Chapter 41: Declaration of Love and War (Part 11)

"How did you survive?! We thought you were sunk for sure after you got chased by all those destroyers!"

"Well it was definitely a close call, that's for sure! Boy, we were hopping and skipping and doing basically everything a sub isn't supposed to do just to stay ahead of those Sirens! If it wasn't for that storm then we would have been super dead, that's a fact~!"

"We were lucky enough to meet with the fleet that was retreating into the ice caps during our flight, they chased away our pursuers and we began to aid them since we were unable to make contact with the rest of our comrades...we weren't even entirely sure they were alive, to be honest…"

The brief moment of regret and sadness that passed between the reunited subs was a stark one, made all the more apparent by their initially ecstatic and exuberant mannerisms...and less than a second later squeals of joy left the trio, once again embracing as they wildly danced around the deck of Akashi's ship, the impromptu waltz dragging the protesting cat girl into its midst as meows of protest went completely unheeded, Kawakaze smiling openly and beautifully as she tactfully hid behind Alexander's back so as to avoid her kin's hyper-enthusiasm while Vampire dabbed at her ruby eyes with an ornate handkerchief.

Alexander himself simply couldn't stop grinning as he observed the reunion taking place, the emotions rampaging all across their mental bond painfully intense to experience but all the sweeter for it as he kept his features carefully hidden behind the armor, lest he inadvertently end up startling and freaking someone out with his appearance.

"Finally...FINALLY we start swelling our ranks once more."

"Well~? Are thou not going to introduce thyself?"

Vampire got over her miniature crying session before immediately switching to teasing the much taller male instead, swatting him on the ass and getting a metallic thonk for her trouble as he turned to Kawakaze, neutrally stating, "Yeah, Kawakaze. Aren't you going to introduce yourself to your sisters?"

Her only response was a raised eyebrow that prompted a shrug from the Aloadae, remarking, "Remember, all of you have had plenty of time to get used to me, they haven't. Right now I'm just a weird, Siren-looking man who happens to be accompanying their long lost sisters who also sport some pretty obvious Siren tech on their ships. I'd be freaked out-"

"C'mon, c'mon! We have to introduce you to Alexander, he's the one who allowed all of this to be possible in the first place~!"

"Wait, what?"

Before he could even begin to comprehend what was about to happen I-13 had dragged her fellow subs before him, both shipgirls noticeably wary of the towering suit of armor while Akashi hid her mouth behind a sleeve, clearly enjoying his discomfort.

"Well, so much for nice and slow."

Resisting the urge to sigh he instead gave I-25 and 26 a close look, the duo returning the gesture with obvious unease as he dredged up what knowledge he could of the famed 'rabbit hit squad' of the Sakura. While subs hadn't carried with them the same notoriety and popularity their surface level sisters did they were nonetheless known and respected across the various factions, the pair before him without a doubt popular, both for their track record and demeanors.

I-25 was busty for a typically lithe sub, her white and blue swimsuit clinging tight to a stunning figure while soft, droopy rabbit ears of white and pink framed a kind and reassuring face. I-26 was almost the polar opposite, with tanned skin and upright ears as an athletic and tight body was put on proud display while she practically thrummed with vitality.

"Whoa...so is he like a robot? That armor is pretty scary looking…"

"Mmm, is he one of the reasons your vessels look so much more advanced right now, sisters? Those designs are quite unusual."

I-25's observant remark had I-13 adopting a rare expression of seriousness that looked odd on her tiny frame but carried with it undeniable gravitas, the sub announcing, "Sisters? Alexander is going to remove his helmet and you have to promise me that you will not panic and give us a chance to explain things, is that acceptable?"

"Eh? Why would we freak out if he removes his helmet? Is he actually alive in there!?"

I-13's steadfast demeanor eventually caused the exuberant sub to fold, sighing as she nodded in agreement alongside I-25, both shipgirls giving the masked figure an expression halfway between blatant curiosity and uncertain wariness as the rest of their gathered sisters sent Curtis a wave of telepathic reassurance.

"Well, gonna have to bite this bullet sooner or later…"

Slowly removing his helmet and revealing his features the reaction was both visceral and immediate, both rabbits tensing and eyes going wide with fear-

-before mastering themselves a moment later, a shaky breath escaping I-26 as she tried to joke, "Well that was, umm...something else."

"At least he isn't ugly?"

Lips briefly quirking at the comment Alexander stated, "As flattering as it is to hear that it isn't what's really on your mind, is it?"

I-25 swallowed, body moving backwards an almost imperceptible amount before quietly asking, "Why...why do you look like a Siren?"

Running a hand through his hair as I-26 clearly wanted to ask the same thing Alexander replied, "It's kind of a long story but the basics are that I was originally a human before getting turned into a Siren."

Two pairs of wide eyes met his own as he broadly gestured to the rest of the scattered shipgirls and their vessels, continuing the tale with, "But for whatever reason I wasn't a slave to their designs, free will overiden and stripped from my mind. Instead I was able to use Siren technology and techniques to provide upgrades and retrofits to your sisters so that they could fight and survive more effectively, a technological uplifting that I can provide to the rest of humanity as well."

Vampire nodded in clear agreement, stating, "Sir Alexander has done nothing but offer unconditional aid and assistance to all of us and has suffered greatly for it, for the longest time accepting his position as a social pariah until recently, when he has begun to play a far larger role in events around the world."

There was nervous shifting from the pair of subs, clear and justified wariness at the sudden turnaround from a supposed old enemy warring with hope and joy at having reunited with friends and comrades long thought dead or missing.

To his surprise it was none other than Kawakaze who stepped in, the snow-haired Sakura gently massaging the scalps of the two subs as she calmly stated, "Lady Nagato has declared Alexander as trustworthy and a friend to the Sakura as well as all people of the Earth, a summit held not long ago before the world confirmed this."

The duo shared unreadable glances, staring at Alexander as he tried not to show how their obvious uncertainty rattled and made him feel ill at ease. He'd gotten used to the acceptance and comfort of the Azur lane shipgirls as well as the reserved but certain trust other humans had placed in his creations, this was an unpleasant reminder of how things had been when he'd first met everyone under far more adverse circumstances.

"...Aw geez, if even Kawakaze is saying he's alright then he has to be alright!"

I-25 slowly nodded in agreement with I-26, quietly adding, "I don't see how we can continue to be so wary when so many of our sisters have implicit faith in him…"

"Not the best of reasons but it's better than nothing."

I-26 squared her shoulders and marched right up to Alexander, holding out a hand that didn't entirely bely her taut shoulders, boldly stating, "Sorry about being all jumpy and stuff earlier, it's a pleasure to meet you, Alexander!"

Removing the gauntlet surrounding his right hand the Aloadae gently took the smaller shipgirl's appendage into his own, shaking it softly but firmly as he tried for a reassuring smile that thankfully seemed to be genuine as I-26's ears perked slightly, I-25 also easing up on her tense posture.

"The pleasure is all mine. And hopefully we'll have more time to talk later but for now we need to get your people back to Azur Lane, the rest of your sisters are currently engaged in a battle to retake the Sakura homeland and could use the reinforcements."

Both subs instantly perked, I-26 exclaiming, "Whoa, really?! We're on the offensive again?!"

Akashi proudly crossed her arms, purring, "Yup~! Thanks in big part to my inventions, nya!"

Vampire giggled, striding forward to grasp her fellow's hands as she grandly proclaimed, "And think not of Alexander as a Siren, we have a new title just for him...Aloadae."

"Damn, I can see why the Sirens never found this fleet, the place is a freakin' maze."

"Mmm. Cold too."

"Shouldn't a winter fox be at home in the arctic?"

Kawakaze raised an eyebrow at his joke, mollified a moment later as he used his bare hand to softly scratch between her ears, the destroyer all too happy to receive the gesture as she carefully navigated through twisting, creaking glaciers that Alexander would freely admit made him nervous. Nervous enough that he'd taken to idly rambling to Kawakaze, the fox girl quietly amused by the attempts yet allowing him to vent nonetheless.

Curtis felt he could be forgiven for his nervousness though, warily glancing up at the towering and imposing monoliths that shone with a blinding white before shifting towards mottled blacks and deep blues lower down, where dirt and ice congealed into a solid mass...all while trying to ignore the tectonic groan they unleashed, his brain not quite able to convince his eyes that the giants weren't actually moving to crush them flat like the bugs they were.

"Really? I face down hurricanes, gargantuan flotillas and even the general public but a couple freakin' chunks of ice have me worried? I need to get my shit sorted out."

He paused in that line of thought, noticing that out of the corner of his eye Kawakaze seemed to be trying to fight down a smile.

Yeah. They knew as well and no doubt found it funny as hell. And it was funny, just at his expense.

Setting that thought aside he instead watched the stealthy profile of I-25's sub lead the way through the twisting expanse, the rest of their fast-moving party following in their wake while I-26 brought up the rear, a formation they'd kept up for almost four hours at this point. According to them they would be at the main entrance to their current hideout - where the rest of the fleet was already preparing to evacuate - in another hour and Alexander found himself intensely curious as to how the group apparently thousands strong had managed to survive in such a harsh environment. Sure, having Northern Parliament citizens and shipgirls would help but even that was a lot to expect.

They didn't have long to wait, the time passing quickly as they rounded a frozen bend and came across a relatively wide opening in the glaciers, a colossal overhang hiding within its depths a large hanger that was obviously engineered and held within dozens of vessels of every make and model, ranging from military ones to civilian models, although none were smaller than a destroyer or its equivalent.

...He was more bewildered by the giant goddamn military base than he was the ragtag fleet, whispering, "How the fuck did they make this? Or did they find it?"

"Perhaps the latter? Sirens have long used this area as their base of operations."

Nodding at Kawakaze's solution Alexander still couldn't help but muse, "Which then begs the question of how they've managed to avoid being discovered while squatting in largely automated bases that probably have no shortage of automatic alarms and stuff...whatever, we'll get our answers in a bit."

"And you're going to have a big stick to help out this time, nya~!"

The pair turned around as Akashi raced to a halt from where she had skated across the waters, the minty kitty shaking off a few freezing droplets with a shiver before she slung a bag longer than she was onto the deck with a loud THUNK before unzipping it, revealing one familiar object and one unfamiliar.

First was the ceremonial and assumedly nonfunctional sword he'd worn when being presented to the world, now devoid of fancy decoration and looking pretty nasty in function, honed to a lethal edge as the inventor stated, "Can't just go hacking at solid metal but if you get the joints or softer bits it should cut right through! And for this next one?"

She withdrew the second object, Alexander blinking at what was revealed. A long, rectangular barrel with grip and trigger that could only be a gun. A big, MEAN looking gun.

"I found smaller versions of the railguns in the Bakunawa's stores before we left meant for patrol vessels or fighters and decided to scale one down ever further, nya! Ten shots, one second cooling between each bang."

Gratefully accepting the armaments - even though he privately hoped he would NOT have to use them - the Aloadae stated, "You're a miracle worker, Akashi. Any additional ammo for the gun?"

"Ten shots!"

He paused for a moment before affixing the pair of weapons to the magnetic holders on his back, the repair ship awkwardly looking off to the side.

"Right, ten shots it is. Now hopefully the locals don't shoot once they see that I'm armed and-"

Kawakaze and Akashi tilted their heads as Alexander cut himself off mid-sentence, quietly musing, "Huh. Well that's strange…"

"What is it?"

Snapping out of his ruminations at the destroyer's soft inquiry he replied, "Just had one of my observation drones fly overhead and it cut out for a bit, those dead zones must be caused by the base itself. Not quite sure how it does that but it might have something to do with how they've remained hidden for so long."

Following up on that line of inquiry he mentally contacted Purifier and Zero, asking, "What do you two make of it? Any reason we can't find this thing through remote viewing?"

"Huh? Aren't we still going to the base or whatever? I'm bored, can't you make things go faster?"

Gritting his teeth the Aloadae grumbled, "Very fucking funny. Answer me honestly, if you would be so kind."

"Rest assured, Alexander, that Purifier's sense of humor is not so advanced as that. She spoke the truth, we still are en route."

This time Curtis stilled, unsure if he heard that right.

"You...you can't see the base we're within shouting distance of?"

"Huh? It's just solid ice out there. The stress finally got to you or something?"

Feeling a strange sense of unease pool in his gut the male inquired, "When you threw your lot in with me and removed yourself from communication with the rest of the Sirens were you blocked from seeing or recording other military assets?"

"Huh? No way, if it wasn't against our programming and purpose we could tell you the location and force composition of every ship and base we have right at this moment, we aren't 'blocked off' from anything."

Alexander took a slow, deep breath as the excitement and joy from earlier wore off into a sort of wary caution.

"Stay inside of Akashi's ship until ordered otherwise and DO NOT let anyone else find you, something strange is going on and your perception of our environment is all fucked up. Try to think of a reason that you can't tell we're right outside of a Siren base."

There was a rare lack of snark from the pair, Zero quietly replying, "Understood, we shall examine our memories and search for matching conditions."

"Alexander?"

Snapping out of his mental conversation the Aloadae shook his head at Kawakaze's question, replying, "Sorry, just had a chat with Purifier and Zero. Long story short they can't sense anything about this base, even though they shouldn't be having that issue. It explains why the Sirens never found these people but also raises a truckload of questions."

"Ugh, more mysteries, nya…"

"Perhaps our resident sisters will know more? They have been using these locations for quite some time, after all."

"Fair point."

Huffing out a breath that did away with much of his tension Alexander watched as the two subs pulled into a berth before leaping out, quickly hailing a few people on dock detail before speeding into the depths of the base, I-13 and Vampire skating over to Kawakaze's destroyer before leaping aboard, the sub cheerfully stating, "They're going to inform the rest of our sisters of our arrival, we just need to hang out here for now."

A mildly sheepish expression colored the tiny shipgirl's features.

"While our ships don't look all that Siren like it's still a bit weird and these guys are pretty tense."

Curtis gazed towards the expansive berths, noticing quite a few people gathering along it as well as no shortage of suspicious stares after zooming in courtesy of the helmet's various doodads.

"Yeah, I guess a good number of years on the run will make anyone anxious."

So they settled in to wait, Alexander gazing over the assembled vessels with a curious eye. While there was obvious battle damage on the ships it was the individual touches that drew his attention, flags, emblems and childish paintings - mostly on the civilian models although a few decals had made their way to the military ships - aplenty as he belatedly realized these things were these people's homes.

It was a strange situation to come to grips with, as well as a stark reminder of how bad the war had really gotten before they'd managed to gain the slightest of footholds.

"I do believe we're about to be greeted properly, sisters. Do put on thy best smiles~!"

Vampire's cheery words coincided with a collection of eccentrically dressed and eye-catching figures arriving on the docks in pairs and trios, led by an eager I-25 and I-26 as a slowly building murmur of noise and voices coincided with more people arriving at the base's entrance, I-13 announcing, "Yup, my sisters say we're clear to come on in! C'mon, let's go say hi to everybody!"

Alexander shrugged, mentally preparing himself for a round of questions aplenty as their little flotilla engaged engines and headed towards one of the few empty berths.

"This...I honestly don't even know how to describe this as anything other than a divine miracle."

"No miracles here, nya! Just good old-fashioned ingenuity and hard work."

Akashi wilted a bit as several pairs of eyes turned her way.

"And a bit of luck?"

"A better name for 'god' than any I've heard."

A brief frown marred Jeanne's regal features at Jean Bart's amused response before the blonde regained her composure, turning to the rest of the room before stating, "Regardless of how it came to be it's a relief that the war has finally achieved some measure of stability and hope. Even if the way it came to be is…"

Here Jeanne's eyes - as well as a great many of the other shipgirls - flicked Alexander's way, the Aloadae standing tall with his helmet removed inside the confines of Jeanne's vessel, pretending not to be offended or uneasy at the constant wariness.

"Unusual."

"Damn suspicious is what it is."

The blunt words of Admiral Kirill were matched by Sovetskaya Rossiya, Jean Bart, Tashkent and Chao Ho nodding in slow agreement, Curtis weathering the storm even as Vampire and I-13 bristled at the statement, stepping forward to defend him-

"But if that old iskopayemoye believes you are trustworthy and an asset, then you must be one."

The grizzled and aged admiral snorted, grumbling, "The Commander of Azur Lane never ceases to surprise."

"Indeed. I understand your reticence, sisters, but let us reserve judgement until we are able to regroup with the rest of our comrades properly."

Ying Swei cheerfully smiled, meeting Curtis' gaze with an oddly friendly one as she stated, "Well spoken, after all what do you think sister Émile would say in a situation such as this?"

Tashkent quietly scoffed, muttering, "She's too happy to be reliable," While Le Malin silently nodded in agreement, both destroyers clearly exhausted with significant bags under their eyes.

"On that subject, where's Émile in the first place? Her ship was outside, nya."

"Indeed, hath misfortune or injury sullied the graceful steps of our most elegant sister?"

Sovetskaya shook her head, huffing out a breath as she replied, "She went after a group of ours that was exploring deep into the base, communications - even our telepathy - are unreliable and we will simply have to wait until she returns to impart this news."

The Admiral crossed his arms, commenting, "And on that note your timing is at least convenient. We were about to abandon this base regardless and if we were to return to Azur Lane then this is the time to do so. Although…"

Jean Bart grimly nodded, backing up the human leader with, "Our ammo stocks are low, if a fight breaks out when we're crossing the ocean then we're going to be hard pressed to defend ourselves, never mind the people we're protecting."

Kawakaze simply dipped her head in confirmation, reassuring the group with, "Our improved vessels can drive away aircraft and other vessels of similar tonnage, as long as we evade larger battlegroups the journey will be relatively safe."

Deciding that he had to at least seem confident and assured in his standing Alexander added, "Our forces are also busy assaulting the various outposts and strongholds strewn across the Pacific, they'll have likely drawn a significant Siren response force because of that. Like you said, if there's a time to go, it's now."

Thankfully his suggestion wasn't immediately shot down on account of him being suspicious, the Aloadae taking the moment to glance out the windows and watch the hurried but controlled activity taking place.

What was clearly a rehearsed and practiced chaos had crates or pallets of supplies being slotted into predetermined spots on the vessels, space obviously at a premium and not a single centimeter being left untouched or wasted as various controllers or traffic directors waved brightly painted batons of different colors at different locations. It sort of reminded him of the organizational methodology adopted by aircraft carriers in order to identify different crew since auditory communication was all but impossible.

"Then if all goes well we should be ready to depart in six hours. I imagine most people will be ecstatic to finally return to the rest of the world proper and leave these icy mountains."

"Can't say I blame them…"

Alexander's murmured comment drew a few odd looks as he settled for a simple shrug in response, the admiral announcing, "All right, if we have a plan and departure time then let's get to it. Everyone back to your stations and let's clear out of the ice."

The local shipgirls snapped salutes, nods or bows as they departed, leaving only Jeanne, Alexander and Ying Swei aboard the bridge as the blonde curiously asked, "You wished to speak with us about something, Alexander?"

"No, but judging by the local's attitude as well as that of your comrades I don't think I'd be all that conducive to a smooth working environment."

He shrugged, thinking back to the suspicious and wary gazes that had followed him like a bad smell and even dampered the excitement at Azur Lane finally sending forces to reunite with them.

"I do stand out. It takes time to get used to a titan of metal and weapons that looks like the enemy walking around as if they were a trusted comrade. Only reason people at Azur Lane are mostly okay with me was because it was a gradual process and we fudged the truth quite a bit in regards to my origins."

An apologetic expression appeared on both shipgirl's lovely features - much to the man's surprise - as Ying Swei sighed, remarking, "You will have to forgive our sisters for their ambivalence, Alexander. They are just hardened and calloused by years of hard living and trust does not come easy."

Touched by the gesture he peaceably raised his hands, remarking, "Hey now, I didn't mean to come off as accusing, I absolutely understand their mindsets. It was just a little bit of a shock to go back to how things were when I was first introduced to Azur Lane, that's all."

He let a wry smile grace his lips.

"We were off to a rocky start back then as well."

Jeanne raised a teasing eyebrow, tone bemused as she remarked, "One would have trouble believing that, seeing as how eager Vampire and I-13 were to come to your defense."

"Trust me, a lot has happened that we're going to have to catch you up on."

"It sounds like quite the incredible tale, we heard snippets of broadcasts but never the whole story."

"If nothing else I promise it's one wild ride."

Relaxing slightly as both shipgirls chuckled at his words he offered, "Since my presence isn't exactly going to be a comforting one yet do you want me to see if I can track down and bring back Émile and the others? I can move pretty fast if need be."

"That would be appreciated, she was actually the most enthusiastic and hopeful of us all so I doubt you will have much difficulty convincing her. Give her the phrase 'light shines eternal' and she'll know it was from us."

"Got it, I'll be on my way then."

Slipping his helmet back on Alexander rolled his shoulders, heading towards the tunnel entrance that had been marked for him...and paused, mentaly contacting Akashi with a grim air.

Call him paranoid, but something about the Siren base gave him the willies and he wanted some of the combat drones backing him up, albeit out of sight.

"Please let me be worried over nothing. It'd be a nice change of pace to be paranoid for no good reason."

"While I quite respect your passion and dedication to your craft now does not seem like a particularly good time to be obstinate over the matter. We are departing in a scant few hours and shall need every one of them to return safely and gather your personal effects."

"I understand that, miss Émile, but if we're right and there are indeed Wisdom Cubes or something similar powering this base then we might just have a way to restock our numbers or at the very least keep them out of enemy hands. The instruments don't lie."

Waving about a specially designed sensor that crackled and beeped whenever it pointed to a direction vaguely 'north' the Libre cruiser couldn't help but frown at Doctor Prostal's enthusiasm, understanding completely where it came from but disagreeing with the timing.

"Well if we have confirmed that Wisdom Cubes are present within these hidden locales can we not simply search for them at the next base we travel to?"

"Possibly, but there's no guarantee they are all equipped similarly. This might just be a once in a lifetime opportunity and we can't afford to waste it."

Nodding to his comrades - some of whom shared his fervor and some of whom clearly wished to leave - the man pushed deeper into the sloped depths of the Siren base, the twisting and artificially smooth interior making it feel as if they were in the intestines of some steel beast with their only way out being a length of adhesive, brightly colored string trailing behind them.

"A very chilly steel beast at that. Drat, I should have brought a coat."

Ignoring the chill that began to settle Émile instead inquired, "If you are so set on this quest then I shall provide assistance and escort, perhaps my absence will delay some of the vessels from leaving."

Nodding in gratitude the doctor stated, "Thank you, miss Émile. And I apologize about putting you in such an unfavorable situation."

A wry smile decorated the man's face.

"Us eggheads can get the worst of tunnel vision sometimes."

"Fitting, considering our current locale."

Her little joke got a few amused chuckles from the group before they hurried along, eyeing their surroundings with clear trepidation. They had never traveled this far into the depths of a Siren base before and it was clear the deeper they went the more foreboding the atmosphere became, odd whirs and clicks of ghost-like machinery filling the halls as their breath and footsteps echoed uncomfortably far. Most disconcerting by far was the doctor's device, unleashing its grating warnings at regular intervals as he lead them deeper into the depths of the metallic labyrinth, keyed specifically to discover Wisdom Cubes.

While they may not release a great deal of ambient radiation they nonetheless emanated a significant amount within the confines of their squarish shape, a properly tuned device could pinpoint that radius and lead one to its resting place.

A resting place that was behind a thick but unlocked metal door, a bit of insistence on the shipgirl's part slowly sliding it open where human hands had failed, revealing what looked like some kind of observation bridge with several computer monitors and a large, tinted window.

"Odd. Was this some kind of testing ground for the Sirens?"

"Hey, doc. Take a look at this, I think it's the covering for the cubes!"

Following one of the men's excited whispering Prostal headed towards a large and heavily armored bank of what looked like generators, Émile leaving them to it as she approached the window and looked to see what was on the other side-

-before recoiling slightly, bewildered at what she found. An utterly colossal gate-like structure that was buried halfway in a gigantic arena that could have fit five supercarriers with room to spare, placid water of unknowable depth appearing inky and threatening due to the dim lighting.

"Was that used for transport of some kind? But what could they have needed such a large entryway for?"

Unable to shake the uncomfortable feeling that they were very much in over their heads Émile turned to see how the rest of the group was proceeding-

-and blinked as she noticed one of the monitors had come to life, displaying a single line of text.

Swiftly approaching it the cruiser felt her blood turn to ice as she swiftly read the message.

[Input access codes to begin operations. Time remaining: 19s]

"Doctor! There's a message requiring a password!"

Feeling unease turn to solid dread as the 19s dropped to 18s Prostal whirled around, took a precious second to stare at the countdown...and shouted, "Find a power switch or anything like that and shut it down!"

The group did exactly that, scouring the room for any easy means of shutting the computers off as Émile bounded over to where the Wisdom Cube was supposedly nestled, fingers firmly grasping a metal latch before she planted her feet and pulled.

Yet to her dismay there wasn't a single sign of the covering yielding to her strength, metal lightly groaning but nothing else. For a wild moment she debated summoning her Rigging and simply blowing open the assumed generators-

-and discarded the idea just as quickly. The firepower needed to achieve that kind of force when her strength failed in this enclosed space would shred or damage her allies, if not outright kill them.

"Dammit!"

And it ultimately ended up not mattering in the slightest, Prostal hammering a fist on the console as the countdown abruptly ended, new text displaying with the same gravity as an executioner's blade.

[Species 826 detected in local vicinity.]

[Species 826 has been detected in local vicinity of access to altered timeline.]

[Species 826 must be removed from proximity to key local assets.]

[Consensus: Species 826 units in local area access nodes will be removed. Local access to altered timeline will allow additional security to be garrisoned within.]

The entire group stood stock still, scarcely able to believe the words in perfect english scrolling across the screen...and distant, muted humming swiftly turned into a crescendo of activating machinery, the sounds of metal hitting metal as the Siren security forces no doubt activated and headed toward their location at this very moment as Émile shouted, "To the surface, swiftly! I shall take up the rear and deal with their guardians, do not slow down!"

Her ten human compatriots didn't hesitate, doing just as she requested and sprinting from the room as the cruiser took one last look through the window, throat tightening at the newfound and ominous rotation of the gigantic ring as if it was activating some kind of arcane process she was completely unable to comprehend.

"Perhaps I should have been more forceful in dissuading them in continuing this quest."

I appreciate the review, Modern Sky. It was a roller coaster from start to finish. And as for my favorite ships from AL? Well basically every shipgirl that shows up in this fic is a fav in one way or another, while I only play AL sporadically every time I do I find a new Kansen to find endearing. Heck, two weeks ago I rolled Albacore and she's essentially my current resource sink while four before that it was Aegir. You hit the nail on the head when you said that AL is basically designed about getting you invested in one or more shipgirls at a time, clever bastards know what they're doing.

And next chapter, well, uhh...least violent, right?

On a completely unrelated note does anyone feel like carnival roller coasters are WAY more violent than most amusement parks are? My friend and I went to a county fair a few weeks back and we're pretty used to crazy rides, so Imagine our shock when we get off of the FIRST RIDE feeling like we just went through a Space X training course.

I mean we could just be getting old but I'd like to think that's not the case. For obvious reasons.