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.

42. Lawful Evil

William sighed before he scratched his helmetless head, they are gathered inside his hotel room with few ship girls who just finished explaining their finding to him and he couldn't help but to feel dreadful. A floating camouflaged Siren base in their immediate vicinity and they are being underpowered to take them on, even with sixty KANSENs and a sizeable Iris fleet William still considered them underpowered. The base's plasma beam cannons are what concerned William the most, they couldn't approach them without being melted into a carbon goo. And what are the chances that the base also has energy shielding like the one William faced on Furushima? If that's the case, then nuking them would be the quick answer without having to waste their ammo. But Celestial Garden is so close to the base's location and not to mention, they don't have the means to request a tactical nuclear strike at the moment…William felt his mettle as a commander is being seriously tested at the moment, he couldn't rely on brute force alone…he has to fight smart on this one and he can't rely on strategist mastermind like Amagi.

"…Commandant, what should we do?" Richelieu asked William.

"We destroy it, of course. But we need to do this carefully" William said to Richelieu.

"Aerial reconnaissance would be too risky; I suggest using submarines to collect intel regarding the Siren base" Hood said to William.

"Yeah, that will work…Depending on what we got, we will adjust our strategy. For now, notify everyone regarding our findings and have the civilians always prepared to evacuate again when the situation escalates" William said to Hood.

"Yes milord, I shall see to it at once" Hood said to William as she stood up from her seat and left the room.

"Bismarck, coordinate a lookout for the Sirens. We don't want to get caught with our pants down" William said to Bismarck.

"Ja kommandant" Bismarck said to William as she left the room.

"Richelieu, Jean Bart. I remembered that Le Triomphant and Le Malin being the fastest destroyer that we have at the moment…I need them to escape the range of this jamming, back to Iris and contact Azur Lane High Command" William said to the two Iris women.

"…I think it's our only chance right now" Jean Bart said to William.

"…It is so risky to just send them both" Richelieu said to William while she frowned.

"You sent a battlegroup and they'll become easier to detect, sending the two of them is a good move" Jean said to Richelieu.

"I know that, I'm just worried for their safety" Richelieu said to Jean Bart while she looked to the side while she frowned.

"…Bring them here, I'll brief Triomphant and Malin myself. If anything happens to them, you can blame me all you want" William said to Richelieu with serious tone.

"…Oui Commandant" Richelieu said to William as she stood up and left the room.

Jean Bart watched Richelieu left William's room, when she closed the door Jean immediately sighed and looked to the side with a frown on her face. Did Richelieu thought that she's the only one worried about sending the two destroyers by themselves? Jean felt the same as her, but she knew that this battle will require risky decisions. William watched Jean from his seat in front of her and he couldn't help but to noticed something, Jean put up a front when she's with Richelieu but as soon as she left? That mask fell, just like she is now. Her face remained stoic when she told Richelieu regarding the advantage of sending Triomphant and Malin, but now he saw that Jean also worried about that to some extent.

"Why hide it?" William asked Jean Bart.

"Hide what?" Jean Bart asked William back.

"Your worries, you clearly felt the same as Richelieu about this" William said to Jean.

"…I'm thinking about the decision more logically, that's all" Jean said to William while she folded her arms.

"Despite you not liking it?" William asked Jean Bart while he cocked his eyebrows.

"Don't pretend like you never made one, commandant…You know how it feels, there's no need for you to question me" Jean Bart said to William while she frowned.

"…Ah well, you're right…I did make some decisions that I didn't like, some I've come to regret to this day…This will be another one on that pile if something happens to the both of them" William said to Jean while he frowned deeply.

"If you know that you will regret it, then why would you still make it?" Jean asked William.

"Sometimes we don't have a choice" William said to Jean Bart as he stood up.

"Hmph, nothing new there" Jean said to William while she folded her arms.

Looks like both of them did make some choices they've regretted even now, William thought that its normal for someone to have regret, but he knew that the context is that the decision they had to make were grand enough to affect both of them heavily…Brief flash of memory regarding Operation Dradetheus surfaced on William's thought and he shook his head, he need to focus. He will bring these ship girls back home, quell the Siren threat to this island and live to see his children being born. He can't forget that he's a father now, his life isn't something he could just easily spent anymore…William resolved himself, that Siren base is their primary priority and need to be taken care of. However, he is confused on what kind of angle he should take here. Should he go all out by pounding that base with every KANSEN at his command? Or should he be cautious by using pinpoint attacks to its critical structures?

"TB, have you marked the location of that base?" William asked TB.

"Yes commander, the Siren base located approximately twenty-five kilometers to the southwest, bearing 248" TB informed William.

"That's quite close, a nuclear strike wouldn't be an option" William said to TB.

"Thinking on dropping a big one on that base huh?" Jean Bart asked William with her arms folded.

"I did, but the risk makes me reconsider it" William said to Jean.

"Why don't we hit it then run multiple times?" Jean asked William.

"We don't have the luxury to resupply so often, hit and run tactic is out of the question" William said to Jean.

"How about doing that while hitting the critical components of that base?" Jean Bart asked William.

"Then we need to recon that base first…If that base's power generators are taken out, it will be a hell lot easier with us only having to worry about Siren forces. Problem being, I bet the structure are quite protected within the base" William said to Jean Bart while he shrugged.

"Spot on, I was about to mention that…So, we got no plan at the moment?" Jean said to William.

"Hate to say it, but yeah…Nothing solid as of now" William said to Jean while he frowned deeply.

They waited around for a bit until Le Triomphant and Le Malin came to William's hotel room, the man welcomed them in and talked to them regarding the mission he's about to send them. Both Malin and Triomphant understand the situation and they accepted the mission, they said that as the Le Fantasque class destroyers, it's the perfect task for them. Both should be able to dodge Siren reconnaissance easily with their small signature and could outrun any chasing Siren ships, then they only need to contact Azur Lane battle network on the channel that William have specified for the two of them to contact. They are to explain the situation, stressed the fact that nuclear use is not advised in the slightest, ask for reinforcement to help with destroying the base and then immediately head back to Celestial Garden. After making sure that both Iris destroyers understood their task, William send them off with a big encouraging smile on his face and a promise to treat them for some sweets once they're back…

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

"Commander William!" Brooklyn entered his hotel room after she knocked the door.

"Brooklyn? What's the matter? You looked concerned?" William asked Brooklyn as he cocked his eyebrows.

"An Azur Lane fleet is approaching the island from the east!" Brooklyn said to William while she frowned.

"Hah? But Malin and Triomphant just left…Wait, east? Egypt! Ashville!? Why is he here?! Why now?!" William asked Brooklyn as he widened his eye.

"I don't know either, but he requested to meet you. Admiral Roux is already on his way there" Brooklyn said to William while she frowned.

"…Dammit…Jean, you're going with me. Brooklyn, find Hood and Richelieu. We're all going meet him, we need to know the man who surely will be a huge hassle in the future" William said to Jean then to Brooklyn.

…The journey to Ashville's fleet is filled with silence, William and the KANSENs boarded a Puma helicopter which flew in low altitude toward the fleet. William have explained to the ship girls that TB's existence is to be kept secret at all cost, especially now that someone who will not stop at anything to get TB is here. William also ordered TB to turn on his helmet camera and record everything, he will want to have something to review and analyze after the meeting with the admiral…William is glad that he put on a helmet, because right now his face must have shown how nervous he is. It's not the first time he's about to square off against someone verbally, the reason he's quite nervous now is because William knew that whatever he will say to Ashville could potentially backfire on them. He had to admit, without backings from Lucas or Lena who's more eloquent in political battles, he is basically vulnerable to dialogue traps and might struggle in controlling the conversation flow…It's not like he's completely helpless, but he has no confidence in this aspect which is why he brought Brooklyn with him who could stop him from making huge mistake. It's a temporary fix, at least until he could hold on his own. So far, it wasn't an easy endeavor, to learn about politics and negotiation art. He understood the basics, but putting it on field practice? That's another story…

After being in the air for around ten minutes, they finally spotted the fleet that Ashville led and William squinted his eye in suspicion. Moving a fleet this big would mean that guy is preparing for a campaign level deployment, and he's moving it to this location. What are the chances that he knew the Sirens are here? Of course he would know, the Mediterranean area is supposed to be under his jurisdiction, right? But then again, moving to this place with that amount of firepower means that he's set on combating whatever threat out there. If William had to take a guess, a fleet that consisted of two aircraft carriers, three battleships, seven light cruisers, ten destroyers and six landing ships should be enough to deal with the number of Sirens that initially sieged the island…But Victoria said that she didn't call for him to help, meaning he moved here on his own volition. How did he know that this place was attacked? Iris Orthodoxy have sent a proper a response alongside ALASUC so there's no need to request additional forces, isn't it? Either he got a means to monitor this area…or someone snitched. He'll get to why he's here later, right now he need to settle the more immediate problem.

William might not like the guy, but his forces is numerous and strong enough to really even the odds when they assaulted the Siren base. He will want Ashville's cooperation, though he will need to be prepared not to get it. Hate to admit it, but the fact that William is Lucas' go to man would severely hamper the chance in Ashville helping him. He'll try, but he doesn't have his hopes up at all...The helicopter approached one of the aircraft carriers and landed smoothly, William alongside Hood, Brooklyn, Richelieu and Jean Bart disembarked from the helicopter. The moment they exited the helicopter, William immediately realized that there's something wrong. The F-18 jets are parked but no pilots are on standby in case they need to sortie immediately, it's like they didn't expect trouble when it's clear they are heading into Siren territory. He also noted that there are armed escorts approaching them, the marine's squad leader then saluted at William which he returned immediately.

"Commander Blaze, the admiral is expecting you within the meeting room. We'll take you there" The leader said to William.

"Alright" William said to the leader before they started walking.

"…Feels like we're a prisoner" Jean commented in low tone as she noticed some of the marines escorting them from the back.

"Indeed, I can feel their gaze on me, as if they're waiting for us to attack" Hood said to Jean Bart in low tone.

Hood stole a glance toward her rear, she noted that the marines held their SCAR Lights in alert carry stance, one where they can just swiftly raise their guns and shoot them. The ship girls could take some hits, but without their rigging deployed their endurance isn't the same as their ship armor so they can still succumb to intense gunfire…What warrants this paranoia though? They're on the same side, aren't they? Seems that didn't matter, as the marines didn't show any signs of just holding their rifles in tactical carry stance. She has learned few basics of infantry combat from William himself, she knew the difference between the two. Hood has zero doubt that they are walking into the snake pit right now, they need to plan their move carefully and avoid doing something that could resulted in them getting cornered inside a ship full of hostile Azur Lane members. After walking through several corridors, they reached a double door which is opened by two marines guarding it. William stepped in first and followed by the ship girls, they're deep inside and face to face with the leader of this fleet inside the aircraft carrier's VIP meeting room.

"Admiral Ashville" William said the admiral's name.

"Welcome, I've been expecting you, Commander Blaze. Please have a seat, all of you" The admiral responded in cold professional tone.

Jonnathan Ashville is a middle-aged man that has medium figure with slicked back jet black hair and thin mustache adorning his face, his steely amber eyes gaze toward William and the KANSENs as they proceeded to sit on the row of seats to his left side. Roux is already seated on the right row, the man looked back and forth between William and Ashville as he waited for William to begin the talk. The man lowered himself steadily, he knew that the chair is made of metal but he still doesn't want to break it due to his weight added with his armor. Ashville narrowed his eyes at William who stared back at him, the admiral realized that William would not remove his helmet, a bit rude in mannerism aspect but he knew now that William doesn't take any chances. William noted that the room has no visible cameras, but that doesn't diminish the potential that Ashville might have set up a hidden one alongside wiretap. Richelieu noted that each of them are served a cup of tea, seems freshly poured judging from the subtle steam coming out of it…Richelieu glanced toward Hood and found that she didn't even touch hers, now when a woman who's basically a tea connoisseur doesn't touch hers you know that either she's not thirsty or she's being very cautious with the beverage that's been served.

"…Your arrival is quite impeccable" William said to Ashville.

"Ah yes, admittedly. Admiral Roux have briefed me regarding the scale of the threat" Ashville said to William while Roux nodded his head a bit.

"Then there's no need to waste time on threat briefing. We need to combine everything we have as our total forces should be able to destroy that base" William said to Ashville.

"…Are you going to take them in attrition fight?" Ashville asked William as he intertwined his fingers.

"You have other suggestion?" William asked Ashville as he narrowed his eye.

"Simple, tactical nuclear strike would do just fine" Ashville said to William while he smirked a bit.

"Just fine? The fallout will shower the island with radiation, using nuclear weapon is not a valid option" Richelieu spoke her mind out while she frowned.

"And who are you to make such judgement, Ms. Cardinal? Please, leave this matter to the professional military commanders" Ashville said to Richelieu offhandedly.

"Professional huh? I don't think those that don't care for the consequences of their action should be called one. Even professional has standards" William commented in disgusted tone.

"Oh I agree, and my standard is victory, always has been and I won't hold back when the world itself is at stakes" Ashville didn't even tick despite the thinly veiled insult.

"Even if you have to sacrifice human populations, huh?" William further commented while he scowled under his helmet.

"If in the end, humanity could still survive despite being brought to its knees…I think it's a worthy choice to make" Ashville said to William while he smirked a bit.

…He really is the kind of person that William doesn't want to work with in the slightest, one who only cared for his end goals and not the outcome of his actions in the slightest. While it is admirable that he prioritized the survival of human race above all else, the way he tries to achieve doesn't sit well with William in the slightest. Ashville is ruthless and efficient; he'd pick a way that would be the quickest way to deal with an enemy. In this case, a nuclear weapon deployment. William did consider using one, but judging that the Siren base is so close to the garden? He immediately ruled it out, a victory at the cost of damaging something that he should protect is not a victory in the slightest. It's a sacrifice, and not one William is willing to make. The people on Celestial Garden doesn't deserve a nuclear fallout, they will have to beat the Sirens using other means. William hoped that Ashville could still see reason, but the chance of that happening doesn't look good in the slightest.

"…So that island doesn't matter to you, in the slightest bit?" William asked Ashville in firm tone.

"Look, nature has its ways commander; radiation will degrade naturally. Even then, a tactical nuclear blast shouldn't irradiate the island heavily. We could even post health monitoring station once we've dealt with the Sirens, the residence will be fine with medical support and radiation treatment" Ashville said to William while he rubbed his chin.

"You disregarded the long-term consequences so easily" William said to Ashville in steely tone.

"If they can live longer despite of that, a small dose of radiation should be a fair price. If that really concerns you, the residence can temporarily set up a residence within the research facility. I imagined that the head researcher herself wouldn't mind" Ashville said to William with serious tone.

"And what about the damage to the ecosystem? The island residents depend on the island to make their living…You take that away and you will cripple them, they won't be able to live properly" Richelieu said to Ashville while she frowned.

"Like I've said before, leave this one to us to think about, Ms. Richelieu" Ashville said to Richelieu while he stared at her.

"Are you insinuating that I'm so incompetent that I can't make an important decision?" Richelieu said to Ashville in firm tone.

"Oh no, I'm just saying that you are a cardinal; you should just deal with religion matters" Ashville said to Richelieu.

"But I am the flagship of Iris KANSENs, and I have led Iris Libre's fleet through some of the toughest situation in the war. Believe me when I say that I have the experience!" Richelieu said to Ashville in firm tone.

"One that still didn't fit with your expertise" Ashville immediately remarked as he leaned on his seat.

"And what makes you think you are the suited person for the job, chien?" Jean Bart asked Ashville, she looked at Ashville with apparent disgust on her face.

"The fact that I'm been in this business for more than thirty years. And you, Ms. Bart? You haven't even gone past five years, since your summoning" Ashville said to Jean while he smirked a bit.

"If years of service is all it takes, then every elderly veteran in this world must've been very wise" Hood suddenly quipped, she can no longer stay silent as she had enough with the admiral.

"Enough, admiral. These ladies are under my wings, and I trusted their judgment" William said to Ashville.

He valued expertise huh? Then why would he disregard both Richelieu and Jean Bart so easily despite supposedly being an expert when it comes to naval warfare? Ashville should know by now, especially with his thirty years' experience, that KANSENs are an effective fighting force in the seaborne warfare. Not only that, people like Richelieu and Jean Bart have survived ordeals during the great war that they could still be here today. That proves their mettle, their ability to solve problems, their survivability and perhaps luck. The admiral contradict himself here, every naval leader would know the value of KANSENs and their experience. William suspected that he did this just to antagonize the KANSENs unnecessarily, but why would he do that? Didn't he want their cooperation and trust? Dismissing Richelieu's worth as a leader overall just because she is a cardinale, dismissing Jean Bart's experience as a veteran fighter just because he got more years under his belt? Either he is amazingly arrogant or this is a ploy to throw off the talk so he can steer them to do what he wants, at least that's what William thought.

"Hah…you should be more careful, commander. Blind faith will result in your demise" Ashville said to William after he sighed.

"Dully noted so let's go back to the discussion, I stressed the fact that we will only consider non-nuclear options to destroy that Siren base" William said to Ashville.

"I have been patient with you, commander. But it seems I must drive my point home…Do you really want to sacrifice thousands of human lives just so you can save the KANSENs from harm?" Ashville said to William, he gazed hard toward William's visor as if he's trying to peer into his soul.

"What? This isn't about that" William immediately rebuked Ashville's accusation.

"But in the end, it comes down to that, isn't it? We all know that the KANSENs or ship girls are invaluable military asset. The power of a warship, encased in the body of a human? There's nothing else like that in this world. However, it would seem you don't know that sacrificing KANSENs are a legitimate strategy" Ashville said to William, the ALASUC members immediately tensed at the admiral's words.

"Legitimate, maybe yes. Morally sound? Not in the slightest" William said to Ashville in firm tone.

"It's the same with squandering human lives unnecessarily. But unlike the humans, the KANSENs can be rebuilt, over and over again" Ashville said to William offhandedly.

"What did you say?!" William couldn't help but to sounded surprised.

"…Ah…I see…So you didn't know, despite leading the KANSENs…High Commander Carville is a fool to pick you, when it's clear that you know nothing about the KANSENs themselves" Ashville said to William in condescending tone.

"What do you mean by KANSENs being rebuilt!?" William asked Ashville while he gritted his teeth, anger bubbling inside him at the mere thought of the KANSENs being used as a throwaway weapon.

"I will explain it to you then, commander…Ms. Hood? You can take this document and review it alongside my explanation. None of you should worry about anything, what I will say is the complete truth and that document? Is a legitimate one, from Azur Lane Science Division itself" Ashville said to William then to Hood as he took out a folder from under the desk, then slid it toward her.

Hood received the folder while she squinted her eyes, she also had Brooklyn to take a look at the documents and the admiral didn't lie. This is a legitimate folder filled with Azur Lane Science Division's research papers, the formatting, the headers, are all the one that's used by Azur Lane and the topic? The KANSENs themselves. William looked at Hood and Brooklyn who nodded toward him, signaling that the documents are legitimate. William nodded his head in return but deep down he couldn't help feeling dread assaulting him, KANSENs being rebuilt? Sure, he did wonder on what happen if any of the KANSENs died? But now Ashville saying that they can be rebuilt? Just like a ship? How does that work? Won't they still be different despite technically possessing the same rigging? William needs to know more, he admitted on his lack of knowledge concerning the ship girls.

"Alright then, explain" William said to Ashville.

"…Wisdom cube are used to summon the KANSENs to this world, am I right? Have you ever thought what would happen if we try to summon more KANSENs of the same individual? Simple, there will be duplicates. In short, there could be two Ms. Hood living in this world at the same time. But we can never figure out who exactly we can summon, it is completely randomized so you can never know. Either the system relied on pure chances or it's the will of the cube itself, that remains to be a debate even to this day…Then, where are the duplicates, if we can summon them? Why don't we field them? I don't know what's the cause, but the duplicates? They are a shell compared to the original ship girls. A hollow and soulless shell that can't take care of themselves, many died due to starvation despite we providing a very enticing meal in front of them because they simply don't have the will to live" Ashville explained out loud to the ALASUC members.

"…What the hell…" William muttered to himself.

"And even when we strive our best to keep them alive for more than few days, they don't even make for a decent breeding sow" Ashville suddenly said out loud.

"What the actual FUCK?!" William said out loud in pure shock, he alongside the KANSENs couldn't but feel outraged at the admiral's words.

"The duplicates have everything a human woman is expected to have, including a complete human reproductive system. But their ovaries don't produce an ovum no matter what we do to induce ovulation, we tried everything we can think of. Our attempt to use invitro fertilization also failed due to the failure of embryo implantation within their uterine walls, so the duplicates have been declared completely sterile and no children could come out of them…Admittedly they did make for a good stress reliever for our personnel who have fought hard against the Sirens yet even then, their maintenance is quite expensive so all they do is waste our budget which we can allocate somewhere else…they're even more worthless than a common whore" Ashville said all of those out loud in matter of fact tone.

"…I'm going to be sick…" Richelieu muttered with hands over her mouth.

"What if the original ship girl died then? This is the catch, commander…When the original ship girl died, they can be resummoned and with their own will" Ashville dropped the bomb on William.

"…What the…Hood, Brooklyn!?" William asked both of them for confirmation.

"…The documents said so, commander…" Brooklyn said to William while she grimaced.

"I'll even throw in some evidence, turn to the next page Ms. Brooklyn…Ms. Hood, you fought against Bismarck and you died in combat. But you are resummoned to this world" Ashville didn't stop with his information dump.

"No, I was in comatose! I was brought to a special facility in order to heal my wounds and wisdom cube! I woke up from my comatose in that facility and then rest for months on the hospital!" Hood said to Ashville in serious tone.

"And the doctors diagnosed you with almost total amnesia, didn't they? You remembered everything concerning yourself and your fellow KANSENs, but none of your memories alongside them up to that point. What you have now, must've been told by your friends" Ashville said to Hood while he intertwined his fingers.

Hood eyes widened in realization that even the admiral knew about that, she briefly glanced at William who stared at her as if waiting for her answer. She could imagine that William is being paralyzed by the shock of that revelation, because Hood never talked regarding this aspect of her past. Yes, after the battle with Bismarck, Hood remembered that she woke up in the same place where the ship girls are summoned. The scientist told her that she suffered severe wounds that she had to be brought there to save her wisdom cube, they did succeed but they concluded that resulted in her suffering a permanent case of amnesia…Hood then admitted to Royal Navy military hospital for around two months, her body felt fine during the admission but the doctors insisted that she shouldn't return to active duty until she is cleared. Every Royal Navy KANSENs has heard of her amnesia, and everyone recounted everything that has happened to Hood until her battle with Bismarck. They make sure that Hood caught up with everything, making her accepted the memories told by her friends despite her unable to remember everything regarding those experiences. There's a silent agreement between everyone not to mention this case, especially when Hood doesn't even want to talk about it.

"…That is true…You were saying-" Hood said to Ashville as her eyes widened.

"You died and then resummoned to this world, Ms. Hood. That is the bitter truth, one you have to swallow…The Royal Navy went to great lengths to cover your deaths by making you supposedly fell into comatose. But none ever pick your original body up from the bottom of the sea, even Prince of Wales who were with you at that time. She's made to believe that your survival is within the realm of possibility while she retreated from the fight, as ordered…A small recovery ship is sent to your position but there's nothing we can do, a dead person is a dead person and not even wisdom cube could change that fact. So, we resummoned you, and our theory is proven correct" Ashville said to Hood as he leaned on his seat with serious gaze thrown toward her.

"…The documents…said so, commander…there's even the data" Brooklyn said to William in serious yet shaky tone.

"And not just Hood. Bismarck herself also died when the Royal Navy KANSENs ganged up on her, then there's Scharnhorst, Akagi, Kaga, Amagi, Lexington, Glorious, Arizona…A lot of the KANSENs died during the great war, commander. But the world never knew that, and the fact they could just be resummoned" Ashville said to William in matter-of-fact tone.

"And because of that!? You thought of us as nothing but a tool?! That we don't have a soul?! That we are not a person?! That we are just a throwaway piece for you to use as you want?! Fils de pute! Humanity could fuck themselves!" Jean Bart shouted as she summoned her rigging, alarming everyone within the room except for Ashville.

"Jean Bart! Stand down!" William immediately said to Jean Bart.

"Stay out of this, William Blaze!" Jean Bart barked at William as she loaded an AP shell to her main gun.

"Stand down! Now! That's an order!" William barked back toward Jean; he understands her feelings but murdering Ashville now is not going to end well for them.

"…Fuck all of this! We're leaving, Richelieu!" Jean Bart stored her rigging, grabbed Richelieu's hand and dragged her out of the room.

"Ah! Jean!" Richelieu said to Jean as she's being dragged by hand.

"…Brooklyn, take Hood with you" William said to Brooklyn.

"Yes commander…Come on Hood, let's get out of here" Brooklyn said to William then to Hood.

The woman in question has the hollowest look William ever saw adorning her beautiful face, the revelation really disturbed her to the core. The pain and anguish he felt at seeing Hood's face is enough to make him wanting to lunge at Ashville and beat him senseless, but he held himself back with everything he got because that might be the trap waiting for him. Ashville really made an effort to sow chaos among ALASUC members and his resolve, no way this isn't going to affect the way they live from now on. While they did gain new knowledge, the payment is quite severe and unwanted…William watched as Brooklyn escorted Hood out of the room with the document in her hands, he will talk it out with Hood later and assure her that nothing will change even with that revelation. When the ship girls out of the room? William removed all restraint as he stood up, approached Ashville, held him by the collar and lifted him up with his left hand while he growled.

"Commandant!" Roux said to William in surprised tone.

"…I merely stating the truth commander, nothing personal" Ashville doesn't even sound concerned even when he's currently being lifted by the collar.

"So you say, but you know damn fucking well what those information can do to the KANSENs!" William said to Ashville while he growled.

"Better than staying ignorant, in my opinion. Now, can you please put me down so we can talk like gentlemen?" Ashville said to William while he smirked a bit.

"…Some would disagree with you" William said to Ashville as he let go of him midair.

"…Ignorance is bliss? That statement is created by the ignorant who are afraid of the true nature of this world. You will forever afraid of the unknown, commander. If you wish to withstand anything in your way, you will want to know everything, even when it pains you to do so" Ashville landed on his feet then said to William as he fixed his uniform's collar.

"…You're a scum, Ashville. I don't care of your motivation or reasoning for a scum is a scum..." William said to Ashville as he growled.

"Tread well commander, you will need my support to fight the Sirens…even with a massive fleet of KANSENs" Ashville warned William with firm tone.

"Oh yeah? Go fuck yourself then, I will defeat them without your help, mark my words" William declared to Ashville while he gritted his teeth.

"Commandant, settle down, please. At least hear him out" Roux said to William while he frowned.

"He's right…You know, I'm willing to offer the full support of my fleet including my ground forces to destroy that base without using nuclear weapons. But you need to give me something in return, something equally worthwhile…How about handing one of your KANSENs to me in exchange of my whole fleet?" Ashville said his offer to William despite everything that has happened, the audacity caused William to snap as he decided that he will never work with Ashville…forever.

"I don't think you get the memo already, Ashville. My answer remains the same…Go fuck yourself!" William said to Ashville in tone full of contempt.

SPLASH!

Despite his anger that threatened to burst at any moment, William knew that he couldn't just kill Ashville so he settled for non-lethal option…at least at the moment. William grabbed the cup of tea near him and splashed the liquid to Ashville's face, he didn't care if the liquid is hot or not. After that, William threw the cup away before he walked out of the room in quick steps. He didn't bother at the looks he got from the ship's personnel as he made his way outside the carrier's island, when he stepped outside William realized that the helicopter that brought them has taken off somewhere, presumably carrying his KANSENs back to the garden. No matter, it's not like he couldn't just use his jet thrusters to get out of here. He's getting sick the longer he stayed in that son of a cunt's flagship. William approached the edge of the flight deck, his jet thruster started to roar in preparation to take off. However, before he's able to engaged his jet thruster to get off the ship, someone called him from his back.

"C-Commandant Blaze!" It was Phillip Roux.

"What?!" William half shouted as he turned around with clenched fists.

"Please reconsider his offer! One KANSEN so we can completely destroy that base! We need him!" Roux said to William while he frowned.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!? You heard what he said! He doesn't give the slightest of flying fuck about the ship girls! You're telling me to sacrifice one ship girl to lick his cold tyrannical arsehole for eternity?! Not worth it, and it will never be!" William said to Roux while he gritted his teeth as he pointed at the carrier's island.

"One KANSEN commandant, you don't have to select the important ones! You can just send someone the least important to you!" Roux argued to William.

"They're all equally important to me, Roux. As member of ALASUC, they're irreplaceable!" William immediately fired back in the ship girls' defense.

"Listen here, you and I want to defeat the Siren and protect the garden at the same time! We can't do it without him, think realistically!" Roux said to William while he rubbed his right temple.

"And you listen here! I will find a way to tear that base apart, without Ashville and nuclear weapon. You're either with me, or with him. Choose wisely Roux, you don't want me as an enemy" William said to Roux with firm tone as he pointed at the admiral.

"…Blaze, do you really want to do this by yourself? You will be putting the KANSENs in direct danger, don't you want to keep them safe?" Roux asked William while he frowned in disapproval.

"I am and I know how, I don't need a lecture on that aspect…So what's it going to be, Roux? Who do you align yourself with?" William said to Roux then asked him for answer.

"…This is an important decision that can't be made on the fly" Roux said to William as he threw his face to the side while he scowled.

"Fine, you have an hour to come up with an answer…If you don't side with me, then at least don't get in our way and we can part peacefully when this crisis is over…do we have a deal?" William asked Roux in firm tone.

"…Understood" Roux said to William while he nodded.

"Good" William said to Roux before he engaged his jet thrusters.

.

William landed on the town square, surprising several people who quickly minded their own business after they saw who just landed. The man noted that it's business as usual at the moment, these people don't know how much danger they're in at the moment but telling them needlessly would just spur panic. William thought that he still needs to warn them, though he might want to do that if there's a confirmed nuclear strike instead of just blabbering that they need to take shelter immediately. William started to walk around and he noticed that there aren't any ship girls along the way, just this morning he could see a lot of them walking around the town. Probably wanting to rest in preparation to engage the Siren base once he come up with a plan, William can imagine that they want to be in their best condition for a tough fight…William then remembered that he need to check up on the KANSENs that went with him, especially after what they heard. William wanted to check up Hood immediately, but he knows that there's someone he should prioritize at the moment based on her outburst back then.

"TB, locate Jean Bart" William said to TB.

"Jean Bart signature detected on the pier" TB said to William.

"Got it" William said to TB.

"I have also saved the entire recording for your meeting with Admiral Ashville, what should I do with it?" TB asked William.

"Analyze everything that's happening during that talk, no exceptions" William said to TB while he scowled.

"Affirmative, commander" TB said to William.

William walked to the pier, it didn't take long until he arrived and he immediately spotted Jean Bart on the edge of the pier, staring into the open sea. William then walked toward Jean as he prepared every tactic that he could think of in order to face Jean, he got a feeling that this woman could be a stubborn one and would not easily yield in a conversation so he need to be extra convincing…Dammit, William internally cursed that he haven't touched that book concerning the art of conversation, right now what he could do best is initiate a talk and then wing it. It's not like he got no confidence in talking to someone that might be stubborn, it's just that…he didn't want to fail. Jean Bart's allegiance is needed if he wants to keep the former Vichya Dominion KANSENs on their side, it may sound arrogant but William believed that ALASUC could be the perfect home for them. William finally reached Jean Bart and the woman turned around because she heard his footsteps, she's scowling and just from a glance William could tell he's going to have to defuse a bomb.

"Jean Bart" William called her name.

"…What do you want?" Jean asked William while she scowled.

"To talk" William said to Jean Bart.

"I want to be alone, leave" Jean immediately said to William before she stared at the sea again.

"…Sorry to say, but I want to get to this topic as soon as possible" William said to Jean as he walked to her right side.

"Didn't anyone told you that women don't like persistent men?" Jean asked William while she cocked her eyebrows.

"Maybe, but they usually warmed up to him" William said to Jean Bart while he shrugged as he smiled a bit.

"Hmph. Curb your delusion, commandant" Jean snorted then said to William while she folded her arms.

"…Jean, Ashville doesn't represent the entirety of human race" William said to Jean in serious tone.

"You think I didn't know that?" Jean asked William as she stared at him from the corner of her eyes.

"It's just that your statement back there made me concerned, I'm afraid that you really don't want to fight the Sirens anymore" William said to Jean Bart while he frowned.

"Oh I will still fight them, it's just that now I found out that the very reason why we fight are ungrateful cunts" Jean said to William with venom in her tone.

"Didn't you said that you know that not all of them are like that?" William asked Jean while he cocked his eyebrows.

"I forgot to add 'at the moment' part, I am not going to get betrayed by the humans who thinks us as something less than them" Jean said to William before she scoffed.

"Hah…Admittedly, you do have a point" William sighed then said to Jean Bart.

Jean Bart glanced at William who took off his helmet and stored it within his armor's pocket dimension, Jean noticed that his armor is really equipped with a fancy technology and it must've been a very expensive to build. Makes sense since they want him to be able to survive anything that the Siren might throw their way, if they want a champion then they should invest on him properly…William thought that Jean Bart has a very good point as not everyone in charge with power is as benevolent as Lucas and Erich, many of them are dicks who only want to fulfill their own agenda with the power they got for being a leader. Humans are among the most duplicitous creature to ever grace the face of the earth; betrayal will always haunt someone no matter what their path in life. Sure, they don't show it now but what happens when Sirens are successfully dealt with? What happens to the ship girls? To him who's basically a mutant? William understand Jean Bart's worries, he really does, especially now that he's also a massive potential target if the humans decided to go 'screw those freaks' route.

"Sure, fight for humanity, beat the Sirens…Then what? What will happen to us once the Sirens are gone? We are actually a threat to humanity, the most dangerous next to Sirens. Humanity will not feel at ease until they become the dominant force on earth once again, I don't have the slightest doubt that some of them will perceive us as the next enemy after the Sirens are gone" William said to Jean Bart while he frowned deeply.

"If you realized that much already, then why still fight for them?" Jean Bart asked William while she folded her arms.

"Because not all of them are like that…Like it or not, you can't choose each individual you want to save, you save them in a bulk. Whether that bulk is filled rotten apple or fresh one? Tough luck, you have to accept it as it is…But at least you can choose the bulk, and that's the battles we fight" William said to Jean while he frowned and stared at the clear blue water beneath the pier.

"So, you're saying that we just need to pick our battles from now on?" Jean asked William while narrowed her gaze towards him.

"Not exactly, I just want to say that we will also save some bad people in the progress with our action. And just because we saved some of them, doesn't mean we should stop as there's also the good people mixed with them" William said to Jean while he closed his eye.

"Oh yeah sure, until they used us without regards of our lives as well" Jean Bart said to William in sarcastic manner.

"I won't let that happen" William said to Jean in serious tone.

"And risk you turning into him? Did you think yourself as one of those people that are morally incorruptible or something?" Jean asked William while she scoffed.

"I see now…You didn't trust me, not one bit" William said to Jean Bart as he stared at her.

"I don't, and the chance is not looking great especially after what I heard on that carrier" Jean Bart said to William while she stared intensely at his eye.

"…Just so you know? I'm not that kind of man, Jean. I despise him as much as you" William said to Jean as he stared back at her with equal intensity, trying to prove his sincerity.

"For how long? How long until you became like him? How long until you took his words to heart and use us like Ashville intend to?" Jean asked William while she scowled.

"Never and never will" William said to Jean with firm tone.

"Do you really believe you'll follow through those words?" Jean asked William as she stared at him, unconvinced.

"I do…What would it take for you to believe in me, Jean?" William asked Jean, he want to earn her trust if they're going to assault the Siren base.

"What do you think?" Jean asked William back while she scowled.

"Hah…I understand. Just, don't do anything that will complicate our whole situation. I will get us all through this" William said to Jean after he sighed, looks like getting her trust would be quite hard.

"Hmph, you might be strong, but you'd expect me to believe that you somehow could defeat that entire base filled with Sirens?" Jean Bart asked William while she scoffed.

"Not without help, not without your help…Since you didn't trust me, that I will somehow sacrifice you senselessly like Ashville? I will be the one who destroy that base, I just need your help to distract the Sirens from overwhelming me and the assault team" William said to Jean Bart with serious tone.

"…And here I thought Nelson is arrogant" Jean said to William with her eyes widened, she just thought that William is being overconfident right now.

"I have to put some practice on base demolishing, and with TB on our side? Safe to say, I like the odds" William said to Jean Bart while he smiled confidently.

"…Oh well, good luck, I guess" Jean said to William while she shrugged.

Jean Bart took a brief last glance to the afternoon sea before she turned around and left the pier, William followed her retreating figure then noticed that Bismarck is currently standing on the pier as if waiting for their conversation to finish. Jean just nodded a bit toward Bismarck and she replied with one as well, the Ironblood woman then walked toward William who can't believe he just pulled a tactic out of his ass during a serious conversation! Seriously, how could he get the idea of infiltrating that Siren base with small team while the rest of the KANSENs pound it from outside? Then the team could go in and wreak havoc on the base's system, causing major components failure and possibly sink the base with precise attacks toward its structural weaknesses! It's a simple strategy that he should've thought hours ago! Why did he just come up with it now?! William had to admit, going inside that base could be considered suicide even with his power and equipment…so that's why, he has been naturally less reckless…being a father seems to work wonders in fixing that. But now that the situation has come to this? He had no choice but to do it.

"…Kommandant, your words just now can be considered as borderline insanity. That strategy has a big chance in failing" Bismarck said to William while she frowned a bit.

"Yeah, you're not wrong. I'm still going to follow it through though, I don't see any other and more efficient options…Did you hear everything?" William asked Bismarck as he turned toward her.

"Of what? Everything you've said just now or the fact that I've died on the Atlantic?" Bismarck asked William back while she folded her arms.

"Both I guess…You're not angry?" William asked Bismarck while he narrowed his eye.

"…I had my own suspicion for quite some time, the pieces fell too conveniently for my liking. Immediately from the moment I woke up after the battle against the Royal Navy, the fact that I have an unexplained amnesia despite not suffering any kinds of damage to the head was enough indication. Ja, I was told regarding the outcome by the others. It made sense now…I might not be the original Bismarck yet in the end, I AM her. Just, rebirthed…It's a shame that I completely lost all of my memories before my death, but I must be grateful that I have been given a second chance, at the very least" Bismarck explained to William while she frowned.

"…You're a strong woman, Bismarck. The fact that your death and resummon doesn't affect you…heh, I wouldn't be able to stay calm if I were you" William said to Bismarck while he smiled.

"It does affect me, it's because that I've been suspecting it that I didn't really become bothered that much" Bismarck said to William.

"Will you be fine?" William asked Bismarck, he's worried that this could affect her during combat.

"Don't worry kommandant, I'm still good to fight, now and in the future" Bismarck said to William with tone full of resolve.

"Good, I'll take your word for it…How about the result of the meeting with Ashville?" William said to Bismarck before he asked her about the meeting.

"I have, from Brooklyn…To think that such heartless man existed" Bismarck said to William while she frowned.

"He is the type that will get what he wants regardless of the method. His arrival here can't be a coincidence, why would you bring a fleet big enough for a military campaign to a small island that should be relatively 'Safe'?" William said to Bismarck as he looked to the side toward the east.

"Then refused to work with us despite such power…I understand that he doesn't want to send his forces into a death trap, but not hesitating at all to use nuclear weapon when the fortress being this close to the Celestial Garden? What is it that he really wants?" Bismarck said to William as she followed his gaze.

"We might never know and trying to find out would only waste the little time we have. There's a chance that the admiral will really nuke that Siren base, our priority is to destroy it before that happens" William said to Bismarck with serious tone.

"How? Have you thought a plan?" Bismarck asked William while she looked at his face.

"I have, pretty risky and I need the best close quarter KANSENs we have. But this should work" William said to Bismarck while he nodded.

"Can you tell me the plan? I will explain it to everyone in Hood's stead, you should check on her, kommandant" Bismarck said to William while she smiled somberly.

"I was planning to after dealing with Jean Bart…Alright Bismarck, here's the plan…" William said to Bismarck while he frowned.

…Jean Bart walked away from the pier and stopped on a nearby railing that bordered the nearby rocky beach below her, the woman then sighed as she leaned at the railing…She really need to contemplate on what should she do after this, should she let her comrades from the former Vichya to remain with ALASUC? Or should they just cut ties then formed their own organization? Jean knew a thing or two about leading a unit and she's certain that Algerie alongside Dunkerque would be able to do any administrative work…But Jean shook her head, that's an idea but not a good one. Unlike ALASUC, they don't have any guarantees from anyone and they're even more vulnerable if they have to fend for themselves. Like it or not, staying with ALASUC is the best decision…but Jean couldn't help but to keep worrying, whether William is the right person to shelter them. So far, from what she can gather, he didn't seem to be that kind of person. But that's because Jean only knew him personally for a few days, who knows what will happen in the long run? She doesn't want her decision now to end up with them being thrown into the hands of a tyrant…Amidst the sounds of waves and seagulls, Jean picked up some footsteps approaching from behind. This one is light, unlike the heavy one that her commander makes when he walked around in full armor. So, she turned around and immediately recognized the person that is approaching her.

"…What do you want?" Jean Bart asked the one and only sister she has.

"I want to talk to you" Richelieu said to Jean Bart while she smiled.

"Déjà vu…I can feel the incoming headache already…" Jean muttered to herself with half closed eyes.

"Jean, why don't we sit and talk over some tea?" Richelieu asked Jean Bart while she smiled.

"…Hah…alright, I'll humor you…don't get used to it though…" Jean said to Richelieu with low tone.

"Splendid! Let's sit on that bench" Richelieu said to Jean Bart then pointed to the nearby bench.

Richelieu then walked toward the bench and followed by Jean Bart shortly, both of them sit on the wooden bench and that's when Jean noticed something. Richelieu brought a plastic bag with her, wait, Jean thought that Richelieu will invite her to a teashop or a restaurant to enjoy some tea. Richelieu then opened the plastic bag and took out a bottle tea before handing it to Jean who pursed her lips in wonder yet took the bottle, it's a cold drink and Jean could use some cold one. Jean noted that this is a bottled tea that they could get from your usual vending machine, she just shrugged before she opened the bottle and drank the bottled jasmine tea…She had to admit that it tasted better than she thought. Richelieu also enjoyed hers, the same product that Jean is currently holding. Richelieu sighed slightly as she felt the cold liquid washed down her throat, that really hit the spot and she felt refreshed.

"…Didn't expect you to be the type to buy bottled tea" Jean said to Richelieu.

"Do I look like someone who wouldn't?" Richelieu asked Jean as she pointed at herself.

"Frankly speaking, yeah. You seem to be the hoity toity woman who wouldn't settle for plebian products" Jean Bart said to Richelieu.

"…Ouch?" Richelieu said to Jean Bart as she cocked her eyebrows while she frowned.

"Aww, do I hurt your feelings?" Jean asked Richelieu while she smirked a bit.

"Admittedly, a bit…I have to say, I just don't have the luxury to buy vending machine products. My office is usually provided with a teapot and snacks that I have no reason to go outside to buy some" Richelieu said to Jean while she smiled a bit.

"Yeah, when you put it like that…It made sense" Jean said to Richelieu.

"Oh, you hungry Jean?" Richelieu asked Jean.

"…Not really, but I might want to eat something soon" Jean said to Richelieu.

"Ah, then here you go!" Richelieu handed Jean a sandwich.

"Sandwich huh?" Jean commented as she took the sandwich and opened its transparent wrappings.

Richelieu gave Jean a tuna sandwich, the Iris woman immediately took a bite and she widened her eyes…the combination of shredded tuna meat, mayonnaise, hot ketchup and fresh vegetables make this among the best sandwich that Jean Bart have ever tasted. There are two slices of sandwich on each package and Jean unconsciously wolfed both down within two minutes, Jean widened her eyes when she noticed that she just basically gorged a pack of sandwich then she heard some stifled giggles coming from her right side. Richelieu noticed how Jean eat so quickly and she couldn't help but to be amused by that, her giggles turned into laughter however when she saw how Jean Bart's cheeks reddened in embarrassment and the woman throw her face to the left while she frowned deeply…After laughing until she's satisfied, Richelieu resumed eating her sandwich and give her sister some time to compose herself. Both of them finished with their quick snack and just sit on that bench for a minute or two in silence, accompanied by the sound of waves and seagulls all around them.

"…You know, I wouldn't mind if I have to live here" Richelieu suddenly said out loud.

"Is Cannes not pretty enough?" Jean asked Richelieu while she cocked her eyebrows.

"Oh, it has it charms, but the sense of serenity that I felt from this island? I don't think anything could match it, like the-" Richelieu said to Jean Bart while she smiled.

"Richelieu, get to the point. You're stalling" Jean said to Richelieu while she narrowed her gaze at her sister.

"…Do you hate talking with me that much?" Richelieu asked Jean as she stared at her while she smiled bitterly, the pain in her eyes make her looked genuinely hurt-.

"No, not that. In case you forget already, we have bigger problems at our hands and we're wasting our time the longer we stay idle…that's all" Jean widened her eyes when she saw how Richelieu looked and immediately said her reason…

"…Do you not believe in Commandant Blaze?" Richelieu asked Jean Bart while she smiled bitterly.

"What do you mean?" Jean Bart asked Richelieu while she cocked her eyebrows.

"I am certain he already has a plan in mind" Richelieu said to Jean while she smiled a bit.

"This isn't your religion, Richelieu! You think blind faith will get us anywhere?" Jean asked Richelieu while she frowned.

"Jean, this is different. My confidence in him stems from what I've seen so far, and you must have seen it too. So why do you still refuse to trust him?" Richelieu asked Jean back while she frowned.

"After everything that bastard named Ashville have said? How can I believe he won't do what Ashville will do to us? He's a human, Richelieu, he has direct ties to this world! He is not like us; we will never be a full human! With direct ties to this planet! We don't have the same sense of protectiveness for this world like the human does! We are a means to an end for the humans all this time and in the end, we will be outcasted the moment our usefulness is up with assholes like him in power…Richelieu, if Blaze has to choose in saving you or this entire planet, which one do you think he will pick?" Jean went on a short rant then asked Richelieu.

"That is an unfair question, Jean" Richelieu said to Jean in firm tone.

"Screw fairness, the world doesn't run on that system" Jean said to Richelieu while she scowled.

This is exactly what she worried about, the fact many didn't realize that even someone like William Blaze isn't immune to corruption. None of them show doubts, it's like they can trust him to do the right thing so easily. Richelieu also wondered on how did she trusted him? Someone she barely met? Sure, he has reputation and good records, but are those really the truth? What if the ALASUC members were actually stuck with Stockholm syndrome or something that they like it when they get abused? William could be putting up a front right now before showing his true nature when they arrived at ALASUC base…Jean calmed herself down a bit after that line of thought, she felt that her imagination is heading to the ridiculous area but something deep within her heart keep screaming at her to not let her guard down. She remained with her standing when concerning the difference between human and KANSENs, outside of the obvious difference in physical abilities? There's also the fact that the KANSENs are summoned to this world with a purpose to combat threats to humanity…But that's it. As far as she concerned, Jean Bart have never felt the desire to protect the whole world, all she ever cared about is that there won't be anything standing that could threaten humanity's survival, not the planet itself…Maybe that's what makes her so angry back then, the very fact that the thing she's supposed to protect only saw them as a tool to be discarded if it broke down…

"…Jean, you know something? I really admire your realistic point of view; you can see something without being biased and judged on something objectively" Richelieu said to Jean Bart while she smiled.

"Hah?" Jean couldn't help but to let out a noise of confusion.

"Unfortunately, this makes your view in life seems pessimistic in nature" Richelieu continued while she smiled.

"Y-You" Jean was at lost for words, did Richelieu just jabbed at her?

"Let's talk about you renouncing god, shall we?" Richelieu suddenly said something that Jean would never think to hear.

"Are you alright, cardinale?" Jean couldn't help but to asked Richelieu while she cocked her eyebrows.

"Of course I am, let's talk about it from your perspective, shall we?" Richelieu asked Jean while she smiled.

"…I'm surprised you haven't blown a fuse already; this must be a great heresy to you" Jean said to Richelieu while she smirked a bit.

"Admittedly, it leaves a strange distaste in my mouth…But I want to talk this over with you…" Richelieu said to Jean Bart while she smiled wryly.

"…Okay, so what about me renouncing god?" Jean Bart asked Richelieu while she leaned on the bench.

"You did say that you can't believe in him because he never granted your prayers, am I right?" Richelieu asked Jean Bart in return.

"I said that god is a make-believe figure that won't listen to your prayers, why would you even continue believing in something like him?" Jean said to Richelieu as she stared at her.

"Then let's compare him to Commandant Blaze. Unlike God? You can see him, you can touch him, you can listen to him and you can even speak to him, am I right? Commandant Blaze is a real figure, someone that walks among us and someone with the power to grant your wish although within his limited capacity as a mortal man" Richelieu said to Jean Bart while she smiled a bit.

"Where are you going with this?" Jean asked Richelieu while she cocked her eyebrows.

"All I'm saying is, I understand your reasoning for not believing in god…But how about believing in a mortal being? Someone to put your faith on?" Richelieu asked Jean while she smiled softly.

"He's still no KANSEN, for I trust our comrades with all my heart and I believe that all of us are in the same boat on this world…Don't you worry that Blaze can turn his nature at the blink of an eye? We're putting both of our lives alongside our comrades in his palm, this isn't a decision we should make lightly. One wrong move, and we could be pretty much fucked for the rest of our uncertain lives" Jean said to Richelieu while she frowned.

"Don't you have no qualms before?" Richelieu asked Jean while she narrowed her gaze at her.

"Until I discovered just how low a human can be! If my decision put all of my comrades in a path full of misery, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself!" Jean said to Richelieu while she gritted her teeth.

"Jean, I don't think anyone could hide such malicious nature for so long. Commandant Blaze have been in charge of the ALASUC for quite some time now, has he? If he truly sees us as nothing but a sacrificial pawn, no matter with how much kindness he tries to wrap it up, someone must have bound to sniff it out. Someone observant would have realized his ruthlessness, it will also reflect in his overall ability to command them…Then, why did ALASUC managed to hold up so far? Even with the members believing in him? Why aren't there any doubtful glances or whispers thrown at him? That's because the members knew the sincerity of his kindness, the fact that he is every opposite of Admiral Ashville. The ALASUC members knew him better than the rest of us Iris KANSENs, we can trust them and by extension the commander himself" Richelieu explained to Jean while she smiled softly.

Richelieu saw it herself, how despite the news about their meeting on that carrier reached the other KANSENs? None of the ALASUC members casted any doubtful statement toward their commander. With people like Ashville existing, Richelieu thought there will be more of the ship girls to worry that William might do the same to them. But no, all of them looked confident that they will be fine under his command, maybe they have their doubts but none of them say it out loud or shown them directly. Richelieu didn't just told Jean to believe in him because of that though, she did conclude that William is someone that cared for the member of his unit. Richelieu saw his interaction with the other ship girls, the brief talks they had between one another and downright to how he waltzed toward them back when they were retreating from that Siren base. He could've just sent the ship girls to reinforce them, but he made the dangerous call to be there, actually taking out several Siren KANSENs by himself then commanded them to take out the Sirens effectively…Richelieu personally believed that, someone who's willing to put their life down the line even when they don't need to, is someone who cared about other people lives.

"And you trust him that much? As much as ALASUC member does?" Jean Bart asked Richelieu while she folded her arms.

"Of course not, I haven't even known the man for a week! But he shown some promising sides to him, not to mention he seems trustworthy enough to uphold his words…So from based on what I saw, I choose to believe in him, even when it's not a big one to begin with. At least it's a start of something" Richelieu said to Jean while she smiled.

"Easy for you who can even believe in something like God…" Jean said to Richelieu while she scoffed.

"Even if I became like you, I think I will still believe in our commandant…It's your own paranoia in the works, Jean" Richelieu said to Jean while she smiled.

"Paranoia? Oi, did you just say that I'm an insecure person who can't trust anything?" Jean Bart asked Richelieu as she stared at her with tick mark on her forehead.

"You said it yourself, not me~" Richelieu responded coyly as she shrugged while she smirked a bit

"…Well played, Richelieu. Well played…" Jean Bart said to Richelieu with half closed eyes, she held some grudge for that time huh?

"…Did you still not trust him?" Richelieu asked Jean.

"Hah…Alright I admit, you have a point. I want to, but I find it hard to do so" Jean said to Richelieu after she sighed.

"Fufufu…Jean, you are the type who is hard to open up. Someone who's loyalty isn't easily shaken. So is your trust, you valued it so much that you guarded it closely to yourself…for once you given it to someone, it's a sign that you have absolution for that person, someone you will go through hell and back again…I don't think it's anything bad, you know? Even kind of romantic, in a sense. Because you know and fear the pain of betrayal, you don't just hand them out until you are completely sure…Yet once given, your trust is forever" Richelieu said to Jean while she smiled softly.

"Hmph, whatever you say, know-it-all-cardinale" Jean snorted as she rose up from the bench.

"Fufufufufufu, I won't say that without some base knowledge, you know? You don't have to force it Jean, at least believing in his ability to get us all out of this mess is a good start…Then, we can find out whether he is truly the worthy one for our shields and the one to command our swords" Richelieu giggled before she said to Jean while she smiled.

"…So you're saying, you want me to give him a chance to prove himself" Jean Bart said to Richelieu as she stared at her.

"Exactly" Richelieu answered while she nodded.

"…One chance, then" Jean said to Richelieu as she raised her right index finger.

"It's a start…Merci, Jean…" Richelieu said to Jean Bart while she smiled softly.

While Richelieu and Jean Bart were conversing by the beach, William made his way to the room that Hood shared with George V, Wales and Duke of York. He noted that Brooklyn stood in front of the room while she leaned on the door with her phone on her right hand, the tan woman noticed him and she sighed then shook her head. Just from that, William knew that things didn't go well that even Brooklyn choose to leave Hood alone for now since there's nothing more she can do. William put his right hand on her right shoulder then nodded to tell that he'll handle her, she nodded back, stepped aside and William used the master card to unlock the door before he opened it. William is faced with the sight of Hood curling up on top of her bed, covered by blanket. Brooklyn then closed the door to the room gently, they will need some privacy…William made his way to her bedside; he then kneeled down and placed his hand to where Hood's head supposed to be before he gently rubbed her head.

"…Hood…Hood, it's me…" William said to Hood in low tone.

"…No…" Hood muttered something that William couldn't hear properly.

"Hm? Hood?" William asked Hood.

"I AM NOT HER! STOP CALLING ME WITH THAT NAME! I AM JUST A REPLICA!" Hood suddenly shouted at William and caused the man to recoil a bit in surprise.

Now he knew how dire is the situation with Hood, William hardened his face as he proceeded to remove his armor pieces one by one in quick manner. He stripped all the way until what remain on his body is his black undersuit within minutes, then he grabbed Hood's blanket and set it aside to revealed the woman who immediately stared at him in surprise. William saw how disheveled she is, her hairdo is messy, the pained looks on her eyes, her swollen eye bags, there's tears running down her cheeks, her lips which curled in a deep frown and the subtle whimper on her tone…Not even a battle-hardened bastard like William could bear the sight of his girlfriend in anguish like this, her looks caused his chest to tightened up in pain and the highest priority he got is to calm her down then stay by her side. William sat by the bed side and quickly pulled Hood into a tight hug; he'd prefer to hug her directly but the undersuit will have to do right now. Hood widened her eyes and she tried to resist, but she lacked the strength as she tried to halfheartedly pushed William away. The man won't budge in the slightest, her pushing only caused him to keep embracing her.

"L-Let go of me, William!" Hood said to William.

"I won't" William said to Hood.

"Let go!" Hood said to William as she tried to freed herself.

"Never" William said to Hood while he kept her in his arms.

"Please…I beg you…don't do this…Don't make me yearn it" Hood said to William, her tone is wavering.

"No…I will never let you go" William said to Hood in firm tone.

"Will…Uuuggghhh…" Hood called her lover's name in low tone before the dam burst.

"…It's fine, let it all out Hood…It's okay, I'm here for you…" William said to Hood as he caressed her head gently.

The usually elegant woman cried her hearts out between William's arms, the man said nothing else and focused himself in comforting his lover in her time of need. Hood don't actually want to push William away, but her troubled mental state at the moment caused her to do irrational things…Hood could only cry with the amount of mixed emotions swirled within her at the moment, confusion at the truth of her nature as a KANSEN, anger for being lied to regarding her revival, dismay mixed with disgust at the thought that she could be commanded by someone as vile as Ashville and fear…fear for her death and have everything that she has experienced until now, erased once again…Hood cried herself for a while until she calmed down, reduced into a sobbing mess instead of crying in anguish. William didn't stop caressing her head for a second, he did note that Hood's cries have stopped so he concluded that she should feel better now. Maybe he should talk to her, now that she has calmed down. The woman still has her face pressed onto his chest; her hands wrapped around his torso as she unconsciously hugged him back when she cried.

"Feel better?" William asked Hood.

"…A bit" Hood answered in low tone.

"It's alright, you can talk about it Hood. I will listen to you, no matter what you have to say" William said to Hood as he caressed her head again.

…Hood went silent for a bit, but eventually she talked to him…regarding everything in her mind. Hood told William that she really didn't want to bring up her case of amnesia to him, especially not when everyone has been keeping their silent as well. The Royal Navy ship girls as a whole believed that those who nearly died and managed to be saved? Will experience amnesia like Hood did, such as the case with Glorious who had the same treatment as Hood even down to the amnesia part. Now they knew that the whole thing has been a lie, both Hood alongside Glorious have died and both of them have been resummoned. That really disturbed her to be honest, Hood knew about her fellow KANSENs and have every base knowledge like when she was summoned for the first time. But her experience with them? They're gone, forever. Whenever she recounted some stories from the past before her death, she told William the one based on what she heard from the other KANSENs for she has no recollection of them whatsoever. In time, she accepted it as the truth and have made peace with the fact that she can't recover those experience however she wants to. Deep down she felt guilty, to not being able to relate with the ladies that have spent time with her in the past and created a memory that many held dear as part of their friendship. But their understanding really helped Hood in accepting the situation, at least she's alive and could create a new one with them.

But then, when she thought that she had accepted everything? Her whole world collapsed, when the truth was exposed to her. She wanted to laugh at her past self for trying to come to terms with the lies that have been spoon fed to her by the scientists and doctors, all this time she's someone else who tried to live as Hood of The Royal Navy! The Mighty Hood! A replacement for her! Then she thought of her memories with the man who's embracing her right now, that's when she broke down in tears…She have finally experienced romance, to love someone and to be loved back as a woman, being in relationship with William is her happiest moment in her life since her summoning and now she realized that it could go down the drain if she died. If she couldn't be revived, then that's it for them, it would have been a tragic story that she's sure not her or William would like to experience but that's the end of their tale. However, with the fact that she can be resummoned once again? Now that screwed her thoughts greatly. She really can't bear the thought of greeting the man she loved as a stranger after she is resummoned, not being able to understand his pained looks when she does that, being confused when he treads lightly around her and…maybe even reminisced their time together with a sad and anguished look on his face as he stared at his lover who doesn't remember anything about him. She even wondered whether the original Hood will fall in love with William, or whether her loving him right now is a byproduct of coincidence…

"…Hood, I don't care about all of those resummoning bollocks. You are still Hood of The Royal Navy; you are her and nothing will change that fact. Besides, I fell in love with this Hood, not the original one and I won't trade that, ever…" William said to Hood in confident tone.

"If I die, I will just get resummoned…I don't want that…I don't want my memories to go, I have made some beautiful ones with you and if I die all of those will vanish! I can't bear it; I don't want my memories with you to disappear, William!" Hood said to William in low tone as she hugged him tighter.

"I know, I know darling, me as well…Let's not think too much about that now, alright? That won't happen so easily" William said to Hood while he smiled a bit.

"It can still happen…" Hood said to William who then grabbed her cheeks and made her looked toward his face.

"Hood, if you lost your memory, then don't worry…I will make sure you fall in love with me again, even if I have to begin from zero" William said to Hood in soft tone while he stared directly at her and smiled affectionately…

"What are you saying…" Hood said to William as her eyes widened.

"I swear to you, my feelings for you won't change just because you can't remember me. I will work hard for you to love me once again…Don't worry, Hood" William said to Hood in soft yet resolute tone, he really meant what he said to her.

"…Really?" Hood asked William in low tone as she stared at his eye.

"Really" William said to Hood in soft tone.

"…Then, show me that you mean it" Hood said to William as her eyes went half lidded…

It was clear on what she wants, William only smiled before he leaned in and pressed his lips against her. Hood immediately reciprocated and she hugged the man tighter while she did so, William sensed that her kiss is quite needy in nature, as if she let go then he will disappear forever. Well, naturally, after what happened, it makes sense for Hood wanting to receive as much comfort and assurance from him that she could get. They kept kissing one another until they had to part so they can breathe properly, Hood then just let her forehead connected with William and she sighed slowly as she felt her worries melting away. Hood then rested her head against his chest and relished the comfortable silence between them…William meant every word he said to Hood, he might want to consult Akashi regarding device to back up memories. Sounded like something that will finally get the green cat to whoop his ass for his unreasonable request, but he need to try nevertheless. If the worst really happened…having a machine like that would save them from a lot of headaches.

"Crying like this is so unladylike of you, but I'm really touched…You loved me that much, huh?" William asked Hood while he smirked.

"…And what if I am?" Hood asked William back while she pouted.

"Heheh…Love you too, Hood" William chuckled a bit before he said to Hood while he smiled.

Both William and Hood kept hugging each other while William caressed Hood's head nonstop, Hood eventually felt drowsy before she closed her eyes and slumbered as she leaned on William's chest. The man noticed that Hood have fallen asleep, William gently laid Hood on the bed, put her head on top of the pillow then covered her body with the blanket. He gazed at her sleeping face while he smiled softly, William took several strands of tissue from the tissue box on top of the nightstand then wiped the remaining tears off of Hood's face. Then his face hardened as he remembered that he got a job to do, and he should leave Hood out of this one. Not that he's becoming overprotective of her, it's just that William knew that she is not at the right state to fight. Better to let her clear her mind first than getting distracted midbattle, they can't afford fatal injuries especially with Vestal back on their base so everyone needs to be in their S game…William assembled his armor pieces once again and after making sure that he got his armor back on? William leaned in then softly pressed his lips on Hood's forehead, as if telling her that he'll be going out without waking her up. The man then stepped out of the room and found Brooklyn still leaning near the door, waiting for him to finish dealing with his personal secretary.

"You took a while. How is she?" Brooklyn asked William.

"She's fine now, I guess…She just need some reassurance, it's better that we let her rest" William said to Brooklyn.

"Yeah…Well, I'm glad you're here commander. Not sure what else I could do for her if you're not around" Brooklyn said to William while she smiled bitterly.

"Aren't you the diplomat?" William asked Brooklyn while he cocked his eyebrows.

"Art of negotiation isn't the same as calming other people, they might sound the same but they are two different skill set" Brooklyn said to William while she smiled a bit.

"Are you bad at it? You're quite skilled with words, aren't you?" William asked Brooklyn while he pursed his lips.

"Of course not, but I am not the suitable person for the job just now. Since you're her lover, the effect of your words is dozen times better than mine will ever do in this situation" Brooklyn said to William while she smiled.

"…I guess you're right" William said to Brooklyn while he smiled a bit.

"Everyone's waiting for you on the rooftop, commander. We should head there immediately" Brooklyn said to William as her face turned serious.

"…Let's go" William said to Brooklyn.

Brooklyn and William walked toward the hotel roof, where the ship girls are being briefed by Bismarck regarding everything, including the truth about their summoning and the consequences of their death. The atmosphere is really bleak with how many KANSENs having their grim face on display as they absorbed all of the information that Bismarck just told them, dying permanently might not be the case but losing all of their memories up to this point is just as equally horrible or even worse than dying. Then, there's also the revelation that among the high command there are people who wouldn't hesitate to just throw them into the meat grinder then resummoned them, even more convenient that their memories regarding the cause of their death would be erased. They must can't do it so easily at the moment due to the news of KANSEN death has massive weight to it, and it can demoralize a lot of people. Furthermore, if the KANSENs kept coming back despite dying in the front numerous times, people will start to become suspicious regarding their origins and the whole death circumstances…But, all they have to do is to seize the power in order to normalize the concept, humanity wouldn't mind too much on sacrificing something…inhuman. William opened the door to the rooftop and he had to stop for a bit at the sight before them, before he could comment on anything however Bismarck immediately approached him from the side.

"Kommandant, I was just done explaining the situation" Bismarck said to William in serious tone.

"Thanks Bismarck…" William said to Bismarck as he nodded.

Bismarck returned to her previous position as William stood in front of the KANSEN crowd alongside Brooklyn by his side, he couldn't help but to frown upon the sight before him but he can't blame any of them. If he's a ship girl, summoned to this world without their consent, head filled with the sense of duty as a warship, with purpose only to fight against threats to humanity and having hope that once the war is over then they can live like normal people? Then found out that he's been lied to concerning his life as a KANSEN, that there's a chance that he could just be used as sacrificial pawns. Not only that, but each time he dies then the memory would reset and allow him to be continuously manipulated as his commander see fit…Oh he would've been pretty pissed and for a good reason, he could understand that some will lash out at the fuckery that is going on right now and he won't blame them. But despite all of that, he needs the KANSENs to put their trust on him now. It's his duty as ALASUC Commander to rally the ship girls when needed to, it's his job to command the ship girls to fight the Sirens and keep their moral high so they can fight effectively…it's also his responsibility to be there for all of them as their friend, lover, comrade and mentor…

"Ladies…It's exactly as Bismarck have explained, all of it are true…Despite that, I want you to know one fact. As long as I'm alive, I will not let that happen and should something happen that caused you to lost your memories? I will do something about it. I WILL NOT hand you over to Ashville, nor anyone else who seeks to mistreat you, nor sent you to your deaths. Despite all of that fact that make you sounds immortal, losing you even temporarily will be a tragedy that I and by extension everyone within ALASUC do not want to experience…I implore you, what you just heard, doesn't mean you can throw away your lives so easily. So do not get complacent out there…I will lead and take care of all of you until the day I die and not Sirens nor even humans will ever change that! Are you with me, ladies? Will you follow my lead?" William said out loud to the ship girls…

…William could feel his heartbeat quickening and he could practically feel each individual beat as he waited for any response coming from the ship girls in front of him, all of them stared at William directly in the eye and the man couldn't help but to tensed up. But that only hardened his resolve, he is prepared to receive their answer whether it's positive or not. He understands that after the revelation, there could be some among them who will refuse to work further with humans and outright left to do whatever they want. William honestly thought that there might be nothing he could do to stop them if they decide to leave even after his brief speech a moment ago, it would devastate him to see ship girls leaving ALASUC and he's sure it will affect the rest who will choose to stay as well...He will have to rely on the trust that he had built ever since his first day in command and the friendship that he formed with the ship girls all around him, the man waited for the ship girls to answer with a bated breath and after what it feels like hours? Someone decided to speak their answer, with a laidback tone alongside hints of mischievousness and flirtatious on it.

"…You know my answer already, kommandant" Prinz said to William while she smirked.

"Hmph, better you than him, by leagues ahead" Hipper said to William while she looked to the side as she folded her arms.

"I'd rather follow someone who's not a tyrant, commander" Shangri-La said to William while she smiled.

"Commander, I wish to fight under your banner" Brooklyn said to William while she smiled a bit.

"We, the Royal Knights are at your service, milord! My sisters and I will only follow someone who clearly cares for his KANSENs!" King George V said out loud to William as she, Wales and Duke bowed their heads with right hands on their chest.

"I will stay by your side, commander!" Javelin said to William in serious tone.

"Mein kommandant, I'm staying with ALASUC" Z23 said to William while she smiled.

"Big brother is a nice person! I'm following big brother!" Unicorn said to William with serious face.

"I am yours to command, kommandant" Bismarck said to William in serious tone.

"ALASUC have become a warm place to come home to, I wouldn't trade that" Tirpitz said out loud while she smiled a bit.

"Indeed, who would want to be under the command of that admiral anyway?!" Nelson said out loud.

"Certainly, none of us!" Rodney said to Nelson while she smiled.

"Those who doesn't consider their subordinate lives has no right to be a leader!" Ark Royal said out loud.

"I'm definitely sticking around!" Scharnhorst said to William while she grinned.

"Staying with ALASUC is the most logical choice" Gneisenau said out loud.

"Only eternal punishment will ever wait for the one serving such man" Graf Zeppelin said out loud.

"Ashville can go and fuck off!" Deutschland suddenly said out loud.

"Yeah, you're nothing like that Ashville guy! I'll follow you without a shred of doubt!" U-556 said out loud while she grinned.

"A victory brought at the cost throwing away lives? That isn't a victory in the slightest! How can someone think like that?!" Victorius said out loud while she scowled.

"Hmph, you're an exemplary commander compared to that admiral. I rather have you as the one me giving orders" Elizabeth said to William haughtily.

"As her majesty said, I too believe that you're the one who should lead us, commander!" Warspite said to William while she smiled confidently.

"We, the maid corps will follow you, Master William" Newcastle said to William as she and the maids curtsied on their spot.

"Milord, I will leave ALASUC immediately if someone like Ashville is the one in command. The fact I'm staying here should be enough indication" Formidable said to William while she smiled a bit.

"…Thank you everyone, I…" William said to the KANSENs while he smiled widely, he's so relieved and touched by their responses that something rolled down his right cheek.

"Aww, don't cry commander!" Javelin said to William as she rushed toward him while she offered her handkerchief.

"Ahaha, thanks Javelin. I'm just moved that you ladies believed in me that much" William said to Javelin while he used the handkerchief to wipe away his tears.

"You have done so much for us despite being only several months in command, you have proven yourself enough as our leader" Bismarck said to William while she smiled a bit.

"…How about you Iris girls? You've been silent" Prinz asked the Iris ship girls.

"…Admittedly, we haven't known Commandant Blaze as long as the rest of you did. We have our doubts, but for now, Commandant Blaze is miles better than the Admiral. At least we know he won't just sent us to die meaninglessly" Richelieu spoke out with serious face.

"…Jean?" Algerie asked Jean.

Jean, who's leaning on the short wall that bordered the edge of the roof, opened her eyes and she found herself being stared at by everyone. Yeah, she heard everything and concluded that ALASUC and Iris Libre members will follow William into battle to take down that base…She heard how the girls responded to his question, they have quite the confidence in him and that he's better than Ashville in many ways. Jean still has no trust in the man, she really has her guard up ever since that meeting and assumed that he could just turn his nature into a ruthless commanding officer. She's at the crossroad now, agree to help with ALASUC then left after this fight is over, refuse to help altogether or…try to believe in him. Jean Bart briefly glanced toward Richelieu, her sister nodded her head encouragingly and Jean couldn't help but sighed as she massaged her left temple…Maybe she's just overthinking all of this, her concern is quite baseless especially when the man himself shown that he's not like that…She just let her fear of the unknown and fear of betrayal clouded her judgment, something she shouldn't have done. She will have to take the plunge in this trust fall, and she hoped that this decision is the right one…

"…Jean, please…" Richelieu muttered to herself while she clasped her hands together.

"…Fine, but remember, one wrong move and you can say good bye. I will remember your words and should you break it? Your ass is mine, understood?" Jean said to William while she frowned.

"Crystal. Believe me, I will do my best" William said to Jean Bart while he smiled a bit.

"So, with that out of the way, when do we start assaulting the Siren base?" Hipper asked out loud.

"Ah ja, I haven't even explained the plan. If you would, kommandant?" Bismarck asked William while she smiled a bit.

"Alright then…Listen up everyone! I will explain the plan now!" William said out loud.

William begun with the situation concerning Admiral Roux that dismayed many Iris ship girls, including Richelieu herself. However, William told them not to judge him too quickly since the man hasn't give William his answer yet so there's a chance of redemption there. William then explained the plan to everyone, simple in nature but one fuck up and it will get messy real fast. William will conduct reconnaissance on the Siren base by stealth insertion through underwater, his armor does have one hour of internal oxygen supply alongside rebreather and filter installed on his helmet so he can survive for a while underwater, hazardous environment or at outer space. He alongside TB will crack their defense network then steal the base schematics to identify critical compounds within the base, they will also attempt to neutralize the beam cannons which is the biggest threat for them at the moment. Then, the ship girls will assault the base from range while William alongside a team of KANSENs with ranged combat proficiency cause chaos from within the base. The Sirens would have no choice but to split their forces, unless they want the base to be destroyed. It's also extremely likely that there is a Siren leader involved in this whole situation, William will face them head on if that's the case. The man then picked four KANSENs to go with him, four of them who possessed handheld firearms from their rigging. Then he told Brooklyn to contact the nearby resort to borrow their SCUBA gear, the team will need it.

While their priority is destroying the base, William also expressed that he'd like to disable this jamming as soon as they found its origins. That way, communication can be reestablished so it'll eliminate one crucial problem. If William could get in contact with Azur Lane Headquarter, it'll be easier to coordinate with them and the inclusion of satellite imagery would really help them a lot especially with TB's capabilities. Also, William could sort out the potential mess with Ashville involvement here with Lucas…and then he'll want to talk to the man. Lucas obviously knew about the ship girls' nature, their copies and even summoning process. William even tried to access the data within HQ database but he got locked out immediately and every time he brought it up to Lucas? The old man skillfully dodged the questions every time, back then William didn't really feel the urgency to know the truth and he speculated that there's something about it that might get him in a tough spot if he ever knew…But now? With the truth laid bare? He won't let Lucas escape his question. He didn't care that the old man is the one backing him up in everything, William already stated that if he ever took this job then they will hide nothing from him.

"Bismarck will be my second in command for this operation…Alright, any questions?" William asked the ship girls out loud and received no question regarding the plan.

"I think everyone already understood the plan, commander!" Elizabeth said to William while she smiled a bit.

"Then good" William said to Elizabeth while he smiled.

"I have noted your plan and will share it with those who'd like to review it, commander" Shangri-La said to William.

"As expected, your ability to absorb info and noting it down is quite scary" William said to Shangri-La while he smiled wryly.

"You know you can depend on me when it comes to information" Shangri-La said to William while she fixed her glasses as she smirked.

"Heh, I certainly did…Submarines, we'll be going as soon as we're finished here" William said to Shangri-La then the submarine group.

"Oh well, at least we get dips on several days' vacation after this, right?" U-96 asked William.

"Don't worry, I already had it in mind" William said to U-96 while he smiled.

"Gut, then we'll wait for you on the pier. Let's go everyone" U-96 said to her fellow submarine KANSENs.

"What do you want the surface ships to do, master? Other than being on standby of course" Newcastle asked William.

"Avoid splitting off, don't go anywhere without a group. I don't want any chances of you ladies being sedated then taken away by Ashville" William said to Newcastle in serious tone.

"Do you think he will do that? Despite the number of potential eyewitnesses alongside guards on this town? And the fact he could be the prime suspect if any kidnapping occurred?" Algerie asked William while she frowned.

"If he could send a unit to assault the highly secured science research facility just to get the tech he's been lusting after? Then there's no doubt he'll do it here if he spots the chances. Sedative, muscle relaxant, there's a lot of things they could do to kidnap any of you" William said to Algerie in serious tone.

"I don't mean to sound skeptical, but why would he do that? He'll just put suspicion spotlight directly on himself" Algerie asked William further.

"Yeah, but with how vast earth is, finding a kidnapped KANSENs would take a very long time or even downright impossible especially with a good support. And don't get me started on what these people will do to you…better safe than sorry" William said to Algerie as his face hardened.

"…I don't think everyone on this world is like the admiral, not everyone in command is as heartless as him" Richelieu said to William while she frowned.

"Yet people like him? Are always the ones who got the guts to get what they want, just because not everyone is like him doesn't mean you should put your guard down. You can never know when you will get stabbed in the back. So, stay alert and keep your eyes open…Wait for my signal everyone, then we will begin the operation" William said to Richelieu then to the rest of the KANSENs.

Everyone begun discussing their group placement since William didn't specify their formation, the fleet representatives immediately begun grouping their fellow KANSENs based on their abilities and specialty. William trusted that they can form an effective formation on their own without having to be micromanaged, it helps when he has a personal role to play in the fight. William put on his helmet then descend into Hood's hotel room, William used the master card to open the door lock and then peered over a bit to check on Hood. The woman is still asleep in bed, William smiled as he went inside and summoned his phone. He messaged Hood regarding the situation, telling her to remain on the island when she woke up because there's a chance that the Sirens might try something while they're away. Triomphant and Malin should be back by the time they're gone to fight; Hood wouldn't be alone when the rest are getting busy. He also told her not to blame herself that she had to stay behind, and he sure the others wouldn't think less of her when she didn't participate in the fight. In fact, many would've sympathized for her situation. After he send the message and heard the familiar ringtone coming from her phone, William caressed Hood in the head for a bit before he left and locked the door once again.

"TB, call Admiral Roux" William said to TB as he made his way to the hotel's main entrance.

"…He's on the line, commander" TB informed William.

"Commandant Blaze" Roux greeted William on the radio.

"Roux, I want an answer" William said to Roux on the radio.

"…Hah…Well, I've gave it some thought…Can you really do it? Can you destroy that base without having to resort into tactical nuclear strike and Admiral Ashville fleet support?" Roux asked William in serious tone on the radio

"It will take some effort but yeah, I already have a plan in mind and I will not stop until that base is taken out…Are you with me?" William asked Roux on the radio.

"…I am…Let me know the plan once you're ready to do it, commandant" Roux said to William on the radio, the man sighed slowly in relief.

"Then ready yourself. Here's what we're going to do, have everything on stand-by immediately" William said to Roux on the radio.

Thus, William explained the plan to the admiral, a support plan to help soften the base defenses for the KANSENs. The admiral didn't have to commit his warships, William thought that his fleet will be better suited to defend Celestial Garden if it's attacked. Roux only needs to send his aircrafts for support strike against the Siren base, William will send him the coordinate when he's on site. The plan is to use the aircraft launched cruise missile to strike at the Siren beam cannon defensive emplacement, a cruise missile should be powerful enough to eliminate the cannons precisely and help the ship girls in saving their munition for other priority targets. Since the base has massive AA coverage potential, they'll be using the method that Bearn had done previously. Steep ninety degrees angle of attack, which means the fighters have to be directly above the base in order to launch their cruise missile. Unfortunately, while the missiles could be launched from a long distance? The chance of them being intercepted due to its signature is quite high so they will have to launch the missile at the very last second. It's a dangerous maneuver especially when they have to make Icarus dive from the sky then bail out, the pilots would need to be ready for the intense G forces.

"…This is quite a daring plan, but it sounds promising. Understood commandant, we're on it. We'll also use some of our ship launched missile to help with the assault from long range, our fighters could relay the information to our fleet for the targets" Roux said to William on the radio.

"Got it. Thanks Roux, for giving me a chance" William said to Roux on the radio.

"Oui commandant. So please, don't make me regret this decision" Roux said to William on the radio.

Roux wouldn't regret his decision; William will make sure of that. Now that they have the Iris fleet support, William thought that they got all the base covered…No, there's still possibility of Ashville proceeding with his nuclear strike and William would need something to detect if the missile ever launched. How? William thought they could use Siren sensors itself; he'll need TB's help for that. William was about to walk out of the hotel entrance when he heard footsteps rapidly approaching from behind, the man turned around and noticed that it's Bismarck. It seems she has something she wants to say to him, maybe she still has question on the operation they're about to do?

"Is there something you need?" William asked Bismarck.

"Kommandant, this is something that I've noticed lately…but you're becoming more hostile and paranoid with non-Siren threats" Bismarck said to William while she frowned a bit…

"…The stakes are bigger than ever. Now we know that Sirens are limitless, everyone are racing to save their own skins. I don't doubt that there will be some who will not hesitate to use every measure conceivable" William said to Bismarck.

"How can you be so sure of that?" Bismarck asked William.

"I've seen enough Bismarck, what a human would do to protect their self-interest. I don't hate the government as I see the necessity of their existence, I just don't trust them. Not to mention, in their eyes, you KANSENs are only referred as 'assets' with combat power threshold…not comrades in arms" William said to Bismarck while he smiled bitterly, he has experienced that directly.

"And a country does not want to lose their power willingly" Bismarck said to William as she stood in front of him.

"Hence why there's still some of you in their respective countries instead of being sent into ALASUC despite Lucas' and Erich's orders" William said to Bismarck while he frowned.

"…I will try to ask them regarding what's holding the KANSENs from coming to ALASUC later. Maybe they're put on a project or mission that's designed to anchor them to their base" Bismarck said to William while she smiled a bit.

"Most probably…But that's for when this is over, right now we want to focus on that Siren base…Lead the ladies well, Bismarck" William said to Bismarck while he smiled confidently.

"Jawohl. Oh, and William?" Bismarck said to William before she called his name.

"Yes?" William asked Bismarck.

"…I don't think this need to be said, but please take care out there…I don't want us to be assigned a new commander…" Bismarck said to William with serious face and equally serious tone.

"Heh, thanks for the reminder" William said to Bismarck as he patted her head.

"A-Ah…" Bismarck tensed up and her eyes widened when William's right hand touched her head.

"Oh sorry, you didn't like it?" William asked Bismarck as he retracted his hand.

"No, I'm just surprised…No one ever pats me in the head before" Bismarck said to William while she looked to the side as her cheeks reddened a bit.

"Well, when you think about it, who would dare to pat the flagship of Ironblood KANSEN straight in the head?" William asked Bismarck while he removed his hand as he smiled.

"You, I suppose" Bismarck said to William while she smiled a bit.

"Heheh! Right…I'm off Bismarck" William chuckled then said to Bismarck.

"Be safe, kommandant" Bismarck said to William while she smiled.

Bismarck watched as William walked away from the hotel, the woman sighed as she thought that she's getting a bit too used in seeing him walking to face the Sirens directly. Despite her concern that he can end up like he did on Furushima, her confidence in him grew when he received his modification and armor. With those factors added with his experience and training? Bismarck is confident that William would be a hard bastard to take down. Still, she wished him luck nevertheless for who knows what could happen in the battlefield. Bismarck walked to the rooftop again so she can meet with the rest of her fellow KANSENs, she has been entrusted to lead them on this operation and she has zero intention to let her commander down…William made his way to the pier and saw that the submarines already deployed their rigging, Surcouf offered to be the one carrying him and he accepted by grabbing her hand then sit on her rigging. Once he settled down, the group begun their journey to the Siren base at maximum speed. When they reached sufficient sea depth, everyone except Surcouf dived down while Surcouf and William remained moving on the surface.

"TB" William called TB's name.

"Yes commander?" TB's face appeared on his HUD as she answered his call.

"My armor has a scanner; can it be used to locate other things other than targets?" William asked TB.

"Do you want to use it as a means to locate a way inside the Siren base?" TB asked William in return.

"Yeah" William said to TB while he nodded.

"I can use it to locate any entrance that might be useful such as exhaust pipes or vents, but not its internal paths" TB said to William.

"That'll do" William said to TB.

"However, you have to be directly under the base" TB said to William.

"Alright, that's a risk I'm willing to take" William said to TB.

So, it couldn't detect internal paths huh? Well, his armor does have a scanner but seems its scope is quite limited to the surface level scan. He would want another upgrade for the armor scanner…but he got a feeling that it would require him sending a request form to Azur Lane HQ. Why? William had to admit, his savings has been drained after using it to construct Albion and Serpent Armor. He's in luck that his monthly wage could be considered above average compared to usual military officer and his daily needs are included along the base monthly living expense, so the only time he would require money is when he want to spend on something else. William better start saving up money again, there will be time when he wants to treat the KANSENs or use some for emergencies and he's basically fucked if his account is empty. Also, he might want to inspect the remaining red gem stock that ALASUC have, better check that out with Souryuu when he gets back…

William looked around for a bit, the orange sky with the sun approaching the horizon to his right provided a very scenic view that he's sure would make a good backdrop for a picture. Maybe one day he could rent a yacht to spend a couple days out here, just enjoying the view and take it easy? William still remembered Vestal's suggestion back when she inspected his health, she knew that he shouldn't get stressed out especially when his body is technically still growing. William don't know when will his new body reach maturity so he shouldn't take any chances and obey her, the last thing he want is the end result where his body couldn't reach its maximum potential with the serum's help. William felt that while his emotions have stabled like how it used to before the enhancement, he couldn't help but to feel that when he's angry…it become hard to hold himself back. Even back during that talk? William had to put his all in restraining himself, this also means he have to be careful if he's ever angry when around the ship girls…He don't want to hurt them, not by any means and not ever.

So yeah, maybe taking more frequent breaks is a good idea. Maybe playing some games back home, spending some time outside, maybe go on a camping trip, there's a lot he could do to reduce stress build up. While the daily sexual relief helps a lot, it's just a way to keep his libido in check and not an actual stress relieving method. Yeah, every time he had sex, he naturally let off some stress but sex alone isn't effective. He will need some other activity and…William widened his eye; Celestial Garden would be an excellent start for that! Didn't the island have a natural hot spring? When was the last time William ever went to one? Never! Warm bath and hot spring are two different things! He definitely needs to visit it before they return home and get a massage while he at it, after dealing with this situation of course. With a new goal in mind, the man resolved himself to put an end to this whole situation, make sure Ashville won't interfere with ALASUC and then…get the truth out of Lucas. Then, he could enjoy himself.

"…Surcouf, how close are we?" William asked Surcouf.

"Unknown commandant. We're still moving to its last known position, though we're only five kilometers off the beach at the moment" Surcouf said to William.

"Algerie said that the base should be around twenty or thirty kilometers out…That being said, I don't think it will stay there" William said to Surcouf.

"Well, we won't know unless we tried, right?" Surcouf asked William as she turned her head towards him who's behind her.

"Right…As soon as we hit twenty kilometers mark or the area starts flickering, we dive" William said to Surcouf.

"Oui commandant" Surcouf said to William while she smiled.

"556, how's it going down there?" William asked U-556 on the radio.

"Our sonar didn't pick up anything so far, kommandant" U-556 said to William on the radio.

"Alright, as soon as you detect something, report it immediately" William said to U-556 on the radio.

"Jawohl!" U-556 said to William on the radio.

So far so good, the cruise is going well…Not going to lie, William half expected them to run into something even short off the shallows. The Siren seems didn't put any attempt to further attack Celestial Garden, the only reason they're engaged in combat this noon was because Richelieu's group accidently stumbled upon the cloaked base and then pursued by the Siren KANSENs when they're escaping. Could it be that the Sirens are gearing up for the attack? Then why wait to do that? They could've just launched a second strike against the island once their base was detected. William held his thought a bit as he pursued other possibility, is it possible that the Siren didn't aim to further attack the island? Yeah, but it's clear that they still have interest over it…Bah! No matter, they're here, they threaten the island populace and their existence caused unrest. William and ALASUC have all the reason to fight them, no matter their intentions are.

"…Commandant" Surcouf called William.

"Hmm?" William responded with a hum.

"You're really willing to go this far, to prove your sincerity with your words" Surcouf said to William while she smiled.

"Actions are more convincing than words yet words are what helped smoothing the deal" William said to Surcouf while he smiled a bit.

"Ooh, that's quite neat…But really, even if all commander has the power like you do now, I don't think a lot of them would just go personally recon an enemy base" Surcouf said to William while she stared at him.

"That's because by military standards and common sense, this is an absolutely stupid thing to do. What kind of commander fought in the frontline directly in the modern times? But despite that, this is how I fight my battles. I'm more comfortable with this than commanding from a safe distance" William said to Surcouf.

"Hmm, well, it's certainly better to have your commander on the front with us directly. You'll know the change in situation so you can adjust our strategies accordingly" Surcouf said to William while she grinned a bit.

"That's one of the benefits, Surcouf" William said to Surcouf while he smiled.

"And, having you with us is more reassuring, you know?" Surcouf said to William while she grinned.

"Heh, I suppose there's that too" William snorted in amusement before he responded while he smiled.

Surcouf grinned at William then turned her head back to the front, William summoned his assault carbine on his back and his GPM Revolver on his right thigh. William looked back and noticed the island is quite far from their position, binocular feature on his helmet indicated that they're currently around seven kilometers away from the beach. They're making good progress, William just hoped that they won't encounter any high-ranking Siren strolling around their perimeter. They might be able to slip by mass produced unit or Siren KANSEN to some degree, but high-ranking Siren? If they stumble into someone like Purifier then this mission is toast, no way they're escaping her clutch without going loud and throwing stealth out of the window…William felt his stomach growling and he frowned, goddammit he forgot to eat something! He's so distracted by this whole situation that he didn't realize his stomach is empty! As soon as he's back to that island, he's going to order few portions of meal!

"That's quite loud commandant, you didn't eat lunch?" Surcouf asked William while she smiled.

"Yeah, was too busy that I forgot" William said to Surcouf while he frowned.

"Would you like some candy? I got couple of milk flavored candies with me?" Surcouf offered while she smiled.

"Eh, why not. Sure Surcouf" William said to Surcouf while he shrugged.

"…Here you go! It won't fill your belly, but at least it could distract you from feeling it for a bit!" Surcouf said to William while she grinned as she offered him two pieces of candy that she seemingly pulled out of nowhere.

"Where did you even…" William is at loss for words, where did she even store those candies with her skimpy outfit?!

"Fufufu! That's a secret~!" Surcouf said to William while she grinned and winked at him.

"Thanks, by the way" William said to Surcouf before he opened his helmet a bit then popped the candies into his mouth.

"Ah no sweat!" Surcouf said to William while she grinned.

"Kommandant, we detected something. We're running silent for now" U-47 suddenly said to William on the radio.

"Copy. Surcouf, kill your engine" William responded to U-47 on the radio before he ordered Surcouf.

Surcouf immediately turned off her engine and let them drift across the surface, they'll want to reduce their signature by any means possible. William noted that it's past ten kilometers when they detected something, this isn't good. He imagined what if Richelieu didn't stumble upon that base? Maybe tonight they will come under surprise attack and one that would definitely hard to counter if the Sirens managed to catch them off guard…The U-Boat group took their time to report back, William started to get worried that something happened down there. But if combat did start, they would've felt the shockwave. William was about to contact the girls when his radio flared to life.

"…Scheisse, three Siren mass produced submarines, going to our left…Looks like they're on patrol, kommandant" U-101 said to William on the radio.

"Patrol? Not reconnaissance? Okay, anything else?" William asked U-101 on the radio.

"Wait a bit ja…Nothing, we're clear but let's move slowly. Keep silent run" U-101 said to William on the radio.

"Alright. Let's go Surcouf" William said to U-101 on the radio then to Surcouf.

The woman in front of him nodded before she reactivated her engine and they cruised toward their destination once again, though they're going a bit slower this time that the Sirens are confirmed to be around the area. Submarines are confirmed, so where's the surface fleet? Did the Sirens let their submarines patrol without a nearby surface group? William thought that there's a big chance that those subs are meant to be some sort of sentry, to alert the rest of the Siren in the area in case they ever detected them. He dearly hoped that they won't encounter anymore Siren or make a fuck up for the rest of the ride, the last thing they want is to fail this prelude mission and William enduring the shame after so boldly declaring that he'll tear that base down…Short while after encountering the Siren submarines, William saw the scenery flickered like a bad case of computer glitch. The man swallowed the candies on his mouth then put on his serious face as he grabbed his assault carbine from his back, they're entering the danger zone.

"Flickers all around us, this is it" William said to the submarines on the radio.

The flickers eventually stopped and William widened his eye as his breath hitched, it's the first time he saw the floating base and it's massive! Imagine a fully upgraded mother base platform from Metal Gear Solid V with Siren aesthetics, condensed all of the platforms together into a rectangle megastructure, put massive cannons around its perimeter, littered it with thousands of Sirens and surrounded by mass produced Siren ships…Yeah, William felt nervous and understandably so. He's going to stealth his way into that beehive and one wrong move mean his ass is grass, he could easily escape but what about the KANSENs with him? No way he's leaving them alone. William zoomed his view into the base, he saw three turrets that must've been wrecked by Bearn just this noon. But something's wrong, there's several drones firing some kind of blue beam toward its structural damage.

"Damn, it's quite huge…There's the three destroyed cannons, there's some mini flashes all around them…Drones? Are those repair drones? Shite, of course they will repair it if given some time to do so" William said out loud on the radio.

"What do we do, kommandant?" U-96 asked William on the radio.

"Stick to the plan, U-96. Surcouf, let's dive" William said to U-96 on the radio then to Surcouf.

"Okie dokie~, you might want to hold on" Surcouf said to William while she smirked a bit.

"Sealing armor" TB said to William.

William's armor sealed up in preparation to dive, he put his left hand on Surcouf's left shoulder as she dived into the water. They dived all the way down to the KANSENs maximum depth dive, they couldn't even see the seabed due to how deep is the sea they're on. Apparently, the descend from the island is quite steep which makes complete sense that the pier is deep enough to park a cruise ship…Slow and steady, William and the KANSEN group still cruised underwater in slow speed. The man then checked the local GPS based on the data that he got after the last time he looked at the island, they're around 13.2 kilometers off the beach which means that base has moved.

"…We're not even fifteen kilometers away from the beach, that base must have some kind of movement mechanism" William said out loud on the radio.

"Should we use our torpedoes? To cripple their movement ability, kommandant?" U-556 asked William on the radio.

"That will definitely screw up our stealth entrance so not now, we're short on time though so we're still risking it with rapid deployment…101, 96, head back and tell the others to be ready. Have Sheffield, London, Ark and Deutschland equip their scuba gear. 47, 556, stay with us for now" William ordered the submarine KANSENs on the radio.

"Jawohl, we're pulling out. Stay safe kommandant" U-96 said to William on the radio.

"Thanks, you two as well" William said to U-96 on the radio while he smiled.

U-96 and U-101 turned around and returned to Celestial Garden, William stared at the two retreating KANSENs until they disappeared from his view before he looked up…He noticed that the orange skies are darkening as the sun is starting to set on the horizon, looks like they couldn't avoid doing night battle. No matter though, Siren units are practically bad at stealth especially during the night with the glows on their riggings, and once the ship girls went past that barrier, they'll have an easy time firing at their targets…After cruising for some time in slow speed, they finally reached the underside of the floating base and William found the reason why the base is closer to the island now. Yup, William saw that the base has a big, round, glowing yellow engine and he assumed that probably there's four of them given the base's rectangular structure. If they destroy those engines, the base would most likely lose its ability to move around or even to float on the surface of the sea. Though William felt that he didn't want to bet on the chance for now, it looks pretty durable and would require several torpedo salvoes from a submarine to destroy it completely and they can't afford to waste the submarine's torpedoes with no chance of resupplying. You never know what could happen, better save them for emergencies.

"…Alright TB, begin the scan" William said to TB.

"Affirmative, please turn your view around three hundred sixty degrees, commander" TB said to William.

Apparently, they've reached the center of the base's structure and there are no Siren Submarine KANSENs or mass-produced units so far, kind of strange to not have this area guarded as its prone to sabotage. It could be a trap, but William set that thought aside and decided to just deal with it if they really got ambushed. William slowly turned his head around, making sure to get as much of the base's underside within his view…Surcouf, U-556 and U-47 are all on high alert as they relentlessly scanned the area around them for any signs of Siren units. William noted that the structure above him is now outlined in white, he could see the details on the structure, just like the result of whenever he used the scanner whenever he's on the surface. How did TB managed to get it work underwater despite the low visibility and being dozens of meters away from the object is beyond him, but he glad that she succeeded in doing it.

"There are two hundred and six pipes located below the structure, but only four are large enough to fit a few humans inside. I'm marking the closest one on your HUD now" TB said to William before a waypoint appeared on his HUD.

"47, 556, stay here and watch our backs. Surcouf, let's go over there" William ordered the KANSENs with him on the radio, he then pointed their destination to Surcouf.

"Ja kommandant" "Okay" "Oui, here we go" U-47, U-556 and Surcouf said to William on the radio.

"…How's your oxygen supply, Surcouf?" William asked Surcouf on the radio.

"Still good, commandant" Surcouf said to William on the radio.

"If you need to bail out, then don't hesitate" William said to Surcouf on the radio.

"Nah, I'm kind of worried that I will leave you here with no support" Surcouf said to William on the radio while she smiled.

"It's okay, if I get detected and overwhelmed? I'll make a quick escape with my jet thrusters" William said to Surcouf on the radio.

"Is that so. Then, I'll let you know when I have to go" Surcouf said to William on the radio.

Surcouf and William arrived at the waypoint that TB placed on William's HUD, they saw a big hexagon shaped opening on the structure that could probably fit four or five humans at the same time. Surcouf get closer to it and William tested the water by putting his left hand below the pipe, he could immediately feel his hand being pushed down by water that's coming out of the pipe. Alright, it seems that this pipe is some kind of an exhaust or something. William found the entrance he needs to infiltrate their base, he hoped that he won't need to make too much noise in order to reach the base's surface. Also, if this pipe has motion sensor, then he is screwed. Still, William wondered on what's the liquid that came out of this big pipe? Its colorless and the temperature is the same as the water all around him, William didn't see any waste product coming out too so the chance of this pipe being a sewage is highly unlikely…or is it?

"TB, what's the liquid coming out of this pipe?" William asked TB.

"Sensor identified it as sea water" TB said to William.

"…Huh? Why would they pump out sea water back to the sea?" William asked out loud as he cocked his eyebrows.

"It might serve as a critical component for buoyancy system; it would appear that the base might have the ability to adjust its buoyancy depending on the sea depths" TB informed William.

"That could allow them to park this base so close to the beach, why didn't I think of that? Oh well, there's a reason I'm here instead designing megastructures…The current is quite light, the system must've been on stand by for now…Alright, this is it. Surcouf, you're good to go. Join the others in preparation to strike this base" William muttered to himself before he ordered Surcouf to pull back on the radio.

"Oui, good luck commandant" Surcouf said to William on the radio while she smiled.

"You as well" William said to Surcouf on the radio while he smiled.

"Let's go guys, we're pulling out" Surcouf said to U-556 and U-47 on the radio.

"TB, record our movement so we won't get lost" William said to TB.

"Yes commander. Beginning movement recording and transforming the data into three-dimensional map" TB said to William.

William fired his grappling hook toward the wall to secure himself and once he did that, Surcouf immediately dived deeper to rendezvous with U-47 alongside U-556 who are still waiting below them. William then begun infiltrating the base by engaging his thruster in low speed, just enough to fight through the current that came from the pipe and advanced slowly. It's pitch black and William couldn't see anything, but he mitigated that by activating his helmet's night vision. Night vision alone wouldn't help him see, but remember the 'eyes' part on his serpent shaped helmet? The eyes are equipped with infrared flashlight and that what helps give illumination to his night vision…William spent ten minutes navigating the pipe without knowing where he will end up, he's lucky that he didn't have claustrophobia or this would be an absolute nightmare situation to deal with. Still, he's feeling a bit anxious due to not knowing the destination despite the route has been quite straightforward enough so far.

"TB, can you hack Siren network stealthily?" William asked TB.

"I have no guarantees that they won't detect my intrusion" TB said to William as her face appeared on his HUD.

"Well, they knew we're going to do something sooner or later…so make it quick when the time comes" William said to TB.

"Understood commander" TB said to William.

"…Can you connect to my phone?" William asked TB.

"Done. Is there something you need?" TB asked William in return as she shown him a small display of his phone home screen on his HUD.

"Can you check whether Hood has seen my message?" William asked TB.

"She hasn't, commander. Although it is possible that the notification is late due to the jamming" TB said to William.

"I see…show me the map then" William said to TB.

"Affirmative. We have moved around two hundred and forty-nine meters away from our entrance" TB said to William as she displayed the map that she created; William could see the path he took before.

"We've been at it for a while. Oxygen supply?" William commented before he asked TB.

"You should still have around thirty-eight minutes of oxygen supply, commander" TB said to William.

"I hope when we reach the end of this pipe I could refill the tank, no way I'm going to survive with half empty tank when I have to pick our team after this" William commented while he frowned.

The pipe is longer than he expected, but the vastness of the pipe really helped him from feeling too constricted. The base is quite huge so if this is indeed a pipe for some sort of buoyancy system, then it needs to be able to discharge massive quantity of water in very short time so it makes sense to have them this big…After spending additional five minutes navigating through the dark pipes though, William finally saw something black in the distance despite him pointing towards it with his IR flashlight. Looks like that's the end of this pipe, the man increased his thruster power and waltzed toward the exit. He went through the hole and he widened his eye, it's still full of water but it's a big room compared to the pipe he's through just few seconds ago. This time though, William got a faint idea on what this room is.

"TB, is this some sort of ballast tank?" William asked TB.

"Analysis indicated that the possibility of this room being one is quite likely, commander" TB said to William.

"Then find us a service hatch or something, we need to get out of here" William said to TB as he looked around.

"Scanning…Found one hatch on top of us, commander. However, opening it might alert the Sirens" TB said to William.

"…I'm taking my chances. We've come this far" William said to TB.

"Understood, placing waypoint" TB said to William.

William swam toward the hatch that TB pointed, he could see the hatch that TB mentioned. The strange thing about it is the fact this Siren hatch has a handle like ones on your ordinary ship watertight bulkhead, of course William found it strange when most of the Siren structure he saw in pictures usually has automated door with control panel to the side! William still approached the hatch, twisted the handle on it then pushed it, as expected he's immediately sucked into the room due to the water pressure. However, William reflexively fired his grappling hook to the hatch then kicked it shut before he locked it by twisting the handle back to its previous position...William thought that was quite thrilling, never thought the day that maneuver he remembered from watching a human spider movie would really works here. Now that William is on a dry room with wet floor and walls due to his entrance, his armor begun restocking his oxygen supply while he started exploring the area for Siren terminal. William grabbed his assault carbine as he walked around the area that he's in, looks like he's inside a maintenance room.

Suddenly, William heard footsteps rapidly approaching his position so William immediately looked around to find a hiding spot. The shitty part of this situation is that the man is on a corridor with no place to hide, he groaned a bit in annoyance before he readied his carbine and faced the direction where the footsteps are coming from…Not a moment too soon, two Siren Troopers showed up in front of him and William immediately lodged two accelerated rounds into their head. Yup, bye bye stealth! William sprinted forward through the corridor and stumbled into a room filled with several Siren Troopers alongside some kind of large console, the Siren Troopers are already in alert position so the moment he showed up? William got rained by plasma bolts that quickly chipped away his shielding. William summoned a flashbang then pulled the pin before throwing it to the room, the grenade bounced several times before exploding and stunned the Siren Troopers within the room. He then just charged into the room, fired his carbine in several short bursts and voila every Siren in the room is dead…The man approached the console that two of the Siren Troopers operated before, he touched the interactive dashboard with his left palm.

"TB?" William asked TB.

"…Connection established commander; you can let go of the console now" TB said to William.

"Deactivate the alarm, we probably triggered one" William said to TB as he let go of the console.

"Already did commander, I created a false alarm report to the system admin and spoofed this room from monitoring. We should be fine for a while" TB said to William.

"Until one of them stumble into this room, I suppose" TB said to William.

"That should not be a problem" TB said to William as the door console to the room beeped once and turned red in color.

"Heh, good plan" William said to TB while he smirked as he stared at the door.

"Should I execute the plan now, commander?" TB asked William.

"Yes. I want you to grab the base's schematics, locate the command center, take over their comm system, monitor their sensors, mark the beam cannon's position alongside power generators for our fighter's targeting system and optimum angle of attack from above. We need to soften this base for the ship girls, can you do all that?" William asked TB.

"Yes commander, please standby" TB said to William.

While TB is working with the system, William inspected the Siren Troopers that he just murdered. They're carrying plasma carbines, plasma pistols on their thighs and some plasma grenades on their belts. Quite a haul, these will be useful when they begin their assault later so William looted the weapons and grenades before placing them on the console. Then, he checked his oxygen supply which have returned to its full capacity. Alright, he's ready to go into that tank once again. TB might need to prevent the buoyancy system from activating, the last thing they want later is to get flushed when they make their way back here.

"…Base schematics have been uploaded to the database; Siren command center is located directly in the center of this structure. I have marked the beam cannons alongside the generators for our aircraft targeting system, their missiles should be able to lock on those structures" TB said to William.

"Excellent, what about the angle of attack?" William asked TB as he inspected the base schematics that's displayed on his HUD.

"Very steep commander, as you theorized, our pilots need to attack the base directly from ninety-degrees angle" TB informed as she shown him the base AA coverage.

"Any alternatives?" William asked TB while he frowned.

"A predicted ninety nine percent casualty for our attacking aircrafts if they approach this base from low angle, Siren AA defense coverage along the base's edge is perfect, there are no gaps to exploit in their field of fire" TB said to William as she displayed the total AA coverage including Siren units with AA guns.

"…The risk is high, but let's believe in our pilots. Have you managed to hijack the Siren communication system?" William said out loud before he asked TB.

"Yes, I'm ready to take over but only for a short period of time" TB said to William.

"…Send the acquired data to Roux and Bismarck, tell them that it's time to begin the operation" William said to TB.

"Understood. Commencing data transfer" TB said to William.

…Shangri-La sat on the edge of the pier with her tablet in her hands, she was told by Bismarck to remain on standby because William will send the data to their local network and she was handpicked by Bismarck to handle any Intel work on this operation. ALASUC Battle Network was developed by Akashi in case they couldn't access Azur Lane Battle Network or when they want to conduct independent operation, it's really handy especially in their current situation. Not as developed as Azur Lane's yet due to its early state, but its good enough with all the basic features needed to conduct military operation such as real time battlespace projection, communication hub, Intel database and even mission control interface…Shangri-La stretched her arms a bit before she looked around, the pier is full of KANSENs and all of them has their rigging deployed, ready for the order to move out. Shangri-La rechecked the battle network once again to make sure everyone is connected to the system, then she turned her head toward Bismarck who's standing in front of her.

"Ms. Bismarck, everyone is connected to the battle network and we're good to go" Shangri-La said to Bismarck.

"Excellent, Shangri-La" Bismarck said to Shangri-La.

"…Fuh…This is nothing compared to Operation Eagle Storm, but I'm way more nervous right now" Shangri-La said to Bismarck as she deployed her rigging and stood next to Bismarck.

"How come?" Bismarck asked Shangri-La while she narrowed her eyes a bit.

"Back then? It's like entire humanity joined forces to take on the Sirens, we have so much soldiers, war assets and even experimental technology deployed just to take one city. We succeeded, but even the casualties were staggering…and now we're here, with only a fraction of our total forces on New York" Shangri-La said to Bismarck while she frowned a bit.

"Are you not confident that we can take down that base? Dozens of KANSENs are still going to participate in this fight, you and the others put up a good fight against Orochi in New York, right? I suppose it's not too different with our situation right now" Bismarck said to Shangri-La.

"That's one way to look at it...With Vestal not being here, I guess I'm just nervous when I'm thinking of…what could happen" Shangri-La said to Bismarck while she frowned.

"No use in overthinking something like that, Shangri-La. We only need to stay focused on the task at hand" Bismarck said to Shangri-La.

"I kind of envy your ability to remain calm at all times, Ms. Bismarck" Shangri-La said to Bismarck while she smiled a bit.

"It's not like I can't be startled…As a leader, I have to set example for everybody else. Kind of helps that I'm not that good in expressing myself…" Bismarck said to Shangri-La in low tone.

"Oh, is that so…Ah! Incoming transmission, it's from Commander William! He also sent us the base's schematics; I'm integrating the data to our battlespace projection now!" Shangri-La said out loud as she quickly got to work.

"He made it in, why am I not surprised?" Bismarck commented while she smiled a bit.

"Amiral Roux to KMS Bismarck, we have received the Intel and signal to begin the attack. Shall we proceed?" Roux asked Bismarck on the radio.

"Ja admiral, it is time" Bismarck said to Roux on the radio.

"Lord Bismarck, we await your command" Gneisenau said to Bismarck on the radio.

"I suppose we can use a few words before we go" Shangri-La said to Bismarck who nodded her head as she turned around to face the ship girls.

"…Everyone! The signal has been given! Our commander has made it through and waiting for us within the enemy fortress! It's time to do our part! We will bring down that base and kill the Sirens infesting these waters! Stick together, fight as one and we shall prevail! Ship girls of ALASUC, onwards to battle! Follow my lead!" Bismarck said out loud on the radio.

Collective response could be heard on the radio as Bismarck charged ahead of everyone, the rest of the KANSENs immediately followed her as they formed a massive formation with the sun setting on the horizon behind them. Not too far from them, dozens of Rafale fighters took off from Charles de Gaulle two at a time, heading to their designated point in order to commence tactical missile strike. Bismarck steeled herself for the incoming battle, her mettle will be tested in fires of combat once again. Bismarck looked to her sides and she saw the hardened faces of ship girls who's about to face formidable force of Sirens, she has been chosen to lead them well and lead them well she will, she won't let her commander down...The fleet advanced steadily toward the area that's designated by the Intel that William sent, after going toward their destination for some time, the ship girls then noticed the sky flickered and everyone has their guns pointed forward as the base come into view. What awaits them are a massive formation of Siren mass produced ships alongside Siren KANSENs, forming a massive barricade that they will need to tear down if they want to destroy the base. Bismarck gripped her flagpole tightly before she raised it high, then pointed it toward the Siren formation.

"Commence Operation KRAKEN! Today, we will rule the waves! FEUER!" Bismarck shouted out loud on the radio.

.

"…Who on earth is the sender for this mail?" Lucas asked out loud.

"I have no idea in the slightest as well, and Nora has been scratching her head in wonder regarding its origin due to its encryption. Whoever it is, they insist on remaining anonymous" Someone to his right side said to Lucas.

That someone is a young woman with princess cut styled waist long black hair, her emerald green eyes stared at the tablet that Lucas held while she stood to his right side with hands carrying several paper documents and folder. This someone is not just anyone, she is Anna Igorov, Lucas personal secretary that's usually doing the background work for a lot of things…and the one who put up a lot with his shit. The woman is practical saints with how much patience she got especially when Lucas did something that could either result in administrative headache or her own personal headache, she only resorted to light pinching or light scolding when she reprimanded him instead swinging a golf club with full power at his head.

"Hah, not even five minutes since I got to the office and we're facing a potential crisis already" Lucas commented as he stared at the personal message toward him.

"Potential disaster, sir" Anna corrected him while she smiled a bit.

"…Yeah, I guess it's just one step away from becoming one…How's the reinforcement for Celestial Garden?" Lucas said to Anna while he cocked his eyebrows before he asked her.

"Le Triomphant and Le Malin are on their way to meet with the rest of Iris KANSENs, I'm afraid they're what the Iris government can spare when their fleet is currently stuck within that anomalous zone. The Sardegna Senate have stated that they are unable to spare anyone at the moment as their navy is out on their own mission" Anna explained to Lucas.

"…I suppose that's something over nothing…How's our task force?" Lucas asked Anna while he frowned.

"Three squadrons of fighters alongside two electronic warfare aircrafts have been deployed as QRF and Battlegroup Tornado have been redirected from their route on Alboran Sea" Anna said to Lucas while she frowned a bit.

"No response from Ashville?" Lucas asked Anna.

"No sir, but I did find something odd. Based on the Intel I gathered, it seems he took majority of his fleet to sail west a few days ago. Any attempt to communicate with him or his fleet have resulted in failure" Anna said to Lucas while she frowned a bit.

"West? Ah, could it be…" Lucas said to Anna as his eyes widened.

"Yes, there's a big possibility that he might have crossed path with Commander Blaze and the Iris Fleet" Anna said to Lucas.

"Shit…This isn't good, the message did make sense now…We need to link up with William as soon as possible. Anna, find out why would Ashville set sail with that many ships without notifying anyone and-"

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! CLACK!

"High Commander! Sir, you're needed on the control center immediately!" Nora suddenly knocked then barged into Lucas' office.

"Did something happen?" Lucas asked Nora.

"Yeah! Something really bad! We just got word from Royal Navy that they got an unauthorized nuclear missile launch!" Nora said to Lucas with the look of terror on her face.

"Son of a FUCK! Source and destination?!" Lucas asked out loud as he stood up and ran toward the control center.

"It's fired from a Royal Navy submarine on standby around Gibraltar! Destination is currently unknown but it's heading east!" Nora said to Lucas as she ran with him.

"There's only one reason why would they fire to the east! We got ourselves a massive disaster that's about to happen! Unless we stop it, we will definitely lose this Siren War!" Lucas said to Nora with grim look on his face.

---

…Yeehaw, it's one after another, eh? Things are getting hot and wild in this arc. So, I have to say this now to avoid people complaining that I have twisted a lot of things that's considered cannon regarding the KANSENs. Yes, I have taken liberties, with their physiology or even origins like what you find in this story. As you might have realized, I'm not a guy who knows every millimeter of Azur Lane lore, I'm just a man who love anime women who happened to be manifestation of a ship. Also, this story is intended to be a standalone, not one following the game's storyline. It does have a correlation with another fanfic, but that also doesn't follow the game storyline…What I'm trying to say is, the Azur Lane stories that I've written is a contained experience that doesn't necessarily follow the game so you will find a few things that doesn't fit the cannon lore or altered to suit the story. So please keep an open mind when you read the story dear readers, thank you for your understanding.

Okay! Heavy and boring things aside! U-410 has graced my dock and I'm one happy man! I kind of bummed out when I missed her event last year, I really dig her design alongside personality and frankly speaking she's my favorite sub on Azur Lane so far! Yup, I even grinded those 200 wins mission like William did to Hood during their vacation on Eden when they tried to make a baby…Oops, getting sidetracked there…Don't forget to pile your cubes everyone! Save your resources! You might never know when the Royal Navy event started (inhaling copium intensely) and you will want those cubes ready! I want to thank dear readers for your follow, favorite and review, as usual. Stay tuned for the next one that will surely involve a massive fight! And for those whose waiting for average among special update…Yeah, sorry, I fucked up, it will need some time in the workshop with no predicted release date so…stay tuned, please? Here's a little spoiler though, you will get more scene between Alex and Bremerton. Yeah, that sweet pink haired girl, you wouldn't want to miss it!

Alright, that's all. See you next time!

- Dasmara