Chapter 25: Limping Home
"If you can't fix it then forget it! Geez, we're freezing daylight or whatever that term is!"
The repair drones wordlessly departed to carry out their orders, Purifier huffing in irritation at the ultimately pointless delay as the rest of her fleet got into formation, the hurricane finally leaving them behind and allowing her a clean look at the horizon, where her quarry had escaped and if she pretended just a little bit was still within eyesight.
They weren't, obviously, but she liked to think that she could dream a little.
...Except she got bored of dreaming in about two minutes and instead let her attention wander to the massive gouge carved in the side of her vessel where the little rabbit had suicided, destroying the sensitive equipment responsible for operating the HELGA battery and that was not an easy fix. Certainly not one that could be performed while in a high-speed chase, exchanging volleys with a tenacious foe.
Purifier dropped her chin into her hands, smiling at the memory of the Azur Lane shipgirl that had killed herself in order to cover for her comrades. Brave, defiant, clearly possessing a warrior's disposition since she and her kin had brazenly charged headlong to certain death, going out with a rude hand gesture and enigmatic smile.
"And talk about cute~! Ooh, I would have just snuggled with her all day long, maybe her friends could have joined since they were probably just as adorable-"
Purifier stopped, realized what she was thinking...and scowled, trying to force away the random musings with little success.
"Of all the things you could have done, Creator...why give us empathy? And if you were so fucking intent on doing so, why to us Purifiers? Might as well afford sentience to an industrial meat grinder for all the good it will do you."
Such musings weren't unique to her or her kin, especially in the last 'century' or so, where they had run so many different simulations and scenarios that it was honestly starting to become hard to remember what even happened in them.
Purifier knew what she was. She was a weapon, a tool that burnt away the imperfections and left behind only the best. It was in her damn name and designation.
So why had the Creator given them the ability to feel, to consider the ones they were supposed to be testing as people with thoughts and emotions? That was a counterproductive desire if ever she'd heard one.
One need only look at Observer Alpha's breakdown a few loops back, where she'd just outright abandoned her task - in dangerous breach of her programming, no less - to live on a remote island with a few humans, refusing to speak with any of them save Empress.
Sure, she'd been fine after that whole incident but Purifier knew they were all starting to feel the pinch, except maybe Empress...then again they rarely saw much of their nominal leader so who could say?
Purifier knew for certain that her mind was wandering more and more these days, thinking of alternative timelines and 'what-if' scenarios. Or even just wishing she could hang out and not have to do anything for a couple of time loops.
It was actually a pretty disquieting thought, that if it wasn't for her programming and design she wouldn't even be involved in the project anymore. Hell, what would she even do then?
"Ahh GEEZ, enough of the moping already! Can't we move out yet?!"
With slow, ponderous motions her assembled forces did indeed begin to move out, the Siren huffing out a sigh of relief as she sat back down on the top of her ship, setting aside the familiar but no less disruptive thoughts.
It didn't matter. In a few days the matter would be decided for her one way or another. Either she would crush the Azur Lane resistance - something that looked pretty likely, despite the loss of a very powerful weapon and one of her enhanced battleships - or probably perish in the attempt, waking up in another timeline and scenario if this experiment eventually failed to produce satisfactory results. Questions of a more esoteric and uncomfortable nature could come later.
"...I wonder what Observer Zero would have to say about all of that."
The fleet that returned to Azur Lane was a battered, bruised and ultimately unsuccessful one.
Of their target goal to destroy roughly 500 Siren ships they'd managed just a few shy of 200, losing almost half their number in kind...yes, they'd manage to get the Sirens to divert course and delay them by roughly a single day's travel...but that was about the extent of the good news.
[Azur Lane taskforce you are cleared for docking at berths 13-38, welcome home, over.]
[Understood, Azur Lane command. We are beginning docking now, over.]
Alexander wordlessly maneuvered the Bakunawa to a calm patch of water not far from the rest of the shipgirls, the ship dropping several anchors as a swarm of repair drones and other mechanical constructs sprang to life, bulins and normal human mechanics descending on the shipgirls in a bid to repair them as quickly as possible.
The Sirens were only ten hours behind them, after all.
Desperate to keep his mind off the absolute clusterfuck he'd made of the initial operation the male Siren turned his gaze to the fortifications and more standard naval forces that had sprung up around the base while they'd been gone. 41 standard ships on the line, most of them jury rigged to employ more conventional Siren weaponry and sporadic shielding, eight colossal coastal guns in the final stages of testing and evenly spaced around the island, primed to engage far off Siren ships with withering and deadly barrages.
...He'd feel more confidant about such a concentration of force if it didn't feel hopelessly futile.
[You in there, son?]
Snapping out of his meandering thoughts at the Commander's voice Curtis winced, tiredly replying, "Yeah, I'm here."
[Good. Come ashore to maintenance hanger 3, I've got everyone meeting up there to discuss what our next move is and impart what might be the first bit of good news we've had in a while.]
And with that the Commander closed the line, Alexander wincing at the brusque conversation.
No mention of casualties, his failed battle plans or anything. And what was that about actually coming ashore? Wasn't he still supposed to be a secret?
Heaving out a quiet, defeated sigh to himself Alexander nonetheless did as requested, preparing to leave his ship despite the fact that all he really wanted to do was drink himself into oblivion for a few hours like Laffey had done-
-the thought of the tiny little shipgirl sent a lance of pain into his heart, eyes screwing themselves shut in a bid to physically force back the pain.
"Laffey will save you one last time, Alexander."
"Girl had more bravery in her pinky than I do in my whole fucked up body…"
Pinching the bridge of his nose and forcing himself to focus Alexander squared his shoulders and marched on, reminding himself that if he screwed up now the little rabbit's sacrifice would ultimately be pointless.
He could drink himself into an unfeeling stupor later.
"I-if only I had been there-"
"Hush, Akashi. There would have been nothing you could have done regardless and we are the ones who requested you stay behind."
Nagato comforted an alarmingly distressed and worn out Akashi, the group uncomfortably reminded of the time she had been on the cusp of passing out when the Bakunawa first arrived at the base...except this time she would have no opportunity to rest. None of them did.
"The Empress has a point, Akashi. You had your orders and you carried them out perfectly. And on that note…"
The Commander turned to face the assembled gathering of shipgirls and human alike, face grave and drawn as he looked out over the heavily reduced numbers of his forces.
"We have a working prototype of that bomb we discovered the blueprints for, Akashi put in the hours and got it done, the thing is currently operating under the nickname of Shinsei."
A round of congratulatory murmurs and nods were sent the Sakura inventor's way, red-rimmed eyes and dark bags a testament to her hard work.
"We've got a plan to ensure it goes off in a manner that'll do the most damage to the Sirens possible and even win us the day but before we get into that...the floor is open for questions. Make em' fast, we're on a schedule here."
Without pause one of the humans in the room raised his hand.
"Yes, Admiral Elias?"
An Ironblood man in his early forties pointed to a corner of the room, tone cold as he asked, "What the hell is that?"
All the shipgirls present winced, surprised that the question had taken so long to be broached. Not missing a beat the Commander easily responded, "He, admiral, is Alexander Curtis. The one in command of the Bakunawa and the one who single-handedly allowed us to skip several decades of technological advancement in the span of weeks."
"I can't help but notice that was not included in your report to the president and others."
The Commander's response to an Eagle Union admiral's inquiry was blunt in its language.
"There was no need to, Admiral Harrison. Had I told them that a living, breathing Siren was the one in charge of our sudden technological windfall they would have made a thousand different demands, all of them jockeying for position as the sole 'jailer' of Curtis. I can assure you, gentlemen, that he has done nothing but aid us without reservation against the enemy, even fought against them personally on several occasions."
The Union admiral frowned, remarking, "That comes dangerously close to treason, Commander. There's omission of information and then there's outright not disclosing crucial knowledge that could turn the tide of the war overnight."
The shadow of a smirk appeared on the Commander's lips.
"Oh I gave them the crucial knowledge and I didn't even lie about who gave us the information...I just neglected to mention that the Bakunawa is very much as alive as any of the shipgirls."
"Then why is he known as Alexander Curtis and not Bakunawa, as the rest are?"
"Well obviously because he was human before this."
The admirals looked ready to start throwing molotovs if they didn't get a more thorough explanation-
-right before Tirpitz and Enterprise simultaneously stepped forward, the Ironblood calmly stating, "Admiral, I know this is much to ask...but Alexander is - in my own opinion and from more objective observation - loyal to our cause beyond doubt."
Elias frowned, his junior officers staring with plain shock at the shipgirl's sudden defense of one of their sworn enemy. A shock that only increased as Enteprise added, "I agree with Tirpitz 100%, Admiral Harrison. Alexander Curtis has proven himself loyal as both a comrade despite his new nature...and as a sterling example of an Eagle Union citizen."
The Union admiral's brows furrowed at that mention, the room shifting into a sort of uneasy silence that was swiftly broken by the Commander stating, "You can get the rest of the details later, gentlemen, but the fact of the matter is that right now we don't have the luxury of being picky about our allies. I'll have a more thorough debrief available for all of you once this is all over, provided that we're still alive."
The two admirals settled down without further comment, the simple pragmatism and plain facts of their current situation self-evident. With that taken care of the Commander shifted his gaze to the corner of the room where Alexander had taken up residence, the male Siren having not moved so much as a millimeter during the entire course of the conversation, staring aimlessly at the Shinsei where it rested atop of its carrying pallet, the weapon rough and lethal looking as it stood almost twice as tall as the average male, crafted out of welded together and sharply hewn metal.
The Commander hoped that the kid would snap out of it soon, or at the very least put his breakdown off until the siege was over and done with.
"But I guess that's what happens when you throw a civilian into the deep end of things."
Briefly wondering if he would ever get to stop sending others off to die and retire with whatever was left of his conscience intact the Commander turned to the room at large, noting that his shipgirls also seemed worried about the man's status.
"Son, you in there? We're starting."
To his relief the young man wordlessly pushed off the wall and approached the planning table, still ignoring the way the humans of the room narrowed their eyes at his attitude and imposing presence...before shaking themselves out of it, attention rightfully focused on the approaching armada.
"Alright, here's what we're going to do."
"Alexander, it wasn't-"
"My fault? I know everyone keeps saying that, but...I should have known. I should have known it wouldn't be that easy and your sisters died for it. And now you have to basically depart on a suicide mission to make up for my mistakes."
U-522 and I-13 stared at him from where he was kneeling in front of them, both subs harried and desperately lacking in sleep after their narrow escape from the Siren armada and subsequent attempt to regroup, hair frazzled and clothing heavily creased.
And it didn't stop them from promptly engulfing the much larger man in a tight hug, the Ironblood mumbling, "Sis wouldn't have wanted everyone to mope about her death. A party or three to celebrate how awesome she was at what she did, sure...but definitely not a funeral or anything."
The words and emotions were well meaning but it wasn't enough to do away with the rampant guilt he still felt, even if the comforting warmth of the two shipgirls came close.
Hesitantly returning the embrace - routinely surprised by just how small they were in comparison to him - Alexander murmured, "I can't tell you to be safe, but...at least try, okay?"
Two stoic nods were his only response, both subs leaping into their respective vessels before silently slipping them beneath the waves, no time for a protracted goodbye with the Siren fleet only a few hours from their doorstep.
With nary a whisper both subs vanished from sight, taking the Shinsei with them as Alexander stared at the now placid waters.
He tried not to think about how dangerous their current mission was, as well as the horrific chances of survival associated.
"Master Alexander, you really should-"
"Quit following me around, Belfast. Go be with Enterprise. Or your queen, or Warpsite or basically anybody other than me. Considering how the current rates of attrition are going you should take every opportunity you have to interact with those important to you."
He could practically hear the maid's eyebrow raising.
"Is that an order, master Alexander?"
"Actually, you know what? Yes, it is."
He almost caved at the sudden outpouring of distress, frustration and honest sadness that emanated from Belfast but stuck to his guns, almost a minute passing by before the Royal Navy cruiser departed with the distant click of heels on metal.
"...Well, good job, me. Can't do the battle right and now you're freaking out the shipgirl that's basically been taking care of your ass from the word go."
Rubbing his eyes the male Siren distractedly made his way to the Bakunawa's deck, stepping around the scenes of frantic repair and restocking of ammunition as the ship buzzed with activity, the available munitions available to the fleet as a whole leaving them at roughly half capacity.
Not that that was going to be an issue, in all honesty. The Sirens were going to come at them hard and the battle would be decided in under an hour, if that.
Salty breeze greeted his nostrils as he walked onto the deck, morbidly amused by the fact that he had been introduced back into humanity after all this time...and he'd barely cared, mind still far and away from the events occurring literally an arm's length away.
He instead kept drifting back to the memory of the battle, mind awhirl with all of the mistakes and errors he'd made during the course of it, strategies or plans he should have come prepared with...kept drifting back to the final bursts of emotion that the shipgirls had emanated as they died or stayed behind, whether it was fright, anger, bravery, surprise, regret, resolution...they stuck with him and they weren't going away, the young man feeling a chill settle onto his body that had nothing to do with the weather. Especially since his new body had proven to be damn near immune to shifts in most temperature ranges.
"Wonderful. It seems I'm developing an early onset of shellshock. Fucking stellar, I can't even be unaware of the fact."
Dropping his face into his hands and releasing a titanic sigh Alexander tried to get himself to calm down-
-and blinked as a sudden whiff of pleasing herbs tickled his nostrils, hands removing themselves from his eyes and revealing a steaming cup of tea...along with a mildly peeved Belfast and somewhat amused Enterprise.
"...What?"
"My most insincere apologies, master Alexander. But I elected to interpret your orders rather liberally."
The stunned male found his hand manually closed around the cup, the maid's false smile never once faltering and he got the distinct impression that he might very well have genuinely pissed off the woman.
Narrowed eyes nailed him in place as the light cruiser coldly stated, "Did you honestly believe that we would leave you be when you are in such obvious distress? I have seen sisters act such as yourself only to then-"
Enterprise set a hand on her partner's shoulder, the maid taking a deep breath and composing herself, eyes drifting closed as Alexander continued to dumbly stare, realizing he'd just gotten a look at Belfast in her most honest state.
"Christ, I feel like a tool."
The shipgirl's intertwined their fingers, the carrier affixing him with something resembling reproach as she said, "We have hope for the coming battle, don't act like it's the end of things. Nothing could be further from the truth."
"I know, it's just...I finally felt like there was a real reason for me being given these powers and knowledge, to enable and guard all of you and provide the chance of a future where you didn't have to die by the hundreds for our sake."
His jaw clenched.
"And in the first engagement my mistakes managed to kill almost half of you."
"Alexander, enough."
Caught off guard by Enterprise's harsh words he saw the carrier shift, features twisted in some kind of unknown emotion-
-and he had to look away as her hand set itself on his shoulder, squeezing the muscle in a gesture of comfort.
"We knew the risks going into this. And we knew that battles rarely ever go according to plan. I'm not the first to tell you this and I doubt I will be the last but none of what happened was your fault and yours alone. Yes, you made mistakes and bad assumptions but so did we, our guilt in not preparing sufficiently is shared equally."
This time it was Belfast who slowly ran a hand through his hair, the maid more calmly whispering, "Would any of our sisters have wished for you to tear yourself to regretful shreds, Master Alexander? Would Lexington or Saratoga have preferred their first real fan they encountered in years to be shattered? Would Laffey have desired you broken and guilt-stricken over her choice to be a hero?"
The Siren found it much easier to look out over the ocean than it was to meet the eyes of the shipgirls, his fingers tightening around the offered cup of tea.
"You're right. But it's not that easy, at least not for me. I was just some random dockworker given the power of a god while all of you were basically born and living as demigods, forces of personality and might that every human in the world had heard of."
He rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"It just feels wrong, that I should be alive while so many of you aren't."
"Never apologize about surviving, Alexander. There has been death enough these past years...I would not see even more added to the tally."
Settling for a hesitant nod the towering male took a deep and shaky breath, calming himself slightly before mumbling, "Sorry I made you two come all the way out here, when it should have just been a moment shared in private."
Belfast smiled, playfully pulling his cheek as the maid replied, "What does that matter? Dear Enterprise and I shall have opportunity aplenty to spend time with each other after this battle is over."
Shrugging helplessly the carrier added, "I would much rather spend time before a battle helping a comrade than indulging myself."
Swallowing the lump that formed rather quickly in his throat Alexander settled for simply sending a burst of emotion to the pair of shipgirls, trying to encapsulate every bit of fear, gratitude and affection he could.
Without a word both Belfast and Enterprise flanked him, resting against his larger form in a showing of silent support as they spent the last hours before their probable last stand in quiet solidarity.
[Lead elements of the Siren fleet will be in firing range within ten minutes. All stations, standby for battle. Give the bastards everything you've got.]
The Commander's calm and confidant tones sounded out over the all frequencies channel, Alexander settling deep into his command throne while taking a steadying breath, keeping his mind on the here and now rather than the myriad of ways this could go wrong, focusing on the images provided by his overhead drones.
The Siren fleet wasn't quite as imposing as it had once been, missing several hundred ships while a fair few of the ones remaining were sporting battle damage...the carrier complement in particular had been savaged almost beyond recognition.
But the successful defense of Azur Lane had been predicated on there being only about 200 Siren ships total, not more than twice that number. And even that hadn't taken into account the enhanced Siren vessels that could match their advanced tech. No matter how they tried to shuffle around the numbers the simple, stark reality was that they were fucked.
...All their hope rested on a pair of shipgirls now stealthed far below the waves, waiting and watching for the perfect opportunity to strike and turn the battle on its head.
Almost certainly dying in the process, given the Siren's ability to detect them as well as the simple matter of having to physically deliver such a lethal payload.
[Five minutes,]
Letting his eyes drift closed Alexander reached out with his mind, barely able to sense U-522 and I-13 from such distances but sending what comfort and confidence - confidence that he didn't really feel himself - he could, something that might have been an acknowledging response sent in kind as he ran through one final systems check of the Bakunawa.
All shields and weapons were online while the cannons that had been destroyed during the battle inside the hurricane had been replaced, the more exposed portions of damaged armor hastily repaired while more superficial areas were left as.
...He was as ready as he could be.
The Siren armada began to form a coherent shape as it began to crest the horizon, an unbroken line of ebon ships that looked more like an encroaching tsunami than it did flotilla of war vessels.
"...Come and get it, oh kin of mine."
[All stations, open fire!]
The Bakunawa, the shipgirls, the more standard fleet elements and the coastal guns roared out a defiant barrage, pre-selected Siren ships wilting and shredding under the fusillade-
-and hundreds of guns responded in kind as missiles began to fly, the holding action getting underway as all of their fates now rested in the hands of a pair of brave shipgirls.