"The papers you requested."

Gangut unceremoniously deposited another stack of forms and reports for me to sign before she returned to her desk without another word. I watched her go, trying to find the words that would shake her out of this mysterious malaise that had gripped her. I'd hoped that things would return to normal after the incident in the maintenance bay, but if anything, they'd gotten worse. She continued to withdraw, becoming more and more distant, and I spent almost as much time trying to find the words to fix this as I did on paperwork. It had gotten so bad that I was starting to entertain the notion of replacing her as my secretary. We were still working…decently okay…ish…for now, but at this point it was beginning to be colder in here than it was outside.

I just wished I knew what was going on. I didn't think it was when I turned her down for sex, after all, she was the one who decided not to pursue a romantic relationship. The change seemed to happen after our little spat in the maintenance bay. I don't know why she took it so hard when I told her to take care of herself as if I had somehow affronted her. To make matters worse, when I asked for her reasoning, she refused to elaborate. Apparently, I wasn't worthy enough to tell. Which made it damn hard for me to correct a mistake if I don't even know what it is I did wrong. I tried on numerous occasions to talk to her about what had happened, but she rebuffed me each time. I just wish I knew what I did wrong. After a few more minutes of moping and fruitless self-reflection, I decided to try something different.

"Hey, Gangut," I called out to her, trying to keep my voice casual and nonchalant. "How'd you like to stop by for burgers tonight?"

For just a fraction of a second, I saw her ruby eyes flash with delight, only to be quickly swallowed up by that morose disinterest expression she'd had for the past few days. "No, thank you," she glumly replied.

At that point, I had reached my wit's end. With an exhausted sigh, I stood up from my desk and walked around to the front of it, eying her up. "What's going on?" I asked bluntly, my patience exhausted. "What did I do to deserve this frigid treatment from you?"

Gangut flinched as if struck and she stared at me with wide eyes. "W-what do you mean?"

"Ever since the exercise, you've been distant, and cold," I began as I got up and walked around my desk. "I can't help but feel I've upset you somehow, but without knowing what I did wrong, I can't make it right. I'm asking for, I need your help. Please. What did I do?"

A dark look passed over her face, as if by asking I had made it worse. A scowl crossed her face and she took a deep breath, as if she was about to let me have it. Before she could answer, however, our saviors arrived. The door to the office swung open and a pair of kansen I'd never seen before stepped in. The pair couldn't be more different from one another. One was tall, with pink hair, clad entirely in white, with chains on either wrist. Like Gangut, she was voluptuous, with curves that rivaled or even surpassed the battleship. The other was slim, petite, with white hair streaked with black. She also wore more black, using white only as an accent and blood red. The tall one seemed prim and proper while the svelte girl had a more mischievous look about her.

"Uh, can I help you ladies?" I asked as I looked them up and down.

"Oh, forgive us," the tall one smiled politely, "We're looking for-"

Whatever she said next was drowned out by Gangut's exuberant cry. "Poltava! Sevastopol!" she exclaimed as she sprang to her feet and dashed over to her sisters. "It's so good to see you again! What are you doing here?"

"We got transfer orders a few days ago," the shorter one explained as she hugged back. "Ran into Poltava on the way here and we figured we'd come find you together." That must make the shorter one Sevastopol.

"Transfer orders?" Gangut looked at them with a quizzical expression. "I don't recall processing any transfer orders."

"I ordered it," I answered. "I was hoping to make it a full family reunion, but Marat is unfortunately…indisposed." I gave Gangut a shaky smile. "I wanted it to be a surprise." I also wanted it to be under far better circumstances than this, but I wasn't about to say that part out loud.

Gangut smiled at me; hesitant, shaky, but a smile nonetheless. The first one I'd seen from her in days. "Thank you, Comrade," she said softly. First time she'd called me that in a few days, too. For a moment, hope blossomed in my heart, and I wondered if this was enough for Gangut and me to put this unpleasantness, whatever it was, behind us.

"Glad I could help," I smiled tightly, not sure how far I should push my luck. "And it's nice to meet you two," I said to the new arrivals.

"Of course, where are my manners?" Gangut chided herself before she gestured towards me. "This is Admiral Mikhail Brown, of the Azur Lane. He will be staying with us for a while to help us retake the sea from the Sirens. And these are my sisters, as you know." She gestured to the tall, pink-haired woman, who stepped forward. "This is Poltava."

She stepped toward me, and I met her halfway as she shook my hand. "I'm Poltava, Gangut-class battleship of the Northern Parliament," she introduced herself with a friendly, yet practiced smile. "While Gangut herself may be more famous, my abilities will not disappoint you. Got a work issue, a personal issue, or any issue at all? Just come to me!"

"I'll keep that in mind," I smiled diplomatically, her offer immediately causing my eyes to dart to Gangut, then back to Poltava. This did not go unnoticed by the pink-haired sibling, who glanced over her shoulder, and then gave me a reassuring smile and a wink before she stepped back to join her siblings.

Gangut gestured to her smaller sibling as she stepped forward, hands on hips. "And this is Sevastopol."

"So you're the Comrade Commander," she grinned as she grabbed my hand, giving it a firm, excited shake. "I'm the Northern Parliament battleship, Sevastopol. Revolution doesn't happen on tea parties alone, Comrade. Think of me as any ordinary young lady, and you'll regret it!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," I chuckled as I returned her handshake with equal enthusiasm. "A pleasure to meet you."

Sevastopol finally released my hand and stepped back over to her siblings. "So, did you just call us here for this family reunion?"

"I did not," I admitted with a wry grin. "You're all getting upgrades. Improved anti-aircraft batteries, engines, and we're adding radar, too."

Poltava and Sevastopol shared an excited grin before Gangut added, "Oh, and we have labels for that mystery switch!"

The pair gasped and Sevastopol asked, "What is it?"

"The running lights!"

"Ohhhhhhh," The sisters said in unison. The smaller sibling added, "I always thought it was some kind of SOS system."

I fixed her with a puzzled look. "What makes you say that?"

"Because every time I started flipping it on and off at port, someone would come and ask if I was alright."

I couldn't help but chuckle at her logic. "Fair enough," I grinned. "So we don't have three battleships off the line at once, we're going to do this one at a time. Sevastopol, you'll go first, then Poltava, and finally Gangut. Any questions?"

Sevastopol's hand shot up. "When do we get started?"

"Tomorrow," I answered, much to her disappointment. "The upgrade process is going to take a day to complete, and we don't want to leave your rigging half-finished overnight."

She sighed dramatically, but seemed to accept my explanation. "In that case, what have you got planned for the rest of the day for us?"

I glanced up at the clock and ran some quick numbers in my head. "Nothing planned, so how about Gangut takes the rest of the day off and you three enjoy catching up?"

Gangut shot me a worried look before glancing back at her sisters. "But, Comrade, there's still work to be done…"

"The work will still be here when you get back," I smiled reassuringly. "Time with family is what's important."

Despite my words, she still looked torn. Fortunately, Poltava had things under control. "How about a compromise?" she interjected. "You and Sevastopol go pick out a good wine selection for tonight while I help the Comrade Commander here with paperwork. When you get back, we'll all have dinner and drinks together. Sound good?"

Gangut looked at Poltava, then back to me. "Nyet," she declared with an emphatic shake of her head. "You were always better at picking out the wine than me, anyways. You and Sevastopol go, and by the time you get back, we'll be ready."

Poltava grinned triumphantly, for reasons I didn't quite understand. "As you wish," she said as she began ushering Sevastopol out the door. "We'll be back in a little bit." Just as the door shut behind her, I saw her give me a thumbs-up and a wink.

Gangut wasted no time. As soon as the door shut, she went on the offensive. "Why do you not challenge yourself?"

I took a half-step back, confused by the sudden accusation. "What are you talking about? Do you think I normally come halfway around the world to freezing locales to try and overhaul and upgrade naval infrastructure and supply lines because it's easy?"

"I did not say easy," she said with an emphatic shake of her head. "I said 'challenge yourself'. I do not doubt this is difficult, but it is clear that you have a handle on this. It has become your normal. You will not grow, you will not get stronger from this." She stepped forward and took a deep breath before continuing. "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, Comrade, but this fight is not just for all of us. It's also yours. Never settle with the status quo, and always seek to keep improving."

Much to my horror and disbelief, I realized that deep down, she was right. This wasn't easy, but I had just gotten…numb to it, I guess? I'd fallen into a rut and hadn't realized it until just now. Here I was, in another country, and I'd ventured off base once, and even then, only because the mess hall was closed. "Is that why you don't want to talk to me about your guns?" I asked. "Because you think I'm just looking to keep the status quo, to take the easy way out?"

She nodded, a pained expression on her face.

I let out a long sigh as I ran my hand through my hair. "Bozhe moi," I muttered under my breath as I thought things over. "I'm…I'm not trying to keep the status quo, I want you to grow, to get stronger. But somehow I feel like my words alone aren't going to cut it, huh?"

"Nyet."

I wracked my brain as I tried to think of ways I could get out of this rut, ways I could challenge myself, but I couldn't think of a single damn thing. In the end, I looked her in the eye and said, "Help me." When she just stared at me in confusion, I explained myself. "I…I don't know how to do that. I've been stuck in this so long that I honestly don't know how I would even begin to challenge myself. File paperwork while juggling chainsaws?"

Gangut giggled and shook her head. "That would not help you get stronger, Comrade. It would not help you grow." She eyed me up and down. "Tell me, when was the last time you went into combat? Aside from our most recent venture."

"Intentionally?" I clarified as I thought it over. "Almost a year, I think. Not since Midway."

"That is what I am talking about," she pointed at me. "You are not pitting yourself against the Sirens directly anymore, you are not facing down your foes as you should. You are hiding in your office like a little mouse-"

"Hey-" I began to object, but she kept on going.

"-buried beneath paperwork. I have seen you in command. You are strong, and cunning, yet you hide behind your desk, Comrade!" With every word, her tone grew more and more impassioned, reaching a fever pitch as she reached out and grabbed my shoulders, practically shaking me like a ragdoll. "Be the strong Commander we know you can be! Sail with us, fight by our side! For the Northern Parliament and Azur Lane!"

Despite the jostling, I knew she was right. In those early days, I took to the field regularly, but as time went on and I was able to delegate combat assignments to my capable subordinates, I wound up finding myself holed up in my office.

"Alright!" I gasped, grabbing onto her arms so I could try and stay upright. "Alright. More combat missions. But only if you agree not to skip any more maintenance." She chewed her lip as her eyes averted mine, but I wasn't about to relent. "Either that or we can talk about why."

Gangut let out a frustrated sigh before she nodded. "I won't skip any more maintenance. But we will go out on combat missions! And soon." I'd almost hoped she told me why, but it looked like that would have to be another conversation for another day, unfortunately.

"Deal," I nodded in agreement as she finally released me from her bear-like grip. "Just one question. How are we going to deal with all the paperwork that gets piled up while we're gone?"

A slow smirk spread across her face. "Ah, Comrade. I believe now I understand how you have become buried under your work. Do you not share this with anyone back at your home port?"

"No," I answered quickly. "Why would I? I'm in charge, it's my responsibility."

Her smirk grew into a broad smile. "Ah, but here in the Northern Parliament, we believe in sharing the burdens of our comrades. We will work something out to help you while we are away."

"We?"

Her crimson eyes lit up. "You asked for help. What kind of comrade would I be if I only stopped at suggestions?" She looked me in the eye, her smile fading as her expression became more serious. "Besides, you are family. In our disagreements, I had forgotten that. Thank you for the reminder, Comrade."

It took me a second to realize what she meant by "reminder", and when it finally clicked, I simply shook my head and looked away for a moment, my cheeks flush. "I saw an opportunity to make you happy and I took it. Nothing to thank me for."

"They are there regardless," she replied, letting the moment sit there for a moment before she sprang back to her usual, exuberant self. "Now! Let us finish what we can, Comrade, before they come back."

We worked feverishly, finishing about two hour's worth of paperwork in just thirty minutes. By the time Poltava and Sevastopol returned, I was ready for a drink.

"We've returned," Poltava announced as she stepped inside, followed by a very eager Sevastopol. "And we've found the perfect wine."

"They're all perfect if you ask me," Sevastopol pouted. "They all get you drunk just as fast. Could've been back here quicker if we just grabbed the first bottle."

"Unlike you two," the curvier battleship replied, throwing pointed looks at both her siblings, "I prefer to savor the taste of my spirits." She gave me a less pointed look. "And what about you, Comrade Commander?"

"I'm with you on this one," I grinned.

"So nice to finally have some backup," she chuckled as she held out the wine. "Now, where should we drink this? I feel the office may not be the best place for getting tipsy."

"What about the Parapet?" Sevastopol offered.

"The Parapet?" I repeated. "I don't recall seeing any castles around here."

"That is because there are none," Gangut explained with a grin. "There is a lookout tower on top of the headquarters building with crenellations. Purely decorative to make it look like a parapet. Hence the name." She taps her chin and hums thoughtfully. "Although I do not think we could fit all of us up there at once. Not comfortably."

"Not to mention it's too cold right now to be drinking outside!" Sevastopol protested. "Indoor drinking for me, thank you very much."

I had to agree with her. In the meantime, I tried to think of places we could all drink comfortably. "There's the mess hall," I offered.

"Too public," Poltava declined with a firm shake of her head. "I don't want other people flitting in and out when we're trying to catch up with one another." Then her eyes flashed as something comes to mind. "What about the White Room?"

I shrugged and shook my head. "Never heard of it."

"It is still there," Gangut confirmed for Poltava before explaining, "It is an old ballroom back from the days of the bourgeoisie, one floor up. We still use it for large gatherings, briefings, the occasional party. Should be deserted for now, and for the rest of the evening."

"Sounds like a plan," Poltava grinned. "If you two are ready, we can be on our way."

Gangut and I shared a look and a nod before we turned back to Poltava. "We're ready."

"Excellent!" she beamed. "Then let's be on our way."

A/N-Things don't look great, but backup has arrived! Until next time, fair winds and following seas!