Chapter 3: Where to Now?

"You called yourself Alexander Curtis...does that mean you were human before this?"

"Yeah. I was actually one of the guys handling the Wisdom Cubes you stole from the Sirens, before that went to hell."

The group had relocated back to his vessel's command bridge, located deep within the center of the construct and sporting quite a few aesthetic differences to its human counterparts.

There were no windows or control panels, only a collection of massive screens displaying a large panorama of the outside world with crystal clarity while a throne-like command station resided at the center of the cavernous area, the male Siren awkwardly shifting atop of it while the rest of the shipgirls sat on raised seats, situated so that they didn't have to stare up at him.

...They had been plenty reticent when the arched platforms had grown right from the deck plating but eventually relented as Vampire had eagerly accepted the 'chair', staying close to the still enclosed Warspite as the Siren Rigging hovered nearby, the lithe destroyer valiantly trying to stay awake and alert as her eyes drooped. It had been a rather long day, all things considered.

"So what, exactly, does being a Siren entail? You certainly seem at home amid the halls of this vessel, controlling it much like we control our own ships while several of these drones and other things listen to you."

Enterprise tried to keep the distrust from her voice but didn't entirely succeed, the rest of the shipgirls keeping a more open mind towards the completely unexpected circumstances.

Thankfully the male didn't seem to disagree with Enterprise's wariness, sighing as he laced his hands together before resting his elbows on his knees, leaning forward in a way that drew the shipgirl's eyes to the flex of highly defined musculature and how it moved in pleasing ways.

Predictably, Tirpitz and Enterprise blushed at how obvious they had been in their staring, both women usually holding themselves to a more austere and professional standard than they had just displayed. Everyone else was either too tired, too composed or just too comfortable with their interest to care.

"I have...basically the entirety of the Siren's knowledge can be forced into my brain on a moment's notice, whenever my interest or thoughts wanders onto a topic related to them. Like in the earlier battle, when focusing on trying to keep Vampire and Warspite intact my head was flooded with information on this ship's weapons, shields and engines-SHIT!"

The group tensed as the man suddenly grabbed his head, teeth gritted in clear pain.

"Well...guess that download wasn't finished, I now know how a negative-feedback nerve control system works in regards to controlling the damn thing. No, of course I didn't want to have that information downloaded right now!"

Belfast arched an eyebrow as the rest of the shipgirls carefully reached for their weapons, unnerved by the towering male shouting into thin air with a snarling expression.

"Are you feeling well, master Curtis?"

He abruptly stiffened at Belfast's cautious words, eyes flicking back and forth between the maid and seemingly empty space over her shoulder.

"Sorry...the computer aboard this ship is an insistent bastard. They aren't actually physically present, it just sounds like their voice originates from where I was shouting."

The shipgirls shared a brief glance among themselves, suspecting that wasn't the entire truth but electing to leave the matter alone for now, at least until they got a better idea of the situation and individual they were dealing with.

"You are making a rather poor first impression among those that will eventually subordinate themselves to you, wouldn't you agree?"

Alexander purposefully ignored Observer Zero and they way her incorporeal form perched on the edge of his throne, legs lazily kicking through the air as she watched the proceedings with a content, satisfied smile.

"Erm, would thou permit a small interruption, sir Curtis?"

Giving Vampire his full attention the tiny destroyer blinked away her exhaustion before hesitantly asking, "It sounds as if thou has full knowledge of technology priorly belonging only to the Sirens...doth thou have confidence in being able to recreate or pass on that knowledge?"

The male didn't miss the way her ruby eyes flicked towards where Warspite gently floated, considering the question...and slowly warming to it.

"I...I think I could. It might take some time for me to figure out how to properly articulate it but that should be doable."

The rest of the shipgirls felt their eyes widen, Shoukaku murmuring, "If that is the case...to think of an entire fleet now armed with equal weaponry, shields and engines…"

Prinz Eugen smirked like the cat that caught the canary, stating, "Then the war would become far less of a one-sided affair. Do this, ansehnlich, and you will have gone quite a ways in earning the trust of those who would be otherwise suspicious of your very existence."

The Ironblood sent him a playful wink, teasing, "You will have certainly earned mine~!"

The male quickly averted his gaze, Belfast stating, "My queen would be most interested in meeting with you if you were to prove able in recreating the technology displayed here...likely even grateful."

That earned the man's attention, voice stammering as he choked out, "W-wait, the Queen Elizabeth would want to meet with me?! Why?!"

A variety of bewildered looks were sent his way.

"Regardless of whether you realize this or not...the entire world will now be taking an interest in you, Alexander Curtis. Whether to exploit, aid, or execute you will likely vary by culture and faction."

Tirpitz's blunt words caused the man to sigh and pinch the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah...I really should have thought of that earlier."

"In the interest of fairness, thou has had much to think about in the past few hours."

Vampire's attempt at reassurance seemed to calm the man slightly, turning to the collected shipgirls before asking, "What do you think I should do? I want to help my race beat back the Sirens but if I'm just going to be assassinated or shunted aside then that doesn't serve anyone."

"Oh dear, allowing yourself to be lead by those you should be master of? Perhaps you are not the unique variable I placed my hopes in after all."

Yet again ignoring the Siren's condescending words Alexander awaited the reply of the shipgirls, all of them trading brief glances before nodding.

"You would be safest at Azur Lane, Alexander. We need to inform the Commander of this situation and all of its variables. Not to mention the research staff present there would be best qualified to make sense of your imparted knowledge...Azur Lane is used to unusual assets, they vouched for us when we first manifested in this world and will likely do so for you."

Releasing a sigh the male Siren nodded, replying, "Alright, if you all think that's the right decision...then I'll do so. As soon as Warspite is better we can leave."

Shoukaku tilted her head, inquiring, "And how long do you believe that will take?"

"If what the Rigging is telling me is accurate...no more than another three hours."

"That quickly?!"

The carrier's shocked tone caused Alexander to nod in distraction, stating, "Well, eighteen hours if you want to account for the repairs and upgrades being performed on her battleship."

"...What?"

Wincing as he realized that he'd just started saying things that made sense to him and no one else Alexander ran a hand through his hair.

"So about that…"

"WE'RE SO SORRY, MR. SIREN!"

"M-miss San Diego?! It's fine, seriously, just please stop crying!"

"Eh heh heh, Sandy's firing on all cylinders to make sure no one stays mad at her~!"

"It certainly seems to be working effectively, I do believe our first allied Siren is folding under the pressure…"

Alexander fruitlessly tried to pull off of his midriff the sobbing form of San Diego, his two teenage crushes of Lexington and Saratoga watching the scene with amusement as Tirpitz sighed in embarrassment at the sight.

They had called aboard the last three members of their group now that it was a fairly certain thing he wasn't about to go turncoat on them, the following explanation of how he had become a Siren leading to more than a little guilt on the side of the shipgirls.

"I-i-if we had just been able to protect people better then none of this would have happened! The town would still be standing, families would be together and you wouldn't be some kind of giant alien hunk!"

"That's all true, but that's not what happened and I'm still alive, still able to help my species. Seriously, miss San Diego, I'm not mad. You've all spent more than a decade fighting for humanity, I'm not about to take you to task over this."

The redhead's teary gaze gazed up into his as she quietly asked, "Really?"

"Really really."

"...Oh whew!"

Her body language screamed of relief, wiping away her tears as she happily stated, "For a minute there I thought you would be all furious and hold a grudge or something~!"

Alexander made no comment, still too distracted by the clear signs that the shipgirls were forcing themselves to act...normal?

San Diego's cheery and irreverent attitude didn't hide the thousand-yard stare she occasionally sported even in the few minutes he'd interacted with her, Tirpitz had dark bags under her eyes and the idol sisters didn't exude a natural energy when they thought nobody was looking, as if the act was simply too difficult to uphold most of the time.

He was no psychologist, but living in a world where humanity had begun to decline in a seemingly unwinnable war meant most people knew how to read the signs of PTSD and loss.

The Shipgirls were rife with that and more than ever he felt a growing urge to do something to alleviate that burden...if he was cursed to be forever apart from humanity then so be it, might as well own that distinction and make something worthwhile of it.

"Finally, a proper mindset. Although you obviously don't wish to alleviate their burden too much, seeing as how you have yet to inform your precious role models of my presence."

Observer Zero's teasing words went ignored, Alexander remaining firm in his decision on that front. It was already a small miracle that they had elected to trust him as much as they did, even though he'd proven rather definitively that he was on their side...informing them that he had a Siren - a real one - living inside his head would raise all sorts of questions and doubts that he didn't want to deal with yet.

Instead he turned to Lexington and Saratoga, kneeling on one knee so that he didn't quite tower over them, a difference in height he still didn't feel comfortable with.

"I saw your Tour of the Verdant West concert four years ago, when you visited Los Angeles...when the venue was still there."

Quickly moving on from a more depressing subject he offered up a smile at the surprised shipgirls, stating, "It was the best damn show I ever saw, especially the Eagle Union flag fireworks display. The city was talking about that one for weeks."

Honest joy replaced the fake enthusiasm that had been present on their features, Saratoga eagerly asking, "They were?! Eh heh heh, of course they would be, big sis and I are nothing if not the best idols to ever exist, after all~!"

A teasing glint entered Lexington's placid and relaxed expression, playfully asking, "I don't suppose you would like an autograph, Alexander?"

Unable to help but flush for a moment and avert his eyes he quickly responded, "Sorry, but got nothing for you to sign on."

San Diego cackled, stating, "I dunno, that back of yours looks pretty broad~!"

Tirpitz rolled her eyes as Alexander honestly considered it for a moment, the Ironblood sighing as she commented, "You Eagle Union types. Always so undisciplined and energetic."

Before the trio could fire back their own rebuttals the male Siren stiffened, warning them, "One moment, Warspite is about to wake up."

All eyes immediately turned to the floating Rigging, its gelatinous interior shifting as the breathing apparatus was removed from the lithe shipgirl's mouth, body being lowered to the floor below and clothed in her previous attire, skin and bone restored to its previously pristine condition.

The group quickly convened around the still unconscious woman, Vampire worriedly asking, "Is...is lady Warspite not healed? Thou said that this would restore her to her previous state of being, correct?"

Just as clueless to the proceedings as everyone else was Alexander turned to the Rigging, asking, "Well? Will she awake anytime soon?"

The reply must have been silent since there was no audible reply but Alexander openly retorted, "Then why isn't she?"

Belfast frowned, leaning her head over her fellow Royal Navy shipgirl's mouth to listen for signs of breathing-

THONK!

-and two feminine yelps of distress echoed throughout the ship's halls as Warspite suddenly shot upwards, forehead impacting directly into Belfast's, the maid's typical composure lost to the surprise of the moment.

"W-what?! Belfast, what are you doing here?! I thought you were a part of the diversionary group? And what...has…"

The shipgirl's eyes roamed the gathered crowd, widening slightly as they focused on Alexander and the nearby rigging, her sword flashing to life in her hand as she prepared to attack-

-and the blade was lowered slightly, Warspite's tone terse as she stated, "Judging by the fact that we are all in a noticeably different location, the hovering Siren creature and the male Siren none of you seem particularly bothered by...I assume the situation has changed?"

Regaining her cool and aloof persona - somewhat marred by the slight reddening on her forehead - Belfast nodded, stating, "Roughly a day has passed since your near demise, Warspite. And the situation is...perhaps changed is too light a term."

"Kaputt is a more fitting descriptor, ja?"

Prinz Eugen's cheery comment caused Warspite's face to twist in an expression halfway between exasperation and irritation, her eyes once more roving the group...and landed on Vampire, the battleship smiling as she said, "It's heartening to see you alive and well, Vampire. I was-OOF?!"

The destroyer tackled the equally tiny battleship to the floor, tears leaking from her crimson orbs as she angrily stated, "Lady Warspite, doth thou not now how cruel of a thing it is to abandon a fellow lady in her time of distress!? I believed you to be dead!"

Appearing highly embarrassed by the sniffling girl attached to her chest Warspite hesitated before awkwardly patting her on the back, responding, "I shall take such a request under future advisement...but I hold no regrets over ensuring your safety, Vampire."

The tender moment came to a close as the Royal Navy battleship turned to Alexander, who was keeping his gaze averted. Both shipgirl's were facing away from him and, given their more risque attire, he was being treated to a faceful of erotic exposure.

He was already in shaky standing, he didn't need to be labeled as a lecher on top of everything else...even if Vampire's lacy panties and Warspite's plain but form-fitting underwear of pure black caused his stomach to do a flip-

"Of for fuck's sake, keep it together, me...we need our brain firing on all cylinders and no blood can be spared elsewhere."

"I find myself at a loss as to why you insist on remaining a chaste and submissive individual. Allow me to reiterate...you are greater than these larval forms of a true Siren. You may treat them as such and they will surely come to follow your orders as is only natural. The one you just repaired will quickly come to display such characteristics, once you afford her a taste of the strength you can impart."

Feeling a rush of worry at Observer Zero's words Alexander nonetheless set them aside for the moment, instead rising to his feet as Warspite and Vampire did the same, the battleship looking up at him in a gesture that made the former Human realize just how tall whatever adjustments the Siren had made to his body ended up being...she barely came up past his waist.

"And you? You are clearly a Siren of some sort, what relation do you have to everyone present? And where are we?"

Finding the clipped and posh accent alongside the authoritative words rather attractive Alexander had to take a moment to get his thoughts in order, thankfully spared the necessity as Saratoga cheerfully chimed in with, "He's a fan of ours! And he totally went and saved the day with this ship of his~!"

"...Ship?"

Scratching the back of his head the towering male eventually stated, "For the moment why don't we take this outside? The Rigging is informing me your vessel is well on its way to being properly repaired, no doubt you want to take a look at it."

Warspite tilted her head in a rather adorable fashion, eyes going out of focus for a moment as she no doubt attempted to telepathically commune with her hulk-

-and blinked, suddenly glaring at Alexander with such intensity that he couldn't help but wonder what he'd done wrong.

"...What have you done to my ship?"

"Whhhooooaaaa...you look so cool, Warspite!"

"Indeed. These kind of upgrades will no doubt greatly increase your combat potential."

"Hmm...I wonder if I can get this kind of work done on my form..."

Saratoga, Tirpitz and Shoukaku's words of appreciation were lost on Warspite as she gaped at the ongoing repairs, the other shipgirls sans Belfast and Enterprise eagerly exploring the cavernous bay located near the rear of the vessel and well out of earshot.

A significant portion of the rear half of the Siren ship was devoted to a repair and construction bay, even Warspite's battleship-sized body fitting comfortably within as it rested on the cresting waters below, drones and manipulators both welding, affixing and modifying bits and pieces of the vessel at a rapid pace.

...and modify they did.

The 381mm cannons had been replaced with linear accelerator mounts, the 152mm's with a collection of glowing shield emitters while the AA and torpedo tubes has been supplemented by guided missile pods, engines and sensory equipment largely the same but vastly upgraded with Siren tech, propellers replaced with displacement engines and the towering radar dishes compressed into more compact sensor suites barely a few meters tall.

"What...what are you doing to me?! What is all this?! And why does it feel so..."

The pint-sized battleship squirmed as trying to alleviate some unreachable discomfort.

"Itchy?"

Belfast and Enterprise gave Alexander narrowed looks, the man helplessly shrugging as he responded, "I honestly don't know, I'm just the mouthpiece here. Most of this is automated and while I can tell you what it's doing how is…"

He winced, rubbing his temple as yet another headache assailed his brain.

"Still in the process of learning that."

Warspite placed her sword point-first onto the metal flooring, taking a deep breath before calmly stating, "Then explain the what, Alexander."

The authoritative words were somewhat undercut by the frankly adorable twitch her ear-like appendages gave alongside the full-body shiver as one of the final missile pods was securely fastened.

"Right...well the linear accelerator mounts - or maybe railgun would be a more apt descriptor - fires tungsten alloys and plasma rounds, two apiece."

He received blank looks from the three shipgirls.

"Right, sorry, still in 1958...okay, you know what magnets are, right?"

"We're not that uneducated."

Grimacing at Enterprise's frosty tone he quickly added, "Well a railgun - in the most broad of explanations - acts like a magnet. A projectile in the barrel of the gun is affected by a series of magnets that accelerate the round to very fast speeds, which means they pack a kick even without conventional explosives loaded in."

Warspite nodded, still frowning as she stated, "Understood...how fast can they fire?"

"One round every fifteen seconds. But you'll likely have to let the barrels cool and drones do basic maintenance checks every hundred or so shots. Even with Siren tech that's a lot of stress on the thing."

A moment of silence passed, Alexander sighing before running a hand through his hair.

"I gotta say, it feels weird knowing all of these things when I absolutely shouldn't know about them."

Belfast made a small humming noise of acknowledgement, asking, "These weapons sound quite devastating and to my knowledge most Siren ships encountered thus far only use reduced versions of these weapons, even those have had little success in being reverse-engineered. Why are these different?"

"Well, from what I've been able to tell it was always a matter of power supply. When I was...made the dozens upon dozens of Wisdom Cubes were cannibalized as a source of energy, all of them still laced throughout the ship. Most mass-produced Siren vessels, even with their high levels of tech, couldn't supply the level of power needed to keep both weapons and shields running properly."

Warspite frowned, asking, "So how am I to properly wield these tools then? And you have not explained these 'plasma railguns' yet."

Alexander sighed, replying, "Well the plasma railgun is...just that. A railgun that fires plasma. If you want more details later I can act as a mouthpiece for all of the extra info the Sirens have been dumping into my brain. And for power?"

He pointed to where one of the many drones was carefully maneuvering what the shipgirls recognized as a Wisdom Cube over Warspite's upgraded form, slotting the pulsating object deep into the bowels of the vessel's core that had yet to be repaired, no doubt for this exact reason.

"The Siren Rigging is suggesting that this next part might feel strange. Sorry in advance."

"What do you mean-HMM~?!"

A completely foreign and unexpected moan slipped past Warspite's lips as the still-constructing battleship pulsed with supernatural light, shield emitters and sensor arrays spinning to life while the guns quietly hummed with lethal intent as the lithe woman collapsed to the ground, Belfast and Enterprise immediately rounding on Alexander with narrowed gazes as he backed up with arms raised, protesting, "I already said it wasn't me, I don't know what I did wrong!"

A plaintive mewl left the Royal Navy battleship, hands flying to inbetween her thighs or running over her slim body, hair covering her face but not the sight of her drooling tongue hanging out as heavy pants left cherry lips, voice a breathy moan as she desperately asked, "W-what have you done to, to me?! It's...it's going to...it feels like I'm on fire!"

Now writhing in what looked to be in pain Alexander suddenly stiffened as Warspite's agony seemed to reach a fevered pitch, knowledge flooding his brain as he abruptly stood straight, Enterprise and Belfast torn between directly intervening or seeing how things would play out.

"Warspite, Model #21, prepare for orders!"

The authoritative bark from the previously sheepish and somewhat overwhelmed male shocked the rest of the shipgirls, voice having a reverberating tinge to it as lines of unnatural light traced across Warspite's form, the shipgirl's spine arching as she suddenly sat up straight-

-and with a metallic rasp and electronic hum the light coalesced into the woman's usual Rigging...with a number of alterations. The cannons had been changed to match the ones present on her vessel's body, the metals were smoother composites with glowing shield ports while her blade now had more ornate trimming and a keener edge.

Enterprise and Belfast gaped at her new additions, the rest of the shipgirls who had ran back during the commotion also whispering or cooing at the young woman's appearance as she faced Alexander, slamming her sword tip first into the ground with an expression of utmost seriousness.

"Battleship Warspite reporting for duty, your highness."

There was tender pause as the gathered crowd - none more so than Alexander - stared at the shipgirl, her posture displaying nothing but utmost certainty...and her sword clanked to the floor, hands flying to her head in mortification as she wailed, "W-what did I just say?! I, I betrayed my queen's trust! You!"

Once more Alexander sighed, whatever rush of purpose he'd felt a few moments prior sputtering out as an irate and furious Warspite approached him with clear intent to maim dancing in her eyes.

"What trickery did you perform on me, to consider you a sovereign equal to our queen?! Even now I can feel the urge to address your craven hide as my king!"

Appearing well and truly ready to call it a day Alexander responded, "Warspite, I'll say it one more time. I don't understand what any of this means or entails and I'm not doing any of it on purpose. Also the Sirens are suggesting you check the back of your neck, that might explain something."

Belfast strode forward, lightly pulling on the nape of a suddenly still Warspite's coat as Prinz Eugen murmured, "How curious...is that a shard of a Wisdom Cube?"

Smoothly nestled at the top of her spinal stem was a glowing shard of the strange artifacts that had allowed them to be summoned in the first place, pulsating lightly as Belfast glanced up at Alexander.

"...How is this an explanation, if I may ask?"

Sighing quietly the male turned around, showing his back to the gathered shipgirls before one of the metallic grafts slid away from his spine...and revealed dozens of Wisdom Cube shards neatly implanted into his spinal column, some of the girls gasping at the sight while the others frowned in contemplation.

Warspite just seemed thunderstruck.

"Some of what made me...is also a part of you? A Siren?"

The shipgirl immediately regretted her choice of words as a look hurt crossed Alexander's features, voice tight as he sharply responded, "I didn't ask to be turned into this."

An awkward silence passed until Vampire tentatively asked, "Erm, sir Alexander? May I ask thou to explain more precisely what such a connection would entail? And is such a process applicable to all of us?"

Seeming more than happy to let things slip by without further comment Alexander turned to the tiny destroyer, replying, "From what the Rigging is telling me this ship - and by extension this body - was made from the collective energies of the various Wisdom Cubes that were a part of the heist. By my count, almost thirty pure and undamaged cubes with enough leftover energy from the others to create another ten, albeit they're not in the best shape."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"One of the shaky Cube shards was implanted into Warspite, meaning that - for better or for worse - bringing you back to perfect health means you're connected to me on a level that is as of yet unclear."

"Hmph. Unclear. You have already seen the results of what a direct order of yours looks like. Were you to demand it of her she would have no recourse but to obey...that is the nature of your newfound strength, after all. To impart great power at the cost of total obedience."

Resisting the urge to wince at Observer Zero's clinical words Alexander kept his cool, the rest of the shipgirls shifting in uneasiness.

Well, except for one.

"Could you perform such upgrades on myself?"

Prinz Eugen's sudden words caught everyone off guard, Tirpitz frowning as she cautioned, "We are still unclear on the exact details and consequences of such an operation, sister. I don't-"

"Bah, no need to be such a drückeberger, Tirpitz...let us face the reality of the situation, sisters."

What was no doubt an uncharacteristic expression of dour logic covered the Ironblood's features.

"We were losing. We are losing. We still very much could lose. How many of our sisters have been claimed by the ocean, by Siren guns and missiles that we lacked the means to effectively combat? How much of humanity has encountered fiery and watery demise because we were unable to keep their conveys from being perforated by advanced munitions, only able to deflect bombardments with our hulls and scavenged, second hand shields?"

She sharply gestured to the spellbound Alexander.

"True, herr Curtis could be the enemy pretending to be a friend...but even were that the case, would it not be a risk worth taking? What he offers us could be the salvation we have sought. What so many of our sisters from Azur Lane fought and sank for."

The shipgirls shifted uneasily or stared at Prinz Eugen with unabashed curiosity, the air silent and still until Vampire stepped forward, expression carrying steadfast and iron resolution despite her doll-like features and body.

"Thou has spoken the truth, Ironblood. 'Twould be a poor showing for myself to not follow Lady Warspite and suffer whatever changes she may experience alongside her."

The Royal Navy battleship seemed touched at the offer even as she opened her mouth to no doubt caution the destroyer-

"Yeah, what Vampire said! And sign me and big sis up as well, you were a big fan of ours and as idols we certainly can't let the fans down~!"

"Quite right, we would be more than happy to undergo whatever procedure this alteration would bring about."

Saratoga and Lexington's words seemed to speak for the rest of everybody present, only Belfast, Tirpitz and Enterprise seeming slightly reluctant...and even then it seemed more that they were playing the role of devil's advocate rather than out of any real maliciousness.

Alexander took a deep breath, bowing his head before softly stating, "Thank you, all of you. For believing. And while I'd be happy to do what I can this repair bay is only so large. I can only handle two destroyers or one larger ship at a time and the drones still need a few more hours to finish collecting the wreckage from the last battle as well as finish repairs on Warspite."

The Royal Navy warship sighed, suggesting, "Then complete whatever alterations you need to my vessel and finish scavenging operations. Once that task is completed we should set sail for Azur Lane with all haste. More specific tests and changes can be performed there, under the watchful eye of those who might know a thing or two about these subjects. And our home base will be better equipped than most to mass-produce or reverse engineer the technology you have spoken of, Alexander."

Not finding anything particularly wrong with such an arrangement the male nodded, stating, "In that case I'll be on the bridge. If I'm going to be telling people about this stuff I should follow up on as much info as I can manage without blowing my brain to pieces. You have free reign of the ship, tap one of those terminals there if you need directions."

Pointing a thumb over his shoulder towards a recessed screen of some kind the male nodded in farewell, striding off as the shipgirls all traded glances once he was out of earshot.

"I sincerely hope he remains an ally. It would be a shame to have to sink such a fine posterior."

Shoukaku snapped her fan in front of her slightly pinked cheeks, wryly remarking, "Only you, Ironblood. Only you. Sisters, do we think he speaks the truth?"

Enterprise scowled, stating, "I don't think he's lying...but he's definitely hiding something."

San Diego snorted, joking, "Probably his massive crush on Saratoga and Lexington, Enty."

"Eh heh heh, you really think that's what's up, San Diego~?"

Lexington raised a hand to her cheek, smiling pleasantly as she murmured, "Oh dear, how to return the affections of a fan turned foe...such a conundrum."

The eagle Union carrier frowned, coldly remarking, "You're all taking this too lightly."

"Lady Enterprise, we have known sir Curtis for a mere few hours and he has recently undergone a significant life event. Has it not occurred to thou that perhaps he himself is unsure of what information there is to share?"

Vampire's defense of the young man caused Belfast to shake her head, stating, "Our personal feelings on the matter hold no bearing on what our professional findings suggest, Vampire. Until a time his innocence is truly proven we shall always be on the lookout for treachery...such is our duty to our queen."

Vampire clearly didn't approve of such a statement, frowning greatly as all eyes turned to Warspite, probably the single most informed out of all of them on the current matter.

"...For the time being, we give him the benefit of the doubt."

Most were surprised by the battleship's sudden defense of one she had been openly aggressive towards just a few minutes ago, Warspite catching onto this before explaining, "It's hard to say whether this is a gut feeling or a result of whatever it is he did to me...but I have a sneaking suspicion that Alexander Curtis well and truly is on our side."

Conversation mostly ceased after that, the shipgirls watching the retrofit of the Royal Navy battleship continue as they each pursued their own private thoughts.

"...Such a magnificent ass, though."

"Enough of your daydreaming, Ironblood!"