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.

15. A slow day

BZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTT!

"GRAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" The manly scream reverberated around the dimly lit room.

"Who?" A manly voice asked out loud.

"…F…Fuck off." The previously screaming voice said out loud.

The blonde man who said that was dressed with an Azur Lane Urban BDU sat on a chair with his limbs cuffed to the chair, yes he's the infiltrator that went inside the archive room. He's sweating heavily, his breathing ragged, his nose bloodied, his mouth equally so, and he stared at the man in front of him. The man wore black t-shirt, grey pants, and black combat boots and stared at the infiltrator directly in the eye. The man snorted as he turned around to look at the table behind him, the table were filled with dozens of tools, torture tools and he put down the taser on his right hand…

He then walked to the door beside a one way mirror, he entered it and closed it again. Inside it he saw several people who watched the whole thing from behind a one way mirror, several military personnel who stood up and few analysts who worked on the console directly behind the mirror. The man who tortured the infiltrator approached the only commanding officer in the room, that person is Helena McAllen. She watched the whole thing and must say that she's impressed, for a man to persevere like that infiltrator and sat through an Azur Lane torture session? He must be in the special forces. Though, Azur Lane was mild in their torture techniques compared to Crimson Axis who won't hesitate to use illegal drugs in their effort.

"Admiral, that man is quite resistant. I've tried several techniques and he didn't break yet. It's possible he received training or consumed some kind of drug before...Should I use off the record methods?" The man asked Lena while he frowned.

"…Don't worry, I'll take it from here. You three, with me…we're going to coax info out of that guy's mouth." Lena said to the man in front of her and the two men beside her.

Lena entered the room with the three men, the torturer approached the strapped infiltrator before he launched a right hook at his face which caused the infiltrator to grunt in pain. The infiltrator fell to the floor due to how hard the man hit him, the two others raised the chair upwards and the previous man launched another right hook and the infiltrator groaned in pain as fresh batch of blood spewed from his mouth due to the teeth that were dislodged by that powerful right hook. Lena raised her hand a bit to signal the men to stop, she looked at the infiltrator straight in the eyes.

"Do you know who I am?" Lena asked the infiltrator with a calm tone.

"…Heh." The infiltrator snorted.

"Answer me, do you know who I am?" Lena asked the infiltrator again with a calm tone.

"You won't get anything from me bitch!" The infiltrator said to Lena while he scowled.

"…Hah…Why do you people always insist on walking the hard way?" Lena sighed then said before she pulled out her FN Five Seven.

BANG!

"ARGH!" The infiltrator shouted in pain.

Lena just fired a single shot from her trusty handgun, the bullet hit the infiltrator in his lower right leg, and the men around her flinched in surprise. The men around her have never been under her command before, but rumor said that Lena could be a mean bitch if she wanted to, though some dismissed that rumor because there's no way a beautiful and charming woman like her could do something atrocious. Those men surely weren't with her during the Great War where she displayed her ruthlessness, she's about to display that here if the interrogation goes south…

"Don't make me do this please, I had enough in one day with you and your friends messing up my second home." Lena said to the infiltrator while she frowned.

"…What…do you want?" The infiltrator asked Lena while he gritted his teeth.

"Same as before…Who do you work for? Give me names. Azur Lane treated their friends with utmost care, you could even work for us after all of this. We could use someone like you among us." Lena asked nicely to the infiltrator while she sheathed her handgun.

"Bullshit!" The infiltrator said out loud to Lena.

"Oh, you don't believe me?" Lena cocked her eyebrows and folded her arms underneath her chest.

"You didn't hesitate to shoot me!" The infiltrator said to Lena while he scowled.

"That's because you're still an enemy according to us, switch sides now, and we'll get you the proper medical aid…So which is it? Gentle medical care or do you prefer a straight amputation?" Lena asked the infiltrator in a light hearted tone, she then snapped her finger.

…The infiltrator noted the two men behind Lena who moved toward the torture desk, one carried a first aid kit while the other one took out a machete. The infiltrator noticed that Lena wasn't kidding, she would order her men to cut his leg off if he didn't choose, so he would need something to fend off the execution while getting an advantage for himself. He only has info to offer toward Azur Lane, but the info he has itself may benefit them greatly. The infiltrator looked at his bleeding right leg, he needed to make his choice here.

"…I need guarantees first." The infiltrator said to Lena.

"Oh, now we're talking…Well, spill it, what do you want?" Lena asked the infiltrator while she smiled.

"…I want ten million grand and an ID change alongside plastic surgery; I need to disappear." The infiltrator said to Lena.

"That's it? Bwahahahahaha!" Lena asked then she laughed…out loud, not a single grain of woman elegance exists in that laughter.

Lena found the infiltrator's wish to be hilarious as hell, ten million grand? That's nothing compared to Azur Lane's total coffers. ID change? Azur Lane has made a lot of people disappear or faked their deaths by changing their ID's, it's so easy to do too. Plastic surgery? Pfffft! This is the cause of Lena's laughter the most, the man in front of her seriously thought that plastic surgery is going to save him from being hunted by Crimson Cleanser? Since she's greatly amused with all of this, Lena decided to play along for a bit.

"…I thought you're going to ask something even more brazen, what you ask is a mere child's wish for us…Fine, we could get you all of those. Ten million grand alongside an ID change for you to disappear, plastic surgery could be done in Korea if you want to…Hey buddy, take care of that. Write it on check, paper appointment for the surgery and…where do you want to go after this?" Lena said to one of the men then asked the infiltrator.

"…Norway." The infiltrator said in a low tone.

"And notify the Norwegian Embassy that they get a special guest coming in a few days." Lena said to the man while she smiled.

"On it, ma'am." The men saluted her before he walked out of the room.

Well, that was easier than the infiltrator thought, he was surprised to know someone with the rank of Admiral within Azur Lane High Command would want to negotiate with someone like him. Is she that desperate for some information? Then again, it's unheard of for an Azur Lane admiral to participate in interrogations directly, maybe she's just inexperienced. Lena noted that the infiltrator looked confused at her, was granting what he wants as payment for information wrong?

"…You're willing to grant all of those for me?" The infiltrator asked Lena with an unsure tone.

"If you're willing to speak. We are desperate for additional info; we can't exactly just let this attack go unanswered so we would need something to work with. Please, help me and I'll help you…I'll be honest, there's a high chance that you got one of your major leg veins popped, so you don't have long before you bleed out." Lena said to the infiltrator.

"I want the proof for my payment first!" The infiltrator said to Lena with a firm tone.

"Ah, as much as I want to give it quickly, it of course would need time to prepare, especially for the appointments. Clocks ticking buddy, don't do this to yourself." Lena said to the infiltrator while she smiled somberly.

"…F-Fine…I'll tell you." The infiltrator then said to Lena.

"Excellent news! Corporal, patch up his leg please." Lena said out loud then to the men behind her.

"Yes ma'am!" The corporal responded to Lena's orders.

"I want some tea; do you want anything?" Lena asked the infiltrator while she smiled a bit

"…Tea sounds good." The infiltrator said to Lena.

"Wow, we have the same taste, eh? Good, you'll need some drinks to replace your lost fluids. Get us some tea, and cookies from the pantry." Lena said while she smiled then ordered the men behind her.

"On it, ma'am!" The man took off from the room.

The corporal went to patch the wound on the infiltrator's lower right leg while few others entered the room while they carried a table. They put the metallic table between Lena and the infiltrator then they undid the cuffs on the infiltrator's hands before they stood behind Lena. After some time, the previous man returned with a tray filled with a plate full of chocolate chip cookies, a teapot, two cups, and a small bowl filled with sugar cubes. Lena decided to pour a cup for herself. She's been quite thirsty since the firefight an hour ago.

"You have a family?" Lena suddenly asked the infiltrator.

"Y-Yeah." The infiltrator answered Lena.

"Really? Wife? Children?" Lena asked the infiltrator again then sipped on her tea.

"…A wife." The infiltrator answered with a hesitant tone.

"Ah…You know I also have a husband, he worked as a CEO for a certain corporation. Funny thing is, I'm still trying to love that man and this job didn't really give me a chance to do that…so I really value my days off. I married him due to an obligation set by my bastard of a father who didn't think about his daughter's happiness. That old shit bag didn't want to admit he fucked up either!" Lena said out loud then sipped on her tea.

"…Why are you telling me this?" The infiltrator asked Lena with a hesitant tone.

"Just hear me out first, let me vent a bit here…Anyway, this marriage is lifeless and almost dull even! I've been married to that man for two years, and I still didn't feel any sort of connection to him. It's a shame since he's a nice gentleman who often urges me to take an extended vacation so we can spend time with each other…But, fate says no! My responsibilities overlapped with each other so much it would cause Grand Mac to look at itself and feel ashamed at its lack of height! You will do me a great favor by doing this, I could just then hand over this entire mess, so I could be free for a bit." Lena said as she put her cup of tea down on the table.

…Why the hell did she say all this to someone who could potentially kill her? But really, when she's frustrated, she needs to vent out somehow and beside what she said were all the truth. Who would want to stick on a lifeless marriage that started as a political and business marriage in the first place? Gold diggers for sure, but she's not one despite her husband being filthy rich, she just wants a husband who loves her back equally, and someone who could be there for her when she needs it! Hey, that sounded like the commander of that base filled with ship girls!

"I see…You said that you married your husband because of responsibilities?" The infiltrator asked Lena.

"Yeah! Even though I already have a man that I love! A Special Forces Commander! Tall, well built, handsome even, and that guy loved me back from the bottom of his heart! We were one inch away from being married for fuck sake, but fate told us both no! The worst part is I have to work closely with him, bah! How am I supposed to move on from him?!" Lena said as she folded her arms.

Dammit, this entire situation really screwed her over. Who was she kidding? She still loved William from the bottom of her heart, working together with him makes it even harder for her to move on, and she's pretty sure that the ship girls already flocked around him! Hood and Belfast were the ones she suspected to be the most aggressive in getting close to him, she could see it. Prinz, the woman constantly teased him on purpose to get him to notice her. Illustrious? She may not look like it, but she's not going to back down from the race. Bismarck? It's only a matter of time until she realizes her own feelings. Shoukaku? Given the gap she'll swoop in to get her chance. Atago? She would strike him like a hungry lioness when he's alone…Let's not account for the others that Lena isn't aware of yet, he would have one girl that occupied his bed on a daily basis in no time or even more!

"But enough about that, tell me about yourself" Lena said to the infiltrator.

"I uh…" The infiltrator said while he looked toward his feet.

"I see, not exactly comfortable yet huh? Well, fine by me, we'll get to know each other." Lena said while she shrugged.

"…Admiral-" The infiltrator was about to speak.

"Ah, barley tea and chocolate chip cookies are a match made in heaven! Go on, you're missing out." Lena said to the infiltrator.

Lena took the cup and sipped on her tea, she then took a chocolate chip cookie on the plate and bit on it to savor the chocolate bits then hummed in satisfaction. She munched on the cookie while the infiltrator stared at her, he thought that this admiral in front of him was too relaxed for someone who's going to interrogate him…the infiltrator hesitantly took the cup, filled it with tea and drink it down to stave off his nervousness. He then proceeded to nibble on the chocolate chip cookie, Lena smiled when she saw that the infiltrator is in fact a cooperative man.

"Now…Who do you work for exactly?" Lena asked the infiltrator with calm tone while she held her cup of tea like a fucking British lady!

"…We work for Crimson Cleanser; this operation was planned for months already. When we heard from our boss that someone named 'Nimbus Knight' was freed from hell, we were anxious. Our boss revered this man as Azur Lane's 'last resort' and freeing him would mean that our time grows short." The infiltrator explained to Lena.

"Oh, did you mean Ronald?" Lena asked the infiltrator with an offhanded tone.

"How did you-" The infiltrator widened his eyes in shock.

"Yeah, he's used to be one of us in the past…So anyway, he's the one who proposed this plan?" Lena asked the infiltrator again.

"As far as the majority of the people in our base knew, yeah. But I happened to meet someone he's familiar with, the man held some kind of power over our boss." The infiltrator said to Lena who furrowed her eyebrows.

"Really. Did you know who he was?" Lena asked the infiltrator then sipped on her tea.

"…I saw the man and I heard the boss mention the guy's name, 'Anton'. A big bald man with a mustache like those commissars you saw in old Northern Parliament movies." The infiltrator described the man.

Lena widened her eyes a bit as she choked on her own tea, who the infiltrator described might be someone Lena's quite familiar with, and she thought that she's quite a dimwit for not realizing it sooner. She took out her phone and opened its gallery, there's a photo of a big bald man with thick mustache that shook hands with Lucas. She immediately shown the photo to the infiltrator who widened his eyes when he saw the pic, Lena's quite on point with her deduction just from the description…The infiltrator just didn't know that on Azur Lane Central Command there's not many high ranked personnel with the name Anton, Lena liked it when problems become simpler.

"…This guy?" Lena asked the infiltrator with a small frown.

"Yeah, yeah! That's him! That's the guy!" The infiltrator pointed his right index finger to Lena's phone screen.

"Alright…Do continue." Lena said to the infiltrator while she stared at the photo.

"We met at a hotel at that time and this Anton guy, he needed our boss to cause some ruckus on Azur Lane Central Command. He didn't say why but our boss agreed without much questioning, at the expense that he's willing to give our boss a hefty payment." The infiltrator explained to Lena.

"What's the payment?" Lena immediately asked the infiltrator.

"In a few days since the attack on this place, our boss will receive a cargo that's codenamed 'Marry'." The infiltrator said to Lena.

"Do you know what it is?" Lena asked the infiltrator.

"No." The infiltrator said to Lena while he shook his head sideways.

"Then where would the cargo be delivered by Anton?" Lena asked the infiltrator again.

"Somewhere in Copenhagen." The infiltrator immediately answered.

…That's it, Lucas' nightmare has become a reality. An exchange between traitors and terrorists within a neutral country would be a mess that everyone wished to avoid, but they saw no other means other than handling the mess directly. You wonder what's the problem? Azur Lane had to deploy a strike team to a neutral country, to handle an exchange of packages that could very well be a weapon of mass destruction, they lacked actionable Intel and who knows how much influence Anton's treachery has within Azur Lane itself? They could only assemble a few teams and with minimum gear to handle this without drawing too much attention…Furthermore, Ironblood is just south of Copenhagen, so if they want to do terror attacks, they'll be right in Ironblood's front door! Damn, Lena hoped that things didn't go even worse!

"Huh, is that so…Anything else you could give me?" Lena asked the infiltrator.

"Location for our base of operation…We have one in New York, two in London, and another one in Osaka." The infiltrator explained to Lena who folded her arms.

"Ho…Why did you access our archive room?" Lena asked the infiltrator again.

"Boss told me that if you want to get Azur Lane to panic then the best option is to breach their archive room, especially the ship girls' section." The infiltrator said to Lena.

"I see…You really helped us, a lot. I respect someone who could be honest for the greater good." Lena said to the infiltrator while she smiled a bit.

But really, FOUR OPERATIONAL TERRORIST BASES in three major cities across the world. Alright, Azur Lane has a significant presence in New York, London is basically a fortress, so two terrorist bases in London are a definite red code, and Osaka, if Lena's not wrong Sakura Empire possessed a research lab over there…Nothing looks good and the theories regarding the connection with all of these that swirled inside Lena's mind are not pretty, she need to warn Lucas immediately, and they need to formulate immediate plan of action! She doesn't want any mass terror attacks to happen, they already got Sirens to deal with! The man that Lena sent out came back with a light brown folder, he handed it to Lena who checked the contents of the folder then she smiled.

"Here's everything, you could check it yourself" Lena said while she threw the folder in front of the infiltrator's table.

"…It's all real?" The infiltrator said out loud while he checked the papers within.

"Hey buddy, this is business. We don't want bullshit between us to happen right? Now, what do you say about becoming our informant in Norway hmm?" Lena shrugged then asked the infiltrator.

"…I'll pass." The infiltrator said to Lena in hesitant tone.

"Aww that's a shame! You have so much potential! But oh well, that's your choice…Do you promise not to cause any further trouble for us?" Lena asked while she grinned a bit.

"I promise." The infiltrator said to Lena.

"Not to rat us out to your former buddies?" Lena asked the infiltrator while she smiled.

"I promise that." The infiltrator said to Lena then packed the documents.

"Splendid!" Lena said out loud while she grinned.

BANG!

…The infiltrator looked at Lena with a shocked expression as fresh blood spurted out of a hole right on the center of his forehead, he leaned forward, and he fell on top of the table lifelessly. Lena stared at the infiltrator with furrowed eyebrows and a scowl on her lips, in her hand was her FN Five Seven handgun with a smoking barrel aimed toward the infiltrator. The men around her froze again, did Lena just basically break the rule of war where you can't kill a prisoner? No one dared to speak as Lena raised herself from her seat while she sheathed her handgun, she stared at the dead infiltrator with eyes full of contempt.

"While I do respect someone's honesty, I despise traitors with every inch of my being, you're only being honest when your life is threatened and weaseling your way out of a situation to avoid responsibilities. You have no standings nor resolve! Someone who stays true to themselves even when they die while being interrogated have higher standings and honor than you! Did you really think we'll let you go after all of that? A pathetic piece of shit like you doesn't deserve to live after what you've done!" Lena said to the infiltrator while she scowled.

"…Lena, what did I tell you about not killing the infiltrator!?" Someone said out loud from Lena's back.

"I said 'I won't do that…yet' to you if I remember correctly." Lena said out loud without looking back.

"Hah…Damnit Lena, at least tell me you got something from him." That someone stood beside her, it's Lucas who looked at the dead infiltrator after he sighed.

"Technically speaking, I do. We need to find Major General Antonio Lockwood and monitor him since he's dealing with Ronald to organize this attack, Crimson Cleanser will receive a package around few days from now with the codename 'Marry' in Copenhagen, and we got four locations for their bases of operation in New York, London and Osaka." Lena explained to Lucas while she looked at him.

…Lucas stared back at Lena with his mouth wide open then he facepalmed at the info he just heard, Antonio Lockwood? Lucas knew the man. Major General Antonio Lockwood is a decorated veteran of the Great War, the man and his forces were the ones who held the frontline against the Sardegna Empire army invasion near Iris Orthodoxy's southern border. The man is a talented leader, cunning strategist, and glory hound in a sense…If Lucas thought about it, him as a traitor within Azur Lane made sense in theory. Anton had never been a fan of Crimson Axis even before the start of the Great War, what if the man was the one who formed Crimson Cleanser? Also, Lucas would need to contact Erich regarding the problem with a cargo with unknown content being so close to Ironblood's northern borders. Whatever Marry is, if Crimson Cleanser wants it then it's nothing good…Furthermore, there are four operational Crimson Cleanser bases, and they're all within major cities where they could easily do any attacks…The big question that also came up with this info, why didn't the CIA or MI6 notify Azur Lane regarding those bases? Either they didn't know or something even more sinister is happening with them…Copenhagen, Lucas thought there must be a reason why those terrorist assholes picked Copenhagen as a place to do the exchange, and he hoped it didn't involve civilians.

"Goddammit, do they have to pick Copenhagen for this one? Fuck…But, good work…The man is quite cooperative, I can see why you killed him." Lucas said to Lena while he folded his arms.

"We got his phone which is currently under analysis by our tech team, and we're piecing every single info we got on this guy, it'll take some time before we can get additional Intel…What now?" Lena asked Lucas with cocked eyebrows.

What indeed? Lucas racked his broken and perverted yet competent mind on the plan to fix this entire mess…Right now, they're in the dark with several branching paths to take and there's no sufficient Intel to light those pathways. Their priority is to find out what 'Marry' really is, then they need to either seize or destroy depending on the situation. While they do that, they need to make sure that Antonio Lockwood is kept under constant surveillance, so if he bails the fuck out then Azur Lane would know. Then they also need to plan an assault operation against four operational bases…Bah, there's no way they could do this quietly, so they have to do all of those quickly while being under wraps as much as possible.

"We'll play the Observation then Bust the Nut game. I want a Hunter Seeker unit on the road, hunting for those bases that the guy spoke of. I want the Intel Division to find out what the hell is this package called 'Marry', and I want eyes on Antonio Lockwood…We don't have long so let's move it." Lucas said to Lena with a somewhat relaxed expression on his face.

"Should we secure Copenhagen or at least notify Danish Authorities?" Lena asked Lucas while she frowned a bit.

"Nah, it'll spook those terrorists, and this could be our only chance." Lucas said to Lena as he started to walk away from the dead body.

"Then should I inform Will at least?" Lena asked Lucas again while she followed close behind.

"Nah, let's not bother him. Until we have some solid leads, he could relax for a bit." Lucas answered Lena while he put on a smug smile.

"…That's not the face of someone who's about to let his trump card relax for a bit…What do you have in mind?" Lena asked Lucas, she knew that face meant he had a plan in mind.

Yeah, what Lucas meant as relaxation doesn't mean William could relax, however, because Lucas in his infinite wisdom has a plan for him. If he remembered correctly, Lucas promised William something, and to do that they will need to make sure their base is 'empty' without him or the ship girls loitering around…Hold the fuck up Lucas, how could he empty an entire military base subtly? Simple, Lucas took out his phone and went to the gallery. He swiped the screen to the side a few times until he stumbled upon a picture of an island taken from the bird eye view, he handed his phone to Lena.

"I owe the ship girls some kind of compensation after canceling that friendship event and blowing the budget over a set of clothes that my secretary had to drill my ass for two days, probably with a construction drill if she could get her hands on one." Lucas said to Lena while he shrugged.

"Oh…This? A tropical island?" Lena asked out loud to Lucas.

"Owned exclusively by me, my pride and joy called Eden…And don't give me that accusing look, I'm not a corrupt bastard, I saved that island for my retirement plan, and it took me ten years of saving up to buy that." Lucas said to Lena while he stared at her with half closed eyes.

"What? So you can spend the rest of your days inside a mansion on an island with curvy girls who are looking for a sugar daddy surrounding you then open a resort with those girls as your employees dressed in bunny suits?" Lena asked Lucas in a sarcastic tone while she stared at him with half closed eyes.

"Mother of god Lena, that was very specific…Thanks for the idea though, I'll be sure to do that later!" Lucas said to Lena while he grinned.

"Gah, you pervy old man…So, you want to clear out their base? What for?" Lena threw her hands up before she asked Lucas.

"I thought you already figured it out, I owe him something too." Lucas said to Lena with a meaningful smile on his face.

…Lena rewinds every memory she stored up inside her head regarding every interaction between Lucas and William and her eyes widened in realization. She remembered the deal that Lucas and William made regarding the base expansion, increase in funds, and the promise to give them any experimental results from their research. Looks like Lucas was about to implement the first one, William was given a special treatment by Lucas and Lena started to get suspicious on why he was willing to go this far for William? This expansion plan would be enacted in a few days, in order to use the treasury budget for the expansion plan then they will need to talk about it during the monthly meeting in a week…In conclusion? Lucas used his own assets to do this.

"…Lucas, you're a saint." Lena said to Lucas with a deadpan stare.

"Bah! That's too nice of you!" Lucas said to Lena while he blanched and walked away while he waved dismissively at Lena.

"No, really! You spent so much of your own money for him and the ship girls! The amount would be so much that it can't be called philanthropy anymore!" Lena said to Lucas with a serious expression.

"Not like I ever got any real use for it except for alcohol, porn subscriptions, and occasional hazardous fun anyway, the one I want to give my love and money to already essentially killed me with the only thing preventing me from killing myself physically is my duty to protect humanity…Might as well put it as an investment, to those who might be our world's savior." Lucas said to Lena while he smiled a bit.

The woman who hated him to the core, his ex-wife…The divorce really fucked him. Lucas had his overwhelming wealth that he has collected for twenty years, twenty fucking years of secretly gathering his wealth! He could buy anything in the world with that amount of money he has, and he was about to share the wealth with his wife…But yeah, she chose to divorce him then chose a replacement who's younger than him, who's got more time to pamper her, cooler than him, more handsome than he is, and probably has more stamina during sex than him. Lucas used to love his now ex-wife from the bottom of his heart, he pleaded with her that he will fix everything with her, and he got a smack to the face with a frying pan as an answer…repeatedly. He loved her too much at that time to report her for domestic abuse.

What was he thinking when he took this job as the leader of Azur Lane? He did this, he took this job, and sacrificed so much so his wife and child could live peacefully! He fought tooth and nail, commanding his men directly on multiple occasions to ensure the decisive battle would be won by Azur Lane. But it looks like his wife can't appreciate that, turns out in reality she hated him, and she put up with him just because she saw no other option to marry than him back then…He's just a last option for her, how she put up with him by acting lovey dovey for sixteen years of marriage baffled him. That revelation fucked him up, he took extended leave for ten months after that and couldn't even do what needs to be done properly when William was being court martialed two years ago…he owed William big time for that fuck up…

Since then, he was never the same man. He decided that he won't have another relationship with a real woman, Central Headquarters mental health counsellor even stated to Lena that Lucas was 'broken' in a sense. When Lena heard what really happened from Lucas, she was pissed so much that she wanted to meet his ex-wife directly and beat some sense into her because believe it or not Lucas has become some kind of father figure to her. She was relieved in the end because the fucking bastard persevered through that shit storm of his civilian life, even when he lost his motivation to fight. Even though he's a different man than the one they knew in the past, he's still the man known as Fleet Admiral Lucas Carville who was the one nicknamed 'Chevalier', and the one Azur Lane always counted on in any situation.

"…There's a reason why you're the chosen one among us, Cavalier." Lena said to Lucas while she smiled softly.

"Well clearly Azur Lane overestimated my value, I'm just someone who's willing to share and got almost nothing to lose…Anyway ready the Manjuus because they'll be working overtime for this project, and make sure the info stays here until I say otherwise. I'm going to talk to Erich." Lucas said to Lena then exited the room.

"Aye aye~" Lena responded while she smiled.

.

"Ufufufufu! That really happened, shikikan-sama?" Hiei asked William after she giggled.

"Yeah! The bravest mad lad I ever knew back in high school, barged open a toilet stall when the teacher used it, threw a balloon filled with yellow paint toward him, and bailed out from school in under three minutes! That's when I decided I would never participate in any truth or dare game." William said to Hiei while he smiled widely.

William and Hiei sat on the sofa inside William's office, they talked about a lot of things while they drank tea that William brewed few moments ago. They first talked about the cancelled cooking event that Hiei expressed her disappointment that it had to happen, then they talked about food where William said that he pretty much eats everything except for broccoli, and then the talk went on until William told her a story from back when he's a high school student. Hiei had never hung out with William directly before, now she knew why the other girls liked to hang out here whenever they could. Their commander possessed a lot of stories, he's quite the comedian if he wanted to, and he listened whenever the girls spoke about something…

"Hearing your stories from back then, you have a childhood full of experience…It got me thinking if I'm just an ordinary girl who met you back then, would you be friends with me?" Hiei asked out loud while she smiled.

"I have not a single doubt that we would." William said to Hiei while he smiled back.

"We could even become lovers?" Hiei asked William while she grinned a bit.

"That's a likely possibility…" William said out loud immediately.

"So, you do have interest in me?" Hiei said to William while she smiled and narrowed her gaze.

"A man who doesn't is straight up gay." William responded then sipped his tea.

…Prinz was right, there's a lot of girls that started showing their interest already and deep inside his mind he didn't realize that even Hiei would be interested in him. What did she see in him really? Sometimes William is confused about what women see in him that they deduce him as 'boyfriend material' because honestly, he's far from that. His cooking is nothing to write home about, he's bad at golf, and his face is frightening on occasions. Hiei is a woman that any man would kill for, she's gentle, an awesome cook, sexy even, and she's kind.

"Ufufufu, is that so…Oh, it's time already. I better head back to the dorm; I already have something to do with Kongou nee-sama." Hiei said to William as she stood up.

"Speaking of her, I haven't met with her lately…Is she alright?" William asked Hiei while he frowned a bit.

"She is, she's just a bit confused about something." Hiei said to William with a gentle smile.

"Did she know she could talk to me if she had problems?" William asked Hiei then downed the rest of his tea.

"Despite her intellect she might need some direction with this one, I think only girl talk could solve the problem…Later then shikikan-sama, thank you for the tea." Hiei said to William while she smiled then bowed before she exited the office.

…He has to admit that among his secretaries Kongou was the one that he rarely interacted with, she could be a bit too serious sometimes, and her duty didn't involve paperwork, so most of the time whenever he met her it's usually outside. Did he wrong her before in any sense? Kongou also didn't speak to him that much, she might be the few girls on this base that didn't have an interest in him? No, jumping to conclusions would only worsen everything so he needs to find out directly…She won't mind if he invited her out to get to know each other, right? He should do that tomorrow. Just as William thought that the door was knocked, William looked at the door wondering who it was.

"It's open." William said out loud.

"Excuse me" It's Vestal who entered his office.

"Vestal? Rare for you to drop by here." William commented as he sat on his office chair.

"I happen to be nearby and I want to ask, did you order Enterprise to sortie in this weather?" Vestal asked William with shadow casted over her eyes…Shit, she's pissed!

"Okay…um, I know that it seems cruel but-" William said to Vestal while sweating a bit.

"She could get sick! I don't care how tough she said she is! She could still get sick if she's exposed to this rainstorm for too long! What were you thinking, commander?!" Vestal asked out loud while she grabbed on the office table in front of William.

Okay, now might be a good time to hit the window behind him and bail the fuck out all the way from the third floor of the building just to avoid Vestal's wrath. But remember, Diana raised no quitter as a son, and that's why he will stand his ground because as a commander of the base, sometimes William has to deal with something that requires calm explanation instead berating his troops for questioning orders…Nah, he would never do that, he didn't have the heart to be that mean to his ship girls. If a problem could be solved just by talking properly, he'll take that anytime.

"She's quite versatile, so she would be an invaluable unit to patrol this isle, Vestal. Please, it's alright, I believe she can handle it…I know you care a lot about her, but you just have to trust her on this one." William said to Vestal with a calm tone.

"…Fine." Vestal finally said to William after she thought for a bit.

"Is that all?" William asked Vestal.

"That would be all, thank you for your time." Vestal said to William.

…Vestal realized that she's being overprotective in a sense when she heard that Enterprise went out on sortie despite the harsh weather, after the attack on Central Headquarters it should be natural for William to send out a patrol fleet around the isle to see if there's any hidden threats. Enterprise is one of the best fighters they have, sending her out alongside an entire fleet fully equipped to handle anything is a logical choice. Vestal went out of the office and she almost bumped into St. Louis while she walked out. St. Louis looked inside the office while she carried a short stack of papers in her hands.

"…Hmm? What?" William asked St. Louis out loud.

"Did Vestal just vent out on you?" St. Louis asked William while she smiled.

"Basically." William simply answered while he shrugged.

"Don't blame her for it alright, she just cares about Enterprise and being in that time of the month too." St. Louis said to William while she smiled.

"I see…wait, she's having a period?" William asked St. Louis with cocked eyebrows.

"Of course we got one each month." St. Louis answered William coyly.

Okay…well of course they get one each month William fucking Blaze you absolute dumb piece of fucking dorky shit! Why do you think Lucas mentioned pregnancy with ship girls? If they could get pregnant then obviously, they ovulate! If they ovulate then they have a period! If they have a period then William better be careful not to incur their wrath when they have one! Did you even pass your biology class in high school!? Of course he did, but he's just a bumbling idiot in some cases whenever he had to deal with women…Guess some of that awkwardness from his teenage days as a nerd is still there, William thought he had fixed that when he joined basic training!

"Ho, I see…Anyway, anything I can help you with?" William nodded his head then asked St. Louis.

"Oh nothing, just passing through. I'll be going now, commander." St. Louis said to William while she smiled.

St. Louis closed the door to William's office while she smiled and the man leaned back on his seat. He shouldn't have brazenly asked if the girls had periods…Oh well, what's done is done. William took off his white officer jacket and put it on his office chair. He reached for the small fridge on the corner of the room near the door and took out a large bottle of grape soda and a bag of potato chips. He threw those items on the coffee table as he looked at the console under the TV, a gaming console that he purchased three days ago without Hood and Souryuu knowing about it…He's been a bad little bastard. William sat on the couch, opened the grape soda bottle, drank from it, put his feet on the table as he grabbed his wireless controller.

"Ah! Five hours until my appointment with Zara, let's do this!" William said out loud while he grinned and put on his noise canceling headset.

"Huh? Wait, it's MobiusZero! Guys! MobiusZero is online again!" One guy said to William the voice chat.

"Hehey! Dude! You went missing for two years! Where have you been!?" Another one asked William on the voice chat.

"Stuff and some shit happened but hey, I got some time to spare now. Go easy on me alright, it's been years since I held a controller." William said out loud on the voice chat while he grinned.

"Oh no buddy, we are having a hard time! We plummeted from global ranks without our killer! We used to be in the top ten clans, and now we're stuck at fifty!" The guy said to William through the voice chat.

"Really? I left you guys for a bit and this happened?! No! This doesn't sit with me! I got five hours, let's take back that top ten spot!" William said to his online friends on the voice chat while he scowled.

"HUZZAH! Now we're talking! Send a wakeup call to everyone else! Tell the chief that his champion has returned!" One guy said out loud on the voice chat.

…Illustrious walked on the administrative building while she looked outside through the window to notice that the rain only fell even harder than before, looks like she'll be here awhile so why not bother her commander for a bit? She smiled at the thought, too bad she didn't bring anything with her-. Oh right! She remembered that William did keep a lot of snacks or drinks inside his office, one of the reasons why the destroyers littered his room in the late morning whenever they didn't have classes. Illustrious reached his office front door, she knocked on it several times but William didn't answer…Illustrious raised her eyebrows in wonder, she then opened the door-

"OH YOU PIECE OF CUNT! HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE TOLD YOU!? FLANK RIGHT GODDAMNIT! FLANK! RIGHT! MACHINE GUNS! DEPLOY ON THAT HIGH GROUND AND START RAINING ON THAT FORTIFICATION! HEY! SQUAD C! WHERE ARE THOSE BEACONS FOR AIRSTRIKE!? OUR A-10 PILOT WAS WAITING WHILE HE JACK HIMSELF! NO! NO! NO! TANK COLUMNS BEARING 310! COME ON! HUSTLE UP LADS! THE CHIEF WANTS THIS BATTLE WON QUICKLY! YEAH YEAH YEAH! NOW THAT'S HOW YOU KICK ARSE GENTS! CONGRATUFUCKINGLATIONS IT'S YOUR PAYDAY! WOOOO!" …William was engrossed in his game way too much.

Illustrious stared at William with her mouth opened wide at the sight William fist pumped numerous times at the sight of his TV screen showing words 'Victory! Objective completed!' Then he turned around and that's when he saw Illustrious, William widened his eye as he stared back and forth between the screen and her until he grinned sheepishly.

"Umm…sorry." William said to Illustrious.

"It's alright milord but that was some serious anger there, are you alright?" Illustrious asked William with a concerned tone.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just gamer rage, we always do that whenever something goes wrong." William explained to Illustrious.

"Hey, who are you talking to, man?" One guy asked William on the voice chat.

"A friend of mine." William answered on the voice chat.

"Awww, just a friend~? After I poured my heart and feelings last night?" Illustrious asked William while she smiled softly, William's cheeks went red a bit.

"Whoa whoa whoa, you guys hear that!? Mobius got into some serious girl trouble over there!" One guy said out loud on the voice chat.

"Yeap, bye man you're on your own!" One other guy said out loud as William got kicked out from the voice chat.

"Some friends you guys are! I shouldn't expect so much from online friends!" William said out while he scowled.

"…Ufufufufufufu, I'm terribly sorry for that milord~" Illustrious said to William after she giggled cutely.

"Bah, we're done playing anyway…What time is it?" William asked Illustrious as he sat on the couch.

"It's five in the afternoon. I came here to ask if you want to drink some tea with me?" Illustrious asked William while she hid her hands behind her hips and leaned forward a bit.

"I just did it with Hiei…But I guess we can spend some time together, want to try?" William said to Illustrious while he held the game controller.

"Video games? I must say that I don't have a single clue on what to do with it, it's more of Ms. Long Island's business right?" Illustrious asked William while she smiled a bit.

"Yeah, and that's why I'm going to teach you. Come and sit here." William said to Illustrious as he patted the spot on the couch beside him.

William doesn't want Illustrious to come here and only watch him play, he wants her to get involved too. Illustrious had never been someone who played online games, the ones she played were those color matching games where she rarely plays all because Elizabeth once ordered her associates to install the game, so they could play together. But she won't pass up the chance to spend some time with William, especially with this lazy afternoon decorated with harsh rain. Illustrious sat beside William and leaned on the couch.

"Here's the controller." William handed Illustrious the controller.

"So many buttons…" Illustrious commented while she stared at the controller.

"You'll get even more bewildered if you have to play using a computer then, hehehe." William commented then he chuckled.

"What game are we playing right now?" Illustrious asked William.

"A third person shooter game, you control a character from a floating camera behind it…Okay, let's get to the training level first." William said to Illustrious.

The third person shooter William liked to play is basically a military shooter, the realistic one with modern day weapons and arsenal. He'd like to play the one with the super soldier that fight on the ring world, but it got delayed until the end of the year and boy he's disappointed to know that. Well, he will only need to be patient and hope that it will turn out great so he will have a blast playing later. While he waited for that, he could play other shooter and this one is the game that he's been playing since high school so he pretty much aced the game already, teaching Illustrious will be an easy endeavor for him.

"First you have to learn how to walk, use that left stick to move your character around." William said to Illustrious.

"…He moved, but how can I make him change direction?" Illustrious asked while she did that.

"Use the right stick for that." William said to Illustrious while pointing toward the controller.

"Ah! Now I see! You have to coordinate the two sticks in order to move effectively!" Illustrious said out loud while she smiled.

"You're a fast learner, Illustrious, I like that…Now, move forward while holding this button." William instructed Illustrious.

"I just sprinted." Illustrious said to William.

"Press this one." William said to Illustrious.

"He jumped!" Illustrious said to William.

"Yes, now press this button." William said to Illustrious.

"That's crouching." Illustrious said to William.

"Now, try to sprint then press the crouch button." William said to Illustrious.

"Wow! He just slid on the ground!" Illustrious said to William.

"Yeah, one way to quickly move around the area, so you should know when to move with proper speed…Now, follow the marker on the floor to get to the next section." William instructed Illustrious.

"Alright." Illustrious said while she nodded her head.

William found that Illustrious is a fast learner, she managed to do everything he instructed easily, and after getting some sense of familiarity with the controls she experimented by moving around the area. She gets used to the character's walking and running speed, how he moves to how agile the sensitivity of the controller she held right now. Illustrious followed William's instruction as she moved her character to the next area, she found her character standing inside a firing range with weapons laid out on the table in front of her.

"…There. Now, the purpose of a shooter game is basically to defeat your enemies', right? In this section, you'll learn how to shoot your weapons." William said to Illustrious.

"I see, then what should I do here?" Illustrious asked William.

"Pick up the weapon at the table, grab that pistol." William said to Illustrious while he pointed at a Glock 19 on the table.

"Done." Illustrious said as her character approached the gun and picked it up.

"Okay, now that you got it. Press this button to aim, if you press it once you'll aim through the sight of the weapon." William said to Illustrious.

"Done, now I can shoot?" Illustrious asked William.

"You can actually shoot your gun without aiming but that would be very inaccurate, unless you're forced to, then make sure to aim down your sights. Now, press the button here to shoot." William explained to Illustrious.

"I did it!" Illustrious said after she succeeded firing a shot.

"Great! Keep firing." William said to Illustrious while he smiled a bit.

"…Eh?! It won't fire anymore! Did it run out of bullets?" Illustrious asked out loud when her Glock stopped firing despite she pushed the fire buttons multiple times.

"Yes, you don't have to reload as often as KANSEN riggings but the overall damage is miniscule compared to them. Oh, press this button to reload." William said to Illustrious.

"Right…He's ready to fire." Illustrious said after her character reloaded his gun.

"As long as you have reserve ammunition you can keep reloading your weapons, that's why you need to strategize your shots and pay attention to your ammunition reserves…Now that you could aim, fire, and reload I want you to pick up the gun beside it." William explained to Illustrious.

"It's a bigger gun than the pistol." Illustrious commented as her character picked up an M16A4 Assault Rifle.

"That gun is what we call an assault rifle, a standard weapon issued to infantries in our regular armies. It has more bullets than pistols and is more damaging. But the accuracy gets progressively worse the longer you fire it, so it is recommended that you fire it in a short burst…But for now, I want you to empty your bullets on that target." William explained then instructed to Illustrious.

Illustrious wondered what the difference between the gun she previously used was, then she realized the theory regarding that the bigger gun then the more powerful it is. This M16 that her character held in his hands even has thirty bullets instead of fifteen in her Glock 19, Illustrious then did as William instructed and she pressed on the fire button and thus she witnessed her character firing his rifle in full auto as the gun spewed thirty 5.56mm rounds on the target in front of him. Illustrious noted that the shots were horribly inaccurate! The Glock was more accurate and controllable than this rifle (She forgot that she didn't aim through her sight and the fact she also fired the gun in full auto, Illustrious could be silly at times).

"See? Now, try to fire by controlling the trigger. Pressed it once quickly but three times." William said to Illustrious.

BANG BANG BANG!

"It's more accurate." Illustrious said to William while she smiled a bit.

"Yes, it's better to do that when your target is quite far away. But if your target is close enough." William said as he put his hands on Illustrious' so he can use the controller for a bit.

BRATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA!

"You could practically kill anyone in front of you with a bullet barrage." William said to Illustrious.

"I see…It's quite hard for you to sit like that when you teach me right?" Illustrious asked William with a concerned tone.

"It did strain my back a bit but nothing I can't handle." William said to Illustrious while she smiled a bit.

Yeah, William had to lean toward Illustrious, so he could properly instruct her and that did cause his back to strain. Illustrious noticed this, and that's why she moved her from her seat then sat on William's lap, her soft butt squeezed nicely on William's thighs that he had to control his breathing and cleared his mind from any impure thoughts which were ready to invade his mind any second now…Seriously, Illustrious' ass was soft! William's hands itched as they moved on their own to fondle it and to prevent them from doing that it took him all of his willpower! William closed his eyes, he activated his combat mode where he basically switched persona to his battle hardened warrior side, so he won't think any perverse thoughts…What? First time you ever hear that?

"Whoa…" William muttered to himself.

"This is easier, don't you think?" Illustrious asked while she smiled.

"Right…Now, move to the next section." William said to Illustrious.

And this mode works effectively, William was able to focus on instructing Illustrious fully without distraction and prevented his main gun from standing at attention ready to fire...But no matter how hard he did it, there's several traitorous thoughts invaded his mind though it's more on the lovely side compared to the lustful. For example, instead of fondling her ass William was tempted to hug her from behind, instead of nibbling on her neck he's tempted to straight up kissed her from behind, instead of fondling her large boobs from behind he's tempted to caress her stomach region…Wait a fucking second, WHAT'S THE FUCKING DIFFERENCE?! Well fortunately god is merciful to him and that's why god sent a distraction, so William won't slowly lose his mind due to the temptation.

"Kyaa! I'm under fire! The screen turned red! What should I do!?" Illustrious asked as she randomly moved around to avoid bullets.

"Your character has limited health Illustrious, once that health bar on the top right depletes your character will die. Bullets are almost impossible to dodge at close range, move to that small wall over there then press this button when you touch the wall." William explained to Illustrious.

"Ah, he hides." Illustrious commented as her character hid behind a low wall.

"That's taking cover, cover provides protection against most bullets. But remember, explosives could destroy cover and potentially damage you. Also, if your cover is made from thin materials like plastic or wood then the bullets could still go through it and damage you. Now, press the aim button but hold it down then fire at that target." William explained to Illustrious.

"The camera overlooked his shoulder." Illustrious commented as she did what William told her.

"If you hold the aim button it'll be like that, it's designed for quick, accurate shots. Switch your weapon with this button and select a grenade." William said to Illustrious.

"How do I throw it?" Illustrious asked William as her character held the grenade.

"Hold down the fire button, you'll see a trajectory prediction. Aim it to that target and release the button to throw it, be careful the grenade has a timer, so don't keep it too long in your hand or it'll blow up the character." William said and Illustrious quickly threw the grenade at the target.

BOOM!

The target exploded to pieces…Illustrious wasn't familiar with infantry combat, so this really enlightened her, all this time she fought ships and only heard regarding how the regular divisions fought on the frontline. Illustrious especially heard regarding the combat on the Northern African Continent when Royal Navy troops fought against Ironblood's army, the desert combat, the town battles, and the battle between tanks combined with airplanes on open ground were ferocious…There's also the fact that the man she sat on was a very experienced soldier, all these things the character did on the game must've been nothing new to him as he surely experienced it himself…

"Nice. Now, move over to that humanoid dummy target, you'll be learning CQC." William said to Illustrious

"CQC?" Illustrious asked William.

"Close Quarter Combat, sometimes on the battlefield there's an occurrence where you face an enemy up close and using guns might not be as effective as using your own fist or melee weapons. You're not carrying any melee weapons at the moment so you'll use your fist, approach that dummy, and press this button." William instructed Illustrious.

"I hit it!" The character Illustrious controlled and launched a jab at the dummy target.

"Good! Again! Keep doing it!" William said to Illustrious while he smiled.

"Oh dear, that looks painful…" Illustrious commented after she witnessed her character perform a punch combo that knocked down the dummy target.

"If you pressed the button rapidly, you'll execute combo melee attacks. Now try to hold down that button and then move your right stick anywhere you like." William said to Illustrious.

"I brought down the dummy hard!" Illustrious commented as she witnessed her character slamming the dummy down on the floor.

"That's called takedown, it's the quickest way to make your enemy fall to the ground, and if you approach them from the back." William used the controller on Illustrious' hands.

"Oh my!" Illustrious commented as the character snapped the dummy's neck.

"You could assassinate them. Assassinations will instantly kill your opponent if done successfully, be mindful that any of these melee attacks could be interrupted, so don't over rely on it." William explained to Illustrious.

"Alright, I understand." Illustrious said to William while she nodded her head.

"Good. Time to test everything Illustrious, go to the next area. In that one, you'll have to take down five targets without your health being depleted. Use everything that I've taught you before, I won't help you this time, so you'll have to do this without guidance…After that, we'll face something that will try to kill you." William said to Illustrious as he grabbed her shoulder.

"Understood…Here we go!" Illustrious said while she nodded her head then smiled confidently.

And thus, Illustrious went on to play the training match with several bot opponents, she learned the basics of the game of death match because there's no way he's going to let Illustrious immediately face off in the Operation game mode where you would require your entire clan to do one. After that, she went to face off against real opponents and she fought valiantly, Illustrious is a quick learner and she managed to get herself familiar with how the combat works depending on the map, weapon loadouts, and the tactics when she faced off against an enemy…William was impressed to be honest, she may not be as good as him yet, but she could pull off her own weight in a standard match. Illustrious decided to stop after she fought off in three consecutive online matches in a row, there's something that she came to realize after she played the game…

"…Is this what you experienced in the past, milord? Fighting directly in the front with a rifle in hand? Danger lurking in every corner where a single enemy bullet or blade could kill you?" Illustrious asked William while she smiled sadly.

"…Yeah, it's what I do. Years I've done that, and sometimes it went from just a simple run and gun, sometimes I have to pretend to be a civilian, infiltrate an enemy base to either kill someone, steal, or destroy something. There were times when I had to drive a vehicle during combat…I've experienced it all, Illustrious." William said to Illustrious while he played with her ponytail with his left hand.

"I looked at this game and thought about how you fight milord, you're putting your life over the edge in every battle. I thought I could imagine it, but I could say for certain that the real thing is far worse than what was shown in this game…" Illustrious said to William while she looked at his face.

"Agreed. To be honest, warfare had changed me, Illustrious. Warfare has changed how I look into some issues, how I view civilian lifestyle to how I feel regarding killing." William nodded his head once while he smiled somberly.

"…You've been through a lot, milord." Illustrious said to William while she smiled.

"So have you." William said to Illustrious.

"But I don't have to witness it directly, my airplanes could do that for me. But you had to be there, personally took someone's life, for the side you're on…It feels wrong, when I take down targets it's fine, but when I had to face human enemies even though they're controlled by a computer…It unease me when I fire my gun toward them." Illustrious said to William while she caressed his left cheek softly with her right hand.

Illustrious never saw direct combat where men and women killed each other with guns in close quarter combat, she witnessed how it happened with the game she played, so needless to say it's quite horrible in her opinion, and she never wanted to be there at all. She felt uneasy just by murdering a human character in the game. Could she be able to do it in the real world if she had to? She doesn't know…Illustrious stared at William, how did he manage to do what he always does? Fighting directly against humans or Sirens in close quarters and from what she heard from Takao and Sheffield, William didn't show any sign of fear on the field of battle. He didn't hesitate whenever he fought his enemies directly, he never wavered whenever he had to fire his gun. What did he go through in order for him to be that composed and steady?

"…At first, I felt the same…Back in the academy we were trained by the instructors for that, we were given training to prepare to take someone's life, but no amount of training could prepare for the real thing. During my first combat mission, after I killed my first 'enemy combatant' I froze a bit while I stared at my rifle in my shaking hands. Felt wrong? Yeah, but I don't have the luxury to mull over it at that time. It's either me or them so I got to work, I thought nothing, discarding my personal feelings and thoughts aside as I put bullets into the enemy…Then, when I went back to the base, I came to realize that this is how it works. Either you lose to your guilt or you adapt and turn that guilt into your driving force to fight. But even that didn't work…At first it felt wrong, but as time went on, and the longer I'm on the battlefield it started to feel like victory whenever I survived against my foes…Three months since my first kill, I'm used to the idea and to the deed. I felt it's justified since they threaten my life and could potentially hurt those I care about, that's what I used to 'right' what was wrong." William said to Illustrious as he looked at the TV screen.

…Damn, talking about that reminded him about his first mission back when he was freshly recruited by Azur Lane High Command. It was actually a test for the formation of Task Force Nimbus; around sixty men and women were selected by them to do one thing…an assault on Ironblood's forward operating base on their northwestern border to stall their invasion toward Iris Orthodoxy. They said that the defensive 'Maginot' line would be impenetrable by Ironblood's army, frankly speaking they were right…but the analysts at headquarters forget one thing, and that is Ironblood's tactic known as Blitzkrieg. To stall their invasion from circling around the Maginot line and buy time to reinforce Belgium, Azur Lane sent in a strike force.

Sixty men and women recruited from various branches within Azur Lane led under Captain Helena McAllen, they were tasked to do the impossible, and it's up to them how to bring the base down and Lena for the first time showed that she wasn't a valedictorian with outstanding marks for nothing. The unit infiltrated the base, disabled their communications, their power plant, and took out their defensive emplacements all under a minute before they stormed the base. Sixty troops successfully took down an entire garrison with two thousand personnel inside it in less than an hour, something as bullshit as that would be laughed at by everyone else because it's obviously a hoax, but the survivors of the attack and Azur Lane High Command knew better…Whoever these people were, Crimson Axis knew that they're not the one they could fuck around with.

That time, William got his first kill. He was the one who had to storm the base and that means he got the heavy duty part, if he wasn't mistaken, he made around sixty total confirmed kills while inside the base with his M16A4. That first mission haunted him for quite a while, the recruits that said they weren't shaken up after that mass killing were obvious liars. Lena did help him back then in alleviating the guilt and nervousness for doing something wrong, he's got a reason to do all of this, and so he had to carry on…Now, as he looked back to his first mission William couldn't help but to think that how far he has grown into Azur Lane's lethal terminator, someone they're even willing to release from prison when the world's called for him to act…

"Sorry, I'm kind of rambling there…You must've thought of me as some of those bitter veterans huh?" William said to Illustrious while he smiled bitterly.

"…No, on the contrary I found you admirable milord…You know what you did was wrong, but for the sake of the future and those who you cared about you're willing to do all those things. A sacrifice you make so others could live safely; I admire your efforts…You even brought that trait with you here. You saved me during our first sortie together despite not knowing each other for long, you involved yourself heavily within our sorties to command us directly that we could fight effectively so we didn't take any casualties, and you're still a caring man despite what happened to you in the past…Honestly, I was attracted to you…But now." Illustrious said to William with soft tone.

Illustrious reached up for William's face while she sat on his lap, she put her hands on his cheeks as she slowly brought his face down to meet hers. William followed along with Illustrious' action, Illustrious finally brought him down close enough where she could finally press her soft, tender, and pink lips against his. It was practically a short kiss because Illustrious is naturally an affectionate woman yet inexperienced with this sort of thing, Illustrious however dared to kiss him because she needs to show him that her feelings are real, and she's not afraid to show it…for that, she's even willing to give him her first kiss.

"Lord William, from the bottom of my heart, I adore you~" Illustrious said to William with half-lidded eyes and soft tone.

"…You adore someone like me?" William asked Illustrious, speechless at her bold actions.

"Yes…I only have one word for that trait milord, I call it courage. A courage to do the things others are hesitant to do, courage to face the consequences, courage to accept the truth, and the courage to persevere no matter what you face, be it humans or Sirens." Illustrious said to William as she rested her head on the crook of his left neck.

"…Feels good to hear that from you." William said out loud while he smiled softly.

"So, if you need someone to listen or to talk to…I'm here for you, and I don't intend to leave." Illustrious said to William with a soft tone.

Dammit, among the ladies Illustrious was certainly the most upfront with how she feels and honestly speaking William couldn't put his answer on hold forever. But just like the situation with Belfast and Hood, he didn't want to take any chances without some kind of deal with Central Command because deep down inside he knew that politics would screw him over without any sort of legal documents. Lucas and Lena might be on his side, but how long until someone had enough with their favoritism and started a power shift in central headquarters? If his two best allies in the realm of politics failed to protect him, it'll be a sign of doom because it won't be long until William would be dismissed as the commander of the ship girl's base…Pardon his selfishness, he honestly didn't want to hand over the ladies to someone else. And pardon his cynicism plus his pessimism, he just didn't want the girls to have another commander that acted like William's predecessor or worse only took the job, so they could take advantage over the ship girls…be it their bodies or their strength.

"…What a declaration." William said to Illustrious while he smiled softly.

"It's my true feelings~" Illustrious said to William while she smiled sweetly.

"I see…Illustrious, thank you for consoling me. I'm sorry I couldn't give you any direct answer for now…But know this, the same thing goes for you too. If you need someone to talk to, I'll be here for you." William said to Illustrious, he then leaned in and pecked her forehead.

"…I understand…then don't mind me if I drop by your office more often. Ufufufufu~" Illustrious said while she blushed a bit and then giggled sweetly.

…William's office door was slightly ajar and it was closed gently, a hand fitted with black and red gloves grabbed on the handle and refused to budge despite already closing the door, and the owner completing whatever mission she had. Prinz frowned a bit upon what she saw, she clicked her tongue as she walked away from William's office. She's not quick enough, Illustrious got a head start from her, and that's not the end of it as she heard that William got a plan with Zara this evening. Prinz is patient and methodical in her approach, but it seems she might need to step up her game…But unlike Illustrious, Prinz thought of something…she did find William attractive, but what did she especially feel about him? Is it respect? Admiration? Love? Lust? She still has no idea…she needs to think some more and find out how she really felt about her kommandant.

.

…Evening rolled in, William sat on his bed after what happened in the afternoon with Illustrious and he knew it won't be long before the other girls did the same thing as her. But damn was he confused on how to progress with all of this, back during high school he's considered to be on the 'dork side' and thus no girls ever confessed to him despite his attractive figure…girls don't like nerds huh? Maybe that's because the girls in his school were narrow minded (except Lena of course). But because of that, William had zero fucking clue on what to do when multiple girls potentially have feelings for him. If he wanted to be brazen, he'll answer their feelings and perhaps immediately acquire one of the greatest harem ever formed on the face of the earth! But as someone who cared about the long term consequences, he needs to tell that option to fuck off for now…

"For fuck sake! God why did you do this to me?!" William said out loud then he sighed.

That's it! Tactical retreat! William, stop thinking about all of this for a while and just have some dumb fun once in a while! Shit! That won't be possible because of his appointment with Zara! William looked on his phone, there's a chat message from Zara telling him to go to her room in five minutes. William shrugged as he took off his officer clothes and switched to his newly delivered laundry by Sheffield, he grabbed a navy blue polo shirt and brown slack then equipped the clothes. Decided that he's dressed for his appointment with Zara, William walked out of his room and approached Zara's room just few steps away beside him…William checked the corridor he's in as it's so quiet it made him anxious for a bit, if that woman sedated him then he's in deep shit…No! William believes that Zara is a nice woman, because of that William knocked on the door. It didn't even take five seconds before it was opened by Zara, the woman was dressed with a green hoodie and black shorts…Casual Zara?!

"My, comandante. You're punctual this time huh?" Zara asked William while she smirked a bit.

"Yeah, not keen on repeating the same mistake…May I come in?" William asked Zara while he smiled wryly.

"Of course." Zara said to William as she stepped aside from the door.

William went inside Zara's room and he looked around a bit, hmm she still used the basic paint job but she already put a few things to decorate her room. There's a small bookshelf that's filled with several pieces of literature and novels? There's a small flatscreen TV in front of a white couch and a white coffee table, her bed sheets were changed into light red color with a flowery pattern on it…Wait, William missed it for the first time round but there's two plates and a large bowl alongside a large bottle of wine on top of the coffee table. He looked at what's inside the bowl, its spaghetti coated in sauce alongside meatballs to compliment it…

"Spaghetti?" William asked out loud.

"Hope you haven't had dinner yet comandante." Zara said to William as she closed the door to her room.

"Nah I haven't…Smells delicious." William commented while he smiled a bit.

"I may not look like it, but I can cook." Zara said to William while she smiled.

"I'll be the judge of that, Zara." William said to Zara as he sat on the couch.

And so, the dinner began, William was now fully confident with the fact that Zara indeed could cook because this spaghetti was fantastic! Well of course it would, it's the food from her homeland, so surely, she knew how to make the taste really authentic. Both William and Zara ate while occasionally talking about something light such as the weather, the latest rumors, and a few short stories here and there that involved food…overall it's quite pleasant. When dinner was done, William sat with Zara as they enjoyed the wine with the glass in their hands. Zara surely knew how to pick out her drink, the wine she brought tonight tasted great. William sipped on his while he stared outside through the window, he saw that the rain had stopped…Yeah, finally, as much as he liked rain, he didn't want it to rain constantly either.

"The stars are visible tonight." William commented then sipped on his drink.

"Is it? Are the clouds absent from the sky?" Zara asked William as she also looked outside.

"Seems so. Want to look outside?" William asked Zara while he smiled a bit.

"…Yeah, if that's what you want." Zara answered William.

If that's what he wants? That's a strange answer, but William didn't think about it too much as he opened Zara's double window and stared outside. The wind was quite strong, but that didn't deter William as he looked up and saw the stars glimmering in the skies accompanied by the crescent moon. He smiled a bit as Zara joined William beside him and also looked outside.

"Yup, a beautiful sight." William commented then sipped on his wine.

"…Agreed." Zara said to William while she joined him.

"Something on your mind, Zara?" William asked Zara who was beside him.

"Nothing…" Zara said to William while she stared at the dark seas in front of her.

"Are there any particular reasons for tonight other than…the incident this morning?" William asked Zara with a calm tone.

"…No, I just want to spend some time with you." Zara said to William.

"Oh…I see." William answered as he drank his wine.

"Though since you mention it…Comandante, assume I got a gun to your head, have you ever thought about marrying someone in here?" Zara brazenly asked William.

PRRRFFFFTTTTT!

William choked on his wine and spurted out everything inside his mouth due to the suddenness of the question, he coughed several times then stared at Zara with bewildered face while the one who asked the questioned kept her composed face with small smile formed on her lips…What's with the question?! William found that the ladies acted a bit strange today, what's with the talk about the topic that involved 'romance' being directed at him? Nevertheless, he chose to answer her, honestly.

"…I haven't thought that far ahead." William simply answered.

"Are you not interested in marriage commander?" Zara asked William with a slight frown on her face.

"Not like that…I just thought that the Sirens should be the top priority for now, like it or not we have to accept the fact that we're in a losing fight. I'd like to turn that around first before I ever think about settling down." William said to Zara as he leaned on the window's frame.

"What if by that time it's too late to do anything? What if by that time you didn't realize that you've passed the chance to actually settle down? This war, we could never know what will happen. Either of us could die tomorrow and no one would know." Zara said to William.

"…If that's what happened, then it's regrettable…Zara, as much as I would like to do what I wished to do, I can't do it so brazenly. Just being the commander of this base who has direct ties with Azur Lane means I have to obey a set of protocols and take orders from High Command. Good news is, I could receive a directive when I feel lost. Bad news is, there are those who have bad intentions and will try to take advantage of us…What I'm trying to say is, unless we have a solid foundation and concrete front against those scums who want to use us then I can't do much." William said out loud…now he felt he said too much.

"I see…" Zara said to William in a low tone.

"…It's getting late, I should rest up." William said to Zara as he put the wine glass on the coffee table.

"Oh si, thank you for your time tonight comandante." Zara said as she smiled softly.

"The food is delicious and your wine selection is splendid, I won't mind eating more of your cooking." William said to Zara while he smiled a bit.

"My! Is that a marriage proposal I hear?" Zara asked William while she smirked.

"Now don't take it out of context yet! Night Zara." William said to Zara as he exited her room.

"Good night, comandante." Zara said to William while she waved a bit.

Well, that was awkward, William thought that Zara surely knew what he did was chickened out from confronting the situation because Zara surely has more questions now that he spilled some details to her. Dammit, guess the wine did affect his judgment and lie filter. William entered his room and immediately went to sleep, he had enough thinking for today, and he will leave all of this shit for tomorrow him to handle…Back in Zara's room, Zara sighed a bit as she closed the opened window and the door to her bathroom opened. Out of the bathroom there's Prinz who came out then looked at Zara who folded her arms.

"…That confirmed it." Prinz said out loud while she frowned.

"If you're so curious about the reason then you should just ask him directly, Signorina Eugen." Zara said out loud while she frowned a bit.

"Perhaps I was being unclear when I requested this little operation, Zara. Kommandant William won't talk regarding his reasons directly unless he's forced to, and as much as I like to slowly tease him for an answer…it won't be effective to wring out a direct confirmation." Prinz explained to Zara while she took the wine bottle.

"Why is that if I may ask?" Zara asked Prinz while she cocked her eyebrows.

"He hasn't been fully honest with us." Prinz said to Zara then she drank the wine directly from the bottle.

"And how do you know that?" Zara asked Prinz again while she folded her arms.

"Because of this." Prinz said to Zara as she took out something from her backside.

Prinz threw a light brown folder to the coffee table which Zara took and opened the folder, she looked through the contents of the document which was a copy of a draft. Zara saw that it's some form of draft for some sort of pact and the contents caused her eyes to widen…Most of the contents talked about the future children between him and the ship girls! He was trying to make a pact to protect any of their future children from being freely used as tools of war! So that's why William said that they would need some solid foundation and a concrete front first! He didn't want to take any chances; he was planning to answer their feelings from the start…he cared so much about their future…

"…Where…did you find this?" Zara asked Prinz with a low tone.

"Well, I just got a copy, it wasn't me who found that." Prinz said to Zara while she shrugged.

"Who then?" Zara asked Prinz in a curious tone.

"It's Belfast who found it, she found it while she cleaned his room…Kommandant has been careless~" Prinz said to Zara.

"…Although I don't approve of any snooping on our commander's personal belongings, this really sheds some light on the situation that he didn't talk with us. Who knows what kind of political battle that happened between him and the high command without us knowing?" Zara said to Prinz while she smiled a bit.

"Really, that man." Prinz said while she smiled a bit.

"Who else knew about this?" Zara asked Prinz.

"Just the secretaries and you, for getting along with my little scheme I think you deserve something for the reward…Now that we know his reason why he didn't respond to our advances as quickly as a normal and hormonal man, I think it's time we helped him out." Prinz said to Zara as she stood up.

"How?" Zara simply asked Prinz.

"Admiral Lena would be a good start." Prinz said out loud while she smirked.

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

…Welp, that does it and hoo boy this one chapter was quite the exercise. Thank you for the review, follow and favorite dear readers! The heat is on and safe to say it won't be long before something happens, what would it be? Close Quarter Battle? Firefight? Murder? All out war? Stay tuned then! Mwehehe! Also, should I include a little fact corner for the OC's at the end of the chapter for future release? Anyway, let me know your thoughts and I'll see you next time dear readers!

- Dasmara