(A/N) I had intended on getting this out sooner but as it turns out there's a lot of work to be done when it comes to starting a new story. For any who are wondering, this story has no relation to my main story Azur waves and is just a little something I write on from time to time so it shouldn't be overly affecting the release of that.

Apart from that, enjoy the first chapter.


Chapter 1

A warm early summer breeze came in from the east, warming the busy port as the day began. Movement got under way as guard rotations shifted and civilian contractors made their way onto the base. Even the air was a hive of activity as several aircraft returned from the first patrols of the day, much to the annoyance of the air traffic control, as the strained flight plans pushed the engines to their limits or skimming them just above the water's surface, creating a mist of water in their wake.

A hellcat pulled up at the last second only just rising high enough to miss a dormitory building by a few feet before circling round and landing on its carrier.

The sound of the engine had ensured that anyone who had been trying to get a few extra minutes of sleep was now fully awake. These people would start their day with groggy heads.

However, for one of the building's occupants her day had started over an hour ago. She had ran a lap of the base already and was now in the middle of her morning exercises, doing pushups on the small amount of floorspace she had in the cramped room, counting each one in her head in a bid to keep her mind away from what the day was to entail.

Eventually the burning in her arms became too much to endure and she promptly flopped onto the floor, rolling over and catching her breath.

A ringing chime along with the sound of plastic vibrating against wood came from her bedside table. She reached up and with an unsteady arm and blindly felt around until she was able to switch off her phone's alarm.

She gave herself a few extra moments of mindlessly staring at the pure white roof of her room before sitting up and making her way to the shower. She opened the faucet and discarded her drenched workout clothes and hopped in, staving off the growing heat of the day for just a moment longer under the cool water.

She stepped from the wash room and back into the bedroom while drying herself off, starting with her lithe but toned body and following towards her dirty blond hair, and got dressed. All the clothes she needed for the day were already laid out on the bed from when she had awoken earlier.

The roar of an aircraft's engine distracted her from getting dressed. She was able to see the source of the noise with a glance out the room's window.

A hellcat's landing flaps down flashed on the corner of her vision, followed by a sudden cloud of smoke as its wheels skidded across the carrier's deck. The hook caught the arrestor cable and the aircraft promptly lost most of its momentum. Once it had fully stopped the cable came loose and the plane slowly made its way to the elevator.

It wasn't the landing that had caught her attention however, it was the ship's owner. She stood on the ship's deck watching the planes come in, with her long, ash white hair and long black coat whipping in the wind.

The ship and the woman were Enterprise. The legendary carrier of the Eagle Union.

A knocking at the door pulled her attention away from the carrier.

"It's open." She casually called out as she pulled her clothes on, one eye still on the port.

There was the sound of the door opening followed by a feminine sigh as the guest noticed the inhabitant's seeming carelessness.

"My my, Sterling, leaving your door unlocked while showering is just inviting trouble."

Ice ran down her spine as she instantly recognised the stern voice. Promptly spinning around she gave a sharp salute. "Miss Langley, ma'am. I apologise for my lack of decorum."

The mint haired light carrier surveyed the room–from the neatly arranged nautical and military books on the shelves to the carefully laundered dress uniform. She clicked her tongue and waved a hand dismissively. "As you were."

Sterling quickly grabbed the shirt she had dropped to salute and pulled it over her head before reaching for the pure white trousers on the bed. Not once did the tension in her body relax as her superior watched her like a hawk over the rim of her glasses.

Once Sterling had finally reached a point of decency she returned to an at ease position awaiting Langley to do whatever she had entered her room for.

The carrier gestured to the chair in the room "You may sit."

Knowing that it was more of an order than anything, Sterling promptly sat down on the chair.

Langley took a few more steps into the room, running a finger along a counter inspecting it for dust. "How are you on this fine day?"

"Just fine, ma'am." She replied sharply. Beads of sweat began to form along her brow as nerves began to creep through despite her military training.

"You can speak your mind to me, Jessica. I am here on a purely personal basis." The tiny carrier responded while removing a stray piece of lint from her cap. "How are your nerves? Rather exciting day for you isn't it?"

"A little nervous, ma'am, but nothing I can't handle."

Langley sat down on a clear spot in the bed, her shorter height leaving both her legs dangling off the floor. Despite this she was still able to compose herself and command respect.

"I wouldn't be too nervous, Sterling. The Eagle Union wouldn't display their first class of new Commanders failing on the last day now, would it?" The carrier's lips tilted upward at the sailor's surprised reaction. "Don't think they're just letting you through, anyone who would have failed has already been put back into rotation. I've seen your scores as well, and while not perfect, you did pass with flying colours."

Her shoulders sagged as if a massive weight had been lifted from them. "Thank you for informing me. I've been barely able to sleep recently, ma'am."

"Don't count your blessings just yet." The carrier smirked. "Consider yourself lucky a certain destroyer didn't openly share you two's nightly sleeping arrangement during your training exercise."

Langley watched with a smile as the soon to be commander's face reddened in both fear and embarrassment. She couldn't help but chuckle and wave her hand. "Don't worry about it too much, as far as I know I'm the only one outside of her class who knows, and I had Bache assigned to you to stop her from causing too much trouble with the other sailors. Despite her teasing attitude, she tends to go out of her way for people, and from what she told me, the whole reason she offered you her bed was because she was worried you weren't getting enough sleep."

"Ah." Was all she was able to respond with. The memories of spending the cold winter nights sharing the small bed with the expressive destroyer came to the forefront of her mind. In hindsight and with Langley's words she realised her sleep had in fact been better. The two had formed a close bond during the exercise and had remained in touch. She would have to thank Bache next time she was in port.

"We stand on the precipice of a new world, Sterling. Naval Command suddenly wishing to change the entire command structure of the entire Azur Lane came as a shock even to me." Langley spoke as she stood back up and began to survey the young sailor's desk. "After years of all of the nations' ships reporting to one man, we're now supposed to be divided up into our own command structures."

She drummed a few fingers against the desk before continuing. Sterling knew this information to a degree, but hearing it from the veteran herself was both exciting and terrifying.

"The Azur Lane project is supposed to unify us all. They say it's because we've grown too large for one man to command effectively." Langley's brown eyes moved to look out of the window, focusing in on the Union Carrier that sat in port. "But there has to be more to it than that."

She took a step back and shook her head. "Ah, just the ramblings of an old ship. Nothing for you to worry about." She looked at the clock on the bedside table. "I've already taken far too much of your time, I will leave you to get dressed and grab some breakfast. You have my best wishes. Good luck today."

The carrier leaned forward and whispered. "Try and act surprised."

She finished with a wink before promptly walking back out of the room and leaving Sterling alone once again. Heeding Langley's words, she promptly finished getting dressed, ensuring to double check everything before she herself left her small dorm room.

The dormitory was a hive of activity. Sailors not only of her unit but a plethora of others were just starting their day, while others were just turning in for the night after a long night watch. She could even see some were nursing hangovers from the night before. The corner of her lip curled upward as she spotted one sailor in particular making his way down the hall, an ice cold cola bottle in one hand pressed firmly against his forehead.

"Mornin', Ford!" She half yelled following up with a pat on his back to ensure his discomfort.

"Mornin'..." He groaned and twisted the plastic cap, deciding the bottle had served its purpose as a cold pack. He let the carbonated drink soothe his twisting stomach.

They began to walk towards the mess together. Ford's mood slowly improved with the caffeine and promise of food, however his mood almost took a turn for the worse as they stepped outside and were greeted with the blinding light of the sun. He quickly pulled the rim of his cap to block out the source of his discomfort.

"You never learn, do you?" Sterling commented with a teasing grin as she watched him react. "Those girls can shrug off cannon fire, you're never going to beat them at drinking. Who was it this time?"

"Nevada. And I was this close to having her stumble first." He accentuated his point by holding two fingers on his hand close together.

"Right, sure you did. She was probably just being merciful. At least she's able to carry you back to your dorm. The MP's would have your hide if they knew you were getting wasted the night before today."

He snapped his fingers as his face twisted to shock. "You just reminded me! While that southern bombshell was helping me back to my room you'll never guess who I spied sneaking into Peterson's room with him!"

Sterling frowned. "Allen? Those two get along pretty well."

"And nobody knows how that happened." Ford grinned. "But surprisingly, no. Sumner and Frederickson have been an item since January, remember?"

"Unofficially. You know people out there and up here don't like it very much." Sterling groaned. "But by Frederickson you mean the returning engineer from the Royal Navy, right? He's a decent guy."

"A helluva understatement. Many are still gaga about him." Ford said with a tint of envy. "He had the gall to break a lotta hearts. Fuckin' playboy."

"That's just because he's popular. And women respect him, unlike you." She pondered again. "Anyway, Alabama?"

"Out of base since March."

"Oof. True, I had forgotten. Hmm… Oklahoma?"

"Nice try, but nope."

"Ugh. I have no idea. Just tell me."

Allowing an extra moment of suspense Ford quickly looked around before hushing closer so she would be the only one to hear. "Arizona. She was all dolled up and everything."

"No fucking way!" The soon to be commander stopped in her tracks, and looked at the man in disbelief. "The ever reclusive Peterson bagged Arizona? THE Arizona!?"

"Hand to God. Even with how drunk I was, I'd recognise that battleship anywhere."

Sterling shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Well, this morning just got a little more interesting."


The mess hall was predominately for the sailors. The ships had their own dormitory that came equipped with a small kitchen, but most preferred the company of the sailors, just as they also had their own training facilities and recreational centre that the sailors couldn't enter without written permission. Right now the mess was filled with a mix of the two as they began their day.

One sailor in particular was just sitting down at a table with his breakfast, his head half hidden by his cap and fuzzy brown hair that spilt out from under it. He pushed his glasses up from where they had slid down and was just about to start eating when two trays slammed down on either side of him followed by two people promptly occupying the space either side of him.

"And how are you on this fine morning, Peterson? Hope you had a good night's rest." Ford chuckled as he sat.

"Ah, w-well." He stuttered, trying his hardest to remain focused on the food in front of him. "It was all normal as usual."

"Really now?" Ford replied, taking a bite out of his toast. "Because I just so happened to see you last night walking into your room with a certain battleship in tow. Care to elaborate?"

"You saw?" His face grew red with embarrassment. "We were just–Uhh. you see."

Ford nudged him with his elbow. "Come on, spill the beans. How was she?"

Sterling sighed. Despite her wanting to know she was starting to feel sorry for him. "Don't push him too far, Ford. What he does during his own time is his to disclose if he wants. He doesn't have to tell us if he doesn't want to."

"I think you will find he does."A stern woman's voice joined in. All three of the sailors' eyes moved to see her sit down opposite them. From her deep green eyes to her half buttoned uniform, they all knew who it was. Battleship Pennsylvania, Arizona's overprotective older sister.

She brought up a cup of coffee to her lips and took a drink, her eyes fixated like a hawk on her sister's apparent partner. She placed the cup back down and flicked her head aside with a commanding motion, her long ponytail following the motion. "Ari tried sneaking into our room at the crack of dawn this morning. Didn't take her long to buckle and tell me what you two got up to."

Peterson remained frozen aghast, his mouth half open.

Ford quickly tried to make himself scarce. "Ah you know I just remembered I've got somewhere to–"

"No, you don't." The Battleship commanded with an icy look.

"N-no, I don't." Ford promptly sat back down.

Pennsylvania turned her gaze back to Peterson, visually inspecting every detail of him before relenting and rubbing her eyes. Peterson cowered somewhat, gulping and keeping his mouth pressed into a thin line.

"While I can't for the life of me see what she sees in you, I also can't deny that this morning was the happiest I've seen her in a long time." She took a piece of paper out from her pocket and slid it across the table. "Ari wants to know if you're free later, there's a movie she would like to see. This is a note letting you into our dorms." She tapped the paper forcefully. "As long as she's happy I'm happy. But hurt her and you'll see just how fast a fourteen inch shell can go."

The sailor looked at the offered piece of paper before taking it. "T-thanks, I will."

"Good." She nodded with a surprisingly warm smile that was gone as fast as it came. She redirected her attention to the other man. "As for you, Ford. Word of this is not to spread like wildfire. While relationships between ships and humans aren't entirely unheard of, I don't want Ari having to deal with the attention such a thing would bring."

The sailor promptly nodded.

Her point made, Pennsylvania finished her coffee and stood back up. "Then I will take my leave, I still need to get some breakfast and the Fletchers will start swarming our canteen soon." Her expression softened and she turned to the female of the group. "Sterling, I wish you the best of luck with today, and I hope you get a good posting."

"Why is she a complete hardass with everyone but you?" Ford complained after the raven haired battleship had left.

"Maybe because I'm the only one on base who isn't constantly trying to get under her skirt." She explained while returning to her breakfast.

"Not entirely true." Ford waved a finger while picking up a fork. "I for one also don't, there's only one ship in the world for me."

"Here we go again." Jessica groaned. "King George is way out of your league. Hell, she's a Royal Navy ship, there's a snowball's chance in hell you're ever even going to even speak to her again."

There had been the combined exercise the two navies had partaken in a few months ago. Ford had been awestruck at the sight of the blond haired battleship, and had been insufferably infatuated since.

"If Allen and Frederickson can make it work, so can I." He argued.

"Frederickson has game, the face of an actor, and the bucks to make most of us in this base blush." She teased. "What have you got other than grime and dirt to offer such a fine lady?"

"These guns and a winning smile. British chicks love those kinds of things. " Ford boasted, flexing his biceps. "It may still happen. If I get a posting to the east Atlantic then there will be dozens of opportunities to work my charm."

"Whatever, just don't go causing an international incident." She sighed, checking her watch. Time was slowly starting to run out before they would all need to be on parade for the ceremony.


Sterling stood at ease out on the parade ground, her small white cap barely keeping the blinding sun out of her face. She only half listened to what the man on the podium was saying, as she instead looked at the crowd behind him. Thankfully the press had been kept to a minimum so there were only a few people currently taking photos of them, She also recognised a few high ranked members of the Admiralty sitting in a group together. The main bulk of the crowd were all the family members of her fellow sailors.

She didn't try to see if her's were there. They never turned up to anything like this.

Finally on the other side of the ground was a mixed assortment of women, their vibrant clothing and hair colours making it obvious they were the Ship Girls that could be bothered to come and watch, She had spotted a few watching from their ships in the harbour as she marched out, but she didn't risk looking over now.

She wondered who she would be assigned to. Once the parade was over and they were given their rank, they would soon be told what base they would be posted at and the ship who would serve as their first command.

It was obvious which ship Peterson wanted assigned to, and she was sure Ford just wanted a posting to Europe to try and meet his crush. Sterling looked again at the huddle of ships watching them and pondered. She realised she had never really thought about it, though it was a bit late to try and find a preference now, so she just let it slide and waited to see who she got.

The man finally stopped talking and waved over someone to take his place. Sterling's attention was immediately drawn over to the man who walked to the stand. He was the current Commander of the Azur Lane coalition. A legendary hero not just in the Eagle union but across all four corners of the world.

And at his side was his second, the silver haired beauty that was Enterprise, the woman who had become the living symbol of the Ship Girl's strength. Her solemn expression matched that of the Commander's as she surveyed the sailors in front of them.

Electing to stand closer to the group instead of at the podium, the Commander cleared his throat. "We stand here at the precipice of a new age. For many years I have been nigh alone in my duty of organising the combined fleets of the Azur Lane, but now you will be part of this effort."

Jessica noticed a slight grimace on Enterprise's face, but it was quickly hidden by her usual stoic expression.

The Commander continued. "You all have the fortune of being the first to take part in the new age. Walk with pride knowing that with all that comes after you will be following in your footsteps, each one of you creating a template for not just the Eagle Union, but all the other Navy's in the world."

He spoke for a little while longer, mostly just thanking and honouring the efforts of all those that had been part of the effort in creating the program. The speeches were eventually finished and he began walking down the line of new Commanders with Enterprise and Langley at his side, inspecting each one before exchanging a short conversation and handing them their badge and ribbon. The former was placed on the uniform's chest by Enterprise.

"Still not fixing the back of your collar, Peterson." The Commander said as he finished inspecting the shorter man. Sterling stifled any comments of her own, as she'd be heard immediately being right next to him.

"My apologies, sir. I will strive to better myself."

Even though she kept her head pointing forward she noticed the Commander lean in slightly. "Make sure you do. A movie theatre may be dark, but a lady always appreciates a man who puts in the effort." The Commander went to take the ribbon from a case in Langley's arms and handed it to him before he could react. He then took a step back and allowed Enterprise to affix the medal.

Sterling somehow managed to straighten herself up even more when the Commander reached her. Trying with all her will to remain looking forward while he took a methodical walk around her, the two ships standing patently to the side as he did so.

"The back of your boots could do with a little more polish, Sterling. But barring that I guess it's passable."

She clicked her tongue as silently as she could. He always found something to comment on.

"I will ensure they are fully polished next time, sir." She replied.

"I'm sure you will, I've heard of the many nights and free time you've spent studying or working." She noticed the Commander grimace slightly before speaking in a quieter tone. "Your diligence and hard work are an example to us all and I hope you still continue to do so. However, one thing I want you to keep in mind is that what sets these girls apart from the hulls they were created from, is their ability to live as humans and experience all the joys of life. In my experience that is what makes them far more powerful than just a hunk of steel."

"Aye, sir." She responded, unsure as to what he was implying.

The Commander nodded and turned, taking the offered ribbon and medal that Langley held in her hand, passing the latter to Enterprise. He held out the ribbon in offering to Sterling "With this I now grant the rank of Naval Commander to you, Miss Jessica Sterling. May you find glory in all of the seven seas."

She saluted sharply, pride welling up in her as she took the ribbon. The Commander stepped back and allowed Enterprise to affix the medal to her chest. The Carrier smiled as she did so before whispering a "Good job." followed by a slight wink that only she could see.

With another salute out of the way the Commander moved along the line. Sterling had to stifle a laugh when she overheard what the Commander said to Ford after inspecting him. "Good to see the hangover did not impede your ability to straighten out your uniform. I had been curious to see how you would look after Nevada carried you across the base this morning."


With the rest of the medal ceremony done they were dismissed and each given a time to report to the Commander's office to be given their assignment. If the dormitory had been a hive of activity during the morning, right now it was positively bustling as most of the sailors preemptively began stowing away their personal effects in preparation for their next deployments.

Sterling did not overly bother as most of what she owned could be quickly packed up and ready to move. Instead she just gave her room a quick cleandown and went for a run, her mind milling over the different types of ship she might be assigned.

"A latter gen Battleship or fleet carrier is way too powerful for a new Commander, so that rules out any of them. A Cruiser, Destroyer, Submarine or Escort Carrier then, but who?" Her mind flashed through the limited number of ships she had spent time with during her training, most of them were experienced veterans with long combat records all of which would make suitable assignments, giving her a chance to prove her worth while also making a difference.

Eventually, she finished her run and returned to the dorms and spied Peterson and Arizona at the base's gate, the latter showing the guard a piece of paper–a permit that allowed the girls to leave the base for a certain amount of time. While they were easily acquired, Sterling did know most of the girls disagreed with the fact they needed permission to leave in the first place.

She had kept a neutral opinion of the matter, while she could see why they disapproved, there was the fact that they were still capable of using their rigging even without their ships, a fact that some of the groups who were against the civilian presence of the Ship Girls were all too ready to bring up whenever one of the ships lost her temper in public.

After another quick shower to clean off the sweat, Sterling checked the time on her phone and began making her way towards the Commander's office. She was to be one of the first to receive her assignment, with the rest of the new Commander getting theirs throughout the next few days.

A text received from Ford had a photo of him with a smiling pink haired, green eyed girl. She was able to drag up the name Memphis from her memory. The photo came with the message of his deployment to Northern Europe.

"One step closer to meeting his dream dame I guess." She mused to herself while walking into the command building.

Reaching the door to the office and after double checking her uniform and hair, she knocked against the aged wood.

"Come in." Came the reply.

She was greeted by two people behind a desk within the confined room. The Commander sat on an ornate but worn looking leather chair and Enterprise vigilantly stood at his side. To her surprise there wasn't anyone else in the room, nor had there been anyone outside. Had she not been given an assignment? Or was hers on some far off base that she would need to travel to before meeting her?

"Sir." She saluted, keeping her face neutral and uncertainties hidden.

The Commander kept writing for a moment longer, his head tilted down and barely even registering the newcomer. Enterprise on the other hand showed her a bright smile, a stark contrast to the usual stoicism she was commonly known for.

"I hope you have not begun packing yet." He finally spoke, putting his pen down and finally looking up. "You are to remain stationed here for the time being. As for the ship you're assigned to…" He looked at his watch. "She is supposed to be here by now. Enterprise, have you heard anything from her?"

"No, sir." The carrier replied looking equally confused. "We confirmed her arrival and orders last night, so I don't know why she's running late."

Any reply from the Commander was cut off by the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, which were followed soon by the door swinging open and filling the room with the sound of heavy breathing.

"Sorry, I'm late!" A feminine voice bellowed, one that Jessica didn't recognise.

Wishing to make a good first impression and show her professionalism Jessica remained looking forward not allowing the sudden entry to distract her.

"Oh?" The newcomer spoke. "Is this the hunk who's gonna be ordering me around?"

A pair of hands snaked their way around Jessica's body causing her to slightly yelp. The hand's stopped as the newcomer heard her voice.

"Huh? That sounds like a…" The hands climbed higher and felt her chest, forcing another yelp from her.

Sterling finally disregarded formality and turned to see who had been so brazen. Her gaze met a pair of confused pink eyes looking back at her. The molester's hair matched her eyes though it had streaks of dark grey around it, and was tied up into twintails, topped off with a pair of orange sunglasses. She was dressed rather… scandalously, with an uniform consisting of grey-ish silver blue booty shorts and decorated stockings with sneakers, a long coat emblazoned with Eagle Union menagerie all around it, and a super cropped top that did nothing to hide the pink bikini she wore underneath nor her outrageous proportions that would make any woman green with envy, to put it mildly. Her expression was warm and relaxed–if slightly confused even after feeling Jessica up.

"Sterling. I want you to meet the newly launched Baltimore-class heavy cruiser, Bremerton. She will be under your command for the foreseeable future." The Commander said with evident amusement.

Bremerton's face shifted from confusion to amusement. "You can just call me Brem. Nice to meet ya!"


(A/N) And that's a wrap on the first chapter, I hope that while it was a little different from how Azur waves is written, that it was still enjoyable to read.

Please let me know how you felt about the chapter.