Commander Blaze, a front line commander story

by Dasmara

Meet William Blaze, a veteran who royally screwed his last mission and was thrown into prison. But when The Sirens invaded, Azur Lane High Command need him once more and so he is reinstated. His new job? Command the beautiful ship girls and give The Sirens big F you in the face. Join them as William balanced his daily life between dealing with the girl's antics and killing Sirens.

11. It is on!

"Fleets One and Four are in position ma'am, they're starting their recon for the Siren fleets in the area." A female operator said to Lena.

"Good…Keep a monitor on the whole area of operation, as soon anything comes up respond immediately." Lena said to the operator.

"Yes ma'am." The operator said to Lena.

…When did she last coordinate an operation like this? Right, a few days ago, and she hasn't had that much rest since then. Caffeine and Red Bull were the only things that keep her sane and functional during this hectic times, Crimson Cleanser and Sirens mixed for fun in one battlefield is a recipe for chaos and disaster, which is something she'd like to avoid at all costs…Well Lena, theory and facts working in tandem is a hell of a gamble in the first place!

"Lena, I trust you got the operation under control?" Someone said from Lena's backside.

"Four fleets of the combined great factions, our best infiltrator, and probably one of the most skilled soldiers Azur Lane has? I'm starting to think I'm overreacting to this entire situation, Lucas." Lena said to Lucas without looking back toward him.

"Nah, I approve of what you were doing…This will show them that we take no shit from anyone. Let them know that Azur Lane has no intention of downplaying our response." Lucas said to Lena while he smiled a bit as he walked and stopped beside her.

Lucas was enjoying his lunch when the report came in through his overworked secretary regarding Eldridge's kidnapping, he lost his appetite in an instant as he reached for his phone to contact Lena. Turns out she already tried to handle it, but the forces she sent were wiped out by this very skilled Crimson Cleanser squad…So, when everything fails, call the right man for the job, and that's how Lucas told Lena to let William handle this one.

"…How's Will doing?" Lucas asked Lena.

"Great…I know he's happy to be back in the field despite this new job of his, probably this will keep his skills sharp." Lena said to Lucas while she folded her arms.

"Yeah, even blades need to be sharpened and maintained regularly so they could be effective…That being said, do we know the objectives of these Siren fleets?" Lucas asked Lena again.

"No idea at the moment. We have several hypotheses for it though." Lena said to Lucas while she stared at him from the corner of her eyes.

"Lay it on me." Lucas said to Lena while he nodded his head.

"First, we assume them to be a reconnaissance fleet that currently operates in the Northern Pacific to hunt our ships. Second, these fleets were the assigned task force to attack that Crimson Cleanser base. Third, these fleets were assigned to attack that base and take Eldridge with them. Fourth, these Siren Fleets were sent there to guard Crimson Cleanser base from our assault." Lena said to Lucas all of the hypotheses in her head…

…Lena wasn't joking about the hypothesis she just gave out, it's completely possible and within reason for the Sirens to do that. The fact that they are blind regarding Sirens' true intentions didn't make this any better, all they could do now is focus on surviving and cancel any Siren plans before they could come to fruition. That's why when they detected two bases on the North Pole, they immediately went to secure it especially when the cost for that victory wasn't light. Defensive stance, that's what they could do for now, and they will keep doing so until they find out the Sirens' main leader or headquarters to strike…This war, this conflict will be drawn into long term attrition war if they just keep doing this.

"…That's quite the wild imagination you got there, Lena." Lucas said to Lena while he narrowed his eyes.

"A certain man once said that imagination is a powerful weapon, those without it would die first." Lena said to Lucas with a little smirk on her face.

"Heh. Your ex is influencing you, don't think I didn't know who said that…So, you think there could be a chance of these Sirens supporting Crimson Cleanser?" Lucas asked Lena regarding his conclusion.

"With them losing the support of Crimson Axis, it is within reason to think that the Sirens will find another pawn just to mess with us. William offhandedly commented that the Sirens really liked doing the Divide and Conquer strategy. I hope to god that assumption is false." Lena said to Lucas while she frowned.

"Ditto on that." Lucas nodded his head in agreement.

"Sir, ma'am, we got priority one message from Major Ackerson." A female operator beside Lena said to her.

"…Goddammit, patch him through." Lena said to the operator.

Priority one message would mean it's urgent and went through all clearance immediately to contact central headquarters, this message shouldn't be invoked lightly as they're only resorting to something that could affect central headquarters' decisions. Lena had told Major Ackerson, the leader of her new personal task force ever since Task Force Nimbus was disbanded to contact her through Priority One message if he ever succeeded in his hunt regarding a Siren she identifies as a High Value Target. The man himself appeared on screen. A brunette with crew cut hairstyle, stern face, magenta colored eyes, and currently wearing Azur Lane Special Forces BDU with an M16 in his hands. The man is the leader of Task Force Pluvia, Azur Lane's new unit for surgical strikes and special activities directly under Lena's command. Though he still has much to learn despite his experience during the war, it still pales in comparison with William Blaze's actions when he led Task Force Nimbus.

"Admiral" Ackerson greeted Lena while he nodded his head.

"What do you have to report, Ackerson?" Lena immediately went straight to business mode.

"We follow the trails Admiral; the hunt is over. Take a look at this." Ackerson said before the camera view changed.

What was shown on screen now was the picture of a camp, but the camp was consisted of several dark metallic buildings with faint red glows around it…One look and everyone on the room know it's Siren in origin, if they already managed to build a camp like this, then safe to say they have intentions for ground warfare. Lena nodded to the operator on her left, she's been around long enough to know what Lena wants her to do when situations like this exist. The operator immediately contacted the nearest garrison to the site they're looking at, she cross checked all the data she was presented on and made her call.

"…Staging area?" Lena asked out loud.

"Most likely. We would like to recommend carpet bomb tactics but, we also saw the same ship girl on Commander Blaze's recording. Everything matches, the hairdo, the tentacles too…Please advise, Admiral?" Ackerson asked Lena regarding her decision.

"Stay hidden and monitor what they are doing, we got an aircraft carrier near your location so we'll notify them to lend you few fighter bombers if the situation demands it. Otherwise, you are NOT to engage them unless your cover is blown. Clear?" Lena asked Ackerson with a serious face.

"Understood Admiral. That is all for now, Ackerson out." Ackerson said to Lena before he disconnected the video call.

…Lena was not happy with this news, she's got enough to worry about with Eldridge being kidnapped, and now Siren's trying to mess with them too on the South American continent? Well, it's the risk of being in charge of a special activities' division, and your problems are all over the world because of that. Lena stared at the screen which turned back to the area of operation where the ship girls are currently trying to recon the Siren fleets' strength while William is in the middle of a solo infiltration…She sensed someone was staring at her, Lena looked to the side and saw Lucas stared at her with a thoughtful expression.

"…What?" Lena asked Lucas.

"Nothing, just seeing you taking charge like that gets me a bit sentimental…I remember when you just arrived here all like a goody two shoes secretary. You proved me wrong during the formation of Task Force Nimbus though, after all that and seeing you now it feels like watching my daughter grow up." Lucas said to Lena while she smiled.

"Yeah yeah, don't expect me to call you 'daddy' okay? I got a real one, though I resent that man from the bottom of my heart…" Lena said to Lucas before she refocused her gaze on the screen in front of them.

Lucas smiled bitterly, he sighed as he also returned his focus to the large screen. But he can't help his mind wander through memory lane…The woman beside him has grown so much, she's almost unrecognizable in his eyes, now she's the one he'll trust regarding a decision on something without having to do a council meeting. Biased? Dangerous? Of course, but he had learned from the clusterfuck known as Operation Dradetheus that sometimes all he had to do was to trust them to do their job…Sometimes they just don't have the time to argue and Lena, she's got a record to make the right call every time so far.

"…Nora, status?" Lena asked the operator to her right.

"Nothing has changed for now ma'am. Our ship girl fleets are still on recon, and Commander Blaze is…Huh?!" Nora, the operator let out a sound of surprise.

"What is it?" Lena immediately asked again.

"His transponder is down; we can't get a lock on his position!" Nora said to Lena with widened eyes, she's not sure if this is her fault or William's.

"What the fuck?! Knight, this is Olympus! Report in!" Lena half-shouted at William.

"…Sheesh Olympus! Your shouting will get the entire guard team rushing toward me!" William said in a shout-whisper tone to Lena.

"Then why did you deactivate your transponder!?" Lena asked William with her eyebrows furrowed.

"Jenny warned me about the scanner at the internal dock entrance, and had to turn off my transponder." William said to Lena.

"…Don't give me a heart attack again, report your action damnit!" Lena said to William as she facepalmed.

"Yeah yeah I get it so stop nagging, I need to concentrate." William said to Lena.

"What are you currently doing?" Lena asked William.

.

The body of a man fell to the floor before being dragged to the empty broom closet, William looked out of the room before closing it. He went to the next room which is the internal dock control room and messed with the computer there. He looked at the system and found the scanner located on each side of the large gate. Deactivating the scanners, he also went ahead and see if he could hack the cameras from this computer. When he found that he didn't have the necessary tools to access the network without getting caught intruding, he reluctantly chose to go in with the cameras still active.

"I'm trying to secure the area; this dock is basically unguarded. No wonder she said to meet me here." William said to Lena on the radio.

"Sloppy, then again these people weren't exactly trained like a military unit." Lena said to William on the radio.

Exiting the room, he looked around until he saw someone walking then stopped to lean her back on the woman's toilet entrance. She has blonde hair, wears engineering clothes, and her bust is quite big, she must be Jenny but to be safe William will approach her as if she's an enemy. Pulling out his MP7 from his right thigh holster he aimed it toward the woman's head, the woman in front of William froze in an instant as she slowly raised her hands upwards.

"Deep." William said the code.

"Freeze…Welcome sir, good to finally meet you." That's the right code…William let her off the hook.

William lowered his MP7 and Jenny turned around to meet him. High Command and by extension Admiral Lena, told her that the operative she sent would've been here. But she never expected a fully armored giant, wouldn't his height and this much equipment he carried make it hard for him to stay stealthy? Not that he showed signs of having difficulty moving around in that armor or even making sound when he ambushed her from behind, guess she should just trust the man who managed to do it himself.

"Likewise. Where is Eldridge being held?" William asked Jenny.

"A bit far from here. Did you see a building with glass rooftop?" Jenny asked William in return.

"Yeah, I do. Is that the place?" William asked Jenny again.

"I heard she's being held on the second floor. That place is this facility's research building, security is tight over there." Jenny said to William.

Tight security around the research facility? Nothing new there, William already suspected about the appearance of that building, and the answer to its function didn't surprise him. So, Eldridge is being held on the second floor of that building, now he has a clear direction and it's easier for him to go around with a bookmark on his destination…

"Not a problem. Jenny, I need you to prepare for getting out of here." William said to Jenny.

"We're razing this facility sir?" Jenny asked William.

"Yeah. But before that, I want you to copy this place's local database. If that building is a research place, I want to know what they are researching." William said to Jenny.

"Should be easy, I know a thing or two about stealing enemy tech." Jenny said to William while she smiled smugly.

William snorted as he reached for his back waist pocket and threw Jenny a waterproof flash drive, Jenny effortlessly caught it with her right hand…Okay, how did William know that there would be a situation where he might need a flash drive? The cool answer is, there could be a situation involving that since Eldridge's possible kidnapping involved researching a new technology and any data that could get Azur Lane a leg up would be great. The lame answer? He just carries a flash drive on any mission that involves the enemy's facility, and it pays to be prepared…

"Hope the engineer clothes aren't just for show." William said to Jenny while he smirked a bit.

"Oh, you'll see~" Jenny replied while she smiled smugly.

"Get that data, I secure Eldridge, then we're getting out of here as this place gets flattened to the ground. Clear?" William confirmed his orders to Jenny.

"Got it. Let's move then." Jenny said to William as she went ahead of him, trying to look all normal.

They moved in separate directions; William went through the normal hallway while Jenny went to the service lift nearby that headed straight for the surface. Opening the door in front of him carefully, William entered the hallway…Alright, just like a standard stealth video game, hug the wall, eyes on the corner, and prepare for the unexpected. Once you get detected however, that's it. No retries, and he better be prepared for gun blazing through an entire facility…He experienced that before, but he's not keen to repeat that.

"Enterprise, come in." William said to Enterprise on the radio.

"Commander?" Enterprise asked William on the radio.

"Ready the fleet to bombard the facility and prepare two ship girls as the extraction team, I'm bringing a plus one with us." William said to Enterprise on the radio.

"Oh, got it sir, we're waiting on your word…Did you find Eldridge yet?" Enterprise asked William on the radio.

"I know where she is, making my way there now." William said to Enterprise on the radio.

"Alright…Good luck sir." Enterprise said to William on the radio.

"Thanks." William said to Enterprise before cutting the transmission.

He moved carefully inside the facility's internal dock before finding a stairway access to the surface, the main problem being the place is guarded by several patrols…He stayed back in the shadows and observed those hallway patrols. Sloppy, they were there just walking around lazily with a rifle in hand not even bothering to check the corners. Some even lean on the walls with their phones, few even stop to watch the football match on the cafeteria TV…Man, these goons make it easy for him to move around. Yet even so, he shouldn't let his guard down because if he makes one misstep then that's it…Just as he thought that, he saw two patrols moving on the hallway from the stairways, and William found a nearby empty corridor and hid himself.

"You heard?" One of them said.

"What? About that ship girl?" The other asked.

"Yeah. Gemini Squad brought her in, man that's some gutsy move." The first one said.

"I don't know man, she's trouble. What if this kidnapping lured Azur Lane to this base like an angry hen? Those guys aren't known for their chill." The second one said in an unsure tone.

Oh, you know it! Azur Lane implemented a zero tolerance policy because you cunts murdered three of William's best friends, and they're considered elite! How do you think Azur Lane would respond to you now? Of course they'll murder you on sight! Before ranting further in his mind William stopped when he processed the word 'Gemini Squad'…Who are they? If they're the ones who kidnapped Eldridge, then William must admit they must be pretty skilled. Looks like Crimson Cleanser is putting up people with skills to work, hard to believe they are made up from a ragtag of disillusioned people, so those people must've been a professional help.

"Hey, you think they'll find us that quick? Don't worry about it, no ship lane or air route ever goes near this island. We're practically in the middle of nowhere, and I'm sure Gemini Squad didn't leave any trace when they arrived, those guys are pros." Well not as you might think, you got a lock on your facility.

"…Well alright then…You see her?" The second one asked.

"I did…She's still a kid, feels wrong in a sense." The first one said.

"She's not a human, she's a ship. Don't let their appearance fool you." The second one said.

William moved away as the patrol went closer to his position, he found the toilet nearby and opened the door and closed it…Inside was a terrorist sitting on the toilet and he looked surprised, William wasted no time as he grabbed the person's head and slammed it to the concrete wall behind him with enough force to maybe crack his skull. When he was confirmed disoriented, William grabbed the man's throat and dislocated his entire windpipe while closing his mouth.

"Hmm? You heard something?" The second one asked out loud.

"Yeah, over there. Check it out." The first one said.

"Huh? Why me?" The second one asked.

"Your turn to check things. Careful though, what if that sound was made by the Azur Lane infiltration team? Ehehehehe." The first one said before he laughed.

"Not funny." The second one said.

The footsteps got louder and William used his left hand to lock the toilet door, the second guard walked to the toilet's direction, and he's pretty sure he heard something. Knocking on the door to confirm someone's in the toilet, William let out a low moan of discomfort, and the second guard was convinced that the poor sod in the bathroom was getting intimate with the porcelain throne. Shrugging as he walked away, he met again with the first guard who asked him with his eyebrows raised.

"…Bah, nothing. Just a man with a stomach ache." The second guard said.

"Poor bastard. Must be that guy who lost the poker game last night." The first guard said.

The guards then resumed their patrol as William watch the toilet door anxiously with his MP7 pointed towards it, he looked back to the man who got caught with his pants down and found that he's already dead…William just carefully put the man, so he would lean on the toilet before exiting the small toilet hoping that no one had to use it for a while, it'll instantly sound the alarm if they do. Walking to the stairway access, William got out of the internal dock to the view of the facility. Realizing he stood in the open with exiting the door, William immediately circled around the concrete entrance and made his way to the target building stealthily. William moved slowly through the tall grasses to prevent him from being noticeable through the movement of the grass. When he cleared the tall grasses, he immediately glued his back to the container stacks to avoid guards patrolling near the said stack. Slowly making his way behind the container stack he almost kissed a guard who was surprised to see him, William rammed the guy with his knee, turned him around before putting him down on the ground. Then William used his MP7 and pressed the suppressor barrel to the back of the guy's neck, holy hell that was seriously too close!

"Where's Gemini Squad?" William asked the guard in low tone.

"Urgh…They…left already." The guard struggled as he responded.

William took the guy's head and snapped his neck, picking up his dead body before putting it among the tall grasses…Three times he had to put someone down today on this mission, two because of circumstances and this one because he fucked up. Looks like he needs to familiarize himself again with the way he used to do solo infiltrations. William continued to head toward the place where Eldridge is being held, but not too far from the place where he bumped into a guard, he noticed that the guard dropped his MP5 SMG which William took. An extra gun shouldn't hurt, and might save him if he needs it…He finally reached the targeted research building after five more minutes diving between covers, waiting for patrols to walk by and then managed to get close enough to the facility building. William looked up when he felt water drops on him and he smiled, rain had come, and it came down hard. Most of the guards also found some shelter…Right, you know why guards on military bases keep their positions and patrol routes even if thunderstorms are raging in the sky? William's about to prove why that rule exists. Yup, that's why he clicked his tongue when William saw three guards huddled close together on the back door of the building…That's supposed to be his way in!

"Knight, I'm in the building." Jenny said to William on the radio.

"I'll be there soon, I got held up by three goons chatting on the backdoor." William responded on the radio.

"Eliminating them is always an option." Jenny said to William on the radio.

"A good infiltrator is the one who doesn't leave any traces…That would also mean, I failed since my entry to this facility then...Dammit, isn't there another way?" William said to Jenny on the radio.

"Oi! Sound the alarm! Prepare for combat! Sirens!" One of the guards suddenly said out loud.

Just as he said that something jumped down from a cliff and landed in front of the group, the black scaly creature that William faced on Terania's oil rig a few weeks ago. The group of three terrorist guards were stunned, the creature immediately pounced on one of them, and that's when the other two started using their guns. The creature took a bullet barrage straight to its chest but it could still move despite all of that, the guards then ran while the creature chased them. William looked on the other part of the facility where one by one black scaly creatures appeared and started targeting the guards of this facility, it wasn't long until alarm started blaring on the facility.

"…Motherfucker. Our job just got easier and harder at the same time. Olympus, Sirens are on this facility. Repeat, Sirens are on site." William said to Lena on the radio.

"Shit! Copy that Knight. Are they infantries?" Lena asked on the radio.

"Yup, this time some of them got-" William said to Lena but he stopped when he hid himself.

Dozens of guards ran out of the facility William was supposed to enter, they took up positions in front of the facility behind any cover they could find and those who didn't even laid down prone on the ground. William heard sounds to his right and he saw a group of around a dozen humanoids in full black armor with glowing red stripes, carrying guns that William hadn't seen before. The terrorist guards fired on them, several of the creatures fell after intense fire but most of them kneeled on the ground and started firing purple bolts toward the guards. Those who were hit either got charred in the region they got hit, lost their heads, or had holes on their chests…It only took fifteen seconds for the line of dozens of guards to die due to extensive energy weapons fire. The creatures spoke in language that William couldn't hear well due to the sound of harsh rain but one of them clearly pointed toward the facility where Eldridge is being held…Are they going to take her? No, he won't let that happen!

"…Man, I want those blasters." William commented to himself.

"There's no time left to spare, get her now!" Lena said to William on the radio.

"On my way." William said to Lena on the radio.

The creatures stormed in the facility, and William hastened himself by following them through the backdoor. Now that William's inside, he carried his MP7 on alert as his combat instinct that was drilled into him during basic training kicked in. Get in, keep your pace, check the corners, watch for movement…William immediately scoured the hallways until he reached an open lobby where he could hear screams, gunfire, energy weapon fire sounds, and explosions from somewhere within the building. William saw that the lobby was full of employees and terrorists alongside a few of those humanoid dead bodies…

"Jenny, what's your status?" William asked Jenny on the radio.

"I just survived an encounter with one of those Sirens! God, that was frightening!" Jenny said to William on the radio, her breathing was quite rapid.

"You alright?" William asked Jenny with a concerned tone on the radio.

"I'm fine. I'm still heading for the database." Jenny said to William on the radio.

"Got it, contact me when you're done." William said on the radio.

William realized that he didn't know which room Eldridge was being held on the second floor, and he didn't want to bust down all the doors on the second floor to search her. He then approached the front desk terminal, immediately messing around with its operating system to find out where Eldridge is located. Searching through the database with the keyword ship girl on it, it took around half a minute until the system showed him a report about the arrival of Eldridge to the facility. She was taken through the main entrance where she was being held on the second floor's experiment chamber, alright! William made his way to the second floor where he encountered one of the humanoids, both of them stared at each other before William reacted by lifting up his MP7. Using a technique that people affectionately called the Mag Dump or Magazine Dump, he wasted an entire forty round magazine filled with 4.6 x 30 caliber rounds toward the creature who fell to the floor and stopped moving. Running past that creature, he failed to realize that there's a terrorist who hid in the corner with his SPAS12 shotgun and he showed up and shot William in the back, which resulted with William falling to the floor.

BANG!

"Yes!" The terrorist said out loud.

Recovering immediately, William flipped his body as he fired his HK417 in a three round burst in which all three bullets landed directly on the terrorist's head. The man fell down, William heard footsteps coming over in a hurry, and he rolled backwards to grab the fallen SPAS12 on the floor. He took it and immediately locked on one humanoid that just came from the corridor, William shot the creature straight in the head. Another one showed up and fired at William, though the bolts missed the heat coming from the projectile was enough to make William flinch. He squeezed the trigger which fired the gun and the humanoid creature died, falling to the floor before spewing yellowish blood from the hole in its metallic helmet…

"…You sods can't aim for shit!" William cussed as he threw the SPAS12 away.

Entering the specific experiment room, William was greeted by the sight of the cage that held a little girl inside it. Eldridge was staring the ceiling until she realized that William was also in the room, she tilted her head in confusion because she couldn't see his face which caused her to wonder on who he is and what does he want with her…William approached Eldridge's cage and Eldridge reacted by backing to the edge of her cage with narrowed eyes, rattling the handcuffs on her hands and frowning cutely, William immediately raised his hands up while he smiled.

"Hey, it's alright. See this patch here? I'm from Azur Lane." William pointed at the Azur Lane logo sewn on his right arm with a soft tone.

"…Azur…Lane…" Eldridge muttered out loud.

"Yeah, I'm a friend…I'm here to get you out, okay?" William said to Eldridge while he grinned a bit.

"…Name?" Eldridge asked him, the ahoge in her head twitched sideways…

"William, call me that…Wait a bit." William said to Eldridge while he smiled.

…He naturally lowered the tone of his voice, softened his gaze (although his combat goggles didn't show it to Eldridge), and he smiled to reassure her. That's how he naturally talked to little children, that's how he saw Eldridge, and his heart swelled with this new sense of protectiveness of this cute little girl from any more harm that might befall her…William inspected the lock on her cage, it's the lock which would be a heck of an effort to lock pick. William didn't have the time to do that, this facility was being invaded by Sirens, and he needed to bail out as quickly as possible.

"Tch, locked tight and could only be opened with the key. Fuck it, we don't have the time…Eldridge, cover your ears, open your mouth, and look away from me." William said to Eldridge in soft tone.

"Uhn…" Eldridge did as he said.

When in doubt, let explosive do its magic. William placed small C2 Explosive Charge on the cage's lock and the hinges, he armed them and then detonate it with timer charge of five seconds…The charge exploded and the lock on Eldridge's cage shattered, Eldridge looked toward the cage's door which William then pried opened before tossing it aside.

"Let's get out of here. Can you walk?" William asked Eldridge.

"…I can't…my legs hurt." Eldridge said to William while she frowned.

"I see…Hold on to me." William reached out his hand.

But Eldridge refused to move, she still looked at William with doubt in her eyes. Ah, it's totally reasonable for her to feel insecure about him. He needs to make her trust him…Think, think, think, how do you convince scared children? Oh yes, try someone they know. William might be gambling about this since he wasn't trained regarding kids, but it's a shot…Let's try mentioning Enterprise, that should help her in trusting him.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you. Enterprise and the others are waiting for us." William said to Eldridge in a soft tone.

"…Enterprise?" Eldridge's eyes lit up with her name being mentioned.

"Yeah, she'll be here. You want to meet her? Do you want to see the other ship girls from Eagle Union?" William asked Eldridge while he smiled.

"…I do." Eldridge said to William, she's more at ease when she heard that familiar name.

"Then I'll take you to her, just hold on to me." William said to Eldridge while he extended his right hand towards her.

…Eldridge approached William, he took Eldridge's hand and he inspected the handcuffs. Pulling out his lockpick, William started working on the handcuffs and in under a minute he managed to unlock the handcuffs. Eldridge's wrist got red marks from how tight the handcuffs on her hands were before, furrowing in anger because how dare they do this to a little girl, but then William controlled himself because he remembered that the priority is getting out of here. He took Eldridge on his left arm, William reloaded his MP7 and carried it in one hand while holding Eldridge on the other.

"Olympus, this is Knight. Eldridge is secure! We're making our way out!" William said to Lena on the radio.

"Outstanding Knight! You still have it in you! Ms. Enterprise, you heard him. Clear to engage! Just don't target the research facility for now!" Lena said to William on the radio.

"Clear to engage! We're moving now! Let's go girls!" Enterprise said out loud on the radio.

"Jenny, status!?" William asked Jenny on the radio.

"Forty percent done Knight; I need additional time!" Jenny said to William on the radio.

"Copy that! Eldridge is with me; I'm bringing her out first!" William said to Jenny on the radio.

Semi running to the rear exit of the facility, he stumbled upon several groups of the terrorists combating the armored humanoids. There's no way William could sneak his way around them, his only option is to find another exit. But before he could make a detour, one of the terrorists noticed him and aimed his gun at William. But he was too late as William's faster reflex enabled him to fire his MP7 first and unfortunately, the armored humanoids were all dead and now the terrorists were alerted to his presence.

"He's with the ship girl!" One of them shouted.

"Aim properly! We need her!" The senior one shouted to the others.

"Not if I can help it you sons of bitches!" William said to the terrorist.

Sheathing his MP7, William pulled out his HK417, put Eldridge down between concrete roadblock pieces near the rear entrance and retaliated against the harassment coming from the terrorists' weapons. Bullets flew past him both near miss and the one that hit his cover, that didn't bother him in a bit as he methodically aimed, squeezed the trigger, and fired the gun to each of their heads. Eldridge was watching William when she heard a bullet hit William straight in the chest, William fell down to the ground, and Eldridge looked at him with widened eyes.

"Yeah! We got him!" One of the terrorists said out loud.

"Move! Secure that girl!" The other terrorist said.

Eldridge could hear rapid footsteps closing in on them, and she silently approached William, she tried to shake him up, to warn him of the incoming danger, and she shook him harder when the footsteps became louder. The terrorists reached their position, since she's out of the cage now Eldridge's started producing electricity as her natural response against the threat. However, William suddenly raised his HK417 and fired several quick precise bursts at the terrorists that approached them and effectively killed them.

"Surprise motherfucker!" William cussed as he stood back up.

Returning to his position behind cover, William resumed firing at the surprised terrorists and he managed to down them all with the remaining rounds in his magazine. William reloaded his HK417 and emerged from cover when his chest plate was hit by a bullet once more, this time William shrugged off the kinetic force like a trooper, and he located the one who shot him twice. A man stood behind cover a bit farther than the group in front of him, William fired one precise shot that landed straight at the man's head. He died as blood poured out of the hole on his forehead, William leaned on the wall as he held the place he's hit as he inspected the damage…well at least it didn't penetrate his armor.

"Guh, that will leave a bruise!" William muttered while he grimaced.

"…William?" Eldridge asked William, she looked concerned…

"Ah, I'm fine Eldridge don't worry…But we can't go that way, come on!" William said to Eldridge before he picked her up.

Running for the internal dock entrance, William stopped running when he heard helicopter sounds amidst the sound of gunfire, explosions, and screams. Looking upwards, he saw a Cobra helicopter gunship flying around the facility spewing hot lead at any armored humanoid that it found. It didn't even take five seconds for it to notice him carrying Eldridge, William saw that the gunship directed its nose cannon toward him, and he ran for cover as 20mm bullets swept past the concrete entrance to the internal dock. That's until the helicopter fired one Air to Ground Missile, it hit the concrete, and the impact threw William and Eldridge to the ground.

"Urgh…Eldridge…are you okay?" William groaned then asked Eldridge.

"…I'm fine." Eldridge replied to William.

"Enterprise, how much longer!?" William asked Enterprise on the radio.

"Our planes should be arriving in one minute! We'll be there in two!" Enterprise said to William on the radio.

"You better, I am pinned down by a helicopter so aim for that too on your run!" William said to Enterprise on the radio.

"Got it! Keep Eldridge safe, commander!" Enterprise said to William on the radio.

"No need to tell me that!" William said to Enterprise on the radio.

Picking up Eldridge back on his left arm, they're about to enter the building when they were rained on by energy bolts. Putting Eldridge back down behind the concrete entrance, he used his HK417 and started firing back at the armored humanoids. There's five of them, William emptied one magazine filled with thirty 7.62mm rounds, and he only took down two of them while injuring the others. Clicking his tongue as he reloaded, he witnessed Eldridge getting up and conjured electricity around her body. She then shot electricity toward the three armored humanoid who were twitching heavily before dying on the ground, Eldridge then looked at William.

"Eldridge…helped?" Eldridge asked William as her ahoge twitched excitedly…

"Yeah! You did great, Eldridge! Oh great, not even my armor could take a hit from those purple bolts!" William said to Eldridge while he smiled before he smelled something burning coming from him…

Carrying Eldridge again, William felt himself a bit weak after that intense activity of combat and getting shot at. Despite all that, he still carried on while carrying Eldridge and his MP7 in his right hand. William continued to move toward the corridor where he previously use to access the door to the surface, now it's filled with dead bodies both human and Siren…He tried his best to ignore them but he failed to realize that one of the black scaly creatures was still alive, and it ambushed him and Eldridge.

"Son of a bitch!" William cussed out loud in surprise.

Back stepping a bit, William managed to avoid a grab to his body but the creature managed to grab his left leg that resulted with William falling down on the floor. William pushed Eldridge out of the way as he fell down then struggled with the black scaly humanoid. Punching the creature straight on its jaw, William dodged a retaliatory punch to his face which cracked the floor underneath him. William unsheathed a knife out from a scabbard on his left shoulder, then he jammed the knife to the creature's neck on the right before taking it out and jammed it in the creature's skull…William took out the knife and pulled himself away from the dying creature, sheathing the knife back then picked up Eldridge again before he started walking silently toward the internal dock. He felt the ground shake and there's sound of explosions coming from above him, which means the planes had arrived above them and already started their attack run…A bit faster than William anticipated, but a welcome aid nonetheless.

"Commander, planes arriving at your position now!" Enterprise said to William on the radio.

"Bloody good job! Approach the internal dock to the north!" William said to Enterprise on the radio

"I'll be there sir!" Enterprise said to William on the radio.

…After going through another set of corridors, William and Eldridge arrived at the internal dock where the gate was opened. William heard the sound of cruising then he saw Enterprise coming through the gate, she's panting a bit while looking around before she noticed William holding Eldridge…Enterprise smiled widely in relief, she knew he'd pull it off despite the odds…

"…Oh, Eldridge! Thank heavens you're safe!" Enterprise said out loud while she smiled widely.

"…Enterprise, hug." Eldridge said to Enterprise with her arms extended.

"Yes, come here." Enterprise said to Eldridge with soft tone while she also extended her arms.

William smiled as he approached Enterprise and handed Eldridge to Enterprise, she hugged Eldridge while smiling widely and sighed in relief while Eldridge herself felt more at ease. Finally, the hostage has been given to the extraction team, and William is more at ease so he could focus more on combat. Eldridge is in the safe hands of Enterprise; she's going to be fine now.

"…Take her away from here to your deployment spot." William said to Enterprise with a serious face.

"What about you, commander?" Enterprise asked William.

"I still have to pick up our infiltrator, the important thing is that we got Eldridge, so that's mission complete." William said to Enterprise as he unsheathed his HK417.

"Okay, Shoukaku and Zuikaku will remain nearby in case you need someone to pick you up!" Enterprise said to William as she returned to the water.

"Alright, now go!" William said to Enterprise while he pointed toward the open seas.

Enterprise bolted out of the internal dock at her maximum cruising speed, William made sure she reached enough distance before he ran back to the way he came from. Exiting the internal dock area via the elevator, the situation is even more chaotic as more and more of the armored humanoid and black scaly creatures show up on the facility. William heard jet sounds amidst the sound of propeller engines and explosions, he looked up and saw a black streamlined pod approached from the beach before touching down on the courtyard of the facility, and its side hatch opened before dropping off more armored humanoids to the facility.

"…Insertion crafts?!" William said out loud in surprise and annoyance.

"Knight, what's your status? Why did you return to the facility?!" Lena asked William on the radio.

"Eldridge is safe with Enterprise, mission complete! I'm heading back to pick up Jenny!" William said to Lena on the radio.

"Roger that, just make it quick!" Lena said to William on the radio.

"Won't happen! These Sirens are relentless!" William said to Lena on the radio as he started firing at them.

Run and gun, the basics of a modern infantry charge or when there's not much suitable cover or when they need to quickly reach the objective. Not many could do it efficiently, but considering William had been doing this for years he could still run full speed while firing his MP7 with one hand and still hit those Siren soldiers in the head or the chest. He almost reached the research building when he stopped between container stacks to reload his MP7, his eyes widened however when he realized that there's no spare MP7 magazines left in his ammo pouch.

"Ammo's out? Shit, I never expected to face Sirens on land during this mission to begin with!" William muttered while he frowned.

"Knight! Its ninety percent completed, but I'm engaged!" Jenny said to William on the radio.

"I'm on my way to you!" William said to Jenny on the radio.

William sheathed his MP7, he grabbed the spare MP5 he took before, and fired one handed while running toward the facility. An energy bolt hit him to the side, it didn't have much knockback power, but it was hot and it charred his side chest piece, that caused William to dropped on the ground then rolled to the side. William discarded the empty MP5 while at the same time he switched to his HK417, then he fired at the remaining armored humanoids that were firing at him. William entered the facility and saw Jenny running while being chased by two black scaly creatures, William emptied his HK417 to down the two creatures as Jenny hid behind William who reloaded his rifle.

"Thanks for the save, man!" Jenny said to William.

"No problem, is it completed?" William asked Jenny.

"Yeah, all in here." Jenny showed him the flash drive he gave earlier.

"Brilliant. Now, let's get out of here…but the courtyard is in chaos, should we head back to the internal dock?" William asked Jenny.

"It's our best bet in my opinion." Jenny nodded her head.

Heading back to the internal dock, William and Jenny had to stop themselves from coming out of the facility when a large diamond shaped Siren aircraft fired its chin mounted, rapid fire energy cannon. Both William and Jenny started sprinting toward the internal dock entrance and dived into the elevator just as a huge energy bolt hit the ground they stepped on a few seconds ago, Jenny pressed the elevator button and the elevator started moving down.

"Ladies, come in! This is Knight!" William said out loud on the radio.

"Shikikan!? Enterprise said you're still on that island, you need to get out of there! We're coming to pick you up!" Shoukaku said to William on the radio.

"Yeah, internal docks to the north. We'll be waiting there!" William said to Zuikaku on the radio.

"Hai!" Zuikaku responded on the radio.

Reaching the dock was pretty easy, all they had to do was to pass down the previous corridor that's full of dead bodies. Opening the last door of the internal dock, Jenny messed with the control panel to its side and the access door for the internal dock was closed shut. William and Jenny heard a cruising sound from outside the gate and two ship girls entered through, they're Zuikaku and Shoukaku who then approached William.

"Shikikan! Oh kami! You're hit!" Zuikaku looked at William while she frowned and widened eyes.

"Nah, don't worry about it. Akashi's armor saved me…Let's get out of here!" William said to Zuikaku.

"Alright, I'll grab this lady here then." Zuikaku said out loud as she picked Jenny up.

Zuikaku bolted out with Jenny, William shrugged as Shoukaku picked William up on her back. They escaped the facility through the internal dock, William looked back toward the facility which was currently taking hard pounding from Siren forces…William wondered, he didn't see any Siren ships out here, so where did they come from? Portals too? Then how come that facility couldn't detect any sign of anomaly? They posted guards for god sake!

"Whoahohohohoho! This is fun!" Jenny said out loud with her hands up.

"Ufufufufu, is that so." Shoukaku said to Jenny beside Zuikaku.

"Yeah! Makes me want to glide on the ocean like you girls too!" Jenny exclaimed while she grinned.

"Shikikan-sama is with us! Pull back, Cleveland-san!" Shoukaku said to Cleveland on the radio.

"Understood!" Cleveland simply answered on the radio.

"Then Shoukaku nee, let's do it!" Zuikaku said to Shoukaku.

"Hai…Feel the might of Sakura Empire's Fifth Carrier Division!" Shoukaku declared while she smiled smugly.

Both Shoukaku and Zuikaku stopped themselves and turned around, they're pretty far away from the facility. Both Shoukaku's and Zuikaku's rigging started moving, both of them then set their stance…William then saw how Shoukaku and Zuikaku launched all planes they could, swarms of their fighter and bomber crafts launched toward the facility. The sheer scale of the airplanes launched by the two carriers made William and Jenny jaws slacked a bit, the skies were filled with steel birds. The fighters flew in first, their guns immediately lit up in an effort to shoot down any aircraft possessed by the Sirens. It took only that for Siren to retaliate with direct fire from the armored humanoids down on the ground to the air, the fighter buzzed around the facility like bees as they swooped in and out to shoot down the Siren aircraft or strafed the Sirens on the ground. But that was the distraction, because the real attack were the bombers that flew high and dropped their payload to the facility, explosions engulfed the entire facility…The dive bombers first run is quite devastating and they were not finished yet, the bombers doubled back and unload their final payload before returning to both carriers. Safe to say, the entire facility got bombed to the stone age. William's and Jenny's jaws were officially dropped at this point, the sheer devastation alone rivaled a carpet bombing that was usually performed by strategic bomber type aircraft…William then looked at Shoukaku who stared back at him cutely as if she and her sister didn't just destroy an entire facility without much trouble.

"…Shoukaku, remind me not to piss you off." William said to Shoukaku with a serious face.

"Ara~, was shikikan-sama impressed with our capabilities?" Shoukaku asked William while she smiled widely.

"For sure. I never want to experience that kind of firepower directly." William said to Shoukaku as he shuddered a bit at the thought of being in the middle of all that.

That's it, mission accomplished. Siren ships didn't directly intervene with the mission but their infantry sure did, William swore from now on he will carry lots more equipment and ammo during his next mission because he doesn't want to get caught with his pants down again. But man, that was quite the experience…He survived the fight against them, but he subtly looked at the shredded armor he was still wearing...This kind of protection enabled him to fight recklessly, is this the side effect of wearing durable armor? Oh shit, William just realized he lost a lot of money with this armor being shredded…

"Olympus, this is Knight. We've escaped the facility and the mission is complete!" William said to Lena on the radio.

"Very nice work Knight!" Lena praised in a relieved tone on the radio.

"Heh, thanks." William said to Lena on the radio while he grinned a bit.

"Kommandant! This is Bismarck! Are you alright?" Bismarck asked William on the radio.

"I'm fine, what's the situation?" William answered then asked Bismarck on the radio.

"Siren fleets have disappeared when we're going near them!" Bismarck reported on the radio.

"…What?! What do you mean disappeared?" William asked Bismarck on the radio while furrowing his eyebrows.

"They entered through their portals and escaped; they didn't reappear anywhere close to us." Bismarck said to William on the radio.

…They disappeared? Were those fleets just a form of diversion? To lure the ship girls over there while they stormed into the facility with their dropships and infantries? It's entirely possible, but those infantries appeared out of nowhere before…How did they manage that? Could it be through portals too? If they did enter through the portal, then there's no place on earth that would be safe from the Sirens…

"I see…Stand by for now Bismarck, regroup at the deployment point." William said to Bismarck on the radio.

"I know where they are going." Lena said on the radio.

"Olympus?" William asked Lena on the radio.

"They're currently on the South American coast, they set up a staging area there, and we got confirmed reports of two fleets just appearing out of their portals. Coincidence? I think not." Lena said to William on the radio.

South America? Why there? Well, if their aim is to destroy the entire planet's ecosystem by burning the entire Amazon rainforest then it would make sense for them to target the continent…Wait, what did Azur Lane have in South America? Just dozens of military bases fully equipped in case the war with Crimson Axis blows on the continent…Is the purpose of those two fleets to harass their base? Provoking response from humanity? So many possibilities…

"…What are they after in South America?" William asked out loud on the radio.

"Who knows, I'm torn between engaging them on sight or letting them be for a while to find out what the hell they are trying to do there." Lena said to William on the radio.

"…Well, it's your call Olympus, you're the boss after all." William said to Lena on the radio while he shrugged.

"Hmph, even the boss could ask her underlings about his opinion." Lena said to William in a haughty tone on the radio.

"You're asking what I think about the situation in a roundabout way, damn tsundere…My guts tell me to engage them on sight but my brain tells me to wait and see, if we act too early then we can't possibly figure out what they are trying to do. But sometimes, waiting too long could prove fatal…In the end it's your call Olympus." William said to Lena on the radio.

"…Right…The area that they landed on is pretty far away from civilization, I think it's safe to wait a bit longer." Lena said to William on the radio.

"Alright then…Anyway, we're done here. I suggest we head back to base for now." William said to Lena on the radio.

"Agreed, you did well, so you earned your rest. I'll send the helicopter to the deployment point." Lena said to William with soft tone on the radio.

"Commander!" Someone called from behind.

Cleveland arrived with the other cruisers and battleships, the ladies saw William who was along for the ride with Shoukaku, and they noticed how shredded his armor was…More than few of them frowned upon seeing it but they choose to stay quiet for now, he would surely be in for few choices of words by the secretary ships, so they'll get their fill of watching him get chewed on when they return to the base.

"Hey there, Cleve, how's that facility?" William asked Cleveland while he smiled a bit.

"I'll be surprised if I see anyone standing up after all of that!" Cleveland said to William while she frowned a bit.

"I'd say mission complete then." William said to Cleveland.

They arrived at the deployment point, William looked around, and he could see that the ship girls were all healthy and still ready for combat since the Siren fleets escaped from this area. The girls however showed the same reaction as the others when they saw him for the first time since deployment, they're frowning at the sight of William being injured despite all his skills and equipment he carried…Before even Bismarck, Queen Elizabeth, and Mikasa could berate him for his sight, they stopped when they heard some sounds around them…They looked and just in time to witness dozens of portals opening around them, spawning Siren ships that immediately circled all of them…

"Will! Portals!" Lena warned on the radio.

"…It's an ambush." William muttered in low tone as he stared around…

"Everyone! Protect Herr Kommandant!" Bismarck shouted her command to the ship girls.

"We shall thin their numbers!" Queen Elizabeth said to Bismarck.

"We'll take care of their jets!" Zuikaku said to Bismarck.

"I'm returning the operational command of the ship girls to you, get out of there, and return to base!" Lena said to William on the radio.

"Got it! Attention ladies, I'm taking command!" William said out loud on the radio.

Cannons fired, shells flying, planes diving in, orders shouted, status reported are all William could hear as the ship girls formed a circle around him and started firing at the Siren ships. William quickly thought of a strategy for all this, and he wondered what he should do now? Is all of this nothing but a giant trap? If it is, then safe to say that the best option would be to escape. There's nothing good from standing and fighting in this situation, all that will give them is an early grave…

"Kommandant! You have to get out of here! We will hold them off!" Bismarck said to William.

"No, all of you will be going with me back to base!" William said to Bismarck.

"Why kommandant? We can take care of them!" Bismarck asked William with her eyes widened.

"Not for this one, our priority is not to sink the Siren fleet. We only need to sink them if they ever interfere with the mission, since they don't, we shouldn't waste our ammo and energy to fight unnecessary battles. We focus on getting out of here, do you understand?" William said to Bismarck with a serious expression and tone.

"…If that's your order kommandant, I still think eliminating them here would be the best option." Bismarck said to William while she frowned a bit.

"…We'll get them another time; I promise you that. Right now, we're prioritizing Eldridge's rescue…Our current plan is to punch through a hole in this encirclement. Olympus, where will the helicopter approach us?" William said to Bismack before he asked Lena on the radio.

"They'll approach from the west side; they'll land a few kilometers out to avoid direct fire." Lena said to William on the radio.

"Then that's where we punch it…All battleships, western side, full salvo! Sink any and all of those black ships!" William ordered on the radio.

"Jawohl kommandant! Battleships follow my lead! AP shells up! FEUER!" Bismarck said out loud on the radio.

The battleships followed Bismarck's lead as they fired to the ship formation on the west side, the rounds immediately tore through the formation and almost all Siren ships either exploded or were full of holes that they started to sink at rapid pace. The surviving Siren ships on the western part also fell into disarray, losing dozens of ships in just a few seconds would definitely shock any fleet out there.

"Hole punched! Let's go! Destroyers! Secure that gap, torpedo any ships that's trying to close it!" William said out loud on the radio.

"Yes commander! Let's go, everyone!" Javelin responded on the radio.

"How many carriers do they have?" William asked the nearby ship girls.

"There's three of them in that formation over there! They keep launching jets!" Queen Elizabeth said to William.

"Alright, we'll move past them and sink them in one pass! Circle around the helicopter once we get there and form 360 degrees of AA protection!" William said to the ship girls near him.

"Hai shikikan-sama!" Mikasa responded as she moved forward.

Three carriers in one battle group full of cruisers and destroyers near their extraction point, that wouldn't be hard with the ship girls they have with them. The problem is the overwhelming number of ships behind them that could hit them with a rain of shells, they would need to keep aware of their situation in all directions while at the same time staying alive and making sure they stay in formation. William checked how much ammo he had left for his HK417, it's going to be tight with just a few magazines left…

"…Whoa sir, I thought you're just some grunt. Didn't know you could command an entire fleet." Jenny said from Zuikaku's back.

"Olympus didn't mention about me or my rank?" William asked Jenny as he cocked his eyebrows.

"Nah, all she said is that you're the best operator she's got." Jenny said to William while she shrugged.

"…Clearly she omitted some parts of my resume." William said to Jenny while he stared at her with a half closed eye.

"Group of jets, left side low!" Cleveland said out loud on the radio.

"Torpedo bombers! Left side, concentrate your AA fire on it!" William looked to the left then ordered the ship girls the radio.

All ship girls on the left side of the formation immediately aimed their AA guns toward the incoming jets flying at low altitude, flak rounds filled the sky with black smoke as the jets could only last for less than ten seconds before they caught fire and were either destroyed in the air or falling down to the sea while turning into giant fireballs. Boy, William was glad that Cleveland is on the left side with St. Louis, those two took care of the jets with no problem. The man then noticed something in the sky, he then tapped Shoukaku's left shoulder.

"Shoukaku, break your speed!" William said to Shoukaku.

Just as he said that, Shoukaku immediately pulled her brakes as she slowed down considerably. Several energy projectiles fell down to the spot in front of Shoukaku, she would've taken damage if she kept going by herself and William would possibly be scorched into oblivion with the pure raw heat those rounds packed.

"That was close! Don't worry, keep moving. I'll watch for any incoming fire." William said to Shoukaku while he smiled reassuringly.

"Arigatou nee, shikikan-sama." Shoukaku smiled at William.

"No problem. Let's keep moving." William said to Shoukaku.

Dozens of other portals appeared to their side and the ships that appeared out of it immediately open fired at the ship girls, the ship girls skillfully dodged most of the incoming rounds then retaliated with their own guns. Queen Elizabeth spammed the high explosive shells she had, firing as fast as she could to the new ships to her sides. She noticed that a few of the portals appeared again from behind them, replenishing the lost Siren mass produced ships…They're just going to pour more ships towards them until they run out of ammo, aren't they?

"Reinforcements! Commander, the Sirens are trying to kill us in one fell swoop!" Queen Elizabeth said to William.

"I noticed…Their numbers keep increasing, are they deploying the same number as at Terania?" William asked out loud.

"Jets overhead!" Enterprise warned them while she shielded Eldridge.

"Bombs! Full speed ahead!" William shouted on the radio.

The weather's getting worse, the winds picked up speed, the waves were getting quite high, rain fell even harder, and thunder started to crackle all around them. William was lucky that he carried his combat goggles, he wouldn't be able to see shit in this weather if he didn't! The girls picked up their speed to avoid the falling bombs, the winds made it harder for them to predict the direction of those bombs. Fortunately, each of them got fast reflexes, and they managed to avoid the bombs, some narrowly, but avoided nonetheless. Even the jets have a hard time maneuvering with the turbulence in the sky, a fact that the girls immediately exploited, so they could down them without those jets being able to dodge their flak rounds.

"Incoming from the rear!" Mikasa said out loud on the radio.

"Shields, now!" William ordered on the radio.

Prinz and Hipper stayed back and deployed their shields while the others in the formation huddled close to one another, and both of them tanked the damage with their energy shields. Once its collapsed, they immediately retaliated by firing their guns and launching their torpedoes. In the midst of the chaos caused by Prinz and Hipper, both of them managed to escape and rejoin the formation…See? Stand and fight would only get themselves killed in this state, they need to get out of here fast!

"We managed to break through the encirclement…The carrier group is within range, milord!" Wales said to William on the radio.

"Ayanami, Javelin, Z23, Laffey, move ahead first and torpedo the two carriers' right in the stern! Immobilize them, tear them into two if you have to! Sheffield, Koln, Takao, cover them from their escorts. St. Louis, Cleveland, make sure their jets behave!" William immediately ordered the ship girls on the radio.

""""""Yes commander!"""""" "Yes master" ""Jawohl kommandant!"" "Hai, shikikan!" The girls responded on the radio.

"Hornet, Doolittle Bombers! Cleave through that carrier in the middle!" William ordered Hornet directly.

"Aye aye sir! Let's finish this in a jiffy!" Hornet said out loud while she grinned.

William had thought of a quick and efficient strategy to deal with those three carriers; he's going to sink them with overwhelming firepower while relying on precise hits on several of their locations. The destroyers should be able to approach those carriers despite being under fire from the ships' secondary guns, Hornet's Doolittle Bombers are armed with high yield bombs and focused fire would mean that middle carrier is-

BOOM!

"YEAH! IN YOUR FACE MOTHERFU-" William shouted out loud at the sight of the middle carrier being blown.

BANG!

A thunder strikes close to them and it temporarily deafened William for a bit as he closed his ears while gritting his teeth, fuck that was loud! The other ship girls were forced to temporarily break formation due to that close thunder strike, Shoukaku stared at William and vice versa. Shoukaku however smiled smugly after five seconds of staring at William and that resulted with William frowning, he knew Shoukaku is about to be a wisecrack...

"…I think that's a sign that you shouldn't curse, shikikan-sama~. Kami gave you a direct warning~" Shoukaku said to William while she smiled smugly.

"…Eh, old habits die hard." William shrugged while he frowned.

"Milord, I see the helicopter but a few Siren cruisers are approaching it!" Hood, who had been silent before, spoke on the radio.

"Alright…Hood, go ahead and make sure those ships don't touch our helicopter!" William gave her the permission to engage.

"It will be done, milord…Wales, let's go!" Hood said to William then Wales on the radio.

Yup, as expected the Siren fleet is going to prevent them from escaping, so looks like the theory regarding this whole operation being a giant trap was right after all…But the Sirens were also attacking Crimson Cleanser, so that means they aren't work together either…Okay seriously, William was confused as hell right now! Alright, he could just think about all of this later after he reviews today's combat recording as he'll need it later because he will have to report this to High Command.

"The carriers and several of their escorts are in critical condition, but they're trying to escape, kommandant!" Koln reported on the radio to William.

"Alright! Bismarck, sink them all!" William ordered Bismarck on the radio.

"Truth can only be found within our range! Wahrheit!" Bismarck declared out loud.

Bismarck for the first time since William took command of the base was deployed for combat, and she didn't even try to hold her power back. She aimed her guns precisely at each carrier and several of the remaining cruisers then fired all of her guns. She alone managed to sink and destroy the remaining ships in the battlegroup, all of that just with a single barrage by herself…It was said that only few are able to match Bismarck in her combat prowess, such as Yamato, Iowa and few others…Few that William haven't even meet yet…

"…Holy shite…" William said out loud in amazement…

"What's wrong, shikikan-sama?" Shoukaku asked William.

"…That's the first time I witnessed Bismarck firing her cannons, no wonder she's called The Pride of Ironblood." William said to Shoukaku in low tone.

"Carrier group destroyed, kommandant!" Bismarck reported as she tipped her hat a bit.

"Bloody nice work there, Bismarck…Now let's go!" William said to Bismarck while he smiled widely.

"Lord William, cruisers destroyed and the path is clear!" Hood reported on the radio.

"Got it Hood, thank you!" William said to Hood on the radio while he grinned.

"My pleasure." Hood replied on the radio.

After continuing a bit, passing by several Siren cruisers' wreckages, they finally reached the large helicopter. William was dropped off by Shoukaku, he smiled gratefully at her before Enterprise arrived and handed Eldridge who was wrapped in Enterprise's coat while sleeping to him…William takes her carefully as he placed her in a comfortable position, he then meets back with Enterprise on the helicopter's rear hatch.

"Enterprise, how's Eldridge doing?" William asked Enterprise.

"She's fine. Though, this heavy rain could get her sick in this weakened state of hers." Enterprise said to William while she frowned.

"…As soon as we get to the base, she'll be staying in the infirmary for today. Manjuus, take off!" William ordered the Manjuus.

"Just like Lord William said, let's form 360 degree protection around the helicopter!" Hood said out loud on the radio.

The helicopter took off as the ship girls formed a defensive perimeter around the helicopter that's flying at low altitude, William stared out of the helicopter's rear hatch and, despite the heavy rain, he could still see how many of Siren ships were behind them and tried to kill them by firing their weapons…William noticed that several new ships jumped out of the portals, and he squinted his eyes in annoyance, those things want to kill them all that badly?

"…Those ships are relentless, are they trying to eliminate all of us? How did they know that we would have a combined fleet to rescue Eldridge? Is this whole operation a giant trap?" William said out loud in wonder.

"There's no telling what the Sirens are thinking, Will." Lena said to William on the radio.

"Agreed on that…Some context of what they were thinking would be nice though, communication is important in any relationship." William said to Lena on the radio.

"Even the hostile ones?" Lena asked in a cheeky tone on the radio.

"Especially the hostile ones, killing each other is also a form of communication." William said to Lena in sarcastic tone on the radio.

"Siren jets!" Wales said out loud on the radio.

"Missiles!" Zuikaku warned on the radio.

The ship girls immediately fired their AA guns to intercept the Siren jets, but just as Zuikaku said the missiles were launched, they were heading straight for the large helicopter. The Manjuus chirped with each other and the helicopter released flares to divert the missiles, almost all missiles were thrown off but one snuck in between the flares as it successfully hit the helicopter. It shook heavily, and William fell to the floor, he got up as quickly as possible and looked outside to check the damage. William quickly grabbed Eldridge who's fallen to the floor, he scooted her up and check whether she is injured from the shaking.

"Commander?! Are you alright!? Commander!?" Enterprise asked William on the radio.

"We're good! It just blew off one of the helicopter's left weapon attachments! Are there any other jets in the area?" William said to Enterprise then asked out loud on the radio.

"…That looks like to be the last of them!" Cleveland said to William on the radio.

"…Alright, we'll move like this to gain more distance from them before we pick you up and swiftly fly back to the base. Excellent work today ladies, all of you performed splendidly!" William said to the KANSENs on the radio, he then proceeded to sit down with Eldridge between his hands.

…It was afternoon by the time they saw their base in the distance, the ship girls were dripping wet after being in the middle of bad weather for hours. William himself sat on a small bump that separated the passenger bay and the cockpit while staring at the ship girls, it's his habit whenever he sortied alongside them even during training…He looked at Enterprise who's holding the sleeping Eldridge close in her lap while said little girl was enveloped in her thick coat so she can keep warm, beside her was Hornet who was yawning and occasionally sneezed…Maybe he should advise her to get more warmer clothes.

Bismarck and Hood talked to each other, and William smiled before doubling back with widened eyes…Both of them, talking to each other? Didn't she and Hood have a history which was not a good one? William never saw them talking together and sitting side by side before, both don't really interact with each other even on the base. But, it's good to see both of them started talking with one another. Let the past go but never forget it, turn it into a lesson. Hood noticed that William stared at her, she flashed him a smile and the one that William returned…The helicopter made its final approach then landed on the helipad above the canteen, Belfast and Illustrious were standing near the landing pad to greet the returning team from their mission. Their faces showed both Belfast and Illustrious that the fleet prevailed in combat, yet there's hint of dissatisfaction on some of their faces. Greeting and walking past them one by one, they finally saw Enterprise, Hornet, and St. Louis who's carrying Eldridge in her arms.

"I take it she's unwell?" Belfast asked St. Louis.

"Yeah. I don't know what those guys did to her, but she's really fragile right now. We'll bring her to Vestal, see what caused her to be like this." St. Louis said to Belfast while she frowned a bit.

"That would be a wise move." Illustrious said to St. Louis while she smiled.

"I trust you're not behaving recklessly, Enterprise?" Belfast asked Enterprise.

"…I learnt my lesson alright, I even prioritized Eldridge over fighting those Sirens…hah…" Enterprise said to Belfast then sighed.

Enterprise used to be quite dedicated in her duty to fight, she took little rest and sortied almost non-stop. When Belfast took her station within the base, she decided to drill the fact that Enterprise needed to take care of herself more. Enterprise was quite resistant with Belfast interference, but the head maid is something else entirely and a force to be reckoned with her 'tough' love. Well, everyone could see the result now and that settled the fact that NO ONE went against Belfast and not be dominated in the end…

"Brilliant. You've learned well." Belfast said to Enterprise while she smiled in satisfaction.

"Yeah, I only want to experience that once." Enterprise said while looking to the side.

"Are you saying you don't like me showering you with love and care?" Belfast asked Enterprise while she smiled smugly.

"…You being more relentless than Zuikaku constant request to spar is what you call love and care?" Enterprise asked Belfast with half closed eyes.

"The hard kind, it takes equally hard measures to bend something hard…Now then, I think it would be best for little Eldridge over there to receive treatment and for you ladies to rest after today's mission." Belfast said to Enterprise while she smiled softly.

"Yeah, thanks Belfast." Enterprise said to Belfast while she smiled.

The three of them walked away from the helicopter and down the stairs to the infirmary, Belfast and Illustrious noted that the ladies just suffered some scratches as their battle damage. They greeted the other ship girls who disembarked, some of them greeted them enthusiastically while the others greeted them shortly before immediately heading for their room for rest…Bismarck finally got out of the helicopter with Hood who only offered short greetings to Illustrious and Belfast before heading down, Bismarck is up for some chat however.

"Belfast, Illustrious." Bismarck greeted as she stopped in front of them.

"My, Lady Bismarck. How is the fight?" Belfast asked Bismarck curiously.

"Ended prematurely. Our kommandant decided to pull us out, the Sirens possessed overwhelming numbers out there." Bismarck said to Belfast while she frowned.

"Oh dear, is it a trap?" Illustrious asked Bismarck with her left hand on her cheek while she frowned.

"Kommandant seemed to think so. Maybe that's the reason why he prevented us from engaging." Bismarck said with a serious expression.

"That and the fact I don't want the combined fleet to fight while being surrounded by presumably almost hundreds of ships who seemed too desperate in their chase." William said out loud.

William walked out of the helicopter, carrying his HK417 on his shoulder as he walked toward them. Belfast meticulously inspected him from her position, she could see several bullet sized holes on William's armor and his left shoulder pad seems deformed. It was clear that he got hit multiple times, but since William still looked healthy and was walking normally Belfast gave him a passing mark…for now, until further investigation and interrogation.

"They could be there to soften you ladies up before sending in their ship girls, that's why we should pick our battles." William said to Bismarck.

"That's indeed a possibility…Either way, you're our leader, and I trust that you will make the right decision kommandant." Bismarck said to William as she nodded her head.

"…Seems you don't like retreating from a fight, Bismarck." William said to Bismarck while he frowned a bit

"Ja, you're not wrong…But, even I know that it's a necessary thing to do sometimes, especially when the life of others depends on your decision…I best get going, I will unwind back in my room." Bismarck said to William.

"Yeah, get some rest Bismarck. You did well today." William said to Bismarck while he smiled.

"…Danke." Bismarck said to William then walked away.

Bismarck flashed William a faint smile before she walked down the stairs, she couldn't help but to think what would've happened if William had ordered them to engage those ships. If what he thought happened, they would in for the fight of their lives as they had to fend off hundreds of ships and aircrafts then possibly fighting Siren ship girls in one battle…That could result in their defeat, no matter how she thought of it, fighting off that many ships simultaneously without proper preparation beforehand would be unwise. Their commander cared about them, he didn't want them to be pushed to the brink if they didn't have to…thinking that brought a smile to her face, he proved his kindness with his actions. Back on the helipad, Belfast and Illustrious saw a girl walking out while looking around the base. Jenny walked out after she woke up from her quick nap, she saw William, Belfast, and Illustrious looking at her, and she flashed them a grin. Belfast cocked her eyebrows a bit, who is she? Illustrious also thought that why would they bring someone on the way back other than Eldridge?

"Hi there girls, name's Jenny, and I'm here after Knight here pulled me out of that facility." Jenny said to Belfast and Illustrious while she smiled.

"You're from the facility that we infiltrated?" Illustrious asked Jenny.

"Yeah…I'm the double agent there, guess my cover was blown now. Nobody could survive that Siren attack, bombing, and relentless shelling, those people are not going to believe me if I return to them somehow." Jenny explained to Belfast and Illustrious.

"Yeah, sorry to blow that up Jenny...no pun intended" William said to Jenny from her side.

"Haha no probs sir! Mission completed in the end, and that's what matters! Admiral McAllen could always task me on another thing. I'm cool with it as long it doesn't involve a suicide mission." Jenny said to William while she grinned.

"Guess you have a lot to live for?" William asked Jenny while he smirked a bit.

"How about romance anime, hot muscly men, pizza, and fresh milk in the morning? Is that a good reason to live?" Jenny answered while she grinned sheepishly.

"Well, I won't judge your tastes…You'll be staying here for today until I contact McAllen, Jenny." William said to Jenny in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Whoa, thanks for the hospitality…Oh yeah, I didn't even catch your name! Feels wrong to keep calling you Knight." Jenny asked William.

"…Commander William Blaze, the one in charge of this base and the ship girls." William said to Jenny while he smiled a bit.

"Sergeant Major Jennifer Lawson at your service sir! Specialty in tech and mechanical support! If you need anything serviced on this base? I'm your girl!" Jenny replied while she smiled and saluted at William.

"Hahaha, it feels wrong to put you to work after all that. Don't worry, you're a guest for today, so have some rest. Illustrious, kindly escort her to the second floor vacant guest room please?" William asked Illustrious while he smiled at her.

"Understood…It's good to see you return without being admitted to infirmary, milord." Illustrious said while she smiled softly.

"Heh, you and me both, Illustrious." William snorted then said to Illustrious while he smiled.

Illustrious then guided Jenny away from the helipad while Belfast stepped forward, she approached William and she inspected his condition closer. His clothes were wet, he looked tired, his armor was damaged, and Belfast could note that he's almost out of ammo…Based from what she heard, it seems William had a rough time out there, and he could use a rest. William noted that Belfast was meticulously inspecting him, he then stared her directly in the eyes.

"…I kept my promise." William said to Belfast while he smirked.

"Despite being hit several times?" Belfast asked William while she smiled smugly.

"The choice was either that or Eldridge got hurt, naturally I put myself in harm's way." William said to Belfast with proud smile.

"Is that so? What drives you to be in harm's way to protect Eldridge, master?" Belfast asked William.

"…Will you believe me if I say paternal instinct?" William said to Belfast while he shrugged.

"Ho?" Belfast looked intrigued by his reason.

"…When I first saw her, there's this gnawing feeling to protect that little girl and keep her safe from harm. It's like having a daughter, that sort of feeling." William described it to Belfast.

"…You'll make a great father then, master." Belfast commented while she smiled.

"Hehehehe, yeah, maybe…Not that I could speak about it, I don't have the experience." William said to Belfast after he chuckled.

"Ufufufufu…Oh yes, master, you said that you want double steak for dinner?" Belfast giggled then asked William.

"That I did." William said to Belfast as he nodded his head.

"Since you manage to make it back without having to stay the night in the infirmary, I'll give you a passing mark." Belfast said to William while she smiled.

"Alright then!" William said to Belfast while he grinned.

"Also, please come a little closer." Belfast said to William while she stared at him seriously.

William cocked his eyebrows but he did anyway, he trusted Belfast too much sometimes…getting himself closer, Belfast used her index finger to motion William to lower himself. William faced Belfast eye to eye before Belfast touched his left cheek before she brought down his face to meet hers, pressing her lips at his own the second time for the day, but this time the kiss happened longer, and William instinctively kissed Belfast back. That shocked her for a bit before she melted into the kiss further…After around half a minute both of them let go of each other's lips, a bit breathless but there's a smile on both of their faces.

"Someone who left for battle with a good luck kiss, must receive a welcome back kiss." Belfast said while she smiled confidently at William.

"…I could get used to that." William said to Belfast while he grinned for a bit.

…The door that led to the rooftop where the helipad was located then closed after it was opened for a bit, the person who did that then leaned on the wall before contemplating to herself…Hood saw it, Hood saw how Belfast kissed William, Hood heard from a credible source that apparently Belfast also kissed him before he went on mission. Hood put a hand on her mouth, her friend got a head start, and she felt herself left with unexplainable feeling inside her heart…Fortunately, she's a lady of the Royal Navy, she knows what to do, and she will act immediately. It just happened that she knows when to act, she'll strike him as soon as he's alone. If the others got this bold already, she needs to up the ante. Hood descended the stairs from the rooftop, she'll let Belfast have this moment with him as a token of friendship with her. But she still couldn't believe the fact that Belfast would be the one who's got the guts to make the first move. Then again, she's the perfect head maid of the Royal Navy…she should've seen this coming.

"…If that's how the other ladies want to play, I will happily oblige." Hood muttered to herself while she frowned a bit.

…To be honest, she noticed that it's not only Belfast who might hold these feelings of 'affection' toward their commander. Prinz? She often invited him to spend time with her. St. Louis? Don't think Hood didn't notice that she tried to get his attention with her clothing. Illustrious, among the ladies of Royal Navy, she's the one who invited him for afternoon tea the most. Shoukaku? She acted cutesy when around him. Zuikaku, she invited him out to train even more. Atago, she's basically pampering William any chance she gets. Takao? She's following Zuikaku's method. Enterprise even sometimes went to talk with him privately…And that just scratched the surface, there's many other girls that started showing signs like them…Rivals have surfaced all around, Hood will need to be more proactive with her methods if she didn't want to lose.

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Updated: 03-11-2021 (Beta Readed by Culture-Hunt3r)

Phew! Things started to get hot, the relations between the commander and his ship girls also started to intertwine with one another, and boy the race is on! Anyway, thanks for the reviews, follows, and favorites dear readers! Let me know your thoughts and I'll see you next time when the next chapter is finished, alright?

- Dasmara