Chapter 44: Renewed Hope (Part 3)

"I'm amazed this place is as intact as it is."

"Many of the human personnel carried on what traditions and motifs we had begun implementing. They wanted us to have a place to return to."

Kawakaze paused, eventually adding, "Especially since many of us no longer had a home to return to."

Gently running a hand over a small carving of a crucifix located in what had once been her and Richelieu's dorm room Jeanne felt a wave of nostalgia, the trinket given to them by a young boy who they had saved from drowning after a Siren raid, one of the few gifts and memories they had managed to keep after everything that had happened in the years leading up to this very moment.

And that wasn't the only memory she had found intact within her old abode. The same red, white and blue bedsheets that the Union shipgirls had often joked would look better when star-spangled. A small shrine that carried a few more ornamental items of their faith, the furniture provided by an enthusiastic Mutsu when she had heard they were in the proverbial market for a portable place of worship. A few framed pictures, the centerpoint being when they gathered their sisters from all factions and walks of life, holding a holiday choir event that had been hailed as one of the greatest ever across half the known world.

Back when the war with Sirens had merely seemed to be an afterthought, the newly ratified peace between their nations heralding a bright new future as she gently brushed the image with her fingers, smiling at the sight of her sandwiched between Saratoga and a clearly embarrassed Le Malin, the enthusiastic pinkette having somehow managed to pull both of them into a hug despite her small stature.

"How times have changed."

The cruiser wasn't one given to melancholy but the rush of nostalgia and wistfulness in equal measure surprised even her, the blonde quietly murmuring, "How times change indeed…"

"And I see that time has not dulled your diligence one bit, sister~!"

Émile came bounding into her room with an obvious spring in her step, all smiles and cheer with her shining blue eyes completely free of any bags or blemishes as Jeanne finished tucking the final corner of her sheet covers into their proper position, Kawakaze excusing herself with a small bow as she went to check on the rest of their sisters.

It was an oddly proactive and sentimental action from the usually taciturn Sakura but Jeanne decided to take it as a good sign that things, just maybe, were finally turning around.

"And you look quite radiant as well! I do remember telling you that proper sleep is essential to one's health but no, you always had to go above and beyond in order to ensure all of us survived as hale and healthy as we could. What a selfish decision on your part, sister."

Unable to help the smile that curled her lips upwards Jeanne shook her head at her fellow cruiser's unflagging spirits, asking, "So what has you in such a jovial mood? Even more than just a good night's rest?"

Whipping her arms out from behind her back the shipgirl displayed her prize, Jeanne blinking at it before feeling her cheeks heat up slightly at just how…scandalous the little bit of fabric displayed was. A bright red dancer's leotard with glittering bits of reflective material scattered about, it's skimpy design meaning that much of the valley between her chest and navel were exposed while her back, arms and legs were all but bare, accentuated only by artistic chains, bangles and bracelets that made her seem like some kind of high-class slave.

Yes, she was aware her sisters were often more 'liberal' with their attire than most humans were but the vast majority maintained some semblance of decency. Émile seemed to take the concept and push it as far as she could as long as it was in the name of her chosen craft.

All of the surviving Iris shipgirls still remembered the time the dancer had put on a special event for their military and political leadership as a fundraiser of sorts, more than five hundred men, women and married couples all walking out of the theater with flushed skin and expressions like they had just been clubbed across the face.

It had only been after the fact that they realized Émile had been inspired by burlesque theater and added her own elegant and svelte touches to such a production, turning the whole thing into something that had no doubt been beyond human comprehension.

Jeanne snapped out of her musings as Émile gushed, "I never knew this was delivered! You see, before we departed Azur Lane for that fateful campaign around the Basilica I had requested Akashi's help in procuring an outfit that fit both my own aesthetic while also combining that of the locales south of the Iron Blood. Belly dancing is one of their specialities, I believe? I never found the opportunity to delve too deeply into the history and speciality of the art but I found myself quite fascinated by it~! Hmm, I think I lost a bit of weight during our stay in the northern climes, it might be too loose in places…"

Shaking her head Jeanne motioned with her head for Émile to follow her, the cruiser happily doing so and pausing only to place her acquired dress back in her room.

The rest of their sisters also filed out of their dorms, Jeanne quietly sighing in relief that they also seemed to be doing much better after a solid and uninterrupted night's mess. Jean looked less prickly, Sovetskaya's proud stride was natural rather than forced and even Le Malin - who had been receiving stable rest only sporadically - seemed more like her usual self.

Which was to say she was yawning and looking longingly at her recently vacated mattress.

"But the more things change, the more they stay the same."

That single thought alone gave her hope.

"I know we have meetings later today, but to simply wander about…it feels wasteful."

"To think a few idle hours is what it takes to bring down a Parliament battleship. The war would be over in a flash if the Sirens took a month off."

"As if you're any better, what with always being so vigilant at every single shadow and puppet we come across."

"Better vigilance than twitchiness."

While the sniping between Sovetskaya and Bart was familiar it was both casual and borderline friendly, a marked improvement of how it had sounded when they were on the run from the Sirens.

"You two can just not let it go, can you?"

"That's rich, coming from you of all people."

"And you, pipsqueak, are the worst! Everyone always fawns all over you just because you're adorable and you go along with it!"

Tashkent just nodded at Chao Ho's protest, grinning slightly as Le Malin rolled her eyes, yawning slightly before pausing, asking, "Are we headed to the cafeteria?"

"Of course we are. We don't…hmm…"

Sovetskaya sounded uncharacteristically at a loss as the building they remembered being the mess was now a gargantuan warehouse, Bulins and those unsettling Siren drones coming in and out like a tide of ants.

Everything else on the island had thus far been in the same location it used to be, this was a bit of a change that had them stumped.

"Are you looking for the mess hall, Bulin?"

They all turned to face one of the steadfast helpers, blinking as she was clearly different from the purple and gold themed Bulins they were used to. This one was more a riot of colors and seemed a bit more…coherent? Normal? Then again it was hard to describe the Bulins as anything approaching normal.

"Yes, we are. Would you happen to know where it is?"

"Sure do~! Just keep following that path to the left and you can't miss it! We had to downsize once not as many people were here to eat."

While a bit of a sobering statistic it was Ying Swei who voiced the question they were all wondering, asking, "My apologies for asking such a blunt question, but what manner of Bulin are you? I don't recall seeing one of you before."

Drawing herself up proudly - the group stiffening slightly as a crab-like drone emblazoned with a hammer sigil on its carapace walked up silently - the Bulin announced, "Bulin MkIII, at your service~! We're fresh off the Bakunawa! Puppy? Say hi!"

'Puppy' raised an industrial cutting tool that looked like it could easily tear through battleship armor and waved it about, the Bulin continuing with, "Our sisters were pretty overworked with all the construction and stuff so we decided to lend a helping hand! The Boss is really busy and kind of still getting used to things so we kinda went over his head but it's all good! Probably!"

The group was at a loss for words as the Bulin abruptly turned to the drone, announcing, "C'mon, puppy! We still need to salvage those reactors and they don't organize themselves!"

The shipgirls merely stared as the Bulin hopped aboard the drone, zooming off towards the coast as a couple other of the tiny girls - all riding their own drones like beasts of war - fell into formation with wild whoops of their own.

"...Well at least Azur Lane is as lively as it previously was?"

Émile's statement that came out like a question broke the spell of minor disbelief, even though it caused a fresh wave of doubt among some of their number.

"I don't like how much Azur Lane is relying on all of this Siren technology. We know they can do more than they show."

Unsurprisingly it was Jean Bart who tersely pointed out what everyone was more or less thinking, Jeanne sighing as she replied, "True. But the signs of Siren control were far from subtle. Do you truly think the Commander has fallen under their sway?"

Her kin turned on her, jaw clenched as she growled, "You of all people should know it isn't that simple. Nor does it matter what the person being controlled thinks or feels."

Before they could continue it was none other than Sovetskaya who interrupted, tiredly stating, "We've had this conversation before, sisters. It can wait."

They all blinked, surprised at the shipgirl's words as Chao Ho pointed out, "But you were one of the ones-"

"And I am still suspicious. But uselessly repeating the same talking points holds no benefit, not when we're in the heart of the place that could hold all the answers we seek."

Before they could debate the point - not that there was much to debate, the Parliament woman was right - she motioned with her head, stating, "Come. If nothing else we shouldn't work on an empty stomach."

Her subsequent words were more a grumble than they were bold proclamation.

"I'm sure there are more surprises in store for us."

Sovetskaya was right about surprises, just not in the way any of them had expected. After all, they hadn't been expecting the entire cafeteria to break out into applause and cheers, to gaze at them with grins and wild whoops of celebration as the shipgirls belatedly realized yesterday's publicity stunt had likely only been attended by part of Azur Lane's personnel.

"Snezhnaya Koroleva! Milyy Medved! You survived even amidst the worst of the war, I see!"

Sovetskaya unleashed a surprised yelp extremely unlike her as she and Tashkent were all but dragged away by a rough but matronly looking woman dressed in Parliament mechanic clothing, the pair of superhuman shipgirls appearing no more than helpless cubs as the human shoved them into an excited clutch of a dozen or so of their fellow countrymen, all with laughing or excited expressions.

"...What?"

Chao Ho's more than slightly bewildered words accompanied all sorts of greetings and congratulations, the shipgirls honestly a bit overwhelmed by all the jubilant attention aside from Ying Swei and Émile, who were used to all the more rambunctious behavior.

"Hey, over here!"

They were saved by the familiar shout of I-26 as the sub stood atop one of the tables, wildly waving her arms as they quickly made their way over in a bid to escape the overwhelming attention sent their way.

An attention that was quickly centered on one specific individual as they cleared the main floor, steps faltering for a moment before they recovered and warily approached none other than Alexander, towering over the three Sakura who seemed completely at ease with him.

The man did seem a bit more normal without the imposing armor and weapons - pale skin, towering physique and golden eyes aside - as he wore a simple combo of boots, pants and shirt, lips quirked into a smile as I-13 and I-25 happily chatted without pause.

It certainly didn't bother Émile, the cruiser skipping forward with a beaming smile as the man noticed their approach-

-and calmly stood without further prompting, saying something to the subs that I-25 and 26 nodded their heads at while I-13 appeared visibly upset, departing the mess hall without a backwards glance as Émile wilted at the clear avoidance.

Jeanne settled for simply watching the rest of the Azur Lane personnel as he strode past them, blinking at how little reaction there actually was. A few wary or curious stares but for the most part he was ignored or even got a few professional nods, the Parliament table still in the process of embarrassing their native shipgirls even shouting a few friendly partings that he returned.

"They…seem entirely accepting of his presence and what it means."

The cruiser decided to accept the revelation for what it was, Jean Bart and Chao Ho clearly not pleased with the realization as their expressions soured and moods took a turn for the reserved as the Iris cruiser did her best not to sigh.

Hopefully the meeting with the Commander later could lay to rest the reservations her sisters held. She understood where such mistrust was coming from but after a certain point it became outright paranoia. If the Sirens truly had spread their influence and control to Azur Lane and the Commander then the war may as well be over this very moment…they had to believe that things were as they seemed on the surface or they may as well give up now.

"You woke up early. Eager to explore the base?"

Ying Swei's cheerful inquiry had the two subs nodding eagerly, rabbit ears flapping as I-26 stated, "You bet! I-13 showed us all of these cool machine shops and old facilities that people have kept working ever since we left, this place has gotten crazy!"

"And we kept getting offers of tours by the personnel stationed there, they still seem excited all this time later about what has happened."

I-13 crossed her arms and proudly drew herself up, informing, "Yup! Ever since Alexander showed up and turned this place right around it's been busy and productive like never before!"

The Sakura shipgirl gave the new arrivals a pointed glare.

"So it's kind of mean for you to keep bothering him like you have been."

Bart rolled her eyes, coldly responding, "I'm sure he'll recover from some hurt feelings."

Jeanne winced as I-13's gaze turned flinty, the Iris shipgirl reminded just how oddly protective her fellows were of the man…they hadn't even had a chance to talk to the rest either, what would individuals with great influence like Nagato or Elizabeth think of him?

Tabling that thought for later she returned to the conversation as Ying Swei asked, "So what were you discussing with Alexander? You certainly seemed to be enjoying yourselves."

I-25 and I-26 hesitated, eventually replying, "Well, you know…we kind of, eh heh heh…decided to get the same upgrades sis did?"

"...What?"

Chao Ho's blunt question had I-25 swiftly raising her hands in defense, stating, "W-we heard from all of our upgraded sisters what it's like and decided it was fine! And we need to be able to fight alongside them more effectively so it made sense!"

"Makes sense? The only sense I see around here is the kind that's left your head! We have no idea what undergoing those retrofits will do to us!"

I-13 bristled, offering Jean Bart a nasty sneer as she said, "Oh, sure, just ignore all of our advice and recommendations, it's not like we have firsthand experience or anything."

The Vichya shipgirl scowled, growling out, "For all we know you're under the Siren's thrall, your take on things can't be trusted."

"Oh, but yours can? When you don't know the first thing about what's happened to any of us-"

"Sisters, enough."

The cold, unyielding steel in Sovetskaya's voice coincided with her sitting heavily at their table, Tashkent at her side and cradling a bottle of vodka that she showed to a thus far silent Le Malin.

"Since you obviously failed to notice, you're drawing outside attention."

I-13 blanched as Jean's eye twitched, the shipgirls realizing that while the rest of the mess hall was noisy enough that their argument couldn't be heard there was no such luck with the nearest tables, gazes and tense expressions briefly flicking their way as they immediately felt a sense of deep guilt at their behavior.

"...We'll talk about this later."

"Yeah, that's fine."

Sovetskaya huffed at her kin's attitudes, taking a bite of her meal-

"Sister, are you blushing?"

-and choked as Émile innocently pointed out her flushed cheeks and pink ears, Tashkent mercilessly nodding before adding, "She gets embarrassed by how clingy our old comrades are."

"I am not embarrassed, they are just far too open and unprofessional."

I-25, I-26 and I-13 all gave each other speculative looks before nodding as one.

"Tsundere."

Le Malin cracked a rare smile, softly adding, "Even winter can thaw," as the Parliament shipgirl stabbed her food with a bit more vehemence than was strictly necessary, the tense atmosphere thankfully dispelled for the moment.

"Although we really are going to have to deal with this matter sooner or later. Hopefully our meeting with the Commander will shed some light on things as they stand."

"So they'll be ready that fast, huh?"

"Surprised, boss man~?"

"I was surprised that you even existed, never mind being able to work so fast."

"Heh heh~!"

The Bulin proudly puffed up her chest, even when standing atop of one of the Bakunawa's worker drones barely coming up to his chest.

"Keep at it then, and if you need anything you can come find me and ask."

"You got it, boss man!"

The Bulin darted away without further comment as Alexander sighed, running a hand through his hair while he ran through the timetables he was working with. I-25 and I-26 would have their retrofits done within eight hours and the Commander wanted them, I-13 and himself to make best speed for the Sakura's homeland to bring down the fortified base there, ensuring they would hold both sea and air superiority before sweeping the place clean of Siren activity.

The quicker they freed the island the quicker their forces would be freed up to pursue other theaters of combat, investigate the rumors of Wisdom Cube research there and provide another serious morale boost to the rest of the world.

"And that means I have eight hours to get lots of shit done that would normally require eight days, if not more…great."

Regretfully leaving any plans he had for the liberated Wisdom Cubes on the backburner the Aloadae instead asked, "TB, Zero. Why is so much of the Bakunawa's capabilities and storage a complete mystery to me?"

The duo holographically projected themselves in less than the blink of an eye, the Siren's physical forms busy elsewhere on the ship.

"While it is shameful to admit, with further context and data available I believe the knowledge I granted was either incomplete or corrupted. Allow me to reiterate, this process has never been done before and I now realize it is by no means as easy a task as I imagined it to be."

Curtis paused, giving the more mature Siren a blank look.

"What the flying fuck do you mean corrupted?"

"My sire does not mean to imply that your mind is at risk, merely that the information provided may have been tainted by our own biases. Recollections of the original Siren war were likely far more numbers and data based than they were emotionally charged."

The AI paused, adding, "The Creator wished for any that inherited such information to understand the gravitas of it…we are not the best at transmitting and expressing more emotional subject matter."

"Could have fooled me with Purifier."

"She is not representative of most Sirens. Or much of anything."

Lips quirking at Zero's dry words he sighed, stating, "I want you two -and Purifier, if she won't get bored in three minutes - to go through the information you originally gave to me and what was transmitted by Omega-1. If there's anything important or that you think is missing I want to know about it…in the meantime I need to go through all of the Bakunawa and figure out what I'm missing."

"Master, I suggest you start with the armory, two decks down. It has a complement of ground assault and support elements that you will find useful given your current theaters of combat."

Curtis paused, jaw clenching and eye twitching at TB's advice.

"And you didn't think to inform me of this extremely useful asset beforehand because?"

Zero tilted her head, blandly responding, "Because ground assault elements were purely superfluous prior to this point in time. There existed no efficient means to make use of them in naval battles and other functions of the Bakunawa were devoted to critical processes. Additionally, we were unaware that there might very well be gaps in your knowledge."

"Sure, whatever. What about the Bulins, you don't think that might have been useful?"

Both Sirens hesitated, TB eventually replying, "We believe those are a result of the Omega-1 protocol coming into effect. We had no knowledge of MkIII Bulins prior to their appearance."

Gritting his teeth and fighting back his annoyance at their general unhelpfulness Alexander ground out, "Okay, last question…those two Wisdom Cubes I have. Empress said that I can use them to maybe bring back the shipgirls that were lost but she also pointed out-"

"If you are attempting to once again bring back those that have perished I would advise against it."

Zero held up a hand as his hands curled into fists, calmly explaining, "If there existed a surplus of Wisdom Cubes to experiment and tinker with then I would hold no reservations. But that is not the case. If Empress suggested that there exist alternative means to manifest powerful allies rather than gamble on reviving those already departed then I suggest you heed her words."

Sucking in a breath and letting it go the Aloadae reminded himself that there were still Wisdom Cubes out there in the original Siren bases, the last one had proved it…they just had to locate and retrieve them.

"Fine. Let me know if you have anything remotely useful."

Stalking off and trying to bury his irritation with little success the man made his way to the armory, walking through the heavily armored door as it slid open and taking stock of what was available.

"Holy god."

And it was quite the stock. Nowhere near the size of the hangar and aircraft bays but on a monstrosity like his ship a room almost two hundred meters long, twelve wide and eight tall was nothing to sneeze at. And every centimeter of it was packed with machinery. Moderately sized assembly lines, repair and refit stations armed with manipulators, welders and a hundred other tools…he'd be remiss not to mention the racks of combat-ready drones either, many of them the small-scale models he'd been working with already while ten or so were the colossal behemoths he'd had the dubious pleasure of being shot by a few days ago.

"Well, better late than never."

Walking over to one of the assembly line terminals it flickered on at his approach, Alexander hesitating only a moment before pulling one of the extendable wires from his back and slotting it into the computer, a simple and muted presence awaiting his orders.

"Okay, odd question to ask…but with Omega-1 and shit apparently active can you bring up files or schematics that were previously locked away?"

While there was no audible or emotional response from the terminal it blinked on and off a few times before displaying an absolutely massive array of files to choose from, Alexander grimly smiling before moving to the ones that covered battlesuit creation, repair and function.

While he was infinitely grateful for Akashi's blisteringly fast and ingenious work in crafting a jury-rigged suit for him it had ultimately been an inferior product borne of a cramped schedule and need to disguise his appearance…but if he was going to be at the forefront of ground operations now that the Bakunawa was otherwise engaged he needed something truly up to par.

Matters were complicated by the fact that while he had knowledge aplenty on how to fight and operate the tech under his command the reality was he'd rarely had the chance to put it to use. Comparing himself to someone like Émile - or god forbid Kawakaze - it was painfully obvious he was a novice in the field of battle.

He needed something to even the odds, or at least to make up for his own shortcomings.

"And what do we have here?"

Spotting one design from the closing days of the initial human Siren war he nodded in appreciation, the suit fitting every need almost perfectly. While the capacity to fly was intriguing it had been assumed an entire Wisdom Cube would power the thing, something they couldn't spare at the moment. What they did have were a few busted fragments recovered from the earlier siege that could function perfectly fine as a replacement power source…most importantly, the armor had been intended to house an AI or onboard electronic warfare suite that could house TB and her Rigging without issue.

He still had much of her core tech and electronic bits fused to his back, may as well take advantage of it.

Reallocating the required resources he was relieved to note that the thing would be completed in around six hours, seeing as how he hadn't dipped into any of the prefabricated bits and pieces stored in here.

"Alright…let's see what we can get done with this."