William and Hood continued their drive to the city, Hood looked around her as if to immerse herself in the scenery. This would be the first time she went to the city, normally the base has everything she needs, so she didn't think to venture out like this. Now, she might have a reason to venture out of the base to visit the city once in a while. The city is looking quite peaceful. Citizens walked on the sidewalk, some stood in groups and talked to each other, and some enjoyed food in a restaurant or from street side vendors...War with the Sirens could threaten to kill them at any time, the Sirens could attack this city in their strategy against them. But the people didn't seem to be affected by that fact, they were enjoying their daily life as usual. William stopped his car due to a red light, Hood looked to her right side and saw several kindergarten school children crossing the road. They smiled and waved at Hood who smiled and waved back at them, the chaperone in the back nodded her head toward her.
"Those smiles on their faces, that's what we fight for. Our sole reason to end the war…If you ever question why you fight, just remember that smile." William suddenly said.
"Yes. I can agree with that…Is that what you did, milord?" Hood asked William.
"Yeah, you can say that." William said while nodding his head.
The traffic light turned green and William continued the drive, they approached the airport and Hood saw that it wasn't too crowded. William parked the jeep in the overnight stay parking lot. He offered his right hand to Hood as if he's escorting a lady down from her carriage. Hood only smiled as she took his hand, both of them then walked toward the departure section when William noticed one thing…
"Hood, hug my left arm." William suddenly said.
"Huh? Are you sure, milord?" Hood asked unsurely.
"Yes. Do you have the Royal Navy's Civilian ID?" William asked Hood.
"Um, we don't generally have one. But we do have our military identification papers." Hood said to William.
"That's exactly the reason. We don't need the attention nor the troublesome paper identification process, we need you to blend in…Follow my lead." William said to Hood.
Hood hugged William's left arm and walked together, why would William asked her to do this? Her answer came in the form of entrance security, there's a queue in front of them as security checked everyone's ID. Hood assumed that paper identification for ship girls might take some time; time they didn't really have, so William used this method…But how does hugging his left arm relate with all of this? William and Hood came forward as William handed not his ID but something akin to a card, the security guard's eyes widened as he stared at William.
"Right this way sir, sorry to have bothered you and your…" The security said as he looked at Hood.
"My lovely wife, yes. Now, if you'd be so kind as to let us through?" William said to the security calmly.
"Of course! Right this way, have a good day sir, madam!" The security said to both of them.
William and Hood entered the airport through a secure line, without having to cue for x-ray scans and straight to the airlines' ticket booth section. William looked at Hood, and he saw her looking forward with red cheeks…Ho, even Hood could get flustered? Looks like William managed to crack that composed lady persona she wields all the time even if it's just for a bit.
"…I see what you mean now." Hood said to William.
"Yes. Your 'husband' is an important figure in Azur Lane Central Command, no one would like to cause trouble for him." William said while smirking.
"So that's the privilege of traveling with someone important, maybe I should bring you when I'm going shopping in town in the future." Hood said while smiling at William.
"Hoho, never take you to be the scheming type, Hood." William said to Hood.
"Then you still have a lot to learn, milord." Hood said with a triumphant smile.
"…I guess I do." William said in a somber tone.
Both of them get to the ticket booth, although it's William who did most of the talking since Hood is quite unfamiliar with how things work outside the base, so she decided to use this experience to learn. William, whose got the overflowing amount of cash in his bank account decided to indulge himself for a bit, all that money wasn't going to spend itself, and he has lots of trouble on what to spend it on…Though, there's this small gut feeling inside him that he should save around seventy percent of his income. His gut feeling was never wrong before…so-
"What class would you like to fly with sir?" The lady at the register asked.
"First class my dear." William said in his British accent.
"Understood, where to sir?" The lady asked him.
"Azur Lane Headquarters, your corporation is the only one with an open flight there, correct?" William asked while smiling.
"Yes you're right, please wait a bit while I finish your boarding pass…There, enjoy your flight!" The lady said to them.
"Thank you." William said to the lady.
Both William and Hood walked toward the waiting room, both of them had to go through the last x-ray scan, and William pulled to the side. Hood watched as William showed them the same blue card that he showed to the security guard at the entrance, one of the guards checked on him manually, and William showed them something underneath his black coat. They nodded in understanding, William said something to them and then nodded his head toward Hood who then approached him.
"Madam, can we see the content of your purse? It's just procedure." One of the guards said.
"Sure." Hood simply said as she handed her the purse.
Briefly looking at the content inside Hood's purse, the guard only nodded his head before handing it back to Hood while saying that both of them were clear. After bidding goodbye to them, both William and Hood made their way to the waiting room. They sat on the edge and they got a clear view of the sky, it was light grey…Looks like it would rain any second now.
"Milord, can civilian airplanes take off during rain?" Hood asked William.
"Yeah, they could. Providing the wind or turbulence isn't too strong around the airport, it's quite tricky with a huge airplane but a fighter jet could manage it easily." Williams said to Hood.
"I see…How about the security? It seems to be quite heavy, does it have a connection with the attack two days ago?" Hood asked William.
"It is. Azur Lane has decided that Crimson Cleanser members or affiliated persons are to be apprehended or shot on sight." William nodded his head.
"We have taken more direct measures." Hood said in conclusion.
"Can't let them roam free Hood, the sooner we take care of them the sooner we can focus on the war against the Sirens." William said as he rested on the chair.
The fact they could murder three ex-special forces soldiers with enough battle experience to rival the most seasoned warriors on the planet is direct proof that Crimson Cleanser shouldn't be taken lightly. Azur Lane will implement a Zero Tolerance Policy regarding them soon. William looked outside and saw a plane landing on the runway, it looks like the plane that they will board later…But will the weather allow them to take off?
"I agree…Also, milord, you have started calling me by my name these past few days." Hood said while smiling softly.
"Oh yes…You know, I tend to just call someone's name casually when they work closely with me. It's an old habit of mine, if you don't like it-" William said as he looked at Hood.
"Oh no, it's fine. I'm just wondering why you stopped calling me like that…Now that I think about it, you also did it with a few other girls." Hood said to William.
"Right." William simply said.
"…Does that mean you're more comfortable with us now?" Hood decided to take a shot.
"You could say that…I've gotten used to being around ship girls now, even the antics." William said as he looked to the room's ceiling.
And that was the honest truth, William had gotten used to handling them…Well, not entirely but he got the gist of it. Long Island and Ayanami could be problematic shut ins, San Diego with her idol antics, Saratoga's pranking mania, Prinz's constant teasing, Enterprise's unsanctioned patrols, Illustrious' defenseless attitude, Atago's aggressive pampering, Akashi's shady deals, Shiranui's merciless price tags, add that the destroyers like being clingy to him…Several of them from Sakura Empire even used him as a jungle gym when he was napping on the bench outside, in their defense his sleeping posture enabled them to do so. And that just scratched the surface…
Then, there's the fact that there's not one day on that base where William didn't see someone's panties or cleavage! Heck, no matter where he goes he's always given the chance to see one! Like with St. Louis four days ago, she tripped on the pavement when she's walking toward him, and he caught her. Her cleavage was totally showing, and her boobs pressed dearly to his own abdomen…Then there's one with Nelson and her frilly black panties when she climbed the stairs in front of him, he's lucky she didn't notice because she definitely would've pulverized him if she did.
"Ufufufufufu, that's what make them endearing isn't it?" Hood asked while smiling.
"Yeah…Anyway Hood, I never see you wearing casual clothes." William asked, changing the topic.
"Oh, neither with you milord…How about we go out to the city on the weekend? You and I could wear our casual clothes while spending time with each other?" Hood asked while looking straight at William's eyes.
"…Never in my life have I asked for a date from a lady before. Sure, why not?" William answered while smiling a bit.
"Then it's settled." Hood said as she smiled and clapped her hands once.
A date huh, it's been years since he went to one so this might be good. So, an elegant lady like Hood…Where should he take her? Fancy restaurant? Theme park? Nah, he can't think of anything at the moment. There's not even a fixed date for the outing with her anyway, safe to say William still has time to think where Hood and him should go for a date…
"…Also, you could just call me William." William suddenly said to Hood.
"Eh? But, I already call you Lord William." Hood asked while cocking her eyebrows.
"No, just William. We're friends, right?" William asked while staring at Hood.
"Yes, but for me to call you without lord…then that means…" Hood said in a low voice.
"Hmm?" William asked Hood.
"Oh, it's nothing." Hood said to William.
"You…don't want to call me by my name?" William asked in a slightly dejected tone.
"Maybe sometime in the future, when we're…closer." Hood said while smiling meaningfully.
…What did she mean by that? At worst, that means both Hood and William become close friends and at best both Hood and him are married to one another. Either way, it's a good thing…William shook his head while lightly chuckling to himself, ah women and their mind games, no matter where he went he always encountered them.
"…That sends mixed signals, Hood." William said to Hood.
"You can interpret it however you like, milord." Hood said, this time she's grinning!
That…only further reinforced his theory, but before he could reply both of them heard an announcement that their plane was ready to go. Both of them quickly boarded the plane, the spacious and luxurious first class reserved only for those who could afford it. The plane soon took off, Hood was busy spending her first ten minutes of taking off by admiring the view from above until the plane had to fly above the grey clouds. This would be her second time flying, and she got the feeling that she'll never get bored of this sight.
.
It took around five hours until they landed at the Azur Lane Central Headquarters Civilian Airport, both Hood and William disembarked from the plane. They exited the airport, found a nearby taxi and headed immediately to the address that William told the driver…It was sunny, the driver and William chatted a bit during the drive while Hood sat calmly in the backseat with her book. It only took a fifteen minute drive from the airport and they arrived at a large building…After paying the taxi driver, both of them walked toward the entrance where it's filled with people wearing black clothing or military uniforms. But despite all that, none of them recognized William and Hood.
That is until William saw Lena herself walking toward them, after both acknowledged each other presence Lena proceed to hugged William and vice versa…Both of them knew each other long enough that sometimes they don't have to speak a word, and both can understand each other to deep degree, both of them grieved for their friends, but they wouldn't let this dampened their spirit. They have to stay strong, to face the dangers that took their friends' lives.
"Will, you've arrived," Lena said after she's done hugging him.
"Yeah." William simply replied.
"Ah, Ms. Hood! So you're accompanying him!" Lena said as she hugged Hood.
"It's good to see you again, Mrs. Lena." Hood said as she also hugged back.
"Likewise. Shall we head in?" Lena said after letting Hood go.
The trio then entered the main gate, Hood looked around, and her attention was taken with the fact that this supposed 'cemetery' still had lots of vacant land around. Hood then looked to the large building with a gold statue of an armored medieval knight riding a unicorn while carrying a shield and a lance, there's a large inscription underneath it that reads 'The Knights of Azur Lane '…Hood knew that Knights of Azur Lane is the highest honorary title in Azur Lane, given to those who pulled an impossible feat no matter the odds.
There's a reason why there's only several people that held this title, and that's because most of them were awarded posthumously, the impossible feats often cost someone their life. In honor of their deeds, The Knights of Azur Lane title is often bestowed alongside a Medal of Honor. Now Hood understood why there was so much vacant ground around, there's not many that received the title and majority who did died in the line of duty…William possessed the title Nimbus Knight, is that different from Knights of Azur Lane?
"…Are you sure about this place, Lena?" William asked Lena.
"Azur Lane Heroes Cemetery? Protocol dictated that Task Force Nimbus' actions shouldn't be revealed to the public, but I'd say screw that for this one…Our friends need the recognition they deserved." Lena said in matter of fact tone.
"Couldn't agree more." William nodded his head in approval.
They entered the building and faced a large hall filled with rows of seats. William didn't recognize almost all of the people around here save for several people…who hate him somehow so he couldn't be bothered to say hi. While walking, the three of them were approached by a man with black medium hair, he had green eyes with glasses complimenting it, an average figure wrapped in black clothing and black shoes…William knows who he is, just from the fact that the man softened his gaze at Lena…
"Sir William, my name is Garry McAllen. It's good to finally see you" Garry said to William.
"Lena's husband? I see, the name's William Blaze." William said to Garry.
Both of them greeted each other for the first time and locked in a firm handshake, in the span of a few seconds lots of messages were sent between the two of them. William knew that Garry's a determined man, Garry knew that William's a cautious man. William stared at Garry with the 'I've got my eye on you' while Garry replied with 'You're wary of me' stare, after that brief yet meaningful handshake both of them let go of each other's hands…
"I've heard your exploits, you sir have my deepest respect for what you've done. Always fighting for the truth, not even the deadliest unit on the planet could make that resolve waver." Garry said to William.
"Thank you. It felt good to hear that." William said while smiling slightly.
"For sure…Helena, father has arrived. I'm going to greet him now." Garry said to Lena.
"Sure, I'll be here with the others." Lena said to Garry.
Nodding his head to William and Hood, Garry took off for the entrance while they continued their walk to the end of the hall where three coffins laid beside each other. The halls were filled with murmurs and talks from various people, some military personnel and some were civilians. For being a private event, it sure is quite packed with people here…No TV crew for the publicity so it's a plus…
"…He seemed to be the geeky type, guess that's your taste huh?" William asked Lena.
"Aw, are you jealous?" Lena asked while smirking.
"Let's not go there..." William looked away with a small frown.
"But for real, he's a sweet man. Intelligent yet modest, his only drawback is that he's still a bit reserved around me sometimes." Lena said while smiling.
"Really…But that takes time, you know that. He treats you well, right?" William asked Lena with a serious face.
"Of course. He somehow knew that my ex would come and beat him up if he ever mistreated me." Lena answered with a reassuring smile.
"Good, there's no need for a little talk then." William said to Lena.
…Truth to be told, while both of them agreed to remain friends with each other, but both of them knew that the feelings they have for one another couldn't just go like that. Even now, both William and Lena still cursed the fact that this had to happen to them…Years of history, their feelings, their love for one another couldn't go away easily and having to work together really put the gasoline on that fire…But they have to, there's nothing good in continuing the dead romance between them. There's nothing more they could do to set things right…it's far too late.
"…Anyway, Ms. Hood. How is the flight? I heard both of you decide to fly commercial airlines." Lena asked Hood.
"It's the first time I've been in first class, it has excellent service." Hood said while smiling.
"True that. I always want to ride one, but the task I've had to do only allows me to use military vehicles…It's faster, but I want that luxury once in a while!" Lena said in a whining tone.
"I hope someday you'll get the chance to ride one, Mrs. Lena." Hood said while smiling broadly.
"Thank you, that someday something better will happen!" Lena said while grinning.
…The three of them arrived on the podium with the three coffins. This is it. William felt his steps grew heavier the closer he got to the coffins, he couldn't bear to see the face of his dead best friends…Lena stepped beside him, she gently wrapped her left hand around William's gloved right hand. William looked to the right to see Lena smiling sadly at him, but that act…gave him the resolve to push on.
"Will…Are you ready?" Lena asked William softly.
"I never am, but I have to greet them nonetheless…Hood, you want to come with us?" William asked Hood.
"Um, I think I'll stay here. This is supposed to be you and Mrs. Lena's moment, both of you were their friends, right?" Hood asked while smiling.
"Best friend is more like it, Ms. Hood." Lena said while smiling sadly.
"All the more reason. Go on, I'll be here milord." Hood said while smiling.
"Alright." William nodded his head.
The steps both William and Lena took felt like ages, but eventually they reached them…William took a good long look at Yuri, Charles, and Michael. The three of them were dressed in their ceremonial dress, their faces were pale, and the three of them each held a long sword and shield with Azur Lane insignia painted on it…It's a tradition for those who were buried militaristically by Azur Lane Armed Forces to be given a sword and a shield, something to protect them in the afterlife…
"…You three don't deserve this after everything you've done, the last words we exchanged were full of arguments. But not even once I thought the three of you as an enemy, you three would always be my best friends…I swear to you Michael, Charles, Yuri, I'll find Ronald and I'll make him pay for what he's done." William said in a tone full of grief…
During the trial to determine the innocence of the Nimbus Knights, William took all the blame by saying that it's his orders that Michael, Charles, and Yuri did what they did. High Command concluded the same thing, and William was sentenced to his punishment…That resulted in a massive argument between Michael, Charles, Yuri, Lena, and William. In the end, the three of them left while saying that they could never agree to this method…William never had the chance to reconnect with the three of them since they went off the grid, living their life in secrecy until they were murdered…
"Make that two of us. Yuri, Michael, Charles, you three will be avenged…That I swore of it." Lena said out loud.
"Ut sensit hostem feriunt coelestis." William said out loud.
That's the motto of Task Force Nimbus, it means 'May our enemy feel our heavenly strike'…The both of them returned to Hood's position when the event started…They headed outside, to the open plains filled with green grass and three holes that were prepared beforehand. The coffins were carried outside, sobs alongside cries could be heard and a music for burial was played by a group of soldiers with instruments…A priest came to the front, he started his speech for the departed while everyone listened intently. Then the priest headed over to William, he looked at him with an understanding look…
"Major William Blaze, the three of them had stated in their wills that you should be the one who sends them off." The Priest said to William.
"…They knew I would live longer than them?" William muttered to himself.
"Regardless of the reason, you'll do the same thing right?" The Priest heard and asked William while smiling.
"Yeah." William nodded somberly.
…Despite everything that happened, the three of them still want him to be the one who sent them off if they passed away ahead of him. Despite that argument, William had thought that their friendships would end there…William stood, went to the front and stared at everyone…God, William felt his vision blurred as tears spilled from his eyes, and he did his best to carry on with this request…Their last request. It really touched his heart that Yuri, Michael, and Charles kept him in their minds despite their fight.
William looked at Lena, she's no better than him as she already had her tissue and sobbing while Garry caressed her shoulder. Then William looked at Hood, she smiled supportively while nodding her head…as if to encourage him which worked extremely well as William managed to smile for a bit. He didn't need a text on what to say, he could tell an hour of monologue about why these three men were great men…But that wouldn't do, he'll have to keep it short.
"…The three of them are my best friends. I have so much to tell about their deeds, how many times they saved me from death, how they're the ones who'll stay by your side no matter the odds, or how they valiantly fought even in the face of death…Admiral McAllen and I, we're the living witnesses of Yuri, Charles, and Michael's great deeds. I will say, they don't deserve this. The perpetrators of this atrocity shall be caught, and punished accordingly. I will not stop, until my three best friends get the justice they deserve…To the family they've left behind, to their friends, to their lovers, may you stay strong despite this great loss. From this day on, let their names be known among us as the three brave men who stayed true to their principal…And they shall not be forgotten!" William said in a firm tone.
"Present arms!" Someone shouted.
That someone was the squad leader for the honorary three volley salute, seven men dressed in ceremonial uniform lifted their ceremonial M14 Rifles behind William…William took off his officer hat, he then saluted at the coffins as the squad fired three times on their squad leader's order. The first shot fired, he remembered the first time he met with the three of them. The second shot fired, he remembered the time of their last fight where they fought relentlessly. The final shot fired, William remembered the night two days ago…where he witnessed their deaths…
The crowds paid their respects and one by one everyone left the area, William walked back toward Hood, Lena, and Garry who were waiting for him. William looked back one last time to the coffins which were lowered to the hole and currently being covered by the soil…Lena and Hood walked up to him, Lena tapped William's left shoulder as she also looked at the graves.
"Short but impactful, as always." Lena commented.
"I'm winging it, as always with speeches. It didn't turn out as well as the version in my head." William said in a somber tone.
"But Milord, that's quite the speech." Hood said from his right.
"Thanks…Hood." William said to Hood.
"May I?" Hood asked William.
Turning his head in confusion, William didn't have time to react as Hood took out her handkerchief and gently wiped William's tears away from his cheeks while smiling softly. William widened his eyes, he didn't expect this at all…But he can't say he didn't like it, William then nodded his head appreciatively toward Hood while muttering his thanks to her. What both Hood and William didn't see was a sight of Lena looking at them, with a bitter smile on her face…
.
"Your husband didn't come with you?" William asked Lena.
"What do you expect, Will? He has his own job too." Lena said in an 'obviously' tone.
"Oh. Right." William said to Lena.
The three of them walked to the entrance of what seemingly to be a large castle wall, but in reality it's a massive fortress. Hood couldn't stop looking at the ridiculous amount of 'defenses' littered around this site, no matter where she looked she either found soldiers on patrol duty, combat vehicles, defensive emplacements, or even a helicopter gunship flying by…The three of them currently walking to the entrance of a massive gate, after the soldiers saw the three of them, and Lena nodding her head they opened the gate without any questions.
"Is this the first time you've ever been to Azur Lane Central Headquarters, Hood?" William asked Hood.
"Yes…this place looks like a fortress." Hood commented to herself.
"Why yes, during the war this place has been targeted by Crimson Axis task forces multiple times. They've been trying to probe this place for any weaknesses, so far they've failed. The five meter walls are reinforced with titanium plating, tons of anti-air defense emplacements, numerous coastal guns, ballistic missile silos, internal hangars, and numerous garrisons filled with best of the best…The only place that could rivaled this defense is Crimson Axis Headquarters themselves." Lena explained to Hood.
"But, if the Sirens were the one who attacked this place…I'm not so sure this place could hold out long." Hood said to Lena.
"On that, we could agree." Lena said while shrugging.
They continued their walk to the inner compound and the inside was littered with buildings, some militaristic buildings and some civilian buildings. Hood looked to her left and saw a convenience store filled with several military personnel shopping for either food or utilities, then she looked to the right and saw several people in front of what appears to be a guard post…
"…What the hell is that guy doing here? With a beautiful girl nonetheless." One of them said.
"Man, is he going to screw her too like his previous task force?" The other guy said.
"Guy like him should've been executed, an acquaintance of mine is under him, and that guy killed him without a second thought." The previous guy said.
"Really? Sheesh, he's the worst!" Another one said.
"Shush! Quiet! If McAllen hears you, it'll be messy." The other guy said.
Hood narrowed her eyes, there's only one man currently walking with them, and it didn't take a genius to know that these men were talking about her commander. They appeared to hold some kind of disdain towards him, add to the fact that they openly trash talking him in public like this didn't sit well with her. As far as she knows, William is a great commander, the one who cared about those under his command and even went as far to participate in combat with them…There might be a story about him that she never knew, but she got the time to get to know him better in the future.
"…They really think we can't hear them." Lena said while scowling.
"How unsavory. Milord, shall we go and reprimand them?" Hood asked William while frowning.
"Let them be Hood. It isn't worth the effort, nothing in this world could change their view of me." William said in a firm tone.
"…If you say so." Hood said while looking down to the road.
They reached a large building in the center, they entered the building and went through numerous corridors and took elevators that Hood would be sure to get lost if she didn't pay attention. They reached the top floor of the building, the place where Lena's office was located. The owner opened the door and led Hood and William in, inside it they found someone seated on the sofa with a magazine in hand.
That person was a middle aged woman with long jet black hair, she wore a lab coat, pink turtleneck sweater, and long white pants. Her blue doe eyes stared at them and vice versa, Hood was confused on why would this woman stay inside Lena's office but the man beside her didn't. William knows who she is, how can he not? That woman in front of him was the one who birthed and took care of him…She stood up after putting the magazine on the coffee table, she started walking when William called her.
"…Mum?" William said out loud.
"William Blaze! No phone calls, no messages, and you appeared before me with your new wife!? If you think you could get my blessing that easily then-" William's mother ranted while walking towards William.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Mum! You're jumping the gun several steps there!" William said in exasperation.
"How could I not if you suddenly brought a beautiful girl here!? I'm old, I told you to quickly marry and give me grandkids-" William's mother kept her pace.
Hood and Lena could only watch as a giant man and veteran soldier being backed into a corner by his mother, even after all that he's still her son in her eyes and that fact never changes even when he's twenty six years old already.
"Oh good heavens…this will take a while." Lena said after sighing.
"Um…Has she always been like this?" Hood asked Lena.
"Will's mother is quite eccentric in some ways Ms. Hood, she could be your mother-in-law in the future, so pay attention to how to deal with her." Lena said as she approached them.
"That's…" Hood was left speechless with faint blush on her cheeks.
Lena went and stopped the ranting mother by explaining the gist of the situation, William then began his five minutes of utter bullshit reasoning on why he didn't call or message her. Busy, Crimson Cleanser, yada yada, and William's mother deemed that his circumstances were quite reasonable so she let him go from further ranting. Then, she looked and approached Hood while smiling gently.
"I'm sorry for that presumptuous display. Ms. Hood, my name is Diana Blaze, I'm William's mother. Thank you for taking care of him, it's an honor to meet you." Diana said to Hood while smiling gently.
"Oh no, the honor is mine, madam. Your son is a very capable commander, it was us who got taken care of by him on the field a few days ago." Hood said while also smiling.
"I guess that came from his father, both of them are quite proficient in the art of combat…I'm just glad he turned out to be a good son." Diana said while nodding her head.
"…Come on, please sit down Ms. Hood. Looks like you, me and Mrs. Diana have some chatting to do!" Lena said out loud.
"Oh, great idea Lena!" Diana said while smiling broadly.
"…Let me assume that this will end like when you visited the base?" William said from behind.
"Oh even better! Now your mother could tell Ms. Hood about your childhood, and I get to spill everything with backing from a credible source." Lena said while smirking.
"Great, everything. You women and your gossips…Please wait until I leave the room. Where did you put the document?" William asked Lena.
"My desk, second right drawer in a red cover." Lena said to William.
William heads to Lena's office desk and starts rummaging through her drawer to find a document in a red cover; he takes the papers and makes sure it's the right one he sought. After confirming that it's the one he wanted, William closed the drawer and looked toward the ladies while Diana was looking at him with a gaze that screamed 'concern'…
"Will, you're not staying long?" Diana asked William.
"No mum, I still have a lot to do on the base…I could stay for dinner however." William answered while smiling a bit.
"Good, because I will get your arse if you immediately go back to the base." Diana said with half opened eyes.
"I know, figured some chit chat with you would do me good." William said while grinning.
"Anyway…What does he want with you now?" Diana asked William.
"I have no idea…I guess I'm about to find out. Hood, you can stay here with Lena and mom while I go talk with the High Commander." William said to Hood.
"By your command, milord." Hood said while nodding her head.
"Be careful Will, politics is a dangerous realm. You know how it turned out last time." Diana advised William.
"Always mum." William said while nodding his head.
William left the office and closed the door behind him, Hood wondered what would the High Commander of Azur Lane want with William? Maybe he's being given new orders, or he had to report something? She wasn't sure how things went at the top of the command chain, she better stay here and talk with Lena and Diana…the two women that impacted William's life greatly.
"Now that the man himself is away, where shall we begin?" Lena asked out loud.
"Hmm, ah Ms. Hood. Is there anything you want to ask about him? We could start from there." Diana asked Hood.
"Lord William hasn't talked about his family ever since he arrived on base, I must confess I'm quite curious." Hood asked Diana.
"Ah…Well, William was born into a small family of four. Me, his father, and a little sister. We're-"
Going through another set of corridors, William stumbled upon a large wooden door. He knocked on the door twice before he heard someone telling him to come in, and entered the room he did. The office belonged to the High Commander of Azur Lane, it was dressed in many trinkets and furniture...William was too busy to note everything, his sole focus was on a man seated behind a large wooden desk.
The middle aged man with short ashen gray hair, brown eyes, naturally evil expression (William's biased but honest opinion) currently staring at him with a small smirk on his face. The man wore a dark blue officer jacket with several medals dangling on his chest, white shirt, black tie, equally blue pants, and black shoes. William came face to face with him, not showing any kind of respect as he didn't even throw a salute at the High Commander of Azur Lane…
"…William, good to see you again son." The High Commander said to William.
"…Lucas." The name William has been avoiding for two years.
"How's the job? I could tell you enjoyed it." Lucas said to William.
"Well it beats the old one, I'm surprised you're willing to give this opportunity to me." William said while narrowing his eyes.
"Oh come on, we're friends right? Of course I'll help you." Lucas said to William.
"Friends won't stab you in the back." William simply said while frowning a bit.
"…We're going to argue over that again? It's getting old, William…But, I guess I never did tell you why I did that." Lucas said as he stood up.
Bad blood between the two? No, more like one sided hate from William himself. The man in front of him was present during his trial but he didn't say much, Lucas considered both of them friends? Well why didn't he help William when he's in a pinch with death glares coming from everyone for what he and his friends had done!?
"Eighty percent of the higher ups want you off to the chopping block, William. Lena and I had to pull lots of strings, ask for favors and talk our way to make sure you're sent to the prison instead…I did all of that, so my friend won't die for doing what was right. But, my position won't allow me to say it…I have to look the part." Lucas said to William.
Ah, so that's why. It makes sense when you think about it but William still had doubts within his heart about Lucas' true motive for doing this to him…William is a careful person, some say it might be a bad thing to have in a military commander because being too careful would negatively impact any performance. No, William knew when to draw the line, when to be careful in his advance and where to go 'fuck that shit I'm going all out'…But for this guy? His danger sense is always on, there's no telling what the High Commander might say…He's unpredictable in some sense.
"Though I'm glad, two years later Lena and I found the perfect gap to free you. The situation is also extremely favorable, your skill couldn't be denied despite everything you've done so no one could argue when Lena volunteered your name to lead the combined fleet of ship girls." Lucas said to William.
"…Right, guess I should thank you for that Lucas…I basically owe you." William said while softening his face.
"Putting it simply, yes." Lucas said while shrugging lightly.
"So why do you call me here? Something you want to talk about? You could do it through the phone or something." William asked Lucas.
"Sit down, this will take a while. I don't want this to be intercepted or eavesdropped by someone." Lucas said to William.
William proceeded to seat himself in the chairs in front of Lucas' table, the man himself seated back on his seat. William took out a cigar, lit one up and sucked lightly. Lucas took the small bottle filled with Jack Daniels he stored in his desk drawer, took one bottle out and two small glasses, pouring one to himself then William before both of them took the glass and sipped the contents…
"What do you know about Wisdom Cube, Will?" Lucas asked, beginning the talk.
"Something out of science fiction, the thing that is capable of creating miracles and realizing collective human consciousness into physical form. Basically, it could become anything that we want. The potential inside a Wisdom Cube is limitless." William said in complete confidence.
"…You should put that opinion of yours on theoretical papers, I'm sure the universities around Earth would be in uproar." Lucas said while smirking.
"Almost a decade of research, and they can't come up with that simple explanation?" William asked with cocked eyebrows.
"You know them, they would like a more concrete answer than what you just said…There's something you should know, we run a test on the ship girl's DNA sequence. We found…some alterations" Lucas said to William.
"Elaborate?" William asked Lucas.
"You ever watch Anime? Sakura Empire produced a lot of those." Lucas asked while smiling a bit.
"Yeah, which one?" William narrowed his eyes a bit as he asked.
"Anything that involves super humans. The Wisdom Cube alters the DNA of a ship girl to be compatible with their rigging, as a result their body undergoes slight changes. From outer appearance, they're basically the same as us. But, their biology…" Lucas wasn't sure how to proceed.
"…Go on, don't leave me hanging." William said to egged him on.
"How should I say this…Their DNA sequencing is a bit different than us and uh…Basically, it's hard for them to conceive a child." Lucas finally said to William.
"…What?!" William asked, he's asking for confirmation on what he heard.
"You heard me, it's hard for a ship girl to get pregnant and conceive a child even though structurally they're the same as human women." Lucas stated to William.
"And how do you know this?" William asked with his eyes narrowing with each question.
"DNA Sequence Test, I told you already…It doesn't take a nuclear scientist to know that their compatibility is quite low with a normal man, though intercourse with them would still be as normal with a human woman." Lucas said to William…
…Crazy? No, theoretically it's possible that this might happen since Wisdom Cube somehow altered them so they could be ship girls. Their DNA sequence being different from normal humans might be the sacrifice in order to obtain such power, it's understandable but if Lucas opened the talk with this then safe to say this is the highlight of High Command's overall plan in the future…
"…Okay, now why did you bring this up?" William asked, then sucked on his cigar.
"Wisdom Cube possessed limitless potential and would take time to fully master, we can't always rely on them for everything…This technology is still categorized as a special case, and we have agreed to begin the process of conventionalizing them…" Lucas said to William.
"…You want to produce a new generation of humans, the one that's compatible with weaponry produced by Wisdom Cube." William said in his conclusion.
"You catch on quickly, no wonder you graduated with outstanding marks." Lucas said while smirking.
"So you want to make sure that a normal man can impregnate a ship girl?" William asked Lucas.
"Yes, not that it's impossible for now but the chance of fertilization happening is under zero point eight percent…It's basically a miracle if it did happen. We don't know how many Wisdom Cubes we can produce or get in the future, and they are far too unstable to yield the results we want, we will need an alternative." Lucas said to William.
…Yeah, William could agree with this one. If they're going toe to toe with something that technologically owns humanity then they need to up the ante…But is producing more ship girls the right answer? How about using the Wisdom Cube to further enhance humanity's already existing combat vehicles or even produce super soldiers…There's so many things they could do, why choose this route?
"…I'm doing this for the betterment of mankind, I know if we keep going as we are now then we'll only tire ourselves, and that would lead to our demise. We could replicate the riggings, but the ship girls themselves would have to be naturally born. From a womb, not a cube…I'm sure you understand Will." Lucas said to William.
"…We're entering a new age of warfare, it's reasonable to do this…So, how do you plan to achieve that result?" William asked as he drank the alcohol.
"You." Lucas said without missing a beat.
"Guhk! Say what?!" William immediately choked on his drink.
"I'm giving you the permission to form the largest harem in the history of mankind, you should be grateful!" Lucas said while grinning widely.
"No matter what, no one can beat Genghis Khan's record! Not even me…Wait, you want me to have sex with them!? Some of them are basically kids!" William said in an outraged face.
"I didn't tell you to go that far you sick pedophilic fuck!" Lucas fired back with his own outraged face.
"Well elaborate yourself better you damn scheming cunt!" William said in pure annoyance.
Whoops, he spoke his mind a bit there. But no matter, so this is basically giving him license to bang every last ship girl? What's with this doujin plot?! No, why was it him that was chosen!? What's the indicator? Genes? Physical prowess? Brain prowess? What? William was baffled to be honest, this was out of his expectation by miles.
"…Will, you're the greatest warrior Azur Lane has, and my most trusted man. I feel a lot more at ease if you're the one who becomes our subject…Will you do the honors of being the father of the new generation of humans?" William couldn't help himself to think Lucas is buttering him up…
"…This is a lot to consider." William said in a firm tone.
"Well, I'll make it simple. I know you wouldn't mistreat the girls, they're basically in good hands…You're our best choice, both physically and mentally." Lucas said to William.
"…What's this about the physical aspect?" William asked Lucas.
"We would require your DNA before we could create some kind of mutagen, needless to say you're the perfect candidate for testing." Lucas said to William.
Okay…testing for mutagen, William saw enough literature, movie, and manga to deduce where this could go and how's this a bad idea to begin with. But so far they have managed to make the impossible possible. Nevertheless, the prospect of mutating himself was quite scary, and he won't just do it in the name of science! He needs to have legit reason on why he should agree with this!
"What did you say before? I'm your most trusted man? What if this mutagen turned me into some kind of freakshow?" William asked in a sarcastic tone.
"Believe me when I say this. That wouldn't be any concern, we basically only mutated a small strain of your DNA that it shouldn't affect your outer appearance. Needless to say, if it's not safe yet, we wouldn't commence the testing." Lucas said while smiling reassuringly.
"…Since when did you become an expert in biology?" William asked with a sneering tone.
"Last night, I crammed the reports…So, what do you say?" Lucas asked while smiling.
This might be a good plan on paper but there's a lot of things that could go wrong, for example, are the ship girls themselves willing to be a part of this? They're people too, they have the right to choose…Then there's the fact that he's still new to their base, the relationship between him and the girls are acquaintances at worst and friends at best. Then what if they have children in the future? Would they be immediately drafted into the military?
"...Promise me several things, in a written document" William said after contemplating for a bit.
"What do you need?" Lucas asked eagerly.
"First of all, if I do have children with them then they should be allowed to choose whether they want to be a ship girl or live their life according to their wish. They're humans, not weapons." William said to Lucas.
"Consider it done. That would be against my own morals too." Not sure how to feel knowing that…
"Second, if you need to test something with them then they should be treated as humanely as possible." William further said.
"Done." Lucas said to William.
"…I'll say more in a written draft, but that's basically the most important things for you to keep in mind." William said while smirking.
"…You're a goddamn tease William! No wonder Lena left you if you never gave her some action!" Lucas said in frustration.
…That caused William to tense up, his eyes narrowed, veins throbbed on his forehead, and his grip on the glass to tighten. Lucas said that in a completely light hearted manner until he remembered what happened between William and Lena, his eyes widened in realization, and he looked like he regretted saying that straight to William.
"Landmine? Sorry…Anyway, I understand if you want to think about it further before committing a response. This involves your future children after all…I suppose the girls would need to know about this too, though we could let Lena handle that part." Lucas said to William.
"Right." William simply replied.
"But, that means we can proceed with the development of the mutagen?" Lucas asked William.
"…Fine." William simply answered.
"Excellent. Don't worry, the process would take years anyway. Unless some breakthrough happens, then maybe it could be done in months…You have time to think, just like to let you know what's the plan for the future." Lucas said to William.
"Alright…Anything else? I got a feeling that's not all you want to talk about." William asked straight to the point.
Lucas nodded his head as he pulled a document file from under his desk, he placed it on the table for William who took it and looked at the name written on the front cover. Project Custos Terrae? It's latin, but William wasn't sure what the words meant. He just knew that Terra meant Earth and safe to say this would involve everyone globally…
"…We've begun reverse engineering Siren's technology." Lucas said to William.
"…We literally broke our principle with this." William said in an astonished tone.
"So are the plans with naturally born ship girl's right? Now that we're in an alliance, we exchanged a lot of ideas with the Crimson Axis…They were right to some extent, we couldn't win this war with our current technology. We have been too idealistic before, and look where that led us…So, an upgrade to our military and civilization is needed, the upgrade that our enemy conveniently provided. Yet there's some borders that we shouldn't cross, that's the combination of ideas between Azur Lane and Crimson Axis. Our new philosophical standing that united the two coalitions…What do you think? The Chairman and I came up with the idea." Lucas said in a confident tone.
"I'd say it's a good one, until we have to practice that…The temptation to cross the line to let go of our humanity is great, because only then do we usually get the power we want. How do you plan to mitigate that?" William asked doubtfully.
"You know me Will, I'll find a way." Lucas said while smiling mysteriously.
"Hmph. I'm skeptical so far, but if this united the two coalitions then so be it." William snorted then said.
Curiosity got the better of him and William opened the document, he saw lots of plans alongside detailed concepts and theories about the massive upgrade planned worldwide…Neat, William unconsciously smiled in satisfaction at the plans he saw. Look at these things, this will definitely improve their combat capabilities across the board! Oh god, look at that sexy tank with rail guns on it!
"…We're also planning to incorporate a modernized rigging for the ship girls, turn to page 24." Lucas said to William.
"Titanium plating, rail guns, ion torpedoes, pulse lasers, jet fighters, cruise missiles, and a whole lot of other variations alongside improvement of their equipment…I'm sure this is every science fiction geek's wet dream." William said to Lucas.
"That include yours?" Lucas asked while smirking.
"Hell yeah! The girls would be significantly powerful with this weaponry, not even mass produced Siren ships could stand toe to toe with them." William said while smiling.
"You're a man with vision, I know you'll agree to this. Unfortunately, that's where you have to work your ass off for this benefit. We need you to keep killing Sirens, salvage their ship parts, and steal any technology we could use. You do that, we develop new weapons, the ship girls get stronger, and everybody except the Sirens would be happy. We clear?" Lucas asked while smiling in satisfaction.
"Now this is a deal I can get behind immediately!" William said while downing his glass of alcohol.
"Haha, your change of attitude is quite amusing." Lucas noted as he refiled the glass.
"That's because this won't actually affect the livelihood of the girls or me, they need all the edge they could get out there. I'm more than happy to give them something that could help them fight and survive better." William said as he looked at the plans on his hand.
Lucas smiled before he looked to the left, a view outside reminded him of one thing. How Lena convinced Lucas that William Blaze should be on Task Force Nimbus, how she begged him to join her plan to save William, and how she basically threw in William's name when they need a replacement commanding officer for ship girls…That woman clearly loved him, no one would do this if they didn't.
"…Lena was right, you're the most suited for this job." Lucas said to William.
"What was that?" William asked Lucas.
"Nothing…Well, this is also the form of keeping my promise. You said that you should be given info about everything related to your job, here's me doing that." Lucas said to William.
"Glad to know you could keep your promise…Oh, also, there's this problem that I have." William said to Lucas…
.
"It's good to see you again, Will." Diana said to William.
"You should stop by the base sometime, mum." Williams said to Diana.
"When I'm not busy with requests from High Command, I'll be there." Diana said while smiling.
It was around seven in the evening when William and Hood decided to return to the base, after the talk with Lucas the four of them enjoyed dinner that was served in Lena's office. William and Diana caught up on everything, but for some reason William didn't want to talk about his time in the Black Hole and preferred to listen to how Diana and his sister were doing for the past two years…
About the request, Diana worked as a scientist who specialized in Physics and Engineering. Basically, throw her a pipe, rubber band, some bolts, metal bar, sticks, and she'll create a handheld crossbow. Back at home? She could fix any kind of household problems by her knowledge, often doing it while saying 'Trust me, I'm an engineer' when her husband asked if she needed any help…High Command needed her expertise for their grand plan, that's the reason why she stayed in Central Headquarters.
"Call me and your sister alright? It's been two years, she would love to hear from you." Diana said while smiling softly.
"You didn't tell her about me being freed from the prison?" William asked in a surprised tone.
"She's quite busy with her college entrance, the orientation should have already passed, and maybe she's ready for some earth shattering news. Her beloved big brother is free." Diana said while grinning.
"You're exaggerating mum…But yeah, I'll try to call you several times a week if I can." William said while smiling.
"Will!" Lena shouted at William.
William, Hood and Diana stared back to see Lena who approached them after riding a military jeep with a private. Lena disembarked and told the private to wait for her instruction, the young man nodded his head while keeping the jeep's engine running.
"Lena?" William asked Lena.
"Are you planning to ride civilian airlines again?!" Lena asked straight.
"…Yeah?" William answered unsurely.
"At this hour? You'll be sleeping at the airport! I've arranged a transport for you and Ms. Hood!" Lena said while smiling.
"Wait, what transport?" William cocked his eyebrows.
"The cargo plane will transit to the airport near your base, you could hitch a ride for free." Lena said to William.
"Money is not the issue here." William said to Lena.
"If this is about spoiling the beautiful lady behind you, then you could do that later! You're needed tomorrow on the base right? It would take hours to wait for the plane arriving at the airport, this transport is basically faster than the conventional airlines anyway so just accept this already!" Lena said to William with a serious gaze.
The man in question briefly glanced at Hood who at the same time also glanced at him with questioning eyes, William then did a think over with Lena's suggestion…Sure, they could ride a cargo plane but there would be no first class service like on the civilian airlines. But the trade is the fact that military cargo planes could fly significantly faster, they'll be back on the base before midnight…
"Ah…Hood, what do you think? Shall we ride this one?" William asked Hood.
"Mrs. Lena has provided us with a straight way back to the island, it'll be rude not to take on her offer and disregard her effort to make our return journey easier." Hood said to William.
"See? Even Ms. Hood has a point!" Lena said, smiling at Hood's support.
"Fine…thanks for arranging this, Lena!" William said to Lena.
"You're welcome! Say hi to the girls for me!" Lena said while smiling.
"Will do! Mum! I'm leaving!" William said to Diana.
"Take care of yourself dear! Ms. Hood, please watch over him!" Diana said to Hood.
"I'll be sure to do that madam! Until we meet again!" Hood said while bowing slightly.
They got on the jeep that the private was driving, after a short trip to the large military airbase they disembarked beside a cargo plane. Saying thanks to the private, meeting with the co-pilot near the rear hatch, they soon took off, and started their flight back to the city near the base…Hood was a bit disappointed with the night flight, but that was mitigated a little when she could see the night view of the nearby city. She kept looking through the window until William said something.
"…What a day huh?" William said out loud.
"Yes it is. In one day I get to meet lots of people and learn so many things, I'm grateful for the chance milord." Hood said to William.
"Good." William nodded his head.
"But I found several people to be quite rude to you milord." Hood frowned a little.
"…Those people and I have a long history, I did something they didn't like, and they resent me until now. It's fine." William assured Hood.
After that, both of them decided to do their own activity, and that's reading a book. Hood continued the novel she brought with her while William decided to thoroughly read the document that Lucas gave him, the concepts were interesting, and William thought whether he could also give a proposal for one? He was coincidentally looking to his right when he saw Hood yawning, she's tired after going around all day would be understandable.
"Hood, if you're feeling tired then you can rest." William said to Hood.
"But, I'm accompanying you." Hood said while staring at William.
"I'm not some cold blooded man that let my tired secretary force herself awake…It's been a long day, you need to rest too." William said while smiling faintly.
"…Then I'll take on your offer. What about you, milord?" Hood asked William.
"Conveniently, the High Commander gave me reading material." William said as he showed Hood the document while smirking.
"Fufufufu, how studious." Hood commented as she rested her head on her seat.
"Sci-fi geek, remember?" William said while shrugging.
"Oh yes…" Hood said while smiling.
She then closed her eyes in order to try to sleep, William continued reading after making sure that Hood had fallen asleep…Hours passed, William's eyes were getting tired from reading despite the interesting content of the document, so he opted to take a short break. That's when he felt something fall on his right shoulder, he looked to the right and found Hood had switched her pillow from the seat to his right shoulder…
"Commander Blaze, sir?" Someone appeared from the cockpit.
"Sorry…I couldn't get up at the moment, what is it?" William said as he motioned at Hood resting on him.
"We're approaching the island sir, but a storm is currently pounding said island. You might want to put on a seatbelt." The man said.
"I see. Can you land?" William asked the man.
"Are you kidding me? This strong wind is nothing, we even landed during a blizzard back on the Northern Parliament Defense Campaign!" The man said while grinning.
Northern Parliament Defense Campaign? Holy shit, that was during the opening stage of Azur Lane and Crimson Axis war! This presumably pilot must've had extensive experience, because the air combat during that time was considered the most intense during the war which only rivaled during the famous showdown between Sakura Empire and Eagle Union Ace Pilots…
"Ah, a veteran pilot huh. I feel at ease now." William said while smiling.
"Hahaha! Don't worry about us landing, worry about getting wet after we touch down." The pilot said to William.
He went and checked on the cargo holds inside the plane. William had been wondering where they would deliver those things covered in black if they had to transit to the airport near their base…Meh, probably the regular supplies for the base that was stationed near their own ship girl's base. Hood adjusted her sleeping posture and she leaned in further to William, the man couldn't help but think that he would be a hugging pillow soon…
"Oh yes, I almost forgot to tell you…Me and the boys? Should you ever need us to pick you up, deliver something, or drop you off somewhere? Tuned to channel G1-ALAF-T2247 on the battle network. If we aren't busy or shot down yet, we'll come running…We're specifically instructed to be your air cab in case you need it." The pilot said to William.
"Let me guess, this order came straight from Admiral McAllen?" William asked with cocked eyebrows.
"You're right…How do you know?" The pilot seemed surprised.
"I have my ways…Well, carry on pilot." William said to him.
"Sir!" The pilot saluted at William.
After the pilot returned to the cockpit, William carefully and slowly took the seatbelts and secured it around Hood's body. She looked like she's fast asleep and William felt bad about waking her up so he let her sleep longer. He heard her murmuring something under her breath, and he looked toward her but found nothing to indicate that she woke up…She's probably dreaming. William returned his attention to the document he's reading, that was until he felt something circling around his right arm and he looked to the side.
Hood, who already rested her head on William's right shoulder now further locked him in place by hugging his right arm as if it's a hugging pillow, the man sighed a bit at the sight and was about to continue reading when the plane shook due to turbulence. Hood felt the shaking as she jumped awake while scanning her surroundings, until she realized she's been hugging William's right arm and seconds later she let go of his arm.
"That's quite the turbulence. Still sleepy Hood?" William asked Hood.
"…Not anymore milord, that short nap was quite fulfilling." Hood said to William.
Hood noticed that William still holding the document he carried from central headquarters on his hands, she's quite sure that William didn't even catch a wink ever since she shut her eyes…She looked over the page he was on, there's several designs of armed men posing with an unknown rifle on their hands and wearing equipment that Hood had never seen before on either Azur Lane nor Crimson Axis infantries…There's a huge sentence on top of the paper. Project Custos Terrae, Plan Bellator Luminis.
"Milord, that page…" Hood asked curiously.
"…Future plans to combat the Sirens. Nothing concrete now as this is still a concept." William said to Hood.
"We're pulling all the stops." Hood said.
"Yeah, it's time to go all in for our militaries because our future is quite uncertain." William said while frowning a bit.
The cargo plane made its final approach to the airport and successfully landed despite strong winds and heavy rain, William and Hood stood up from their seats. After William thanked the pilots, the rear hatch opened, and there's an SUV waiting for them alongside two men carrying umbrellas. William took one and opened it before taking Hood's left hand and gently pulled her close. Hood was surprised but she welcomed it by hugging William's right arm, both walking toward the SUV while being escorted by the military police.
"Welcome back sir! We already set up a car for you to get back to the base!" An officer said while walking in front of William and Hood.
"Thanks! Anything happen!?" William asked the officer.
"Except for being drenched in this nonstop rain!? It's been all quiet sir!" The officer said while smiling.
"Alright then!" William said while nodding.
William opened the SUV door and Hood went inside first then followed by William, the umbrella he held was taken by an officer who also closed the door for him. Safe from the rain, William looked at who's the one on the driver seat which to Hood and to his surprise the driver is Belfast the Head Maid herself. She looked back toward the middle passenger seats to find William with his mouth agape in shock while Hood had her eyes widened and covered her mouth with her gloved hands, not one of them expected the head maid herself would be their pickup driver.
"Belfast!" William exclaimed in surprise.
"Quite a chilly night. Welcome back, master, Madam Hood. I trust the flight went well?" Belfast asked in her usual smile.
"Yes it is, but what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be attending to her highness at this hour?" Hood asked Belfast.
"Her royal highness already went to bed, so my duty was over for the day. It is a maid's duty to welcome back her master so here I am." Belfast explained while smiling.
"Well I'm touched because you went this far…But how did you get an SUV?" William asked while narrowing his eyes.
"Oh I didn't tell you? We have one in the garage back at the base master." Belfast said in a surprised tone.
"Yeah, you forgot to mention that back on the tour…So that's where you stored the jeep!" William's eyes widened in realization.
"Madam Belfast, how is our base while we're away? Any trouble?" Hood asked Belfast.
"I'm pleased to say that everything is in order, Madam Hood…Now, shall we head back?" Belfast asked them both.
"Let's…I miss the comfort of my bed." William said out loud.
"Oh yes, we definitely need the rest." Hood said out loud.
Belfast nodded her head as she drove the car out from the airport under the intense rain, she's being careful despite the streets being basically clear from any vehicles due to the weather. William rested his head at the seat when he noticed Belfast staring at him through the rear view mirror, raising his eyebrows as if to ask what's wrong? Belfast then decided to speak.
"Speaking of your bed's comfort, do you want me to accompany you until you fall asleep master?" Belfast asked while smiling.
"That's…unnecessary." William replied with a slight delay, damn he wants her to!
"If you say so. But how about a light massage?" Belfast asked again while she kept smiling.
"I'm fine for now, Belfast." William said to Belfast, yeah goddamnit he wants a massage!
So why the fuck did he said that?! The reason being that Hood will absolutely talk about this with Lena or his mother later! Those three are becoming fast friends, Hood doesn't seem the type to gossip at a glance but she is somehow quite inquisitive when it comes to him…His suspicion was proven correct when he looked at Hood and she was staring at him while smiling.
"Hood, please…" William said to Hood.
"But I didn't say anything, milord." Hood said while smiling broadly.
"Oh don't you act innocent with me! I know you're going to use this when Lena visits the base in the future!" William accused while frowning.
"Ufufufufufu!" It seems he was on point as Hood started giggling…
After that, the ride back to the base was filled with light chatter between Belfast, Hood, and William. They enjoyed the short half an hour ride under the stormy night, William looked to the side when finally he got to see the base…He smiled slightly at the thought of laying back on his bed and…he looked at Hood who was busy talking with Belfast, she seemed distracted…good!
William subtly opened his phone and found a folder that was transferred by Lucas, that man despite being at the top of the ranks and being a forty-three year old guy was quite…dirty. Not in that kind of corruption sense, but in his sense of helping a fellow brother in need. William actually expressed a concern regarding him needing to take care of his sexual drives lest he get out of control, but going to a brothel is out of the question, and he's running out of options except banging the ship girls…something which he preferred to not doing for now. They're humans, not some sex machine.
Masturbation won't cut it, he needs some real action. That's when Lucas said that he got a method for him, while not exactly like the real deal but it's close enough, he transferred an application to his phone, and it took around a terabyte of his internal storage just from the application alone. He also handed William a specially designed hard light hologram projector, the one that can solidify the hologram so it could be touched freely. That hologram projector was a hot deal among the designers and William was confused on why Lucas had one, that was until he explained the connection between the projector and the app on his phone.
Basically, that app is a Holographic Sexual Reliever Assistance. A prototype being developed by Azur Lane to be distributed to frontline soldiers to reduce the risk of…sexual violations in combat theaters. This application included interactive A.I. program, customizable model, all kinds of sexual services, it's basically an all in one package. Just wait until Azur Lane mass produces this, they'll make a killing enough to wage another war!
When William first heard of this from Lucas, he realized that he's been out of touch since his time in prison, and he was enlightened. Humanity has proven time and time again that they managed to do the impossible, what a technology he just received! A breakthrough! An innovation! Man, he was glad he was alive at this time and age! Grinning at the thought of 'testing' this tech immediately, he failed to realize that Hood was staring at him.
"Milord, you're-" Hood asked William.
"Eh? Ah, what is it?" William swiftly answered.
"You're grinning ear to ear, something good happened?" Hood innocently asked.
"Oh yes, something good did indeed happen." William said, in more than one meaning.
…They arrived on the base and the storm hadn't let up, William parted ways with Belfast and Hood at the front entrance because they still had something to do. After wishing them a good night, William walked as fast as he could to his room. As soon as he entered his room, William changed his clothes to a white t-shirt and black boxer…Taking deep breaths to control his excitement, he took his phone and the hologram projector before going to the bathroom, and locked the door.
"Right…time to see what this baby could do!" William muttered while grinning.
He connected the phone to the hologram projector, put the hologram projector on the cold floor, and opened the application. The projector projected a blue transparent cube in the size of five by five meters which basically engulfed the entire bathroom, the cube dissolved, and a screen appeared in front of him with words 'Prototype HOSERA Project' and the 'Start' button underneath it. William looked at his left hand and then touched the button as the screen changed.
He was presented with the option of male or female model, he chose female and now the real shit begins. Lots of interfaces and menus appeared around the female model, William decided to experiment a bit. He went to the 'Breast' slider and put it to max and holy moly he got instant confused boner from what he's seeing! Chuckling, he set the slider back as he began to ponder on how he would set the model…An idea hit him and he unconsciously started tuning the model.
Setting the hair to blonde, setting the hairstyle the way he want with direct touch feature, setting the eyes to blue, the pink lips, apparently he could put on clothes but he decided to fuck that shit, he set the breast size, the body shapes, the proportion of the ass, the height and…What the fuck…William realized one thing, the model in front of him looked exactly like Hood! Not that he ever saw her body directly like this but it's damn close to his prediction! Motherfucker! William just realized that he sometimes eyed Hood from the corner of his eyes and actually imagined how she looked without clothes…what an absolute degenerate! He's a perverted bastard in the core!
But William put that matter of his disgust to himself aside for now, he got a mission, and he'll accomplish it like a trooper! He went to set the personality? Oh right, the A.I. is quite interactive. Scrolling down the list, he selected 'Noble lady' personality and 'composed' attitude…Setting the pitch of her voice, he then tested the voice with the 'voice test' option.
"What a fine evening. How do you do milord? It's good to see you here." The model said while smiling…
…William looked to the side while blushing, eyes wide in realization, mouth agape in awe and his penis erect inside his boxer, the veins pulsating and stand ready for combat activity…Holy fucking hell! She looked and sounded EXACTLY like Hood! Well except that this model doesn't have her British accent but GODDAMN man! How perverted is he to be able to recreate this model to look and sound like his secretary in one attempt?! William then convinced himself that she's just a model…she's not the real one, so it should be fine…William took a deep breath as he selected the 'confirm' option and the model started moving…
"Oh, milord. Why, you're 'equipped' with a magnificent lance! I can see why you're called 'The Succubus Slayer' by the ladies around the kingdom!" The model said to William in a sultry tone.
…He knows it's just a simulation but hell that sweet talk got him excited and raring to go! After convincing himself that this is not the real one, any and all inklings of reasoning, shame, and doubt were thrown out of the window as William approached the model…He admired the view, the very beauty he just molded by his own two hands! He smiled perversely as his left hand moved to touch the model's right arm.
"…Hmm." The model responded.
The interactive feature seemed to be working well, the body of the model seemed to somehow simulated a real life human body's temperature which is thirty six degrees Celsius…His smile grew as his hand moved, tracing the arm, to her shoulder, and finally to her right breast. Copping a feel, he concentrated his left hand to the senses…Springy, rich, it's as if he's holding the real one! He groped the model's breast gently, playing with the pink nipple a bit as she squirmed her eyes shut.
"Ah! Umm...Ha!" The model said in a sensual voice.
William's smile grew even more as he traced his left hand lower, passing her stomach area, all down to the very place he targeted. Her womanhood looked exactly like a real one, he traced his right hand around her lower stomach…He hesitated a bit before he resolved himself to finally went past the first line, his hand traced around her vagina, and the model started to sound more aroused and sensual the longer his big hand dwelled there.
"Ahn! Milord! Please…don't tease me like this! Give it to me!" The model said to William.
Grinning perversely from ear to ear so much it should've hurt his cheeks, William took off his boxer as he turned the model around and bent her so she rested her upper body on the bathroom wall. Admiring the view from behind, her perfectly shaped ass, her pink vagina, her puckered pink asshole. William eagerly took his penis as he positioned himself behind the model, aligning his large, burly, circumcised cock to her pussy…This is it, the final frontier before Nirvana!
Yeah! Science bitch! Everything is possible with the right development, passion, and resources! Fuck yeah! Man, to finally release his pent up frustration after so long this might be his salvation! With this, he'll be fine being around the ship girls because his lust is kept in check! There's no way he could just up and asked the girls for sex, first it is wrong to do that so freely without their consent! Second, there's that matter that Lucas had told him before and third, they've only known each other not even less than a month, so he wasn't sure how the ship girls felt about him! See? This is the logical problem solving technique! William is going to pile diver this model girl to the wall with the speed of a jackhammer and the power of a hydraulic piston!
"Milord?" …It was Hood, the REAL Hood!
…William stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widened in shock, his blood turned cold, and his erection died instantly…He looked frantically back and forth between the model and the bathroom door, his panicked mind failed to come up with any kind of plan to get himself out of a possible clusterfuck imminent on his future! He prayed to whatever god out there who was willing to listen to him, please make Hood go away from his room!
"Oh, are you in the bathroom?" Hood said out loud.
"…Milord? What's wrong?" The model suddenly said.
"What? Who's in there?!" Hood suddenly said after hearing the model's voice.
William's heart stopped beating for a second before going into maximum overdrive as he started to sweat profusely and his face turned blue, oh not even God is willing to save his ass from this one! He survived countless battles, avoiding death in the nick of time, and now he's back on the seat of the doom train heading straight to certain death…watching porn is a lot easier to explain compared to…this! He contemplated a way out, either jumping through the window and letting himself be drenched to his nut sack in stormy weather or even hiding in the bathtub!
"Madam Hood? What's wrong?" Now even Belfast joined in the fray?!
He has to deal with not one but two women who are both extremely hard to trick! William is out of time and he's still in dilemma on the escape path he had to take, he briefly contemplated to barge outside and close the bathroom door behind him before coming up with the most believable bullshit he could came up with in five seconds when he saw the door handle moved down…That's it, his ass is grass, and he shut his eyes as he accepted his fate.
(Insert To Be Continued Meme Here)
Updated: 25-07-2021 (Beta Readed by Culture-Hunt3r)
Nothing fits that situation more than a to be continued theme from Jojo, the man's ass is in imminent danger! But more importantly, doujin artist?! I gave you a scenario here so please make some because I'd like more of Hood x Commander H doujin! I only saw around four so far! The wholesome one! Bah who am I kidding, that's a pretty tall demand hahahaha so please don't take it seriously! Anyway, thank you for the follow, favorite and review dear readers! Let's hope William could get away from that one!
See you next time!
- Dasmara