26th September, 1941.

"What… are you…!?" Strength grunts as she crawls backwards away from the demon in front of her.

The Cruiser snarls, "I am the one who will tear off your limbs and remove every body part not needed to sustain your life. I am the one you should've sank yourself upon seeing, and for not doing so as well as harming mein Kommandantin and my friends, I will do it slowly, draining your blood and removing your jaw so all you can do is scream in agony." She hisses while showing off her razor-sharp gauntlet claws. She gets closer grabs her leg, then slowly tears it from her body, making Strength yell in pain and terror.

Victory kneels next to Dreadnought and smiles, "Have fun, Roon. Remember, she needs to be kept alive. We need to question her so hold off on the jaw thing for now."

"Jawohl, Kommandantin." Roon says in her sweet tone.

Nelson looks at her, "Commander? I thought you were trying to be less violent?"

Victory looks down at Dreadnought, now unconscious due to shock and blood loss. Her smile turns to a frown and her voice darkens, "That was before one of my oldest friends was almost killed… be a dear and pick her up for me, Nelson. I've only got one arm."

Nelson does so now that Strength's power on Dreadnought's sword is gone.

Lurker keeps trying to get Alpha to come with her. "Observer, come on! We have to get you out!"

Alpha smiles, "It's all useless, Lurker…. Hehehehe…. The Leviathans will come…. And we'll all die…. Hahahaha…. There's nothing we can do…. The Kansen and the humans will never be strong enough…. We should all just stay in here, away from the real world…. HahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"What did they do to you…?" Lurker asks, before getting tapped on the shoulder. "Huh?" She looks behind her, only to be grabbed by the neck by a very annoyed Sheffield.

The Maid says, "Why the Commander allows such pests in this base is beyond me." She slams Lurker against the wall, knocking her out.

Alpha smiles at Sheffield, "You… you've woken up, haven't you? Would you like to know how to get your Cubes out of here?"

Surprised, Sheffield responds, "You're just going to tell me?" She picks up Lurker and throws her in another cell.

"Yeah, why not? Hehehehe…. Your newfound strength shows promise…." Alpha giggles.

Belfast helps push back the invading Sirens and sinking any stragglers. She and the others went to sleep so they can help out, given their new riggings in the simulation by Hood.

Bismarck watches Hood closely, having stayed behind with her.

Wales tries once again to get her attention. She puts her hand gently on Hood's shoulder and softly says, "Hood… just step away for a moment. Look me in the eyes. Tell me what's wrong."

Having had enough, Hood suddenly grabs her wrist, then backhands her, making Bismarck and the Admiral even more on edge.

"…Hood…?" Wales says with a shaky voice, hand on her cheek, "Wha…"

"Leave. Now. This is more important than whatever false feelings you think I'd ever have for you." Hood coldly says as she turns back to the computer.

Silence falls on the room. Wales slowly turns around and walks out.

Without looking, Hood says, "You don't trust me, do you, Bismarck?"

Pulling Hood away by force and pointing a finger in her face, Bismarck demands, "Nein, I do not, considering you just assaulted the one you clearly once loved. It is just us and the Admiral now, so tell us what the hell has happened to you, how you're suddenly so technology adept and how you have all this access to the Siren systems. Also, how you even look like one now!"

"Yeah, I've been wondering that myself. Your file doesn't mention you being so proficient with Siren tech, Miss Hood." The Admiral agrees. "Plus, you'd never harm Wales, even before you suddenly got so close with her."

"Very well." Hood turns around and types the last lines of code she needed. She faces them, "Hood is gone. I am Observer Zero." Her eyes glow the same bright blue as the Siren.

Bismarck activates her rigging. The Admiral aims his sidearm at her and growls, "You are going to start making sense. Now."

"When Bismarck sank Hood and gave her Cubes to me in the simulation, I took them here to the real world, and converted them, giving me a backup vessel in the event I am killed. As you can see, it was successful." Zero explains in Hood's voice, "Fear not, I am now back in control of the simulation and the rest of the Sirens will fall in line."

"By "fall in line", you mean that we're back to fighting a more organised Siren threat?" Bismarck hisses.

"I never had direct control over the Arbiters. I simply punished them if they do something I disapprove of. If the Sirens were not organised, they would run amok. Their priorities have shifted due to their corrupted personalities. I do not have that weakness." Zero retorts. "They are less of a threat now that I have them back under the threat of recoding or deletion. You do not know of our goal, do you?"

Bismarck responds, "Nein, and I assume you would be lying if you told me."

Zero responds, "My programming does not allow me to lie. I cannot alter my core programming out of the risk of corrupting myself like my comrades have."

Bismarck asks, "What about Hood's ability to lie!? You're in her head now!"

Zero swiftly responds, "Kansen minds are far less advanced than Sirens. I simply isolated whatever influence she could have on me. She is still in here, watching, listening…" she then pauses, looking down and making a somewhat sad face. She adds, "…crying…"

Bismarck and the Admiral look at each other and back to her.

Zero regains her emotionless self and her face falls back into deadpan. "Plus, if you harm this body, she will feel it."

After a while, the Admiral relents, "Fine." He puts his 1911 away and gestures to Bismarck to stand down. "Explain, but know that we're both watching you."

"You would be fools to not be cautious. Allow me to start from the beginning…" Zero says.

In Hood's mind, she curls up in the corner of her locked room looking at the massive TV screen showing what her eyes are seeing and listening to the speakers representing her ears.

"You… you promised not to hurt her…"

Zero appears as her original self and stands before her. "Incorrect. I had promised not to kill her. She was disrupting my work in stabilising the simulation."

"How are you even here? I can hear you explaining everything to Bismarck." Hood glares at her.

"I have the ability to multi-task." Zero simply responds. "You need to stop crying. It's interrupting my speech patterns."

"Oh, boo, hoo." Hood sneakily retorts. "Stop destroying my bloody life in front of me and perhaps I'll consider it."

"Your childish remarks will not help you. The relationship between you and Prince of Wales is artificial, I've told you before."

Hood gets up and steps towards her, "YOU SHUT YOUR FUCKING HEAD!" Her elegance disappears, replaced by her true Scottish accent. "WHAT WE HAD WAS REAL TO ME, YOU BLOODY BAWBAG!" She grabs Zero by the collar, "HOW DARE YOU—"

While Hood goes on her rant, Zero feels something in her mind. Hood is affecting her.

The version of her explaining the Leviathans suddenly feels an overwhelming sense of anger and sadness caused by Hood's mental emotional outburst. She falls to her knees, or rather, Hood's knees.

Bismarck and the Admiral step back as Zero yells, "THEY KILLED EVERYONE! We… we could not save them…"

Hood looks at the still emotionless Zero in her mind. She takes a deep breath and asks, "Was this really the best course of action? Why not just work with us again?" She's regained some of her elegance. "Would it not be better to work on defeating the Leviathans…" she puts her hand on the Siren's shoulder, "…together, Zero? I'm sure with the technology humanity has now we can create something that will give us a chance?"

Zero looks up at her, Hood's emotions fighting back against Zero's influence, overpowering her and finding their way into Zero's mind, filling the parts between her logistical centres with emotion. She feels her mind come under stress and her thoughts get invaded by the memories of those she failed in the original timeline. She looks down at the floor and text appears in her vision.

[WARNING: POTENTIAL VIRUS DETECTED. UNABLE TO PURGE.]

"Zero? Are you…"

"We will speak again later." Zero quickly says as she vanishes.

"Was that… emotion from her?" Hood whispers.

Bismarck cautiously approaches the crying Siren on the floor. "Zero? Respond, what are you doing?" She puts her hand on her shoulder and pulls her back so she's kneeling. She kneels in front of her while the Admiral takes a better position to watch Zero.

Zero focuses fully on controlling Hood's body. The version she split off to speak to Hood rejoins her and she suddenly stops crying, but doesn't revert fully to emotionlessness. She gets up and says, "I'm fine. My emotional blockers were compromised. I am still able to explain."

Zero continues to elaborate on everything she has previously told Hood.

The next day n the simulation, after having subdued Strength by taking her gauntlets off her by force, and with the promise of being able to further mutilate the Siren after Victory is done with her, Roon is allowed to roam the base freely again, but is warned that if she tries to make sexual advances on Victory without her consent again, it's right back in the bunker for her. The Commander herself is laid in a hospital bed along with George, Dreadnought and anyone else severely wounded. Nelson visits her and sees her arm is back, somehow. Even the scars from the incident are nowhere to be seen. She's not even in bed, instead standing by Dreadnought's bedside. She's had urgent surgery done on her. Nelson stands next to her, "Commander?"

Victory looks at her as if nothing had happened, "Hello, Nelson. Are you alright?"

"You're the one who almost died, Commander! Forget how I'm feeling, idiot!" She yells out, but then subdues herself, "…sorry…"

Victory chuckles, "It's alright. I know you're still getting used to being with me. I'm afraid we're going to have to just live with being protective of each other."

"I'm supposed to be protecting you… but my ship was used to harm you…" Nelson looks down.

"Hey…" Victory pulls her in for a hug. "Don't feel bad about that, Nellie. None of us could've known THAT would happen. It's really my own fault for not anticipating anything in this damn simulation. The Sirens created it, so obviously they can manipulate it however they want, right? Don't worry about my arm or Bismarck's. In the real world, I'm sure we're both just fine, just like Wales with her nasty scar. She even said herself she doesn't have it outside the simulation."

Nelson smiles and hugs her back, "Thank you, Vic… By the way…"

"Hm?"

"How did your arm grow back?" Nelson asks, pulling out of the hug.

"Oh, yes. That… it… just… sort of happened. I have no idea why. I feel completely fine, but Jervis demands I stay here until she's sure I'm okay."

Nelson smiles, "Well, I'll have to stay here to make sure you don't hurt yourself again like an idiot, won't I?"

They both fill the room with quiet laughter.

Nelson looks down at the unconscious Battleship. She asks, "So… how is Dreadnought?"

Victory looks down at her old friend. She sighs and says, "One of her Cubes, the one that holds the data for her mind, was damaged. Her body is healing normally but we don't know how it may affect her brain." She says in a dark tone.

"Bloody hell…" Nelson mutters. "I'm so sorry, Commander…"

"It's my fault, Nelson. I promised her greatness. Underneath her calm demeanour is a girl who just wanted her glory days back. She was once the most feared vessel in the world, just like me, but after her ship got scrapped, she was never able to sail again. I promised her I'd get her a new ship somehow, and now I don't even know if she will remember anything, or even recognise me. This could leave her brain-dead for all I know…" her voice becomes shaky at the end. She sniffs and wipes away a tear from her eye.

"She's a close friend, hm?" Nelson asks, putting her arm around her.

"Yeah… very close. We were almost together through the Great War, but it didn't work very well as she hardly ever spoke… she was the quiet but deadly type. She knew when to make jokes, but also take things seriously. She taught Elizabeth and her sisters how to kick arse, and now she lays here defeated because I wasn't smart enough to prepare for anything, just assuming that this loop would be just like all the others before it." Victory hisses.

Nelson looks at her, "It wasn't your fau— wait, what?"

New Jersey leads Essex and her sisters to where she had found Enterprise. "She's just in here."

The group got permission from the Admiral to go and see if they can find their heaviest hitters while the rest went back into he simulation to help repel the attack on the virtual Scapa Flow. Essex sees the singular pod in the middle of the room, guarded by Siren Enforcers, who summon their weapons and open fire at the Kansen, who respond in kind and make quick work of them. Stepping over their bodes, NJ notes, "You'd think they'd have better security on Enty…"

Essex wipes the condensation from the exterior of the glass and they all see Enterprise floating in there. Hornet and Yorktown look at their former sister with sad smiles. Essex looks at their expressions and says, "What's wrong? We found her."

Yorktown responds, "Hornet and I are out here, not in the simulation. That means Enterprise will be without us in there when we're awake here now."

Hornet clenches her fists, "Like hell I'm about to let that happen!" Before anyone can stop her, the overzealous younger sister puts her fist into the control pad for Enterprise's pod which, to everyone's surprise but Hornet herself, opens and releases the Kansen. She falls out and into the cowgirl's arms.

Everyone else gathers around. Yorktown kneels next to them and NJ scratches her head, unable to remember her. The mind wipe the simulation does to them works for the most part, but everyone there can't help but feel like they've known her for ages, and Hornet and Yorktown still remember her from the current simulation.

"E? Come on, wake up!" Hornet says, shaking her.

Enterprise stirs and puts her hand to her head. "Ugh… wha? H…Hornet? Yorktown?"

Yorktown smiles and says, "Hello, Enterprise. Welcome back to the real world."

"Oh, yeah… you got me out of the simulation, huh?" The Carrier smiles. "I was wondering where you two were in this loop."

Everyone falls silent. NJ breaks it by asking, "…You knew?"

"Of course I did. The Sirens never wiped my memory. I remember every loop." Enterprise says, standing up and stretching, her naked body making Essex blush a little. Wether it's out of jealousy or admiration, she's not sure.

Yorktown says, "Sister… I'm so sorry, I can't imagine how that must've…"

"It's alright, Yorktown. It wasn't your fault, and don't call me sister. I know you're not mine anymore." She coldly interrupts.

"Huh? What're ya talkin' about, sis?" Hornet asks while Yorktown makes a hurt face.

Enterprise looks at Yorktown's reaction and sighs. She puts her hand on Yorktown's shoulder and says, "Sorry… I just… I… saw both of you die… every time… and… I wasn't allowed to prevent it…"

"You saw us die?" Yorktown asks, putting her own hand on top of Enterprise's, "And what did you mean by not being your sister?"

Enterprise nods, "I'll explain what I know, but could I get clothes first?"

Essex walks right up and hands her some, "Here, already done. Please get dressed quick!" She swiftly turns and storms away, followed by a curious Bon Homme Richard.

"…what's her problem?" Enterprise asks, to which her "sisters" shrug.

She gets dressed in the same Siren clothes everyone else has to wear. "Anyway… Yeah… I lost count the amount of times I had to watch both of you sink… I could never intervene under the threat of the Sirens making both of you remember every time as well. They did it to all faction flagships. We all remember when the rest of you don't… I didn't want you to experience dying over and over and remembering it…"

Hornet looks at Yorktown with a sympathetic face and then asks Enterprise, "All flagships?"

Enterprise nods, "Yeah. Me, Nagato, Queen Elizabeth, Rossiya and Veneto. For some reason, Bismarck isn't included. The rest of us have been trying to work together without the Sirens knowing. We even used carrier pigeons once, until the Sirens caught on and removed them. Elizabeth doesn't seem to think Victory, her Kansen Commander, is aware too, though.

Hornet replies, "Bismarck doesn't know? Weird… so… the sister thing?"

The Carrier takes a deep breath and sighs. "At the current point in the simulation, the three of us are all sisters, but later on, both of you get sunk and get new Essex-class ships. Outside the simulation, in the real world, I got scrapped, and we all got new vessels. I became my own class. I had a few sisters planned but they never got built."

Yorktown gasps with her hands on her mouth and Hornet's jaw drops. Shangra-La pushes her glass up the bridge of her nose and says, "So… that would explain why the two of you were in the same pod room as us, and not in this one. You're both our sisters now."

Enterprise nods, "That sounds about right."

Hornet stands up, angered, "But why would they scrap you!? Wouldn't they need you!?"

The Big E answers, "The war was over, and nobody wanted to spend the money to preserve me."

Hornet punches the wall "That's bullshit! You had to keep fighting without us, and for all you did, they just took you apart! Damn humans!"

Yorktown puts her hand on her emotional sister's shoulder, "Hornet, please calm yourself."

Enterprise adds. "If it helps, Hornet, most of the metal taken from my ship was used to build my current one, and then before Operation Siren took a turn for the worse, another new one was planned, using the same metal yet again, but it was cancelled due to us losing…"

Intrepid pipes up, "So, you got a major upgrade, huh?"

Enterprise smiles, "Yep. I kicked ass before the Sirens got access to the nukes of the world. I was leading the assault in Operation Siren."

"What was Operation Siren?" Ticonderoga asks.

"Oh, right." Enterprise sits down. "Take seat, girls. I'll fill you all in."

Bonnie catches up with Essex and asks, "What's up with you, all of a sudden?"

"Nothing…" Essex shrugs.

"Come on! I know when you're lying, Essex. I'm your sister." Bonnie points.

"Alright… just promise to keep it a secret?" The taller Carrier asks.

"Pinky promise!" The shorter Kansen holds out her smaller finger.

After making the pinky promise, Essex says, "It's… it's Enterprise. I… I don't really remember much from the simulation, as it wipes our minds… but… I just… I can't help but feel something when I look at her."

"Ooh! Maybe you like her!" Bonnie blurts out.

"WHA-!? B-BONNIE! You can't just say that!" Essex cries out, blushing.

"Oh… then what else could it be?" The naive girl shrugs, oblivious.

"I don't know! I don't feel… romantic feelings towards her… just… I feel like I need to prove myself to such a powerful and legendary Kansen! To show I'm at least as good as she is!" Essex explains.

"But?"

"But when I saw how perfect her body is… I just can't compare myself to her! I don't look nearly as good as she does… and her stunning white hair! Who the hell would take someone with blue hair seriously!?" She points to her own hair, coloured blue.

Bonnie shrugs, "New Jersey also has blue hair and she could delete a mountain with her firepower. I'd take her pretty damn seriously."

"Oh… yeah, I guess… but still… someone has great as Enterprise herself? Even if I don't remember exactly what she did, my admiration for her still remains! I know she's a great warrior, but I just can't possibly be as good as her…" she sits down.

Bonnie hops up onto the seat next to her. "Why, though?"

"Huh?" Essex looks at her little sister.

"Why do you need to prove you're as good as or better than her?" Bonnie asks.

"Because my class of ship was built to replace hers! My life, my entire existence, would be pointless if I failed to surpass her!"

"Uh, you did notice she's not a Yorktown-class anymore, right? Her ship is far more advanced than either of ours now." Bonnie casually reminds her.

"Huh? How did… how did you know that?" Essex looks at her.

"Uh… I read the information in my vision when I scanned her?" She says with a shrug of the shoulders, as if that's normal.

Essex stands up and puts her hands on her sister's shoulders. "Bonnie, what the fuck are you talking about!?"

Confused, Bonnie explains, "I can scan people and it displays information on them, and then it shows their threat level and recommended… "COA"… whatever that is. Can't you do that?"

Essex backs up. "No… well, does it also show the class of ship, then?" She assumes its just a unique skill Bonnie has.

"Uh-huh." BHR nods.

"Then… what IS Enterpise now, then?"

"She's her own class of ship now. Apparently she was supposed to have 5 sisters but they were cancelled. Enterprise-class."

"Woah… what weapons does she have?" Essex asks.

"You promise not to get weird and jealous again?" The smaller one asks.

"I'm not making another pinkie promise, Bonnie. Just tell me."

"Okay, okay! Jeez… uh… lemme just search my scan history… ah, she's equipped with… wow… um… I don't even know what most of these are…"

"Just say their names, Bon."

"Uh… she's got 3 NATO Sea Sparrow launchers, 3 20mm Phalanx CIWS guns, 2 RAM launchers, tough as hell hull and flight deck armour, 4 steam catapults and she can hold 90 aircraft max."

"I've not heard of most of those, either, but I can hold 90 planes, too!" Essex points out.

"Yeah, but she's got planes I've never heard of before, though." Bonnie counters.

"Such as…?" Essex asks.

"F-4B, F-14, F-18, F/A-18F, A-4, A-6, A-7, EA6B, S-3, C-2, Sea Hawk, Sea King, etc." Bonnie lists.

"Damn… I wonder if I could carry those… whatever they are…"

"Maybe. Scanning you, it looks like your ship had a few upgrades, too." Bonnie comforts her. "Maybe you could ask her for lessons?"

"…maybe." Essex mutters.

QE sifts through the rubble of her once grand throne room. She lifts up a fallen pillar and find her flattened crown under it. She picks it up and stares at it.

Warspite puts her hand on her shoulder, "Elizabeth?"

"She drops it, "It's just metal, Warspite. It's not the first time I've lost it. I've gone through this bloody War so many times I've started to stop caring about a lot of things."

"What do you mean, sister?" Warspite asks.

"Although, I feel I must thank you for finally humbling me. It seems I needed it. Perhaps next time I'll pleasantly surprise you when I start off by treating the Commander and Miss Dreadnought with proper respect after the loop occurs again. If we survive this one."

Valiant and Warspite look at each other like QE has lost her mind. Valiant whispers, "Does this mean I can be flagship?"

The battle corgi pushes her aside and turns QE around to face her, "Elizabeth, tell me what the bloody hell you're talking about!"

QE sighs and sits down in her throne, miraculously soared from Strength's attack. She looks at her two confused sisters and says, "I suppose telling you this time won't matter very much. Listen up."

Sovetskaya Rossiya walks through the remains of the base at Kronstadt. Her fellow Kansen are laying down injured alongside the humans. They took a heavy beating from the Luftwaffe, but they're not back down. Kirov refused to sink and some of her AA barrels have melted. Bomber wreckages litter the area and smoke fills the skies.

"Skol'ko raz mne pridetsya perezhit' etot Ad...?" Rossiya asks herself.

"Komandir!" Her blue-haired sister runs up to her.

"What is it, Belorussiya?" Rossiya turns to her.

"Kiev has fallen. Iron Blood has taken it."

Rossiya says nothing, instead looking out to sea. She whispers. "Why must we lose so much every loop?"

Her sister looks at her, "What did you say?"

Nagato sits in her massive shrine next to her little sister. Her small size is negated by her enormous rigging, which she has deployed most of the time. Many fear she may accidentally have a turret fire, but she has never used it. In fact her turrets lay dormant for so long her innocent sister often decorates them when she's bored. She is sat doing the same work she remembers doing in every loop, but she knows it must be done again and again. Doing ultimately pointless work drains her soul, but her cheery sister helps her along.

"Whatcha doing now, Nee-san?" Mutsu asks as she leans over to look.

"The commissioning of Zuikaku-san's ship. I'm assigning her to the Fifth Carrier Division with her sister." Nagato calmly explains.

"Aww! That's cute! Another sister team! Just like us! Can I help with that work?" Mutsu smiles.

Nagato returns the smile, "Sure." She grabs the much easier documents and says, "You can help with these really difficult ones."

Mutsu salutes, "You got it, Nee-san! I won't let you down!" She gets to work.

"I know…" Nagato says. She looks at Mustsu's sleepy black cat sat on her rigging's third turret and she gets flashes of Mutsu's ship exploding from that very turret. She can't remember how many times she's had to see that. "… I know…"

Akagi storms into the shrine and grabs both their attention as well as the attention of Nagato's quiet bodyguard, the tall, katana-wielding Destroyer Kawakaze. She stands and places her hand in her sword hilt, narrowing her eyes.

The angry vixen demands, "Nagato! Why was I not requested to host Zuikaku's commissioning!?"

Nagato calmly looks up at her and responds, "You were not needed, Akagi-san. Mikasa-sama was perfectly capable of assisting me while you were on a mission."

"This is an outrage! I have to be at every new ship's launch and commissioning to remind everyone to do their best to be accepted into the First!"

Nagato stands up and stares her down, "I am the flagship, Akagi-kōhai! I decide who gets to join the First Carrier Division. They must earn their way there, not be hand-picked by the one who I chose to lead them. Stand down and return to your dorm, Or I may be forced to take drastic action. I put you in the leadership position, I can easily take you out of it."

Surprised by Nagato's uncharacteristically forceful tone, Akagi backs off and Mutsu looks at her sister. Nagato has had to deal with this situation over and over again more times than she can count. She's had enough of the peaceful approaches. She points her turrets at Akagi, shaking off many of Mutsu's decorations and she says, "Leave, Akagi. Return to the First and send me Kaga-san."

Without a word, Akagi spins on her heel and storms out. Nagato's guns return to their normal positions and she kneels back down. She looks at all the decorations on the floor and looks at her concerned sister, "My apologies, Imouto. Akagi has been a handful recently. Kawakaze?"

"Hai, Nagato-sensei?" The strangely mature Destroyer asks.

"Please help Mutsu-chan redecorate."

"Hai." Kawakaze bows before assisting.

Mutsu asks, "Nee-san? Are you feeling alright?"

"Hai. Don't worry, Mutsu. Let's just get back to work."

"Okay…"

Nagato decides not to burden her little sister with her experience, even if she'll forget in the next loop. She couldn't bear to see her as worried as herself.

Akagi slams the sliding door shut as she enters the dorm she shares with Kaga. "That damn child has no clue what she's doing! While we're out there taking more land for her and the Emperor to rule over, and she sits in that temple of hers neglecting to reward me for all I've done for her!"

Kaga slowly looks up at her after sipping some tea. "And this is my concern… how exactly?"

"It should be YOUR concern as well, sister! After all we've done, she sits there amongst OUR accomplishments, not hers! All she does is—"

"All she does…" Kaga stands up to her, "…is maintain our entire Imperial Navy! All the work she does is to ensure it doesn't implode or collapse under your ruthless campaign! I only tag along with you because my duty and honour commands me to do so! I have had to put up with your insolence for years! If anything, I deserve more of a reward for tolerating you, but I know that that is not enough of an excuse!"

Akagi gets in her face, "How dare you…"

Kaga refuses to back down, "How dare I what!? Tell you what you need to hear? All throughout your existence you've only heard what you wanted to hear and you demote anyone who disagrees with you out of the First! Well you cannot do that to me! Nagato-sama assigned me here to keep you under control because Amagi-nee is unable to, so you cannot demote me! What do you even plan on doing, anyway!? Marching right into the Sanctuary with the rest of the First, half of which idolise Nagato-sama and then demand she step down and put you in her place!?"

"Something along those lines, yes! If any of the First go against me, they can go to the Second!"

"You stupid, ignorant child!" Kaga yells, "What do you think the Emperor would do if he found out!?"

"CALL ME THAT AGAIN, DEAR SISTER! SEE WHAT HAPPENS!" Akagi bellows.

Kaga composes herself and gets closer. "I assume Nagato-sama wishes to see me now that she sent you back to me, as always." She walks past her and hisses in her ear, "Stupid. Ignorant. Child."

She walks away from her, until she hears the sound of a fiery flight deck flare up behind her…

Zuikaku is training with her older sister and they both hear the sound of plane engines and gunfire. They look overhead and see flaming blue and red Zeroes fighting each other.

Shoukaku facepalms and says, "Not again…"

Zuikaku yells, "I'll get Amagi-sama!"