KERCHAK!
The door didn't open…Thank the gods who still showed him some kind of mercy because William didn't forget to lock the goddamn door before! Hallelujah! William's mind quickly worked in overdrive to resolve this whole mess, first he deactivated the holographic projector, then exited the application on his phone, he put on his boxers, and flushed the toilet in the bathroom. Preparing the most neutral face he could muster despite the close call, he peeked outside to see Hood with a serious expression, and Belfast who stared in confusion. Hood was looking at William who wore a t-shirt and boxers, but she's got more pressing matters at the moment. Belfast was confused because she suddenly heard Hood raise her voice…that woman, even when angry, never raised her voice before…
"Oh, it's you Hood. Something happened?" William casually asked Hood.
"I just heard some voice that came from the bathroom milord, it sounds like a woman!" Hood said to William.
"Ha? What are you talking about? It's just me in there, perhaps you're hearing things?" William said to Hood with a confused face.
Hood cocked her eyebrows in confusion before she gently opened the bathroom door, went past William, and inspected the bathroom herself, she carefully scanned every corner of the room, and she couldn't find any signs of someone other than William being here…But Hood refused to believe that because she clearly heard a woman's voice that disturbingly sounded so close to her own voice, she stared at William with clearly confused expression. She's a battleship for god sake, she has amazing listening capabilities!
"No…I could swear I heard a voice…she sounded like me too." Hood said while putting her right hand on her chin.
"…Well, let's just drop this matter now seeing as there's no one inside the bathroom except me. Is there something you need, Hood?" William said, trying to redirect this entire talk.
William was starting to sweat despite the fact that it's goddamn chilly in his room, he carefully looked towards Belfast who was still staring from Hood's back, and sent her a look that screamed to help him out of this mess…Belfast being in her perfect maid mode quickly stepped up and went beside Hood, tapping her shoulder Belfast gave her a convincing smile that could literally convince someone to believe even the most bullshit reason a human being could utter.
"Madam Hood, I think you need to rest. Lack of sleep can cause hallucinations…It's been a long day, am I right?" Belfast said to Hood while smiling.
Hood narrowed her eyes…There's no way she's dropping this matter unresolved but Belfast did have a point, it's been a long day, and it's not unknown that when someone is tired they could start hearing or seeing things…Hood did feel sluggish after the trip, so maybe it'll be best for her to let this matter go, seeing as there's no evidence that could support her own accusation too, she felt continuing the investigation will only result in a dead end.
"Maybe you're right, Madam Belfast…Milord, tomorrow I will be required to attend her majesty's council in the morning, so I won't be available for my secretarial duty for a bit." Hood said to William.
"Is that so? It's alright. We only have a few papers,so I could manage on my own." William said to Hood.
"Understood milord…Now, I shall head back to my room because clearly I need to rest." Hood said as she massaged her left temple.
"Madam Hood, could you please wait a bit at the entrance? It'll be best for us to head back together." Belfast said while smiling.
"Alright, but please be quick about it…Milord, I bid you goodnight, and may you rest well." Hood said while bowing a bit.
"Likewise…" William said while nodding his head.
William and Belfast watched as Hood exited the room with a small frown on her pink lips, a sign that she's quite dissatisfied with not finding an answer to that mystery. William looked to the side while he breathed out in relief that he managed to dodge a bullet with Hood. He's lucky that Hood is a reasonable woman, and the fact that Belfast helped him out with a very convincing reason seeing Hood's circumstances was a saving grace…That is until he realized that Belfast had been staring at him for like ten seconds with the same smile she showed to Hood.
"…Master." Belfast said to William.
"Yeah?" William asked Belfast.
"Is it true that you were alone in the bathroom?" Belfast asked William.
"Now why would I lie about that?" William asked while shrugging.
Belfast smirked slightly as she entered the bathroom, and William returned to his desk to put up his phone, that's when he realized that there's something that he left back in the bathroom…add to the fact that it's Belfast's turn to search that room, she's the perfect maid, and that's why William got nervous because Belfast could find even the most well hidden items in a room…Seconds later, however, Belfast came out of the bathroom while still smiling.
"I see…It looks like this is just a misunderstanding, very well then. Do you require anything before I depart for the dorm, master?" Belfast asked William.
"Nothing for now Belfast, you may head back." William said to Belfast.
"By your command master." Belfast said as she performed a curtsy.
William sighed in relief…Well, at least William managed to get away from this trouble. He really should've looked for an option to put that application on silent mode because he doesn't have the luxury to enjoy the app with the sound on this base, there're girls everywhere, and their hearing could be considered superhuman in a sense…
"Oh, master. Don't leave this in the bathroom next time." Belfast said to William.
And she handed him the holographic projector which caused William's eyes to bulge, he dodged a bullet, but he forgot that the shots came in burst fire mode…William gently put the projector on the table, he seriously didn't have the courage to look at Belfast right now due to his embarrassment. But, he did anyway because his mom didn't raise a coward, and he saw Belfast smirking at him…Shit, that either means a saving grace or trouble and in this case William sure it meant trouble.
"I know perfectly how that device functions master, rest assured for I shall be quiet about it…However, should you require me to ease you of your 'frustration', you only need to ask master." Belfast said while smirking to William.
"Okay…" William thoughtlessly answered.
"Good night, master." Belfast said as she headed for the door.
Closing the door, Belfast got the sight of a giant with a stunned face, blue and red decorated his face at the same time with the horror and embarrassment swirling into one inside him, and his mouth hanging wide open. She closed the door, Belfast then walked away a bit before she started giggling at the sight she just witnessed. Oh her master might have tried to look composed all the time, but he could be startled quite easily enough…Belfast had sworn that she'll give everything to her master, both her body and soul. If this could help her master, then she'll gladly do it…Though, she'll wait for him to initiate it…
William thought that Belfast definitely knew what he's up to with that device, and the fact that it doesn't take a genius to analyze his intentions. Putting a touchable holographic projector inside a bathroom, and the fact that Hood heard a voice that sounded like her…He's glad that Belfast would be quiet about this but it doesn't help the fact that it seemed Belfast dropped a hint bomb back there, if he ever felt 'frustrated' he only needed to ask Belfast to take care of it…Did she just basically say it's okay for him to ask her to 'relieve' him? That's basically a sexual service right?
No…not now, maybe when he and the girls knew each other better. He's not the type to go on one night stands even before his military service, he felt the girls are worth more than that…Living with them daily has taught William that the majority of these girls are not reserved about their sexuality, with the exception of those innocent destroyers. Their uniforms were also quite provoking to look at, with the exception of a few of them who dressed modestly like Hood, Kongou, Shoukaku, and many others. Not that he didn't like it, it's their own choice how they want to dress up, but William found it hard to control his primal drives after being locked up for two years…and those revealing dresses are not helping.
He's tempted to use the application again, but he doesn't want this screw-up to happen again tonight so William chose to sleep…He tried for ten minutes before he checked his groin and found his main gun stood up when he thought back about that Hood model he built himself. Sighing in complete annoyance, William took his phone, took headphones, and decided to open his browser before taking off his boxers…Sheesh…William then started typing on his phone, should he watch or should he read? Shrugging, William started typing…Pornhub. He's a careful man, he doesn't want to take a risk when Zara and Carabiniere just couple rooms down the hall…
.
…William fell asleep soundly that night, his tiredness played a huge role in putting him in dream land…as well that glorious release which eased his mind and libido temporarily. Then morning came, the sun had risen from the east, and it signified the beginning of the day. William was awake earlier than usual, Belfast usually came to his room at 07:30 in the morning…William looked at the clock on his night stand, it read 06:00 AM. Okay, he still had time and he laid back on his bed then shut his eyes…But, yeah, he couldn't fall back to sleep, so he sat up on his bed while grumbling. A man like him would need as much sleep as he could…He wanted to be ready before dealing with whatever antics or surprises he gets daily on this base.
Deciding to get up reluctantly, William stretched his body and felt his joints cracking. Performing some light exercise, he felt his body become fully awake after doing so for three minutes. William headed to the bathroom, washed his face, and then returned back to his room where he switched into a black tracksuit. Putting on a pair of sneakers, William looked at himself on the wall mirror before he noticed that his eye patch was taken off before sleeping. He sought it and found the said thing on the nightstand, he took the eye patch, covered his left eye, and took some things alongside his wallet before exiting the bedroom.
Exiting the command building, he immediately started jogging. He jogged while wandering aimlessly, he kept himself occupied with the list of songs he's currently listening to with his wireless headphones…Blaring rock music is a good way to get him pumped up, the slow relaxing music is useful when he wants to cool down, and should a stray dog or tiger chase him then the death metal music would be the good background music for him to bail out like a little bitch…Oh wait, it's been three years, and this is not a previous operation on Dragon Empery's borders, there's no such things here…
…Half an hour later, William reached the Sakura Empire dormitory with its traditional looking buildings and cherry blossom trees…Wait, why did he jog and head here? He shrugged as he started to slow down his pace when he heard a familiar melody. Shoukaku must've been playing her flute, though if he could hear it then she must be close. Slowing down to a walking speed, William scanned his way to see any indication of ladies around the dormitory…
"Ara, shikikan-sama." Speak of the devil.
William turned around and saw Shoukaku sitting on a bench with Zuikaku beside her, William nodded his head as he approached them. Both in their usual attire, Shoukaku with flute in her hands while Zuikaku sat with her katana on her lap. Both smiled at the sight of him approaching them, William stopped in front of them as Zuikaku stood up from her seat.
"Ohayou gozaimasu, shikikan. Are you exercising?" Zuikaku asked him.
"Just done with it, figured I should keep in shape." William answered to Zuikaku.
"I could see you've worked quite some sweat shikikan-sama, have you eaten breakfast yet? The canteen should be open in a bit, how about we eat together over there?" Shoukaku asked while smiling widely.
"Yeah shikikan! We almost never see you eating breakfast, you should join us once in a while." Zuikaku asked while smiling excitedly.
That's when he realized that ever since he arrived on this base his breakfast was always provided by Belfast, it's hella delicious and no doubt it grew on him with different dishes every morning, but as a result he never went to the canteen except for a few times when he happened to be outside during chow time…And that's why he never ate breakfast in the canteen before, perhaps he should go there…Should be fine mingling with the ladies, as long they're not rowdy about it.
"I agree. Maybe I shouldn't trouble the maids today, we could go there when you two are ready." William said while smiling a bit.
"Let's go now then! We could reserve a great spot!" Zuikaku said to William.
"Alright…Wait, what about the other girls?" William asked Zuikaku.
"They'll catch up, don't worry. We didn't usually go to the canteen in packs." Zuikaku said as she walked past him.
The three of them started to head back to the base area, the walk with the two crane sisters was filled with light chatter between the two while William followed closely behind them. There's this sense of bliss at seeing two beauties just talking to each other while walking down the road. Zuikaku and Shoukaku talked about their activity last night which involved watching TV…Oh right, come to think of it, he hasn't installed that in his office. But that would make his free time nonexistent, the girls already heavily abused the fact he had the best audio player on the base to regularly visit his office…Imagine if he put a large TV screen for his gaming inside his office-
"I heard you were away yesterday, shikikan." Zuikaku said to William.
"Yeah, some business needed to be done. Everyone behaved, right?" William asked Zuikaku.
"If you count the fact that Prinz and Belfast were being chummy with each other in front of the command building as behaved, then yes." Zuikaku said while rubbing her chin.
"Ho, are they good friends or something?" William asked with a smile.
"I'm not sure, they both used to fight each other back during the war…But I guess since we've become allies, both of them started to become friends in the process." Zuikaku said to William.
"I see. That's good, all of us should let go of our grudges. The Sirens would have a field day if we started to get divided again." William said while nodding his head.
"Hai, I agree." Shoukaku said while smiling..
"Me too." Zuikaku said while smiling.
They eventually reached the base area, the three of them stumbled upon Akashi opening her shop with several Manjuus around assisting her with moving and organizing stuff. William noticed that they were moving boxes that were far larger than their bodies, how strong were they?! The boxes are matte black, he knows he saw the design before, but he forgot about the supposed content for that kind of box. Shoukaku got closer as she greeted Akashi with a smile on her face.
"Akashi-chan, you're open early." Shoukaku said to Akashi.
"Why it's Shoukaku-san, Zuikaku-san, and shikikan! Ohayou nya, your order arrived last night shikikan." Akashi said to William.
"Really? Where is it?" William asked Akashi.
"It's in those black boxes nya!" Akashi said while pointing at the boxes.
…Now he remembered! Akashi walked over toward the black boxes and was followed by William, Shoukaku, and Zuikaku. She entered the codes on the small console, when the codes were accepted the box released a mechanical sound as it opened itself, and revealed the array of weaponry stored inside it. Akashi went to the other and did the same thing, the others stored heavier weaponry alongside their ammunition…The content of the boxes is enough for William to wage war against an entire battalion, there's just so much ammo!
"Behold, the compact armory! Filled with the things you've requested, should come in handy if you need to fight nya!" Akashi said as she grinned.
William walked forward slowly with his mouth hanging at what he saw, it was a glorious sight…William got close to one of the boxes in the rifle section, he pulled an HK417…Wait, Iron Blood's gun? He looked further in to see a G36C, SCAR-H, AR-15, M14 EBR, AUG, AK103, L85A2, Howa Type 89? That is Sakura Empire's standard issue rifle…ARX160? Sardegna Empire's guns…This is an international weapons collection! It's like everyone gave him a gift to combat whatever threats were out there with the tools being provided.
You know the strange thing about all of this? William only ordered one box filled with Azur Lane Standard Field Armory content, but what he received was this international mess, and he loved it! He started to meticulously inspect the content of the boxes like a child being excited for Christmas, grinning while holding what appeared to be the best toy in the world.
"…Sweet lord, look at this darling! And this! And this! I think they're being too generous by giving me these babies!" William said while grinning.
"Ufufufufufu. Shikikan-sama, you're like a child in a dagashi shop." Shoukaku said to William.
"…Dagashi?" William cocked his eyebrows.
"It's the equivalent of a sweets store in the Royal Navy or candy shop in Eagle Union." Zuikaku explained while smiling.
"Well can you blame me? This could be compared to an adult sweets store! Any soldier out there would be happy with this package!" William said while smiling widely.
William went back and forth between boxes excitedly, Shoukaku and Zuikaku could only smile at the sight. He went over to the melee weapon section and his smile turned into a grin at the collection…Knives, long swords, short swords, kukris, tonfas, axes…Whoa man, he's got a lot of stuff to try on! One selection caught his eye as he took the item from its place. Military combat machete, the one thing he always carried in his loadout whenever he went for action as a Task Force Nimbus Operator.
"Ah, combat machete. Been a while since I held one!" William said as he inspected the machete.
"A machete? Don't you already have a sword, shikikan?" Zuikaku asked as she went closer and also inspected the machete.
"…That one I carry mostly for appearance only, I got my own reasons for using a machete in combat. It has the reach, not too long nor too short, durable, and very reliable for hack and slash. A perfect tool for quick strikes." William said to Zuikaku.
Experience is the one backing his statement on this one, a machete always pulled him out of any close quarter combat situation. How many necks or limbs that he severed already in those close encounters whenever his guns were out of ammo or unavailable to use? How many he stabbed in desperation or pure intent on killing? Knives may be small and easily concealable, but machetes get the job done as no organ could survive this fifty centimeter blade of pure sharpened reinforced steel.
"I see…Shikikan, do you want to exercise some more?" Zuikaku asked William.
"I still have some energy to spare, sure." William answered without looking at Zuikaku.
"Great…Then, I challenge you to a duel, shikikan!" Zuikaku said to William.
"…Huh?" …That was all William could say in response.
So that's how he found himself in front of Akashi's shop with a machete in hand while Zuikaku stood in front of him with her sheathed katana in hand. Did William seriously consider himself to fight a ship girl directly? Did he even realize that Zuikaku could asshand him so easily with her strength alone!? His rational mind says this is a bad idea, his warrior side however…felt this is a great chance to challenge himself.
"…You sure about this, Ms. Zuikaku?" William asked her.
"Hai! You see, there's lots of talk about you being a veteran soldier shikikan. I'd like to see how well you do in combat!" Zuikaku said while grinning.
"Well, I guess I do need to brush up my close quarter combat techniques…I guess you'll be using your katana then?" William asked Zuikaku.
"You're right. Well, how about we set some rules? If you're disarmed or fall to the ground then you automatically lose. Nee-sama, how about a time limit?" Zuikaku asked Shoukaku.
"Let's see…Five minutes will have to do, it'll be 7:30 AM soon." Shoukaku said while smiling and staring at her phone.
"That's quite some time…Oh well, let's keep the arena small. From this lamp post to that lamp post, no getting out from this road?" William proposed the idea.
"Very well then." Zuikaku agreed to the idea.
"Ms. Shoukaku, please be the referee for this duel." William said to Shoukaku while smiling.
"Hai…Both of you, get to your positions and draw your weapons!" Shoukaku said while also smiling.
William took off the black tracksuit leaving him with his white shirt and black jersey, William took the machete out of the sheath and swung it around for a bit to get a grip on its weight…It felt lighter than his previous one, but he didn't doubt that this one is just as strong. Zuikaku set her footing as she drew her katana out from her sheathe, she swung it horizontally once before setting her readied stance.
"Don't hold back with me, shikikan. Show me how capable you are!" Zuikaku said while smiling widely.
"Alright then." William answered as he set his stance.
"Ready? Fight!" Shoukaku declared.
Immediately, Zuikaku bolted her way forward at an unreal speed, and William knew that she'll be charging ahead first so he stepped to the right. Zuikaku swung her katana toward William, the man had to side step again before he cartwheeled his way to gain distance from Zuikaku but the woman was relentless. She stopped and dashed toward him again, William saw no other option other than facing her head on. So, William stopped dodging as he redirected his machete and parried Zuikaku's katana directly.
He had to grunt, he could feel how powerful she was just from parrying her attack, and it shook him to his bones. William dashed forward with the machete thrusting toward Zuikaku which she dodged by jumping above him, Zuikaku used this chance to launch an attack from behind, but William was aware of her movement, so he immediately turned his body around and blocked her katana strike. William decided to go on the offensive as he started moving forward while performing multiple slashing attacks that Zuikaku successfully parried or blocked completely.
William realized this duel is a bad idea because he didn't see any gap he could use to breach Zuikaku's defenses if he limited himself. Shit, he should've wore wrist armor padding or plating because he's got no other assets than his own machete in this duel…William stopped attacking as he pulled back because he noticed Zuikaku setting her stance, she leapt forward with a downward swing ,and William replied by swinging upwards with his own machete at full power. The blades clashed and both of them were pushed back due to the sheer recoil, both gained distance from each other to regain their footing.
Not to waste this opportunity though, William immediately charged ahead, unfortunately for him, Zuikaku also did the same thing. Both clashed blades again, performing rapid swings that produced loud clanking sounds before both retreated because they needed to regain their momentum…William was panting, this is the first time he took on a ship girl in direct combat, and man this is quite the experience! He smiled a bit as he regulated his breathing, he might make this a habit in the future.
"…You're strong, Ms. Zuikaku!" William commented.
"You as well shikikan, you hit hard!" Zuikaku said while smiling.
"Hee…how interesting~" Prinz said out loud.
"Oh my, they noticed us! Do your best, you two!" Illustrious said while smiling.
"Zuikaku, don't injure shikikan too badly, alright?" Kongou said to Zuikaku.
"Oh commander, your wound on your right arm hasn't even fully healed, and you're participating in this duel? Don't force yourself now." Vestal said to William.
"Herr Kommandant was doing quite well for only using a machete." Z23 said out loud.
"I know, I wonder how this would turn out if he used a sword instead." Wales commented.
"Zuikaku kept pressuring him, it's amazing that he could still hold on." Cleveland said out loud.
"Commander, do your best!" St. Louis said to William.
…The side of the street was crowded by ship girls who were on their way to the canteen. They heard a commotion and found out that their commander is fighting Zuikaku in a duel. Needless to say, it's entertainment they couldn't miss. William was quite amused at the sight of the crowd and their numbers kept growing, Zuikaku who just noticed had the same reaction as William before she grinned while William smiled awkwardly before he stared at Shoukaku.
"…Since when?" William asked Shoukaku.
"Not even a minute after you two started the duel. There's three minutes left, do you want to continue or end it here?" Shoukaku asked while smiling.
"Let's continue shikikan, I won't stop until the match is decided or the timer runs out!" Zuikaku declared with her katana pointed at him.
"…I like your resolve Ms. Zuikaku!" William replied as he grinned.
"Saa, kakatte koi!" Zuikaku set her stance.
…It's getting hot so William proceed to take off his shirt and flashed his torso that's packed with muscles to every girl on site, oh safe to say the majority of them got red cheeks at the sight of their commander going topless, glistening in sweat, and his muscles tightening with his every move. More than one girl got their phones out and snapped pictures, Zuikaku noticed but she couldn't let herself get distracted. She'll prove to him that she's strong. She wants his acknowledgement.
William was the one taking the initiative this time as he moved forward slowly, Zuikaku patiently watched his movement before she found him within striking range. As soon as William lifted his feet to walk closer to her Zuikaku immediately rushed forward, William smirked a bit at this then he somersaulted above Zuikaku. He landed behind her and closed in on her with a swinging machete, Zuikaku realized what he did and quickly set a blocking stance. The machete hit her katana multiple times as William relentlessly slashed at Zuikaku, which lasted until he delivered a strong blow that resulted in Zuikaku stumbling back.
"Wha-" Zuikaku yelped in shock.
William dashed forward while thrusting his machete, Zuikaku narrowly avoided the machete before she dashed backward and back flipped to gain some distance. She made it close to the lamp post that was the border of the fighting area, she exhaled in relief while William reset his stance and tightened his grip on his machete.
"Phew! That was close!" Zuikaku said out loud.
"Ho, alright then…Looks like I have to get serious." William said while narrowing his eyes.
Zuikaku and William both approached each other step by step before William suddenly broke into a sprint, Zuikaku watched as William swung his machete downwards, and she chose to dodge it. Rapidly adjusting his footing, William then swung horizontally toward Zuikaku who blocked his strike when she realized one thing…his strikes were heavier than before. The impact she felt was more apparent and he's relentless in his attacks, Zuikaku would need a way to disarm him. She swung in full force which William answered with full power swing, both blades clashed, and they were stumbling backwards once again.
Zuikaku patiently waited until William charged, then she dashed forward and hit him straight in the gut with her katana hilt. William felt his pancreas was given a harsh massage and stumbled back in shock. Zuikaku spun backwards then slashed at William's machete which was thrown to the ground because he's still shocked thus his grip was weak, the machete produced loud clanking sounds, and Zuikaku sheathed her katana…William realized that the stunt she tried to pull could've actually destroyed his pancreas, but he said nothing as he shrugged.
"Bollocks…Ah well, it's my loss." William said while smiling.
"Yay, I won! But honestly that was some magnificent display of your combat prowess shikikan, I have no doubt that you're worthy of your reputation!" Zuikaku said while grinning.
"Thank you, you were also doing extremely well there…I think I know who to send on a commission later." William said as he picked up the machete.
"R-Really? Arigatou gozaimasu!" Zuikaku said while bowing.
"Ah shikikan-sama! You're bleeding!" Shoukaku suddenly said.
"Eh?" William cocked his eyebrows.
…That's when he decided to look toward his bandaged right arm, indeed there's a dark patch of red on the place where he was hit by a 9mm bullet a few days ago…Whoops, now he felt the wound start pulsing and perhaps he overdid it a bit. Shoukaku approached him first, grabbed his right hand, and inspected it with Vestal approaching close from William's back.
"Mou, Vestal-san was right. You shouldn't push yourself!" Shoukaku said with a serious face.
"This was a complete accident, Ms. Shoukaku." William said to Shoukaku.
"…I told you so commander, let's get you treated." Vestal said to William.
"Come this way, I'll help." Shoukaku said to Vestal while taking William's right hand.
"Thanks." Vestal said as she followed Shoukaku.
"Right…But this bleeding should stop on its own right?" William asked Shoukaku.
"Shikikan-sama!" Shoukaku said while narrowing her eyes.
"Okay okay I get it!" William quickly said.
…William witnessed how frightening Shoukaku could be just with a simple glare! Heck, he daresay that her beautiful face isn't suitable for getting angry, but boy she could pull off one so well! Gulping in nervousness, he was glad that Shoukaku only kept that expression for two seconds before she dragged him to the infirmary while being followed by Vestal closely behind…Zuikaku who was left behind shrugged, guess there's no stopping her nee-sama when she's that determined. Akashi then stepped forward to the crowd of girls, she's holding her own phone with a list of the girls' names on the screen.
"Ha…well, I guess I'll leave him to nee-sama and Vestal-san for this one." Zuikaku said out loud.
"…Alright! Match concluded! Pay up nya!" Akashi said cheerfully as some cheers and groans could be heard.
"All of you were betting on this?!" Zuikaku double backed and stared at Akashi.
…After being treated and berated by two girls with silver hair, William, Vestal, and Shoukaku joined the others at the canteen. Safe to say, the already lively canteen became even livelier when William decided to join them for breakfast. But that came with its own troubles, for example…His portion was gigantic, Nevada who's in charge of canteen duty said that he needed it after the duel with Zuikaku. Then, there's the matter where the girls were basically asking him to sit with them, and it turns into a huge commotion. To make it fair, William said he'll sit in the corner by himself much to everyone's disappointment, but they understood why.
William stared at the meal on his plate, it beats any MRE rations that he had to eat back during weeks long missions. It was cold, hard, and didn't taste good, so he's glad that he could eat warm meals like this every day from now on. Taking the sausage, he munched and started digging in his meal because he's got work to do after this. He did this while taking in the scenery, ship girls from various nations sat in one room, having meals together while chatting and laughing…Ah, the best sight, this is what unity feels like! Viva la hare-
"…Commander?" It was Enterprise who appeared beside him.
"Hmm? Yes Enterprise, what is it?" William asked her.
"I can't find an empty seat, would it be fine if I sat with you?" Enterprise asked William.
"I don't mind." William said while shrugging.
Enterprise sat in front of him and put her plate down, whoa that's a ton of food! William narrowed his eyes in confusion before he stared around, the ladies around him in the canteen didn't complain about the fact that Enterprise sat with him. Sure, they sneaked glances now and then, but none tried to sit with them…William took a sausage, and ate one while wondering.
"…Strange, no one's butting in?" William muttered to himself.
"What's wrong sir?" Enterprise asked William.
"No, nothing…Anyway, your portion is the same size as mine." William commented.
"…This always happens whenever Nevada's in charge of canteen duty. I don't think I can finish all of this." Enterprise said with a little frown.
"Really? You can't?" William raised his left eyebrow.
"Yeah…Would you like some, sir?" Enterprise asked William.
Hell yes more food! William's a big man with a big tank capacity and was born with a motherfucking engine that needs a constant supply of energy! But William couldn't exactly say that he'd gladly take some of her portion, he needs the girls to eat properly, and Enterprise is no exception. An effectively functioning soldier needs their bellies fed, at least that's what he learned from experience. Enterprise is among the most combat capable ship girls he has in this base, he doesn't want her to collapse in the field just because she didn't eat properly. William only smiled as he studied Enterprise features…there's a hint of uncertainty in her eyes, so William opted to go with this one method.
"Not that I mind. But try it out first, if you really can't do it then I'll take the rest." William said to Enterprise while smiling.
"…Okay, if you say so. Here we go." Enterprise said out loud.
And just like that, Enterprise started eating her portion. William also eats while constantly observing Enterprise's expression; if he saw signs that she started to get fed up with the taste William told her to take a sip with her beverage to keep her palate fresh. Enterprise herself found it strange that she had to be instructed when she eats, but she did it anyway…Minutes later, she found herself staring at the empty plate in front of her which was devoid from any signs of food. William himself had finished earlier than her and was currently staring at her face with disbelief painted on it…
"I…finished it." Enterprise said in an astonished tone.
"See? You can do it…If you always think that you can't do it, then you will not be able to. Try it out first, do the best you can…There are a lot of ways to tackle a problem, it depends on you to choose which one. Keep that technique I told you, it'll come in handy when you have a big portion to finish." William said then sipped on his tea.
"You're quite wise sir." Enterprise commented.
"Nah, I'm still twenty six, my dad is far wiser than me. He's the one who taught me that." William said while putting down his cup.
Enterprise hummed in acknowledgement, she noted that one by one the ship girls were already starting to leave the canteen to proceed with their duty for the day. Enterprise's schedule is free this morning, though she planned to immediately sortie on patrol around the base, she found herself wanting to talk to William after his display of combat capabilities against Zuikaku this morning. She didn't join the crowd beside the street, she watched from a distance, but she could still clearly see each of the movements performed by the two…
"I see…By the way, I watched how you dueled with Zuikaku sir…Back during the war, I also fought her." Enterprise said to William.
"Is that so…" William said in response.
"You fought so well despite facing off against a ship girl, how did you do it?" Enterprise asked William.
"…Would you believe me if I say it's due to experience and guts? What's your analysis then, from the way I fight?" William asked Enterprise.
William's question got her to think about what she saw before, how Zuikaku and William fought…Enterprise noted that Zuikaku was more agile than William, she landed more hits in a span of five seconds than William did. William's attacks were heavy and laced with power, Zuikaku had both speed and power…In short, there's a clear difference in strength between the two. Zuikaku is a ship girl, her strength is superhuman, while William despite possessing such a build is still limited with his human anatomy. But there's one thing that Enterprise sensed…
"…If I were to describe it, your style would be unpredictable. I couldn't read your attack pattern, you fought defensively at first before going all out near the end…But I got a feeling that you were still holding back despite all that." Enterprise said to William.
"Astute eh, you're not far off. If that was real combat, I would use any means at my disposal and that includes my own body. There were some rules, so when I was disarmed I automatically lost. But, even if that was a real fight, I got a feeling that I would still be defeated anyway despite using everything I had…The difference in our raw strength was apparent, I could never fight a ship girl and come out unscathed." William said, then sipped on his tea.
"…Pretty inhuman huh." Enterprise said in a low tone as she looked to the side.
…Yeah, it took a long time and effort by others to make her realize that she's just as human as anyone else. But despite all that, it doesn't help change the entire perception of others who still misunderstood ship girls as military assets that are only good for combat. Enterprise was quite interested to see how William saw them, so far he treated them as normal human beings…William noted that this is quite a sensitive topic for ship girls, he'll be honest as he faced Enterprise with a serious face.
"Only on that part Enterprise, you and the others are as human as you could be. You have feelings, you have emotions, you have purpose, and you most definitely have what it takes to be a human…Consider yourself as this, you're a human who's been given a gift to help protect those who don't…Don't ever forget that." William said with a serious face.
"…Like I said before sir, you're wise." Enterprise said while smiling.
"Well, thanks…" William said as he leaned on his seat.
…The girls were right about him, he definitely didn't see them as only a military asset somehow and somewhat. She took in his words…He said to her about being a human who has been given a gift, it might be a good way to describe their existence as ship girls. In the end, they fought to attain the same goals as the rest of humanity with the difference only in the amount of power each of them had compared to individual humans…Enterprise also reminded herself, he's not the same as the previous commander. William is approachable…and a lot easier to talk to.
"Sitting and talking with you together like this, it's not so bad after all." Enterprise said to William.
"Don't be shy to talk with me, Enterprise, if you have problems, I'm willing to lend an ear." William said while smiling a bit.
"Thank you, I'll be sure to remember that sir." Enterprise said to William.
.
…Breakfast was done, time to work his ass off to earn this privilege of living on an island paradise surrounded by beauties and receiving top notch service by the maids…William signed off documents, received calls from several companies who worked closely with Azur Lane, overseeing the Holographic battle network with maps alongside their units positioning on it, approving research progress, Akashi and Shiranui's goods manifest, taking a look at commissions because that's one of the ways this base could get funds beside the occasional High Command 'donation' which is sometimes immediately used for base maintenance…Yeah, he felt less like a commander and more like a mayor of a small city…
That aside though, paperwork was light, and he's grateful since Hood wouldn't be available for today. Seriously, that woman could do secretarial work efficiently, she barely made any inquiries to him, and she did all that with a smile on her face…He did ask someone to help him a bit since he is only starting to get used to this work, he might still need a few pointers. That someone, however, was lying on her stomach on one of his sofas, she hummed contently while listening some opera song set on his audio player with a familiar book in her hand…Wait a fucking second, he knows that book!
"…Prinz." William called the person's name.
"Hmm?" Prinz hummed in question.
"That's my manga, did you mess with my desk?" William asked with cocked eyebrows.
"Now how can you be sure that I didn't buy these online?" Prinz asked back with a smirk.
Oh you picked the wrong subject to act smug like this Prinz Eugen, William thought in his head. He had carried and read that for five years! Well, three years since the Deep End doesn't sell any of these kinds of things or allow him to carry personal belongings…He knew that manga inside and out, he'd recognized it anywhere. William narrowed his eyes at the prospect of ship girls barging inside his room and messing with his personal belongings, and that's another nightmare fuel that makes his spine tingle.
"The cover's a bit ripped, that's obviously mine." William said to Prinz.
"…Nice observation kommandant, I happened to follow Belfast to clean your room yesterday. I got hooked on this story, do you have the continuation?" Prinz asked William without looking at him.
…Then he remembered what Zuikaku said this morning, the fact that Belfast and Prinz were chummy with each other in front of the command building. Well, it made sense that Prinz could follow Belfast as she proceeded to clean his room, but why did Belfast let her go with one of his books without notifying him? That head maid knew that William loved the series…Nevertheless, Prinz actually looked interested as she's been making various faces while reading it…Huh, never seen her like that before.
"…Depends if you're going to return them or not." William said to Prinz.
"What do you think?" Prinz asked while smirking again.
"Hah…Fine, I'll LEND you some later." William said in a frustrated tone, he knew she wouldn't back down…
"Yay~, you know how to please a girl." Prinz said while smiling smugly this time.
"By trial and error, but it's worth it…Anyway, come here." William said to Prinz.
"…I thought you got everything handled?" Prinz cocked her eyebrows in wonder.
"…This concerns the fleet you led, come on." William said with half closed eyes.
"Alright~" Prinz said while pouting.
Getting up reluctantly, Prinz put the manga down on the coffee table as she approached William who was staring at the commission document screen and a holographic map in front of his desk. He constantly switched between the two as if he's trying to formulate something…Prinz ignored that as she approached William's left side and took a look at the document before staring at the holographic map.
"So, what's the problem?" Prinz asked William.
"I want you ladies to head to that small isle in the south, there's an oil refinery complex there, and lately they've been seeing some strange things…Black things on the horizon, it sounded like Sirens." William said to Prinz.
"You want us to go there and investigate hmm? Not a problem." Prinz replied while shrugging.
"Not just that, those refineries are planning to send a convoy to our base for oil resupply tomorrow. We'll need it in case we're planning a major offensive, so I'm hoarding resources as much as possible." William said to Prinz.
"Investigation and escort mission, this would be boring." Now she's pouting, cute!
…William had to agree, an escort mission is a bitch both in real life and in game. They had to move the same speed as their protection target, their offensive capabilities are limited, and there's only so much you could do before the target started taking fire, and you had to struggle between protecting the target or eliminating the threat as soon as you could…It's a constant challenge to balance your man power and if you're alone, let's just say that you're a poor bastard to be involved in such thing.
"There's a chance you'll encounter them, you know." William asked while smiling a bit.
"But it's not confirmed yet, so we'll never know…Alright then, I'll go round up the second fleet." Prinz said to William.
She copied the compiled soft copy of the mission folder to her phone, she confirmed that the file was transferred, took the manga, and started walking toward the exit…Ah, the beauty of modern technology, no hassle with copying the whole folder on photocopier. William also made a roster for the commission fleet, consisting of several cruisers and carriers with reasonable armor and firepower. He thought of deploying several destroyers with them, but he overruled that suggestion with the fact they had to attend lectures today…
"You'll be briefing them yourself?" William asked Prinz.
"Ja, I got the information and the plan memorized already." Prinz said while slightly shaking her phone.
"Thanks Prinz, good luck out there. Pack lots of ammo will you?" William said while smiling.
"Don't worry, I'll be sure to get that oil…maybe some kills along the way." Prinz said while smiling smugly.
"…Just make sure they're hostile." William said in an uncomfortable tone.
"Jawohl kommandant, see ya~" Prinz said in melodic tone.
With that, the door to his office was closed. Oh? You wondered how on earth the office that was supposed to be still in shambles from a fighter craft looked good as new? The Manjuus of course! While he was gone with Hood, they expertly repaired the office as if nothing ever crashed into it overnight! Holy moly, William was really grateful with the fact those chickens could work quickly and efficiently regarding anything! He wondered where did they stay or even come from, they always appeared out of nowhere when required and then disappeared all of a sudden when the jobs were done…
William opened another commission file…Whoa, this one had been running for twenty seven days! What kind of commission needs that kind of deployment time?! Then, William spotted the details on where they were going. Northern Parliament, north-pole region…That place had a tendency to freeze anyone, and the fact that the Sirens also appeared there and heavily engaged Northern Parliament forces is an unsettling thought. What do they want with the North Pole? So, Northern Parliament required help from Azur Lane in the meantime huh? William looked at who's the flagship for this operation, which is a carrier with Formidable as her name…William took out his phone and dialed Illustrious' number.
"…Illustrious?" William asked as soon he heard the call connected.
"Yes milord? Do you need me for something?" Illustrious asked William.
"Correct, please drop by my office as soon as you can." William said to Illustrious.
"Understood, I'm on my way." Illustrious said to William.
Switching to the holographic screen, William tried contacting the commission team but the notification appeared that the team was out of range…Hey, that's not good, fleets of ship girls went to the north-pole, and they couldn't be contacted? It's not that he didn't trust that the Northern Parliament won't take care of them, it's the fact that he couldn't get a clear grasp of the situation directly is what's bothering him…William heard a knock on the door before it opened, Illustrious came in while smiling.
"That was fast." William commented.
"I'm on the second floor, talking with Ms. Zara…Anyway, what is it milord?" Illustrious asked William.
"I'm looking at the ongoing commission file, and I saw this…Formidable is your sister, correct?" William asked Illustrious.
"Why yes, is something wrong?" Illustrious asked back.
"They already went for almost a month judging by the time of deployment to Northern Parliament, I've tried contacting them, yet there's no response." William said with a serious tone.
"Oh, currently they're on an expedition near the north pole. Some of our allies need reinforcements against the Sirens, I've been told to expect that they couldn't be contacted for the duration of their mission. But don't worry milord, as you can see from the fleet composition, they will make it back here alive and sound." Illustrious said while smiling confidently.
…William cocked his eyebrows as he examined the composition of the fleet. Formidable, the flagship and Royal Navy's carrier. Hornet, Enterprise's little sister and Eagle Union's carrier. Mikasa, the former combined fleet flagship and Sakura Empire's battleship. Honolulu, St. Louis's, Helena's, and Brooklyn's sister and Eagle Union's light cruiser. Admiral Hipper, Prinz's sister and Iron Blood's heavy cruiser…And around a dozen destroyers from the four great factions…Whoa, okay that's some serious reinforcement. Judging from their combat data and capabilities, Illustrious is right, they should be fine with anything thrown at them…
"…I'll trust you on that." William said to Illustrious.
Illustrious nodded while smiling as she sat on the sofa that Prinz previously occupied, William returned to the task at hand when he felt his concentration waver…ah goddamnit, he really needed a nap to compensate for waking that early huh? Yeah, who wouldn't be bored working behind a desk like this? William yawned but decided to push one more, just one more file before he could rest and leave the short stack of papers to finish tonight.
"Milord, what do you think is the most important aspect in a girl? Milord?" Illustrious asked William.
"…Sorry, I think I need a rest." William said to Illustrious.
"Is that so…Hmm, why don't you lie down next to me?" Illustrious suggested to William.
"Umm, there won't be enough space." William noted to Illustrious.
"Oh that's not a problem." Illustrious said to William.
She tapped her lap twice…Lap pillow? From a beautiful woman? Hell yeah William's down for it! But, he needed to keep his appearance. He raised himself from his chair and walked over toward Illustrious…He sat on the sofa before he laid his head down on Illustrious' soft thighs which really fit as a pillow too well! Adjusting his position better, he finally found the perfect balance before sighing in contentment…The last time he received a lap pillow was four years ago, Lena and him were spending their days off in the local park…No! No! No! She's someone else's wife now! William thought he would never move on if he kept remembering those times…those happy times.
"See? Comfortable isn't it?" Illustrious asked while smiling.
"…I'm not heavy, right?" William asked, hey her face is obstructed by her boobs from down here!
"Oh don't worry about it, I'm quite used to doing this…Now, lie down and take your time to rest." Illustrious said to William.
"…So, why did you ask me that question before, Illustrious?" William tried to make some small talk.
"I'm simply curious, I do want to get to know you better you know?" Illustrious said while smiling.
"Is that so…Is there anything else you want to know?" William asked Illustrious.
"Your favorite drink?" Illustrious asked William.
"Tea." William answered without missing a beat.
"Is it not alcohol? Ms. Belfast found a lot of those empty cans in your room." Illustrious said to William…
…Oh right, he forgot about that. Well, how else could he finish those beers that were given to him as a welcoming gift from Lucas that were sent a week ago? He got an entire box of it, someone had to finish it, and coincidentally William liked this brand's taste. Come to think of it, he really didn't need to be drinking that much since this job isn't as stressful as being on the frontline 24/7…maybe he should share with the girls, but would they even like it? There's a first time for everything, he should just give it a go…
"…Those taste good you know?" William argued to Illustrious.
"I see, but you mustn't take so many, alright? It is unhealthy to drink so much~" Illustrious said to William.
William about to retort with the fact that Illustrious is just as bad as him with wine, then he realized that he might be the worst one since he could go through four cans in a single night while Illustrious may only take a glass for a day…He pursed his lips at his bad self-control with food and alcohol, this base doesn't run short on any of those, but still he has to control himself better!
"Now, what's your favorite food?" Illustrious asked William.
"Anything delicious." William immediately answered.
"You do have a big appetite~…How about your favorite kind of girl?" Illustrious asked William.
"…Hmm." William said while thinking.
"Milord? Are you too embarrassed to answer that question?" Illustrious asked with raised eyebrows.
"No, not like that…I'm thinking about it, and I got nothing. I don't have any favorite kind for a girl…" Williams said to Illustrious.
"Is that so…So, you're saying that you could love everyone?" Illustrious asked William.
"…I'm quite open minded for a girl's personality…As long as they're sane!" William added that in the end quickly.
That was a close call! Yeah, he doesn't want to jinx himself! What if by chance there are ship girls that could be categorized as a yandere out there? Would he even be fine? No, most likely not. He had read dozens of literature, shows, and mangas to know how a relationship with a yandere would end…School Days, that manga wrecked his innocence in his early teenage years. Mirai Nikki, quite cool but damn that psychopathic chick was smoking hot! Shimoneta, that one is pure gold…Oh, he's side tracked here as he should have focused on his conversation with Illustrious.
"Hmm, is that so…How about me, milord?" Illustrious asked William.
"What do you mean?" William cocked his eyebrows.
"Do you like me?" Illustrious boldly asked.
"Yes." William answered without missing a beat.
"Uh-uh, could you please describe why you like me?" Illustrious said while gently caressing William's hair.
Now this could be a little embarrassing to say, what's the first thing William could think of if someone asked 'what's the most prominent thing about Illustrious?' Then his answer would be ninety percent involving her boobs or her beautiful face. But, she asked him why did he like her? William might want to put his words carefully for this one…Nevertheless, he still chooses to speak from the bottom of his heart.
"…You're kind, gentle, and beautiful. I admit that when I first saw you, I instantly liked how you carried yourself, and that summed it up." Short and simple, no need to blab and make everything complicated…
"Ufufufu, aw you're making me blush~" Illustrious said, her cheeks reddening a little.
"Now with that out of the way, it's my turn. What do you think of me?" William asked with a confident smirk.
Yeah this is a perfect chance! He would like an input on how the girls thought about him too! Hood once said that he should listen more to other people and that includes their opinion of you, in order to work better with them William also have to know what the girls think of him…Did they see him as nothing but a complete stranger who happened to be commanding this base or a friendly commander who wants to do his best on his second chance in life?
"…A knight in shining armor, the type that will rescue maidens and fight off monsters. You are kind, you are strong, and you are definitely handsome…Did you know, when you saved me with that helicopter? I never expected that to happen. I am well armored, I could take hits from the enemy…But you put your life on the line just, so I won't get hurt. To receive such care from someone who went above his duty, are you trying to make me fall in love with you, Lord William?" Illustrious said with a noticeable blush on her cheeks…
…William had to face away from Illustrious, also with a noticeable blush on his cheeks because man Illustrious didn't mince her words! She went through extra detail in that statement of hers, did he really make that much impact with that simple action? (Nothing is ever simple with saving a lady from being hurt and being a knight in shining armor, William you dumb twat!) So that's how Illustrious thought of him huh? Well, he felt a little good after hearing such a statement. William returned to his composed face three seconds later while smirking toward Illustrious.
"Hahahaha…My lips are sealed for that matter~" William added a wink for extra emphasis.
"I see Ms. Prinz's tendency to tease has rubbed on you milord, you bully~" Illustrious smiled sweetly at William.
"Heh…I'm getting sleepy now Illustrious" …Yeah, and he doesn't need further questions for now.
"There there, I shall be here with you. Now rest to your heart's content." Illustrious said while caressing William's hair.
.
…Waking up a few hours later, William decided to stroll outside the office to get some fresh air in the afternoon, while Illustrious returned to the dorm. He was walking to the large park where he saw someone sitting and looking at the sea that was decorated by orange sky near the peak of sunset. She's Bismarck, never had William seen Bismarck strolling around freely like this before, and she's alone. Smiling a bit, William approached and sat beside her on the bench she sat on.
"Take a picture, it'll last longer." William said out loud.
"Kommandant William…yes, I suppose that could work." Bismarck said as she looked at William.
"It's quite rare to see you outside like this." William said to Bismarck.
"Sometimes I just want to be alone for a while, clear my head a bit, and maybe enjoy the view…I've been doing some thinking on my own." Bismarck said to William.
"Care to share?" William asked as he leaned on the bench.
"…The Chairman of Crimson Axis contacted me, he explained that the rules have changed again. In order to fight the Sirens, we need to be united once more, and that means working closely with Azur Lane again. I believe, our defection alongside the Sakura Empire is justified…We aimed to manipulate them, to steal their technology, and use it for our own to drive those beasts back for good. But, along the way, our humanity felt like it's being stripped little by little…The great power we attained has its own price, and the disagreement between us and Azur Lane was the primary cause for the war." Bismarck said to William.
"So you already knew about them from the start?" William asked Bismarck.
"Are you joking? We fought them long before the war broke out, Kommandant…It's just never being publicized. When the war happened and Azur Lane found out about the Sirens' involvement with Crimson Axis, things became more intense than ever…They believed we're being manipulated…They weren't wrong, we chose to be manipulated…before striking them when they were least aware of it. But, that's not a possibility anymore." Bismarck said while looking at the ground.
…First time William ever heard the story from the Crimson Axis side, it was quite informative as he now understood better about their motivation back then. It's always the constant struggle between attaining power yet keeping your humanity. Could you be strong and be human at the same time? No one knows the exact answer, and that's why Crimson Axis' action couldn't be judged as right or wrong…both Azur Lane and Crimson Axis had their own stands in this conflict, what was supposed to be a two way fight became a three way fight because of these differences…
"The war between us only hurt the people we are supposed to protect, millions died, and many more trapped between the seemingly endless war…That's what the Sirens aimed from the start, they wanted our destruction to serve whatever purpose they had in mind. We are fortunate, the people that lead us have more common sense than to let ourselves be subjected to divide and conquer tactics…Hah, what have we done? If only we didn't do that…humanity would stand better at their threat." Bismarck said as she stared at William's face.
"…You can't change the past Ms. Bismarck, right now all we can do is how we make the best of this situation. We shouldn't forget the past, but we can't let it chain us either…" William said to Bismarck with a serious expression.
"I know…How do you think about the war, William?" Bismarck asked William.
…Whoa! She put all protocols aside and called him straight by name! That was greatly uncharacteristic of her! William stared at her with a shocked face, seeing that Bismarck didn't budge and was expecting an answer; however he then began to contemplate his response…How did William think about the war? Frankly speaking, he already experienced it from nearly every view of it except for space combat…Experience? He's got it. Wisdom? Hell yeah…Telling her his story in the war would take too long, so William opted to give her his view regarding his approach to conflict…
"I have my own view of it…You know, there are two sentences that I held dear with me in facing any kind of threat. The first one, I was taught about this in the academy…Si Vis Pacem Parabellum, if you seek peace then prepare for war. To attain peace itself, we must prepare for whatever threat that could disturb it. Prepared to fight, to lay down your own life, all for the sake of humanity's continued peaceful existence…I held on to those words as I was deployed in combat around the world, I did all of that just so the important people in my life could live as normally as they could…Never have I once beared contempt for Crimson Axis, all of us that fought are human, and I believed most of them fought with the same purpose as me." William said to Bismarck.
That's how he summarized his early days during the war, the fact that he fought Crimson Axis wasn't because he hated them. He solely fought to protect the people he cared about, his mom, his sister, his friends, and Lena but at the same time William is not those innocent manga protagonists. If he had to kill to save them, he'd do it without a second thought despite his views of conflict in general. Did he feel disgusted? Yes and no. Yes, he's willing to trample his own moral viewpoints for the sake of his desire. No, he knows how the world works, and that he's ready to do it again for the second time if he has to…
"The next one, I believed it before I fought in the carnage known as Operation Draetheus…There, chaos reigned, friends betrayed, and truth buried. It was one of the most harrowing moments in my entire life. I fought tooth and nail for almost three days, I killed hundreds of people in a single night, we wrecked an entire base, and made a long flight scouring half the earth on a stolen plane…All of that? Just to get the truth out for the world. Fiat Justitia Ruat Caelum, let justice be done though the heavens fall…I've prepared to deliver justice for those victims during Operation Draetheus, and I'll do that even if the entire world hunts me down." William said while looking at the statue of the golden anchor in front of him…
And that's how he summarized the last days of him during the war before being locked up. The fight against the men he stood with in dozens of battlefields, the feeling of being betrayed by those he was supposed to rely on, all the effort to protect the truth, and serve justice to those who deserved it…Yeah, he wasn't cut out to be a superhero. But William didn't regret it, those events served as the biggest lesson he ever got in life because experience is the best teacher. It shaped him into who he is today…
"…You've been through a lot." Bismarck said to William.
"You too…I've read of what happened, both of us are no strangers to the battlefield…But I sense we both fought for the same thing, peace." William said as he looked at Bismarck.
"I agree…William, are you ready to fight these Sirens?" Bismarck asked William.
"…If I have to be honest, not yet…there are still so many things I don't know about them, Sun Tzu once said that knowing is half the battle, and I don't know anything about these Sirens…But, I'll be long dead before I let those things conquer the earth." William said while narrowing his eyes.
Earth shall not fall to those aliens! Heh, it's like he's put into a situation in one of the novels he read. Humanity has to survive against an alien invasion, and he gets to take part in the defense against them, this could become a great novel which should give him an additional boost of income if he ever wants to publish it…or a game, or a movie, anime, manga, the choice is endless…Bismarck smiled at William's words, she'll see if William could do his job to the fullest. Bismarck stood up from her seat, she went in front of William and stared at him directly in the eyes.
"You are a determined man, one who I don't doubt is capable of leading this combined fleet…Kommandant William, I will support you in your fight against the Sirens. We're counting on you." Bismarck said while smiling a bit.
"It's reassuring when the famous Bismarck is the one who said that she'll support you…But, I feel confident now. Let's do our best, mein freunde." William said as he smiled.
"Ja kommandant…Hail Ironblood, Hail Azur Lane." Bismarck said to William.
…The sun had set when both William and Bismarck decided to head back, now it's time to get back to work. William opened the door to his office and switched on the lights, closed the door, and walked toward his seat before contemplating what else he hadn't done for today's tasks. Ah yes paperwork, no one liked doing it, but it's necessary. Fortunately, being a geek during his high school days was his saving grace because he's trained and well used to the amount of paper stacks he had to read…He grabbed a short pile that he might as well finish tonight and started skimming the content.
"…What the." That's what William said at the sight of the content.
This is a pile of misprints, William double checked the finished stack of papers and found the supposed papers were already handled alongside a tiny slip of card on top of it. He took it and read the words 'Finished this for you, now go and rest – Yours, Hood'…When did she come in here? Must be when he's having a long chat with Bismarck in the park. That aside, where did she go? Realizing he lived in the fucking modern age not the Victorian Era, William took out his own phone, and searched for her number before dialing in…
"Milord? Good evening." Hood answered the call.
"Evening. Thanks for taking care of the last pile." William said to Hood.
"You're welcome." Hood said in a soft tone.
"Where are you, Hood?" William asked Hood.
"I'm back in my room, enjoying my novel with a cup of tea. Why do you ask?" Hood asked William.
"…Nothing, it's kind of odd that we haven't seen each other for a whole day…This is the first time, isn't it?" William asked while smiling.
"Ufufufu, true. I attended to her highness for today, she did require us during the talk." Hood said to William.
"Yeah…Anyway-"
A notification of incoming video call on the base military channel prompted William to silence his question before sighing, he really wanted to talk to her but it seems duty calls…Hood heard that there's an incoming call sound, she smiled a bit before taking a sip from her cup of tea. Just when she looked forward to talking to him, duty had to interrupt…
"You might want to answer that." Hood said to William.
"…Yeah sorry, talk to you later Hood. Incoming call from the commission team." William said to Hood.
"Understood, good night milord." Hood said as she ended the call.
William put his phone down and answered the call, a hologram screen appeared before him and showed an image of Prinz with several flashes in the back and occasional explosions. She looked fine, but there's several scorch marks on her clothes, and her rigging was deployed. Are they in combat? Sure looks like it, but why would she report to him in the middle of it?
"…Prinz, what do you have to report?" William asked Prinz.
"Kommandant, I don't normally say this but…I think we're going to need reinforcements and resupply." Prinz said with a serious face.
"Something is up I see…Send the data Prinz, I'd like to assess the situation first." William said to Prinz.
Prinz nodded her head and typed on something below the camera screen, William noticed another screen popped up beside Prinz's video screen, and he touched it which opened into a map. It's the map of the area where he sent the commission team, there are five oil rigs scattered around the area and facilities on the islands with blue arrow icons indicating allied units including the ship girls. Then, there's red arrow icons that indicated hostiles…a lot of hostiles on the other side of the blue icons' position.
"As you can see on the screen, it is quite the mess. Initially, we fought off two waves of small Siren fleets easily, but their reinforcements just didn't stop coming…It's getting annoying, it seems like they want these oil rigs and facilities so bad Kommandant." Prinz said to William.
"There's so many of them around the defensive perimeter…They've been besieging the refineries or have they tried to take it?" William asked Prinz.
"The outer one, rig number five has fallen to the sirens by the time we arrived. We lost all forms of communication with them, and we can't get close due to the intense air cover…Those pesky jets, Zuikaku has tried everything to gather info from the air. So far, no luck." Prinz said to William.
One rig has fallen, that's not good as surely Lena would have few choice of words for this...William stared at the position of the Siren fleet, and he noticed that there are around seven Siren carriers, so Prinz was right about the Sirens possessing air superiority in the area…If he deployed the helicopter then that would mean he have to play it safe, don't want to get gangbanged again in the air…William noticed that there's several missiles fired at the incoming Siren jets from the oil rigs.
"…Prinz, what about the oil rig defenders?" William asked Prinz.
"They consist of mostly civilian operators and several squads of marines on each platform, they could repel small scale attacks, but their emplacements are inefficient when they have to fight larger ships other than destroyers." Prinz reported to William.
William chose to zoom in to one of the rigs, he thoroughly inspected the defensive emplacements just from the holographic projection alone. Several AA missile emplacements, AA guns, auto cannons, Surface to Surface Missiles…Yeah, Prinz was right, these could be moderately effective in fighting a destroyer, but there's no way those emplacements could damage larger ships. Besides, the defenses were more concentrated in combating aerial threats.
"I understand. How much longer can you hold out?" William asked Prinz.
"Depends on the situation, five hours would be a good estimation." Prinz said with left hand on her chin.
"Alright…Hold the remaining rigs, fight defensively, and only shoot when you're sure that you could bring down a target. We're coming." William said to Prinz.
"There's one more thing you should know kommandant…I have enough experience with Sirens and whenever they pull this kind of tactical maneuver, then that means someone is commanding them directly." Prinz said to William with a serious expression.
…Gah, for fuck sake that complicates things! If there's a high level Siren actively commanding these ships, then you can bet William would paint a big red crosshair over their face. Or that would've been the plan if not the other side of his mind which took over and reasoned 'Mate, you need all the info you can get. Get close, and find out directly about them!'…Is he being a moron? Yes. Is he being illogical? Also yes. Is he being a suicidal bastard who thought that he'll easily survive an encounter against these unknown aliens that could possibly be as strong as a ship girl? Fucking yes…Oh, he's going to regret this one later.
"Got it." William nodded his head.
"We'll wait for you." Prinz said while smirking.
The holographic scene disappeared as the next one appeared. It's also a video call and William opened it to see a bald dark skinned man wearing oval glasses, sharp brown eyes, goatee beard, blue officer suit, blue slacks, and black shoes. He looked like he stood in the middle of a busy room of people in front of their consoles as well as walking around to coordinate with one another, there's also a few men dressed in Azur Lane Marine Battle Dress Uniforms who stood behind him…Who's this man? You remember about the base which is located a kilometer away from the ship girls' base? That man is that base's commander.
Commander Carl Johnson, William only met with the guy twice since the start of his assignment. He first met with Johnson when he wanted to visit him, get to know each other better, and that meeting happened over at a bar in the city. The second time was a day before Lena visited him, William went to buy several things before Johnson asked to meet. They also picked the same bar to meet up again but this time the talk between them was quite serious…Johnson oversaw the defense of the city, and he noted to William that there could be Crimson Cleanser cells operating in the area, safe to say William wasn't happy with the news.
"Commander Blaze." Johnson said to William.
"Commander Johnson, I assume you heard what's going on over at the Isle of Terania?" William asked Johnson.
"Yeah, we received reports that your ship girls are already on station and helping protect the area from those Sirens. We're planning to send our own forces into the area, I would like to coordinate with you as I assume you will send reinforcements over there too?" Johnson asked William.
"Correct. I'll send you over the intel that my girls have collected in the meantime." William said as he sent a file to Johnson.
Johnson noticed the file on his console, he then opened it, and studied it for a bit while William rapidly sent a text to Hood to notify her of the situation and briefed the secretaries to meet him in his office as soon as possible. William looked back just in time to see Johnson massaging his left temple at the sight of the map that William sent, it's not looking good for those oil rigs…
"Hah…that facility is our closest source of oil within a two hundred kilometer range, equipped with the proper facilities to properly process them, and contain enough fuel for both of our bases to operate for months…I think we can agree that we cannot lose this facility." Johnson said to William.
"For sure. I'm currently assembling reinforcements, it'll take some time for us to prepare. We can handle those boats…Can I count on you to handle their infantries or god forbid any kind of Siren armored vehicles and secure the facilities? We'll wrestle the control for the seas, you make sure the facilities stay intact or both of us will be starving for fuel by next month." William said in a serious expression.
"I agree. Don't worry commander, my troops are more than capable for this task." Johnson said while smiling a bit.
"Understood. Then, we're counting on you." William nodded his head.
"Ditto. See you on the field, commander." Johnson said as he disconnected the call.
And there's one thing both of them had in common, both of them were raised by their academies to graduate as field commanders. Tough bastards who lead by example, Johnson deploying directly means he could deploy a significant amount of his forces to protect the oil facilities around the isle. William had to deploy lots of ship girls too if he wanted to make sure those Siren ships won't cause more damage than what they already did…
The door was promptly opened as his secretaries, and several other ship girls slowly filled his office. Enterprise, Vestal, Kongou, Hiei, Hood, Belfast, Warspite, Shoukaku, Zara, Carabiniere, Tirpitz, and Z23…All of them stood at attention in front of his desk, William stood up as he showed them the map that Prinz sent to him a few minutes ago, and William watched how their faces morphed into the grim realization that this would be a major battle…Realizing that the girls already grasped the situation, William decided to speak.
"Ladies, as you can see, we have a big problem. I'll go over the situation briefly, time is of the essence…We're going to reinforce Prinz and the commission team over the isle and hold the oil facilities. It's crucial for us that we don't lose them as we will be in a very tight spot if we do. We're about to participate in the Battle of Terania, prepare your hearts, strengthen your resolve, ready your wits…We're deploying in ten minutes." William said to them in a firm tone.
Updated: 25-07-2021 (Beta Readed by Culture-Hunt3r)
Thank you for the follow, favorite and review dear readers! The next one will be focused on the combat aspect of the story, just be warned beforehand that this fic will contain blood and gore so there will be flying limbs, decapitated head, massive gashes, pouring blood, shattered organs, broken bones and most importantly, death of a living being. You have been warned, the amount of violence might make some of you uncomfortable.
See you next time!
- Dasmara