not to act on your own. Got it? Good."
[Metis to Strasser Fleet: The enemy will be closing in less than seventy-five seconds. Get ready to head out.]
"About time!" Akagi said, her own crimson eyes flashing with anticipation.
...
*BBBOOOOMMMM!*
However, just as Strasser and the others were about to go and join the others, the Liberty began to violently shake and tremble from the sudden impact of something striking against and breaking through the aerial carrier's reactive energy shields and knocking them all off balance and onto the floor.
- A few moments earlier; at the head of the incoming Siren formation -
"..."
Not one to waste time and wanting to make a good first impression, Tester aimed all of her beam cannons affixed to her vaguely manta ray shaped rigging at the flying ship off in the distance and, without warning, fired them all.
xxx xxx xxx
*BBBOOOOOMMM!*
Alarms blared loudly as the Liberty buckled under the strain of multiple high energy blasts breaking through its shields and striking against the aerial carrier's reactive armor reinforced hull.
"...Oof! Ah, fuck!" Liam hissed as he fell and hit his head on the ground. "What the hell was that!? And is everyone alright?"
"Moderate damage to the Liberty's port side. Luckily, the shields took the brunt of the attack before collapsing," Enterprise replied after checking and double checking the incoming stream of damage reports, paying special attention to the reserve dock and happy with what they found. "Luckily Strasser and her fleet managed to safely deploy and are meeting up with the others."
"...Well, that's good. Anyway, deploy whatever repair drones we can spare and get things patched up as quick as possible, then turn the Liberty around to face the enemy fleet as fast as you can! And make sure our main ether cannons are charged and ready to fire! They want to hit us with a surprise attack, then we'll hit them right back and then some!" Liam ordered as he sat back down onto his seat and worked on bandaging his head.
"Yes Master!" said all three Royal Maids in unison.
"Metis."
"Yes?"
"Can you check and see if the girls outside are alright?"
Metis nodded. "Leave it to me."
"Great, thanks. Once you get in touch with them, tell them to get behind the Liberty and prepare to go on the offensive once we fire off the main, bow mounted ether cannons."
- With the incoming Siren fleet led by Tester -
"..." 'Hmm. That aerial carrier's shields actually managed to absorb most of the energy from my cannons. Granted, I might have gone a little overboard on the energy output so I was a little worried there for a second there, but they managed to weather it all the same. I wonder what they'll do ne-Huh!?'
Tester's thoughts were abruptly cut short when her long range sensors suddenly picked up a large, rapidly incoming high energy signature headed her way from the direction of said unknown flying ship.
"...Shit, that might actually hurt...!"
A few seconds later, her whole world was swallowed up in the blindingly bright light of insanely hot, super charged, weaponized ether that sent up loads of steam up into the air, interfering with the Sirens sensors even more.
...
*BBOOOMM!*
Moments later, anyone unfortunate enough to not evade in time and get caught up in the blast radius of the Liberty's main ether cannon was engulfed in a violent maelstrom of magical energy, fire and steam forever to be vaporized only to leave nothing but ash to be scattered on the wind.
"...Oh man that was close...!"
Sadly for Liam and the others, Elite Sirens didn't earn their titles for nothing, and Tester was certainly no exception as she deactivated her light bluish spherical, multilayered barrier made of countless hexagons just large enough to barely cover the entirety of her own personal fleet. Then, after taking a moment to catch her breath, the scantily clad, golden eyed Siren stared at the approaching Liberty, eyes glinting with excitement accompanied by a very satisfied smirk.
"Better than I expected. Very good, very good. And almost just as powerful as the suppressed barrage I used but a moment ago too. Still, I can't imagine such a powerful weapon can be fired consecutively, which means..."
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"...And of course she'd be able to block that attack..," Saratoga groaned.
"Well, she is an Elite, so y'know," replied New Jersey, patting her on the back in a comforting manner.
"Feh! Elite or not, she's still going to fall like all the rest. I'll make sure of it myself!" Akagi confidently declared, eyes flashing with excitement at FINALLY being able to cut loose and vent her rage from the Siren's earlier surprise attack.
"Not before I roast her on a spit first!" hissed out an equally livid Taihou who was actually emitting crimson flames as she spoke.
"Wow those two are pissed," New Jersey cautiously observed while taking a small step back, both from the heat and the sheer amount of killing intent the pair were letting out.
"Well, you would be too if you almost got crushed by a pair of falling, very heavy metal door," answered Strasser, frowning a bit recalling that particular memory.
"From when the Siren hit the Liberty?" Saratoga asked.
Strasser nodded. "Ja. They rushed in and pulled our three little vanguards away just seconds before they came crashing down on top of them. 'Pissed' would be quite the understatement for how angry they are... And that's not the only reason though. I think you get why, right?"
"...They actually attacked the Commander directly..," Saratoga answered, her normally vibrant lilac eyes dulling and darkening with the dark flames of an ungodly terrifying wrath that just seemed so very, very wrong on her.
"...Big Sister Sara is really scary...!" Unicorn whispered while shaking like a leaf and hiding behind Kii, Alabama, and Jean Bart while tightly clutching an equally trembling Uni to her surprisingly well endowed chest.
"Alright, that's enough of that ladies!" Eugen called out from the front of the three fleet formation with a rare air of authority and seriousness in her voice so unlike her usual teasing playfulness. "The enemy is now just barely in range of our guns!"
Half a beat later and like a powerful magic spell was cast, all eighteen shipgirls shed all of their earlier silliness, fear, and everything that could get in the way of the battle to come as they aimed and prepared to unleash their well earned vengeance.
...
"...Und, feuer."
And then, with a swing of her gloved hand and a single phrase, the shipgirls finally opened fire.
xxx xxx xxx
"Take that!" Javelin shouted as she removed her spear from another Knight before moving away and launching a quick burst at the two Explorers foolishly headed her way, their own swords in hand and guns ready to fire back, with similar scenes playing out all over the place while the leaders of the four respective fleets were busy 'privately getting acquainted with one another' a little ways off from the others with the Liberty occasionally offering cover fire safely in the background.
'Well now, they certainly recovered quickly after my, admittedly a little aggressive, 'greeting'. Still, they aren't my primary targets though, so just who are they then? Well, not like it actually changes anything though. They fit the testing variable conditions I was given so I suppose it doesn't really matter in the end. Besides...' Tester then wore a feral smile as she deftly evaded Saratoga and Strasser's bombers while simultaneously blocking Eugen's saber with her own lance, sparks erupting from the impact of their weapons clashing. 'Huh. That's not a bad strategy. The two aircraft carriers bombard me with endless planes and cannon fire while the heavy cruiser charges in and forces the match into close quarters combat rather than relying on her guns, meanwhile, the aerial carrier covers the other shipgirls and keeps the rest of my forces away. Well then, let's just see how this goes for a little while longer before pulling back.'
"...I don't like that look on her face," Strasser commented with some annoyance while watching Eugen and Tester's little melee and waiting for another opportunity to strike.
"Why? I mean, sure that's kind of a scary/smug smile and all, but..."
"Because it's like she's just playing around. Like she isn't really taking us seriously at all."
"...Um, she is an Elite Siren y'know. Maybe that's just how they are? Like, all cocky and battle crazy?" Saratoga posited, not entirely sure what to make of the enemy before them herself, having never actually met a real Siren before now.
Strasser shook her head before letting loose another squad of bombers. "No, it's not just that. Anyway, let's put that aside for now and focus on making her take us a little more seriously instead, ja?"
Saratoga smiled at the taller ravenette's suggestion. "Oh, I like that idea! Let's totally make this a three on one dance! It's a perfect chance for Big Sister Sara to show off her stuff too!"
Minds made up, the pair of aircraft carriers summoned their own weapons from the same unique 'subspace pocket' that housed their riggings and quickly moved in to join their silver haired fleet sister and really put some pressure on the smug Siren in front of them.
xxx xxx xxx
A/N:
AAANNNNDDDD... That's another chapter down!
1. Sorry, I know I said I wanted to released this at the end of the month, but stuff came up and I couldn't get to editing until Saturday afternoon. My mind just wasn't in it... Not really an excuse so much as simply being honest... Again, my apologies.
2. I had fun writing up this chapter. Admittedly, it's a bit all over the place jumping around scenes and all, but I think that accurately reflects the nature of how hectic things could get in battle, and remember... this is their first real one against the Sirens. That in mind, I wanted to be sure that I showed that by adding in moments entirely from their perspective.
3. The submarines are around but haven't made a proper appearance yet, but I plan to have them play a bigger role that'll give Liam and the others an edge in their first fight and and provide a better excuse for Tester to leave since she still has a mission to complete and a target to deal with.
Anyway, I hope you all enjoy and see you next release!