Chapter 2: Exploration
"I don't like this."
[You like an astonishingly few things, Fräulein. It is little news to the rest of us that you are dissatisfied with things as they are.]
Enterprise grit her teeth, sternly reminding herself that the irritating Ironblood was technically an ally now.
...Not that the thought ever seemed to do away with her frustration at the silver-haired heavy cruiser.
[Oh dear, it seems you've gone and made the Grey Ghost mad again, Eugen.]
[Such an easy task, sister. American girls are a feisty little bunch~!]
Seriously considering the benefits of launching an airstrike on the aggravating pair of Ironblood and Sakura it was Belfast, as usual, that took up mediating duties between her usual clutch of squabbling sisters.
[Now now, let us remain civil. Shoukaku, Enterprise, have you anything new to report?]
Fighting down her temper in favor of responding to her partner of more than a decade Enterprise tersely replied, "Nothing. It's still just sitting there, the escort force keeping a close watch on it."
[And the rest of the port?]
Shoukaku's tone was far more subdued than it had been a moment ago.
[Gone. The refugee fleet - what's left of it - is still limping towards the west coast bases. Assuming any of them are intact either. We've been out of contact with the mainland for a few weeks at this point.]
Enterprise's steely eyes softened briefly, glancing towards the other carrier floating alongside her as they made good speed towards their allies, the shipgirl's fluttering fabrics barely visible in the distance as they were flanked by the light and heavy cruisers respectively.
The Eagle Union woman released an exhausted sigh, conversation ceasing between the four as the scattered plumes of smoke that marked where civilians and allies had once been grew all the larger and more defined.
The plan had been simple in concept and difficult in execution...but they honestly believed they had pulled it off, launching a diversionary assault on the Sirens while a separate group raided a cache of Wisdom Cubes that could hopefully replenish or restore their forces to a semblance of strength...instead all they had received from Warspite was a distress signal that stated they were under attack from a massive Siren fleet and needed help, the diversionary force scrambling to aid their fellow comrades while simultaneously dealing with their own foes.
Except the fleet they had been engaged with simply retreated from the battlefield, the four of them leaving most of the remaining allied forces to return to Azur Lane while they went to aid their comrades...who were now commanded by Tirpitz, the Ironblood stating with clear shock and hesitance that they had been saved by none other than an unidentified Siren vessel.
…
As if the war hadn't been confusing and chaotic enough.
[Has there ever been any sightings of a similar sized Siren vessel before?]
Recognizing Prinz Eugen's idle comment as a means to pass the tense and morose time rather than any real seeking of clarification Enterprise nonetheless replied, "None. This is entirely new."
[Akagi and Kaga also never made mention of any such vessel...they were hardly the sort to let this kind of asset remain a secret, if it existed among our people beforehand the entire world would have heard of it.]
[Indeed. Her Majesty's secret service has also never found so much as a hint of such a monstrosity. Prior to this the supercarriers were the highest tonnage ship encountered.]
Enterprise stared into the distance, the colossal Siren ship gradually swimming into focus as the atmosphere's haze began to thin.
[Enty~! You made it!]
The pale-haired shipgirl blinked, one of her scout planes spotting three figures skating over the water towards her vessel, the buxom woman sighing before lowering one of her lifeboats as an improvised elevator.
In no time at all Saratoga, Lexington and San Diego were running towards her, Enterprise bracing herself as with familiar enthusiasm Saratoga and San Diego slammed into her with zero restraint, wrapping the woman in a tight hug as Lexington smiled at the sight.
"Enty, we were so worried that you might have been sunk! Are you hurt, are you bleeding?!"
"If you are have no fear! A performance by the great and famous idol sisters will have you grinning and healed up in no time at all!"
Unable to help the smile that tilted her lips upwards at the hijinks of the boisterous pair of Eagle Union vessels Enterprise shot Lexington a glance, the more composed idol smiling in reassurance, stating, "We're a little banged up but otherwise unharmed."
Allowing herself a moment of lost composure Enterprise returned the embrace from her shorter sisters, quietly stating, "I was far more worried about the three of you...it's a relief to find you all intact and in good health."
"Aww...Enty, are you actually smiling and being nice for a change?"
Scowling at San Diego's response Enterprise retorted, "Don't make me regret being nice, you three."
It went unsaid that the real reason the normally distant and taciturn carrier was so openly affectionate was that there were so few of them left to be affectionate with...and that made them all the more precious.
"You abandoned your ships? That's a rather gross lack of discipline from the three of you."
Lexington didn't bat an eye as Saratoga and San Diego both looked sheepish, the taller Shipgirl responding, "Our vessels are rather heavily crippled, there's not much we can do even if aboard."
Rolling her eyes Enterprise inquired, "And what of everyone else?"
The sudden quiet caused a ball of anxiety to settle in Enterprise's gut.
"What happened?"
"I don't suppose...I could bother you for a last cup of tea, head maid?"
Enterprise tried hard not to let her dismay show as Belfast made a heroic effort to keep her cool, smiling in an entirely false and pained manner as she quietly stated, "But of course, a simple enough request for myself to fulfill."
Busying herself with preparing a pot of heated water Enterprise quietly grabbed the Royal Navy shipgirl's hand...as it had been shaking badly, the woman's near constant cool and composure briefly shaken by the circumstances they now faced.
A small, grateful smile was the light cruiser's silent reply, the rest of the room largely quiet aside from murmured conversation, Tirpitz and Prinz Eugen catching up on events while the three Eagle Union ships swapped stories with Shoukaku...all while Vampire sat next to the heavily mauled and wounded Warspite, the battleship bleeding from countless wounds while her normally pale and flawless skin was a harsh collection of mottled blues and blacks, one eye covered by a medical patch while the other listlessly and exhaustedly stared at the ceiling, in constant danger of drifting closed.
Enterprise couldn't bear to look at the Royal Navy maid for very long, the tangible grief and anguish she was emitting enough to unsettle even the hardened carrier as she strode over to join the Ironbloods.
"Can we not do something for her? There must be a medical facility that we can make use of-"
"Oh, really? And just where would such a magical place reside, Fräulein? In the bombed out remains of the port town? Aboard our sparse and Human-geared medical bays? Or perhaps you wish to transport our sister who has perhaps a day left to live across six days of ocean to Azur Lane? If the weather were to be perfect for the entire trip."
Prinz Eugen's words were devoid of any chastisement or amusement but Enterprise felt her temper flare regardless, hissing, "You would have us do nothing, instead?!"
The brief flash of rare hurt in the Ironblood's eyes caused the carrier to flinch, knowing she'd lashed out unnecessarily as Tirpitz set a hand on her shoulder.
"Being able to only watch is a terrible thing...I know."
Forcing herself to take a deep breath while sending Prinz a brief nod of apology - that was thankfully accepted - Enterprise turned her attention to the aimlessly floating Siren ship, scarred and damaged from the battle but still largely intact.
While it's engines and guns were silent it wasn't altogether immobile, Siren machines cresting through the waves to retrieve wreckage and other materials before returning them to the vessel proper, stockpiling ores and composites for what was likely some manner of repair or upgrade.
"As if a monstrosity like that needs an upgrade."
The ship was an absurd three kilometers long, 220 meters tall and at least 190 wide. How such a thing even stayed afloat was beyond her knowledge, let alone the sheer breadth of weaponry and tools it wielded...and here it was, having seemingly come to their aid in a time of crisis before remaining completely silent for what was turning into an entire day.
...Even the completely foreign and mystifying vessel didn't hold her attention for long, once again returning to the feverish and fading Warspite, resting atop a padded bunk and made as comfortable as possible given their meager accommodations on Enterprise's ship.
"Is there...really nothing we can do? Will I have to watch yet another one of my sisters fall while we sit idly by, helpless in the face of adversity?"
Bad enough that they couldn't protect Humanity, they couldn't even protect each other...and what hurt the most, what drove a spike of metal into Enterprise's heart was how Belfast - steady, reliable and fiercely loyal Belfast - was so clearly hurting at seeing one of her final comrades fade away...and Enterprise could only offer words of comfort, when the Royal Navy maid had done so much for her over the years that went beyond mere words.
A trembling hand pinched the bridge of the carrier's nose, mind awash with a million different thoughts-
"I'm taking her to that ship."
-and she wasn't the only one who's gaze snapped to Vampire, the destroyer rising to her feet while fiercely wiping away fresh tears, doll-like features set in an expression of certainty.
"What? Vampire, we don't-"
"Thou has yet to receive new orders from command, yes?"
Enterprise's brow twitched, growling, "That's not the point-"
"Then there shalt be little issue with lady Warspite and myself approaching and boarding it then, as we have not been explicitly ordered not to."
"That is not the point, Vampire! What do you even hope to achieve by boarding the vessel of an enemy ship while trying to guard a wounded and dying comrade, while in rough shape yourself?"
The ruby-eyed shipgirl stood her ground, calmly explaining, "Siren ships wield a bevy of advanced technology, yes? One of that size is quite likely to carry medical or repair bays of some manner, ones that can restore lady Warspite."
Enterprise stared, slack-jawed at the absurd proposal.
"They are the enemy-"
"An enemy that hath done naught but aid and protect us. That still, even now, displays a level of aggression less than zero. I would suggest that the vessel hath no ill intentions, or at least not active ones."
Enterprise gazed around the room, clearly waiting for someone else to state that this was utter lunacy...and was left waiting, even Shoukaku taking the Royal Navy shipgirl's side as she gracefully nodded, stating, "We will no doubt be investigating that ship at a later date, what harm could there be in doing so early? Why are you so reluctant to the idea, Grey Ghost?"
Bristling at the casual mention of her old nickname Enterprise turned away to seek out other islands of sanity...and folded almost immediately as she met Belfast's expression. While she hid it quickly the maid, for the briefest of moments, had displayed such a tender hope and desire for a miracle that all Enterprise could do was sigh in defeat.
"...Fine. But we're doing this smart, and in numbers. Let's move, if this insanity is to take place then let us enact it swiftly before our sister has to suffer for a minute longer than necessary."
The excitement in the room took a noticeable upswing, Enterprise trying hard not to sigh in exasperation at the morale boost now affecting even her dour spirits.
It was a long shot, yes...but when was the last time they had been able to save one of their sisters, as opposed to watching them die?
[Initiating advanced repair cycles, progress of combat effectiveness restoration increase by-]
"No."
[Advanced repair cycles halted, returning to passive repair cycles. Initiating active combat scanning, creating battle overlay-]
"No."
[Active combat scanning halted, battle overlay halted. Initiating-]
"Why do you fight against what cannot be stopped? This is your life from this point forward, an inescapable fact that cannot be ignored in the vain hope it will spontaneously vanish."
"So you say. And yet this is obviously a dream. A nightmare. You turned me into a monster and-GUH?!"
Images. Sounds. Smells. Tastes. Yellow eyes and pale skin, a burning Earth, a tired man-
"This is your prime directive. Ensure humanity's survival at all cost, no matter what or how long it takes."
"The words of our Creator. YOUR Creator now. Why do you resist? You have been given the power to save your world, to command your race in a campaign of victory."
Alexander Curtis grit his teeth, letting his head bump against the command interface of his ship, a collection of neurological relays embedded within his body allowing him telepathic and intent-based control of the vessel while allowing him to use its sensor relays and unmanned drones to act as his eyes and ears-
"Dammit, I don't even know what any of that means!"
"But you do. I made you so that you understand many things about us, including how we were created-"
"You were made from the remains of our Enemy from beyond the stars...but you will be our salvation instead of our demise."
Alexander groaned and drove the heel of his hands deep into his eyes, trying to blot out the terrible pain in his head with zero success.
"Fighting will only prolong the pain. Accept what you are now, what you will have to do, and your torment will end."
Bloodshot, golden eyes that glowed like beacons focused on the idle and motionless image of what he knew was Observer Zero.
Once again entertaining the thought of attacking and killing the admittedly beautiful woman he discarded the thoughts as soon as it occurred...he'd tried it before and his hands had phased through her without resistance, the newly turned Siren instinctively understanding that it wasn't her real body...that was hidden somewhere aboard his ship in a location as of yet undisclosed.
Instead all he got was her strange jellyfish creature following him around and listening to every command given, the thing-
[Rigging.]
-now outfitted with additional metallic apparatuses-
[Shield projectors and anti-personnel laser weaponry.]
-that made it seem even more horrific than before.
"Why me? Why did you do this to me?"
Observer Zero tilted her head, seeming genuinely confused and even somewhat annoyed as she explained, "Were you not the one who continued to fight? To destroy himself in a conflagration of fire rather than give in? I assumed you were aware of what you were doing in undertaking such an action, annihilating so many Wisdom Cubes in close proximity to yourself."
A humorless laugh escaped the male, tone dry as he responded, "You mean I was supposed to know that you can control time and space? Know that you were going to turn me into some kind of monster with voices that aren't his screaming inside his skull?"
"Should it bother you so much, merely learn to control those powers as we have."
Alexander paused.
"You are now one of us. That means you control and partake of our strength, technology and directives."
A smile that was almost sly appeared on the female Siren's features.
"In fact you are more powerful than us, as well as different in a great many ways. I made you different in a great many ways. You are male, and were given the collective strength of dozens of Wisdom Cubes, a feat never before replicated in all of our experiments."
That fact that he knew what she was referring to when she said 'experiments' filled Alexander with a kind of existential dread.
"You mean when you exterminated humanity over and over again, right?"
There was a distinct lack of concern in the Siren's tone.
"They were erased and do not remember their suffering, as if it never happened."
"I'm sure they felt that way as they were experiencing it, bitch."
"Hmm...this must be a difference in how we view things."
To his disgust a pleased smile tilted her lips.
"To be a Siren and still view things from a largely human perspective...I have high hopes for this experiment. You disagree with our methods? Then bring an end to this cycle and prove that humanity has earned a power greater than that of the Sirens...that is our ultimate goal, after all."
Alexander glowered at the woman who eventually gave a little sigh, as if dealing with an unruly child.
"It seems you truly do not enjoy my presence, even though I have given you the means to save your world and your entire species."
"You're responsible for the deaths of countless humans, whether they ever existed or not. Your kind killed my family."
Comprehension seemed to dawn on the Siren's features, before a twisted smile pulled at her flawless lips.
"Ah. You desire to hurt us, to punish us and find closure for your loss."
"Sure, you can put it that way."
Observer Zero began to slowly walk towards Alexander, sultry and sadistic smile adorning her pale skin.
"Then become strong. Stronger than any of us and surpass the trials my fellow kin will subject you to. For only when you surpass us will we submit...the Sirens are meant to ascend humanity, should you prove the key to that puzzle we will follow your orders to the letter."
She placed her hands on Alexander's knees, slowly trailing a ruby tongue over her snowy flesh as she became physically tangible.
"Do what you will to us. Torture us, rape us, execute us...as long as our directives are fulfilled, we will do as ordered."
Alexander stared at the Siren with a neutral gaze...and his hand grabbed only empty air as Observer Zero's throat vanished from sight, the Siren giggling as she retreated from his awareness.
"But you are not there yet...now do your best to welcome our little children, they still have much growing to do. Perhaps you will be the one to unlock their potential, just as I did yours."
Gritting his teeth Alexander nonetheless forced himself to ignore the bitch of a Siren, instead allowing his attention to focus on a warning alarm that he instinctively knew how to work-
-and cursed violently at what he saw.
The shipgirls approaching his location, all in formation and clearly intending to board and investigate, if the few of them skating along with the larger vessels were any indication.
A hollow pang echoed through his now artificial heart.
The shipgirls were something of a contentious topic among the remnants of humanity, seen either as brave warriors fighting for the people's future or the entire reason the Sirens were attacking in the first place...the latter group carefully ignoring the fact that the shipgirls only became a thing after the Sirens made their presence known.
Alexander fell in the former category, enjoying the morale-boosting shows from Saratoga and Lexington while admiring the cool presence and brave tactics of Enterprise alongside the plethora of other shipgirls from all nations. Hell, while he'd take this information with him to the grave he'd even jacked it to the idol sisters a few times.
…
The gradual casualties they had racked up over the past decade of fighting had been a hard thing to stomach, the sight of a group of them fighting a stone's throw away after Observer Zero had turned him into a monster spurring him to action, despite his panic and terror.
It hadn't been easy, trying to keep his mind intact while learning to make use of the bizarre ship he'd been given control of...but in the haze of the moment he'd seen brave, beautiful girls fighting and suffering for their sake and instinct had taken over. A very male and very juvenile action, yes...but one he didn't regret.
But now?
Now what was he supposed to do? Hide forever and pray that his heroes never found him, never saw what he'd been turned into? Impossible, they would strip this vessel down to the very welds trying to figure out what made it tick...and if the previous battle had been any indication, damage to it transferred back to him, or at least to his mind.
Slowly being pulled apart rivet by rivet didn't exactly sound like a fun time.
Collapsing into his command chair and fighting back the urge to break down crying like an upset child Alexander took a deep, steadying breath as he forced himself to remain calm...or at least as calm as he could get, letting the image from the unmanned drones once more take up his vision.
Saratoga, Lexington, San Diego and even Enterprise herself were faces he immediately recognized, the Eagle Union shipgirls skating alongside a collection of faces he was less familiar with but nonetheless remembered after a moment.
The Ironbloods Prinz Eugen and Tirpitz, the Sakura Empire carrier Shoukaku and the Royal Navy representatives Belfast, Vampire and...Warspite?
He felt his stomach lurch as he realized the blonde battleship looked to be on the verge of death, carefully pulled along on a padded raft by Vampire as the others stood guard, form broken and bruised as he vaguely remembered slewing his 'body' in front of a battleship during the opening stages of the battle...that had no doubt been her.
"God fucking dammit…"
One of the most steadfast and noble figures among Humanity's fading military strength...and she looked to be on the verge of death, because he hadn't been there in time to at least save her.
"...Wait, why would they be bringing her here, then? Why not one of our bases?"
He almost jumped out of his skin as Observer Zero's Rigging drifted close by, tonelessly stating, [Projections state that it is likely they hope to use the facilities aboard this vessel to effect repairs upon Wisdom Cube model #21. All other repair-capable facilities are either out of range or destroyed.]
Blinking at the titanic, metallic jellyfish Alexander slowly asked, "So...can we fix her?"
[Affirmative. Facilities aboard this vessel can affect life-altering operations on up to ten Wisdom Cube models at a time.]
Fighting down the disgust he felt at actually using the Siren's powers Alexander forced himself to go through with it, unwilling to let an actual hero die because he had been selected by fate to be its whipping boy...they deserved better than that.
"Rigging, follow me and once it's been allowed by the other shipgirls I want you to take Warspite to these medical facilities and bring her back to full health, is that understood?"
[Affirmative, Rigging standing by and awaiting permission.]
Taking a shaky breath that carried with it a fair amount of nausea Alexander strode from the bridge, instinctively following what he knew would be the right path to meet with the cautiously boarding shipgirls, praying that they wouldn't shoot him on sight and trust the monster he had become just enough to save one of their lives.
"...This is rather unsettling, ja?"
Prinz's words were largely playful with only the slightest undercurrent of stress, the Ironblood warily eyeing yet another passing Siren drone that flowed around them without pause, Enterprise and the rest lowering their weapons and breathing out a sigh of relief.
"This does lend credence to Vampire's belief that this vessel is allied with us, however. Or at the very least non-aggressive."
"Or luring us further into a trap…"
Enterprise's dour words were rebuffed by Belfast, the maid calmly scanning the interior of the vessel for any hints of a threat as she replied, "Unlikely. For what reason would a vessel with the power it displayed earlier lead us all this way only to then affect an ambush, when it would have been a simple matter to merely overpower us then and there?"
The Eagle Union carrier looked unconvinced, still advancing cautiously as Vampire pulled Warspite's gurney along with them as smoothly as she could, the clack of their heeled shoes announcing their presence in the wide, empty halls.
"Is it just me, or are the ceilings and doors rather tall? As in very tall."
Shoukaku's observation caused the rest of them to nod, not entirely sure why that was the case as they advanced into the depths of the vessel, trying to locate any hint whatsoever of directions or signs of a medical bay with little success...mostly because nothing was labeled at all.
"I think we may need to split up if we wish to search more effectively, sisters."
Tirpitz frowned at Eugen's suggestion, doubtfully replying, "Is that wise? We already have Saratoga, Lexington and San Diego patrolling the exterior of this ship...do we wish to further divide our forces?"
"I fear we may not have much of a choice. This vessel is simply far too large to explore as a group and Warspite will not last much longer. And I would like to reiterate, given the amount of drones and other combat craft patrolling the halls, if the owner of this vessel would like to inflict harm upon us it would matter little how many of us there are-"
"Sisters, silence! Something approaches."
Vampire - despite the clear exhaustion and stress her worn out body displayed - was nothing if not alert as her ruby eyes snapped wide, pointed ears taut as she listened intently.
"Something heavy, with a gait like a human's."
"The commander of this vessel? Either way remain ready, sisters."
Vampire pulled Warspite to the side of the corridor and out of the line of any potential fire, the rest taking up combat positions as they either manifested their Rigging or raised preferred weapons-
"I'm coming out into the corridor. Don't shoot me, please."
-and exchanged more than a few raised eyebrows as a deep male voice sounded out from around the corridor, an odd echo to it as if spoken from a metal shell...and was it just them or did it sound nervous?
Why would a member of the crew on this ship be afraid of them? The Sirens - on the few occasions they had been interacted with beyond trying to kill each other - were nothing if not calm and even arrogant individuals.
There was the sound of heavy footsteps hesitantly approaching their position...and the shipgirls, despite preparing themselves for anything, found their eyes widening and jaws dropping at the complete surprise that awaited their viewing pleasure.
Namely, that of a towering individual at least 2.4 meters tall, possessing a lithe but tight figure that was put on display thanks to his only clothing being a form-fitting set of pants rimmed with glowing gold lines, odd mechanical ports and connections dotting the rest of his pale flesh while bright yellow eyes that seemed to glow stared at them from a disarmingly handsome face, a shock of wild white hair falling across his neck and spiked in random directions.
"Mit dir kann ich am besten lichen…"
Fighting back the urge to chastise Prinz Eugen for so blatantly joking at a time like this Enterprise instead raised her bow slightly, not quite aiming at the male Siren but not quite lowering the tool either.
…
"A male Siren. Has anyone ever encountered one of those before? Just like us it was assumed all of the Sirens were women, what's so special about this one?"
The awkward silence after Eugen's compliment stretched, tension rising which wasn't at all helped by the sight of a gigantic, metalloid jellyfish floating right behind the male in a protective manner.
"...You are the commander of this vessel?"
Yet again the shipgirls were caught off guard by the clearly nervous swallow he released, tone shaky and frightened as his sunbright eyes averted themselves, a jerky nod their only response.
"Y-yeah. Alexander Curtis, at your service."
Another round of glances was shared.
"That name does not sound very Siren-like."
"Yeah, well...I only became a Siren less than a day ago, so there's that to consider."
"Wait, what? You became a Siren-"
He suddenly flinched as his eyes roamed over Warspite's fading figure, raising his hands before quickly stating, "Feel free to ask as many questions as you want later, but right now you need me to heal your sister, right?"
Vampire lost a great deal of wariness, leaping forward as she hurriedly asked, "Thou has the capability to do so?!"
"Well...more like this thing does."
The maybe-Siren pointed to the floating jellyfish creature, the shipgirls losing much of their excitement as Shoukaku narrowed her eyes.
"And just like that this revelation has lost much of its appeal."
"Look, I get it...but for whatever fucked up reason these things listen to my orders. They won't harm her or you if I tell them not to."
Another round of uncomfortable silence began until Tirpitz quietly asked, "During the battle, were you the one in control of this vessel?"
"I was."
Vampire and the Ironblood shared a glance.
"...Very well. Sisters, I believe we should trust him on this matter."
Not expecting the dour and morose Tirpitz, of all people, to advocate for this stranger the matter was nonetheless sealed as he quickly added, "You don't need to leave her side for the operation, you can stick as close as you want."
That mollified the rest as they agreed with a round of nods, Alexander turning to the creature before ordering, "Rigging, begin first-aid."
Without comment the massive thing floated forward, the shipgirls parting with clear reluctance as it reached towards Warspite, lifting her into the air with surprising gentleness...before affixing a breathing mask to her face and dumping her into its gelatinous interior, the shipgirl immediately relaxing in the fluid's embrace as the rest of her companions looked on suspiciously.
"...You no doubt all have some questions?"
Enterprise narrowed her eyes.
"You could say that."
The man sighed, running a shaky hand through his hair before responding, "All right then...follow me to the bridge and I'll tell you everything I can of the current situation."