2024.

Main Siren Stronghold, Northern Atlantic Ocean.

"This is looking promising, for once. Compiler, get the teleporters ready. The rest of you, take notes on Azur Lane's progress in this timeline. They have exceeded expectations this time." A small pale-skinned girl lazily says as she cuddles a plushie. "A very big leap in progress from last time."

Another girl, taller and a lot more awake, chirps up, "Maybe it's due to that pilot? What's his name? Warwolf?"

"It seems unlikely one human in a plane can do this much, Purifier. Although stranger things have happened in precious timelines." The lazy one replies.

The one known as Compiler, who looks quite similar to the sleepy girl, says with very little emotion, "Observer Zero, The Kansen draw nearer than before. Operation Siren in this timeline has almost become successful. Preparing to open portals to the next timeline. Preparing current timeline for the archives."

Alarms ring out, but not for the advancing Kansen, girls who possess the souls and weapons of historical warships, who glide across the surface of the water launching shells, bullets and planes from miniaturised warship guns and runways. Their opponent, the Sirens, have been waging war against them and humanity, but nobody knows exactly why, or even where the Sirens came from. All they know is that the Kansen are the last hope for humanity, and Operation Siren has helped them push the Sirens back to their main stronghold in the middle of the northern Atlantic Ocean.

Instead, the alarms are for a system failure. Their portal generators suffer from some sort of anomaly. Zero becomes more alert than she usually is and warns, "All Siren units, increase shield intensity to maximum power and brace for unknown destinations."

The more emotional Sirens cling to their own versions of the Kansens weaponry, although theirs are mechs based on sea creatures. They all get pulled into their portals as their Stronghold finally collapses when a big red cruise missile hits it and detonates its tactical nuclear warhead…

1995.

Near the Skully Islands, Spring Sea.

Waking up, another smaller Siren looks around and finds herself floating on the water in the middle of the ocean. "Hmm… how interesting…" she sees one of her taller comrades. She shakes her awake. "Empress, get up."

The taller one stands and demands, "What happened? Observer Alpha, where are we?"

"The middle of the ocean?"

"Don't start! Your damn sass is the last thing I need!" Empress yells. Her rant is cut short when they see a couple of brightly-coloured planes fly overhead at high speed…

"Navy Island", Skully Islands.

Two MiG-29 fighter jets rush to intercept the enemy contacts that had just appeared on the radar. A Kansen of a recently Awoken Cruiser scans the skies and horizon for them. She'd heard the stories. The stories of the Phoenix and how he can take down entire enemy fighter and bomber squadrons without suffering a single hit. She prepares her AA guns to protect the port and the insurrectionist humans that had Awoken her. Not long after the MiGs flew out of sight, two F/A-18 Super Hornets join them after having lost contact with the previous interceptors.

After losing contact with all four planes, the Cruiser Kansen prepares for the worst. Out of the clouds, her enemy appears. A white F-15 with blue stripes and red flames. She would've assumed it was an airshow performer if it wasn't armed to the teeth and flying straight at her. She focuses her guns on the plane and fires all she has, cursing herself for not being a Carrier.

She's surprised when the pilot of the strange plane doesn't even flinch as his plane simply dances around her CIWS defence system and getting too close for her Phalanx to be effective before launching a missile right into her bridge, right before pulling out of the dive.

"Shit!" She shields herself with her arms as the front of her bridge is blown up, launching her back. She's just barely able to look up to see the oil tankers of her base get bombed by the very same plane just as their wingman turns up to help destroy the planes still on the runway of the base. "Dammit…" her stern helipad gets another missile bang in the centre as the ATC tower of the base crumble after being destroyed. "Who the hell are those pilots!?" The Cruiser yells out. She grabs her long range radio and contacts her fellow Kansen serving the Skully Islands Insurrectionists. "Anyone, respond! I need help… I… I'm sinking… the Federation… they have… top aces… Navy Island… has fallen…" she passes out and collapses as she feels her hull sink further and further into the deep port…

It doesn't take long for the Insurrection to retaliate. The port had been captured by the Federation and now they want it back, even if they have to rebuild it from scratch. They send a squadron of high altitude bombers, including B-1s, B-2s and B-52s. Of course, the same pilot that had been sent to capture the base is now the one defending it. Naturally, Phoenix doesn't even break a sweat before he is back on the tarmac and awaiting his next mission…

The middle of the Skully Islands Archipelago.

Phoenix has become a legend amongst both the Federation of Central Usea and the Insurrection. He is the leader of Scarface Squadron. The Skully Islands were once controlled by the Federation, but a coup occured and war had broken out. The Insurrectionists are better equipped than most had expected and can even Awaken Kansen, which at first gave them a massive advantage as the Federation could not… however, they are now growing desperate, thanks to Scarface Squadron's work in severing their supply lines. They have even committed their "Mother Ship" to the battle. She stands on her bridge overseeing the transport fleet she is guiding. She smiles upon them and prepares the fighters on her flight deck. She had been warned that the Phoenix is near, and he is looking for more prey. "Fear not, my children, your Mother will protect you."

She launches her aircraft and has them form up to face Phoenix. An escort Cruiser Kansen asks her, "Mother, do you think the ace will stand a chance against us?"

"I mustn't lie to you, my child. That would set a bad example, but the truth is not very comforting either. The human known as Phoenix has already proved himself capable. He has shot down many of our own human pilots and has sunk one of your sisters. You just remain on guard—"

Their conversation is cut short by an explosion coming from one of the transports. They shift their attention and arm their CIWS guns. Mother senses her F-4s get picked off one by one by the Phoenix. "Ah… this is rather worrisome…"

"Hold on, Mother! I got them!" The Cruiser limes up her CIWS and shoots down one missile, only for another to smack right into her AEGIS system, leaving her defenceless as her guns stop working. "No!"

Mother stares as her little friend gets blown out of the water by more Air-to-Ship missiles. She focuses on keeping the remaining transports safe, but most are already gone. "The Phoenix… the white plane with the red flames…" she sends all her active planes after him, but he and his wingmen make quick work of them, leaving her defenceless as they bear down on her Carrier. "No… my children… I'm so sorry…"

Insurrection HQ.

Months later, with the loss of the Mother Ship, the Insurrection faces defeat. They have lost their Kansen, their Air Forces, their Bombers. All to Phoenix. The leaders all bicker amongst themselves and one of them turns to the girl sat on her mechanical Kraken rigging. The man points at her and shouts, "… and what about you!? You promised to support our revolution! You have contributed nothing to our cause! This is your fault!"

Observer Alpha smiles, "Oh, you have no idea, do you? Of course I have contributed. I have merely been waiting for you pathetic humans to quiet down so I can deliver some good news to you."

"What?" The room dies down.

"Thank you. Wasn't so hard, was it?" The girl says. "This is what I offer you. A small, simple bit of the power and technology I have promised you." She shows a hologram of a new weapon that is sure to turn the tides in their favour again, even against the damned Scarface Squadron…

A very strange Kansen stretches her legs and arms, yawning as she's finally been woken up from a nap. "Is it finally time to go? Ok…" She looks out her windows and sees the ocean. Far below her. Her ship is an airborne fortress making its way into the airspace of the Skully Islands. "Weapons check, good. Ready to attack."

Usean Federation Air Force Base.

Phoenix is briefed on the emergency situation and he's about to race to his F-15, but his wingman instead leads him to a new one, painted the same way. A big smile appears on his face and he runs up to it.

The flying Kansen does more stretches and checks her radar. She sees what seems to be a signal the size of a bumblebee approaching her at Mach 2. "What the…?" Before she can finish questioning it, two missiles fly at her massive engines…

Just now noticing the size of the Airborne Fortress, rather than being intimidated, Phoenix smiles at the change of pace. Plus, a bigger target means he's far less likely to miss it. He coolly radios his HQ to request a search and reassure for the airship's Kansen before he's even finished with her.

"Ah! Dammit!" The Kansen yells out as she takes more hits. She focuses all her attention on Phoenix's F-22 Raptor, not noticing the other members in their own with their tiny radar cross-sections. She takes a lot of fire from Scarface Squadron, who obliterate her escort planes and her airship. After putting up her fight, she can stand no longer and she starts going down with her behemoth of a ship. Scarface Squadron breaks off while hearing the news that the coup has failed and the Insurrection has capitulated with the loss of their backup plan.

Insurrection HQ.

The council of Insurrectionist leaders stare down the pale girl, who just shrugs and says, "Oh, well. You tried. I got what I wanted, anyway…" she opens some kind of portal and disappears through it.

"Well…" one of the leaders says, "…shit…"

Leaving the leaders not knowing what to do, the pale girl returns to the Empress. She starts, "Your Majesty, the human coup has failed. The Airborne Fortress we developed for them was destroyed." She informs.

The Empress hisses, "I cannot believe this species is so incompetent even in alternate realities… so how many did it take to bring her down, Observer?"

The Observer adds, "Just a handful of skilled pilots in fighters, Your Highness."

The Empress stares at her blankly for a solid minute before responding, "…what?"

"The team known to the humans as "Scarface Squadron", Your Evilness." The Observer mocks.

Ignoring her sass, The Empress puts her hand to her chin to contemplate. She says, "Hmm… ace pilots… just like the ones that we fight in the last timeline… perhaps this reality is more similar than we thought… let's wait a few years, enough time for claims about you existing to die down, and let's try again. Let's see if this squadron can live up to the legend they've just created…"

"As you wish, Your—"

"ENOUGH OF YOUR OBNOXIOUS QUIPS, OBSERVER!" The Empress yells as she slams her fist on her throne, which resembles some kind of mechanical shark. "At least tell me you've managed to find out the history of this reality!"

Giggling to herself, pleased she managed to annoy her, The Observer nods, "Actually, Empress. I found a few key points."

"Then start from the earliest to now!"

"Of course." The Observer complies, "The earliest event I have found thus far is about a group called the Belkan Knights, rising to power in the northern territories of what is now known as Osea. From then, Stier Castle was constructed in Belka in the 1100s, King Aurelius manages to quell infighting in Emmeria, and then transitions the country from a Kingdom to a Republic…"

Getting bored already, the Empress demands, "I mean the history of Naval Combat here! I swear, if you've filled your head with trash about anything else, I will tear off your goddamn scalp and scoop it out personally!"

Rolling her eyes at the empty threat, the Observer sighs, "Just thought you'd be interested in anything else. Yes, the first recorded naval record I have found is about an Osean Admiral forming the Osean 3rd Naval Fleet in the 1500s, which is still active right now, and they've just launched a new Carrier as well as Awakening its Kansen."

The Empress' expression softens somewhat, "Kansen? Here? Continue."

The Observer spends the next few hours regaling the Empress with events happening concerning the evolution of naval warfare in this strange timeline, and how she hasn't yet found anything on how Kansen were created without Sirens. The higher-ranking woman says, "Very interesting developments… it seems humanity has evolved in more or less the same way as the normal timelines… now they have Aircraft Carriers, Cruisers, Destroyers, Auxiliary ships, even Battleships, although it seems many of them are still in active service… and they've somehow Awoken multiple Kansen…"

"Yes." The Observer nods, "I know not how they were developed without our intervention. Perhaps they figured out some other way to do it without Wisdom Cubes."

"Impossible. The Kansen were designed meticulously down to every hair on their heads, based on the will of the people they fight for. That would not be possible here, unless…"

"Hmm?" The Observer asks, curious.

"Well… It's not very likely, but not impossible…"

In a hangar somewhere in the world, an experimental plane sits as technicians and scientists run tests on it. The design is very far ahead of its time, thanks to the aid and technology of an unexpected benefactor, who stretches her arms as she yawns. She'd just taken a short nap after explaining for the millionth time how the massive weapon stood on the back of the plane behind the canopy works. She looks up and asks the man stood there, "…what?"

The scientist pushes up his glasses and says, "We're about to test the new Zoisite weapon, Miss Purity."

Purity smiles and stands up, "About time. I wanna see if you've finally worked it out. What have you eggheads called the plane, anyway? I'm curious. Maybe something cool like what the Eagle Union called their naval planes in the Pacific War?"

The scientist looks at her like she'd just grown a second head, "The who in the what?"

"Eh, nevermind. So… the name?" Purity asks, her yellow eyes focused on him.

"Well…" he adjusts his glasses and looks down at his clipboard, slightly blushing from the attention she's giving him. The way she's dressed isn't exactly modest. "We've designated this aircraft as an Advanced Dominance Fighter…"

"Sounds kinky." Purity giggles.

"Ahem, yes, so we decided to abbreviate it to ADFX."

"X? What's that stand for?"

"Experimental." The scientist clarifies.

"Wouldn't that make it the ADFE?"

"…Anyway, as it's the first of its kind, it is the ADFX-01. We have incorporated the weapon you allowed us to replicate as well as a similar Electronic Countermeasure system we have designated, "Morganite."

"Could that be something to do with you being team leader, Morgan?" Purity teases.

Morgan smirks, "Well, when you get to design a revolutionary new piece of technology nobody has ever made before, you have a chance to have your name immortalised. I may never have that chance again."

"Heh, fair enough, I guess." She shrugs. "It's a shame I couldn't get more tech for you. I'd have to find my friends first. They have stuff like AI pilots, pulse engines, fuel-air explosive bombs…" she gasps, "OH! Wait, I actually have that last one! Wait here!" She runs off to her room to look for the plans.

Morgan just stares at her as she leaves and whispers, "…fuel-air explosive bombs? But we were about to test the Tactical Laser System…"

Far away, two new Kansen Awaken in a port somewhere in the continent of Usea. The identical twins, so alike that only their eye colours separate them, sit up from the tables they woke up on and are greeted with loud cheering by scientists. The red-eyed Folkvanger looks at her blue-eyed sister Fensalir in confusion. One of the scientists gets on the phone and the two Kansen hear him say, "It worked! The Dragonets have been Awoken!"

Author's Note: Hello and welcome to my third ever story! I will be working on this one and my other one, Iron and Blood at the same time so I don't get burned out on it. I apologise if I get any Ace Combat events wrong, but I love the franchise and I was curious as to what it would be like to have Kansen in Strangereal. That being said, I hope you enjoy this one and any feedback is appreciated!