Chapter 12: Story Swap

"Enterprise model #77, prepare to receive orders!"

With a sharp exhalation the pale-haired Eagle Union shipgirl felt a fire course through her veins, purpose and meaning filling her body with a sense of power as she rose to her feet, rigging snapping to life around her body as her trusty bow - now enhanced and laced with Siren composites - found her waiting palm.

"Enterprise awaiting orders!"

The moment stretched...and the carrier felt a blush color her cheeks, the rest of the shipgirls either matching her flush or smirking in her direction, the warning of what would happen when the final adjustments came through not preparing her for the sheer mortification of collapsing to her knees, body feeling like it was being consumed with an intolerable, hypersensitive itch that needed one thing and one thing only to be satiated.

...Although the way Belfast stared at her with a coquettish smile on her face wasn't that bad of a result, even if she would never admit it out loud.

"Right, well...welcome to the club, Enterprise."

Dismissing her rigging and releasing a sigh the carrier stared up at Alexander as he tried to keep his expression blank.

Not that it worked, Enterprise able to sense his embarrassment and shame at actually enjoying her little display, as well as relief that there didn't seem to be any complications.

The shipgirl resisted the urge to roll her eyes, deciding to give the man the benefit of the doubt in regards to his lust towards her little show as the Wisdom Cube had been implanted within her metal hull. More than a few humans had commented on the shipgirls being incredibly beautiful by most standards, it was likely only natural that he had reacted thus.

"So, Gray Ghost...do you feel any different?"

The silver-haired Ironblood's teasing words snapped her out of her meandering thoughts, Enterprise turning to Eugen as she calmly stated, "A bit. Enough so that I imagine I could sink you with little difficulty, Prinz Eugen."

The woman's eye twitched briefly, the carrier smirking at the reaction as the Ironblood easily shot back, "Only if you were to attack from afar with no chance of reprisal. Then I wonder-"

"Now now, you two. We have a lot to do and arguments between sisters is neither necessary nor productive."

Nagato's calm but unyielding words caused the pair to grumble yet settle down nonetheless, Alexander moving to quickly ensure there was no follow up as he stated, "You should probably get to your ship, Enterprise. Vampire and Kawakaze are still getting used to the new abilities available and Warspite will no doubt want to offer pointers as well."

"Very well, I shall do so. Contact me if you have need of my services, sisters."

With that the carrier leapt down from the bay they had been using as their own private meeting room, rigging flaring outwards and slowing her descent as the air dragged against it before landing primly atop her enhanced vessel, vast bulk being towed out the rear of the Bakunawa while Elizabeth's vessel calmly floated nearby, next in line to be upgraded.

"Oh, Enterprise! You won't believe all of the changes that-NYA?!"

Calming her racing heart as Akashi had appeared out of seemingly nowhere the carrier released the minty kitty from where she had placed her in an instinctive headlock, scowling as she chastised the cowering Sakura with, "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, Akashi. And what are you doing here anyway, the upgrading process is over and I'm headed out to perform a shakedown cruise."

"...Oh. I thought the ship was moving, nya."

Enterprise looked at the repair ship with a concerned eye, noting that the girl had serious bags under her eyes and was swaying dangerously on her dainty feet, dress stained with all manner of mechanical fluids and lubricants as she lugged around a collection of notebooks and other equipment.

"Akashi? Have you been getting enough rest these past few days?"

"Ermm...maybe a few hours here and there? It's been pretty busy, eh heh heh-"

"You need to properly rest yourself, Akashi. I know from personal experience that pushing yourself too hard doesn't aid anyone but our enemies."

A look of sudden panic dominated the expression of the shipgirl, golden eyes flying wide as she protested, "B-b-but I can't rest, nya! I finally have stuff to research and study so that our sisters will start returning from missions again! There's no time to...to rest…"

Feeling a lance of pain in her heart at the distressed reaction of the Sakura - as well as the realization that she hadn't been seen lately because she was hard at work trying to discern the Bakunawa's secrets - Enterprise quickly knelt and gathered the green-haired girl in a hug, whispering, "Our sister's sinkings haven't been your fault any more than they have been mine or the Commander's, Akashi. Don't act like it was."

"B-b-but...if I had known this stuff before, or maybe just worked harder…"

Sighing at the highly agitated response Enterprise pulled away slightly, wiping away a few of Akashi's confused tears as she firmly told her, "Nagato is waiting for you at repair bay 27, she wants to see you at your earliest convenience."

"...Okay, nya…"

Wincing at the defeated and exhausted action of the shipgirl as she weakly staggered towards the sole remaining bridge leading to the rest of the Bakunawa, Enterprise met the gaze of the rest of the research division among Azur Lane, basically camped out in the hangar as they examined everything they could get their hands on.

All of whom sent her nods and smiles of gratitude at her actions, the carrier returning the gesture as she sighed.

While no such request had been made the only way to get Akashi to stop her antics - the self-destructive kind this time around - was a direct order from Nagato or the Commander. They would see her condition and order her to rest.

Or perhaps it was Alexander who would convince her to recharge. Hell, one of the reasons she was so willing to put up with the still uncertain risks associated with all these alterations was because he had convinced and made time for Belfast, Kawakaze and Eugen to finally rest properly...she owed him for that.

Sighing in exasperation at the laundry list of challenges that seemed to be thrown their way each and every single day Enterprise allowed the instinctive connection between her ship and mind to flourish, noting the foreign yet natural feeling all of the Siren technologies provided to her.

"Well, no sense in complaining...it's time to become the best I can be."

For the hope of a future where her sisters could one day sleep without fear of nightmares and grim memories she would master these new changes Alexander had gifted to them, whether it lead to salvation or ruination.

For all of her disagreements with the Ironblood, Prinz Eugen had been absolutely correct when she said that their options were running out...it was time to do or die.

"So have you given any thought to what you will do once the war is over?"

Caught completely off guard by Nagato's sudden question Alexander dumbly stared at the battleship, lost for words.

"Well I think it's a safe assumption to infer you haven't yet considered such matters, now is it?"

"Course I haven't, I've barely managed to stay up to date on the things I have to deal with now, forget weeks, months or god forbid years away."

The disappointed look the Sakura leader sent his way caused Alexander to raise an eyebrow, not expecting such a response.

"That is not a very healthy mindset to have, Alexander. Having no hope or plan for the future means you will have little desire to live to see it, should adversity come your way. And while it is unfortunate adversity is something that will very much become a part of your life moving forward."

Blinking rapidly the male Siren glanced around the repair bay in a vain attempt to stall for time, inwardly sighing as the rest of the shipgirls had departed already, busy with exploring or other duties as even Prinz Eugen had departed alongside Enterprise, going to search for the rest of the destroyers and ensure they hadn't gotten into trouble.

It was just him and the empress.

"Look, I appreciate the thought but how can I even think about my future when there's so much about it that's likely going to change drastically? Hell, I'm fairly certain the rest of the world isn't exactly going to be jumping up and down to welcome me into the fold as a war hero or humanity's savior. That'll be your wheelhouse."

Raising an admonishing finger Nagato rebutted with, "That is a pessimistic mindset, Alexander. I'm certain that with time you will find places that do not mind your presence, might even welcome you. You need to have the resolve to look for and accept those happenings when you reach them. Living just for the moment is an unhealthy way to live."

Frowning at her comment the male dryly responded, "Don't suppose you could share your own roadmap, then? To provide me with an example?"

Smiling playfully at his comment the Sakura chirped, "While I will almost certainly be called upon to lead the remnants of the Sakura Empire I wish to open up a tea shop on the side. A nice, simple place of business that all patrons can use as a platform for conversation or relaxation. Someplace quiet."

The towering Siren tilted his head, surprised at the answer as he murmured, "Huh...I can actually see you doing quite well as the matron of such a shop."

Smiling happily at his comment the shipgirl replied, "I'm flattered that you think so, Alexander. With that in mind-"

"You wanted to see me, Empress? I haven't messed up, have I, nya?"

Both turned their attention to the tired and somewhat downtrodden words of none other than Akashi as she approached on unsteady legs, the catgirl quailing slightly as she got a good look at Alexander, who towered over her even though he was sitting cross legged.

"Akashi? I called for you?"

"Yeah, Enterprise said you wanted to see me...I think?"

Clearly worn out to a dangerous degree Nagato regained her composure, quietly whispering, "It seems I owe you my thanks, Gray Ghost…" before sending the minty kitty a comforting smile.

"Yes, I requested your presence because I wish for you to run some examinations on Alexander, there are some parts of his body that we are curious about and need an even hand to examine."

Sending the Sakura battleship a bewildered expression he was met only with a quick wink, Akashi slowly blinking as she mumbled, "Umm, if he's okay with that, nya…"

Another pointed glance from Nagato had the young man stating, "Yeah, I don't mind. Begin whenever."

Confused at the sudden request he turned to Nagato, finding her with her eyes closed and features pinched in concentration, a look that was honestly rather adorable before he almost jumped to the ceiling, her regal voice echoing in his head as she spoke, "Ah, opening up a telepathic dialogue with you is not that different from doing so with my sisters. Apologies about the odd request, Alexander...but it seems another one of my sisters is in dire need of your attention once more. Do ensure she gets the rest she so desperately needs, would you?"

Rising to her feet before he could reply the shipgirl smiled at the swaying Akashi, stating, "Shoukaku and Zuikaku will soon arrive, report your findings to them, please."

"Got it, nya…"

Stumbling over to where Alexander was seated Nagato sent the young man one last nod, disappearing down one of the many hallways as the pair awkwardly stared at each other, the male frowning at the horrific bags underneath the shipgirl's bright yellow eyes.

"Umm, Akashi? Don't you think you should get some rest, first?"

Rapidly shaking her head as if to get rid of the onset of drowsiness Akashi swiftly responded, "No, I can't waste time, nya! This research might help my sisters and...and I can't let any more of them sink because I didn't have upgrades available…"

Now openly wincing at the desperate and drunk words of the Sakura as she roughly set down her pack of tools and clumsily went through them Alexander understood precisely why Nagato had left this to him.

"Well if you insist...here, let me get you some coffee, that'll help you stay awake and get things done better."

"O-oh, that'll be good, nya!"

Quickly ordering one of the many drones throughout the ship to get him a bit of flavored water with a mild sedative in it Alexander settled down to wait, the Sakura repair ship finally finding what she was looking for as she approached him with a slumped posture.

Eager to keep her distracted long enough for the drink to arrive the Siren asked, "So what have you been up to, Akashi? I haven't seen you barely once since I showed up here."

"Oh, lots of things, nya...your ship is really weird and full of weird things, I've been trying to learn them all…"

Thankfully the soft buzz of an approaching drone brought salvation, Alexander taking the small cup from the miniature flyer's grasp as Akashi stared at it with bleary attentiveness, a motion very cat-like.

"Here, this should keep you awake and alert."

"Thanks, nya!"

Downing the thing in one gulp the minty kitty wiped her face with one of her massive sleeves - smearing grease across her skin in the process- before approaching him as she asked, "So what's the empress got me looking for? Anything special that...I…"

With no preamble or drama whatsoever the shipgirl collapsed, Alexander quickly catching her in his arms as she began to softly breathe, dead to the world.

"...I don't have a plan for the future, Nagato. For the moment I'm just trying to make sure you all get to have one in the first place."

Sighing to himself Alexander moved Akashi to his lap with the ease of years of practice, lightly stroking her head as she instinctively curled up against his navel, frighteningly thin and fragile body feeling soft and warm against his own.

"...Huh. I wonder how the rest of the settlement is doing, this brings back memories..."

"I see you have long experience in handling felines, Alexander."

Briefly startled at the voice of none other than Shoukaku the male relaxed as he saw that the two Sakura carriers seemed more relieved at the sight of their sister curled in his lap than they did alarmed.

"Take up a seat, hope Nagato didn't interrupt your daily schedule by making you babysit me."

The white-haired carrier reassuringly smiled, sinking to the ground with liquid grace as Zuikaku mirrored her sister's motions, long legs tucked underneath their bodies as Akashi shuffled deeper into the male Siren's lap, lightly purring as his hand continued to stroke her ears.

"Nothing of the sort, in all honesty most of us shipgirls have been watching or raptly listening for any updates on the result of your alterations to our sisters, or simply been on patrol."

Zuikaku closed her eyes briefly, releasing a sigh as she added on to her sister's statement with, "Thankfully there haven't been any Siren assaults or sieges in the past few days, as if most of them have simply gone inactive or disappeared off the face of the map. I would like to say they are being cautious but my gut is fairly certain they are gearing up for a far more massive attack."

Unwilling to admit that Observer Zero's words had all but confirmed that was the case Alexander merely shrugged, replying, "We'll just have to deal with that when or if it happens. In the meantime this place is going to be running full steam with no lunchbreaks."

The pair turned to where Elizabeth's ship was just being secured into the Bakunawa's grasp, scheduled for a nineteen hour retrofit as drones and mechanical repair bots descended on the vessel, Azur Lane staff rotating out for a set of fresh set of hands as they continued to observe and record all the upgrades and adjustments that were made.

"I hope these alterations prove to be effective and safe as can be...I quite like the idea of being able to combat the Sirens on a more level playing field."

"Not to mention the Gray Ghost has yet again proven to be a step ahead of us, sister. Catching up to that infernal carrier is proving to be an ever moving endpoint."

The wry words didn't hold much animosity, the male feeling safe in asking, "What's the deal with the 'Gray Ghost' moniker anyway? It was thrown around a lot before the Siren invasion but I never got the context behind it."

Zuikaki blinked, caught off guard by the request until a nostalgic tone entered her voice, murmuring, "We did indeed used to be at odds with one another...that time seems far away now."

Shoukaku laced her fingers through her her sister's, also reminiscing as she explained, "Gray Ghost was a title based on how, during the early days of the Sakura and Union war, Enterprise managed to be involved in several different battles with seemingly impossible speed, her colors contributing to the name. Over the years it eventually came to stick."

Zuikaku nodded, a mild note of sheepishness entering her voice as she stated, "It's actually rather embarrassing, how much we let that early rivalry define us. Inbetween ourselves, Prinz Eugen and Enterprise there was quite the cross-continental spat going on…"

Alexander smiled a bit at that, remarking, "It was strange to hear about, as a teenager. Of this war between incredibly beautiful women that exemplified the might of one of humanities most powerful weapons, basically superheroes in a world of mortals. And now here I am, a decade and a half later learning that they aren't very different from us in all the ways that matter."

Both carriers blinked, Alexander realizing that statement may not have sounded as complimentary as he meant it to as he hurriedly stated, "That's not a bad thing, mind you. I meant that as a compliment, apologies if it came out sounding anything but."

To his relief both Sakura didn't seem to take offense, Shoukaku even blushing slightly while Zuikaku softly replied, "No offense was taken. In fact it's actually quite relieving to hear you say so. It's been a long standing question among us shipgirls whether we truly count as human, if our natures make us unfit to properly recognize and display the emotions associated with the people we model our forms after...hearing it from one who was both human and is currently something else is reassuring on a deeply spiritual level."

The pale-haired Sakura suddenly hissed, "Sister! That's a rather rude thing to say, isn't it?"

Paling as she caught up to her potential insult in calling him 'something else' the brown-haired carrier bowed her head-

-and was stopped by Alexander chuckling, raising a hand as he amusedly stated, "It's my turn to not be offended, don't worry about it. And you're not even necessarily wrong either, Zuikaku. I myself don't really know how to classify what I am anymore. Not necessarily human, not necessarily Siren. Maybe I should be a mermaid?"

The pair of carriers stared at him-

-and promptly broke down into a fit of giggles, Zuikaku choking out, "Y-you? With a vessel and body far larger than any yet seen, a mermaid?! Alexander, please, take this as your new title, I would pay a vast amount of yen to see the expressions on all who will come to fear the approach of the mermaid."

Doubling over with a set of cackles that still managed to sound dignified the young man felt a ball of warmth settle into his stomach at managing to make the pair laugh, Shoukaku wiping away a tear as the noise seemed to unsettle Akashi, the shipgirl shifting uneasily from where she was curled up on Alexander's lap.

At least until with the ease of long familiarity he lightly stroked right behind one of her twitching ears, relaxation quickly returning to the shipgirl as the carriers swiftly mastered themselves.

"You have owned a cat before?"

"Not really, but I often looked after some of the communal pets my settlement adopted, I got used to quickly warming up to stray and cautious animals, getting them to trust you in as short a time as possible. And one of the key ways to do so is to be damn good at chin and ear rubs."

Zuikaku curiously asked, "I've heard of the settlements before but we have had precious little opportunity to explore places that are outside of the oceans or Azur Lane for...many years now."

Some of her previous good cheer dissipated, soft hazel orbs turning downcast as she sighed, "We haven't even been able to check in on our Sakura citizens that don't already reside in Azur Lane...I know many fled to the Eagle Union, can you tell us of what life was like in there?"

Nodding, Alexander took a moment to gather his thoughts, eventually recounting, "With so many people fleeing the coastal cities - and that being where most people lived to begin with - the inland areas needed places to house refugees where they wouldn't come into conflict with already established residents or ruin tracts of farmland. The Union came up with the settlements as an answer, a desperate measure to solve the crisis that actually worked out as well as could be hoped."

He leant back into his spot against one of the bulkheads, eyes drifting closed as one hand gently set itself on Akashi's slender back, the other continuing its ministrations.

"By contracting the refugees and paying them a small stipend they would aid in building the actual settlements, simple but functional homes and businesses that would serve as a place for people to live until the war could be decided one way or another and the coasts could be reclaimed. The settlement I was in was…"

A complicated expression appeared on his features, Zuikaku and Shoukaku listening with rapt attention.

"Well it was no paradise, during summer it could get really freakin' hot and the wind could get pretty bad as well. And there was a lot of friction with the Sakura, Iris Libre, North Union, Saredgna, Vichya and Radiance refugees that ended up on the Eagle Union's shores during the early years, lots of pent up grudges and nationalism leading to some ugly brawls."

He sighed, wry smile coloring his lips.

"Funnily enough it was the food shortages and other trials that ended up putting an end to those, people simply had to band together and share resources if we wanted to survive...not to mention the horrific attrition rates created a pretty powerful shared experience. Almost everyone lost something or someone to the Sirens. So while life was hard there's a strong sense of community in most settlements, of staying tough and united in the face of an enemy that wants us nothing more than dead."

This time his smile was more light and nostalgic.

"While no one could really afford to house and take care of pets - inbetween work and long shifts at crucial tasks - a more communal system of watching took over. Since I worked late shifts I usually watched over a bunch of the little guys and gals that tended towards a more nocturnal life, mostly cats and even a few owls that people somehow got ahold of. They definitely earned their keep ensuring the rodent population stayed under control, I can tell you that much."

The pair of carriers continued to listen, barely so much as breathing as a sudden chuckle left the man.

"You would not believe the variety of shops and businesses that sprung up in the settlements, though. Gods above and below it was insane. While farmland was strictly regulated and watched over by the government a lot of the refugees and locals had taken seeds or other similar things with them when they fled, growing specialty herbs or vegetables as best they could and creating quite the variety to choose from. It wasn't often - food shortages being what they were - but every now and then a communal cook off would take place, every dish from every corner of the world being tossed to the wolves for consumption and then judgement."

A wistful sigh left the man, eyes gazing off into the distant as he mused, "Strange thinking about all that kind of stuff, considering that it's basically all but off limits to me now...I used to be pretty tan from my work, put me in direct sunlight today though and I'd probably burn someone's eyeballs out."

That drew smiles from the carrier pair, Shoukaku playfully suggesting, "Perhaps you can convert the Bakunawa from producing war material to sunglasses once we have achieved victory? Then you may provide them as a peace offering to your community."

Snorting at the idea Alexander wryly replied, "Yeah, pretty sure that won't go down well either. If they're not busy being blinded then they'll almost certainly be able to see that it's a giant Siren hanging out in their midst. I've only got the bare minimum of familiar facial features on display here, they'd probably try to lynch me."

"You won't know unless you try. And I'm sure Azur Lane would be able to spin events so that they reflect positively on you. Perhaps something along the lines of being a bonafide war hero?"

"Maybe. After so many years of fighting against the Sirens and being driven to the brink by them I can't help but wonder if that kind of excuse would even fly anymore."

The Sakura sisters shrugged, Zuikaku stating, "Even should that eventually be the case then know that at least among those of us at Azur lane you would be welcome. As our empress no doubt asked of you, considering plans for the future is an important facet of living."

Making to reply Alexander opened his mouth-

-and instead stilled, eyes flying wide as the Bakunawa's systems faithfully informed him of enemy activity several thousand kilometers distant, one of the long-distance and high-altitude drones he'd scattered across the coastlines as best he could pinging for his attention.

And the ensuring news was not great. Approaching another one of the few remaining coastal cities of the Eagle Union - course projection suggesting it was the besieged remains of San Francisco that was the target - Alexander was treated to the sight of fourteen Siren warships sailing in formation, one heavy and light carrier, two battleships and an assortment of destroyers and cruisers rounding out the assortment.

"Shit. You two, I need you to let the rest of the shipgirls and the Commander know the Sirens are on the move, likely target is San Francisco...I think they're finished whatever preparations they were working on."

Both carriers blinked in shock for a precious few seconds...and then snapped into action, communicating with their sisters as Alexander stared sightlessly into nothing, Observer Zero making a sudden appearance by his side with a coquettish smile.

"You are correct, you know...your trials are now beginning and it is up to you and your precious little darlings to overcome them. Prepare yourself...the coming years will tax you to the extreme, Alexander."