Chapter 54: Renewed Hope (Part 13)

"It does not speak well to the quality and durability of my familiar to be so…indisposed after such a simple series of events."

Pausing only long enough to retch into a wastebasket that Belfast offered to him Alexander shakily wiped his mouth, grumbling out, "Why don't you try reaching through space, time and a healthy dose of reality and see how you fare, huh?"

An indulgent and mildly amused smile adorned the newly manifested shipgirl's lips.

"Obviously I would fare perfectly well, seeing as I have done just that to arrive at your side."

"Oh why not take it a little easy on our dear summoner, sister? I won't pretend to know all the specifics of what such an act needed to transpire but the end result was clearly one of challenge and difficulty."

"Of course, the people I called are all a bunch of feisty and teasing Ironbloods. I mean I know this was all worth it for Eugen fifty times over but would it have been too much to ask that I get one viper and one sweet, demure Royal Navy maid or something?"

Alexander paused in his feverish musings long enough to give that thought more careful consideration.

"On second thought, one Belfast is more than enough. Sweet and diligent girl that we couldn't do without but damn is she scary with her prophetic powers or whatever."

The maid in question quickly wiped off the clammy sweat that had formed on his upper body, tittering as she jokingly chastised, "You seem to have come out rather worse for wear, master Alexander. Perhaps you should have taken the time to more responsibly and diligently warn us of these potential accidents before going ahead and engaging in such reckless behavior?"

"I didn't know this was going to be such a nightmare, this has never been done before-"

Another wet burp, another diligent extending of the barf bag as the Aloadae took a swig of water, swishing with a sour expression before continuing with, "This has never been done before and if I'd known the energy and focus needed to make it happen would cause this I'd have dropped myself in a vat of ice or something beforehand."

"Mayhap a vat of chilled wine, then?"

Vampire's cheshire smile had appeared the moment he looked to be feeling better, the destroyer languidly adding, "After all, thou seems a bit drunk on the heady nectar of success, hmm~?"

Unable to help but smirk at her words - even if the motion made it seem like he was floating on an ocean of nausea - Eugen put her foot down on the ensuring conversation as she snapped, "If everyone is quite done with their various attempts to ensure Alexander remains on the brink of incapacitation shall we move on to other matters?"

The Ironblood's sharp words would have been the perfect addition to her draconic Rigging if it had been manifested, the man able to perfectly imagine it coiling and growling defensively around him.

"Jesus. And I thought Nagato had a protective streak."

Thankfully all present seemed more amused by Eugen's words then put off, smirking or grinning as the cruiser just scowled at everyone's response.

They had reconvened in one of the Bakunawa's sickbays, all of the shipgirls alongside the Commander present as they stared with a myriad of expressions towards their two latest arrivals, the dominant one being cautious awe.

Not that he couldn't sympathize why. At this late stage of the war recieving the aid of two entirely unknown and unheard of comrades through such an unconventional means was probably a gift horse no one wanted to look in the mouth but couldn't help performing a cursory dental examination on.

Eugen was clearly the top contender in that regard, alternating between worrying over the Aloadae or staring at her newfound Ironblood sisters with something straddling the line between raw hope and innocent confusion, as if she couldn't believe the sight before her was real.

Aegir and August reciprocated that interest, the horned shipgirl curiously asking, "So is this truly the last remaining one of our elder sisters? The call suggested that our people were on the backfoot but this is rather alarming, to say the least."

"Elder sister?"

The Commander's first spoken contribution to the meeting held within it no shortage of intrigue, August clarifying, "Indeed. We are Ironblood models from the time of humanity's war against the Sirens, the echoes of proud vessels that held the line against all odds and even now seek to cast down our enemy. Or perhaps that makes you the little sister…"

"Wait, so you're saying that you came from the far future, not the past or present?"

"Not to derail the conversation or anything, but the sooner everyone just accepts that people from all over history and alternate realities are fair game the easier this will become."

Bart glared at Alexander before huffing out a breath of acceptance, the shipgirl leaning against a bedframe with a posture of open intimidation while he lay bonelessly sprawled on a too small bed.

"I wish I had the energy to sit upright. TB, what the hell happened?"

[Heat waste and radiation emanation from your embedded cubes lead to adverse health conditions, as well as a fever your internal cybernetics were unable to properly cool without further risk to sensitive brain tissues.]

"Isn't my brain also enhanced?"

[The brain is…delicate, master.]

"Good thing I wear a helmet, I guess."

Well aware that his bamboozled and just outright unhealthy state of mind wasn't making things easy Alexander tried to focus on the important conversation taking place, only to be met with a full view of toned thigh and silky blue material, the man blinking as he felt his head gently lifted upwards before being placed on said thigh.

"Rest assured, monsieur, my sisters have yet to talk about anything that you need pay attention to."

Émile's words were whispered but playful, the Aloadae remarking, "Did I miss the part where Belfast got evicted from this job?"

The dancer merely giggled, tilting his head so that he could see the maid now dutifully standing next to Enterprise…offering him a brief smirk of amusement before turning her attention elsewhere.

"She enjoys that way too much."

Of course he would be a bold-faced liar if he said he also wasn't enjoying Émile's attentions, the cruiser delightfully humming to herself as she made use of a freshly washed rag to wipe off his face or body.

…It was definitely a novel experience, he could say that much. While all of the shipgirls had various levels of confidence or preferences in how they approached him Émile was doubtlessly the most genuinely forward in her demeanor and intentions.

"As much as I'm sure we all have a bevy of questions for our latest arrivals why don't we take this to my office? Alexander can barely follow what's happening and we need to plan our next stage of the campaign."

Thankfully the Commander put an end to his haphazard attempt at figuring out just what the hell was going on, the gathered crowd nodding as they rose to their feet before striding towards Azur Lane proper, the Aloadae letting his eyes drift closed as a variety of mental nudges and winks emanated from the original crowd, Aegir and August - who already had the link due to their summoning conditions - emanating entertained bemusement at his predicament, attitudes suggesting they were curious and intrigued with their newfound circumstances.

"Well, at least they're having fun so soon…more fun than I'm currently having at any rate."

Suffering through yet another bout of greasy squeamishness as he broke out into further cold sweat Émile was quick to say, "Goodness, you truly overtaxed yourself. You were not so downtrodden even when you had been shot several times over by that Siren machine."

"Was hopped up on a cow's worth of adrenaline then. Now I'm worn out. Thanks for this, by the way. Belfast wouldn't have stopped making observations both cutting and comforting if she was doing this."

"Oh think nothing of it, I'm more than happy to do so~!"

It went unsaid that the company was also highly appreciated, Alexander more than aware that simply laying on a cot in his own sweat and fevered mind would have been a miserable experience. And while he could drag himself off to the healing tanks the damn things were…uncomfortable. Like being shoved in a can of jelly that tasted of plastic and cramped conditions, forced to float there endlessly as all sorts of gooey bits and pieces moved around his body.

Yuck.

"Monsieur?"

"Hmm?"

"Why have you seemingly taken on so much responsibility for our health and wellbeing, despite us shipgirls having been quite literally made and bred for war?"

"Any particular reason I shouldn't have?"

"Now now, that's not what I asked, monsieur~!"

Unable to help but briefly smile at the woman's playful comment he took a deep breath, feeling slightly less debilitated than he had moments ago.

"When I was still a kid a shipgirl saved my life-"

"Little Laffey, correct?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

Curiosity percolated within his gray matter, the Aloadae asking, "Did you ever meet Laffey, Émile?"

"Only once during a diplomatic overture but she was quite the mignon bunny, sampling wines of every vintage and year with the grace and etiquette of even the most posh growers. And the tolerance of a burly Ironblood, even by our standards."

A fond and nostalgic smile graced the cruiser's lips.

"It warms my heart to know that you still hold her in such high regard, even after all this time."

"How could I not? But I don't know if you realize just how impactful you shipgirls were to the rest of the world, Émile. We were locked into a losing war with no end or possible victory in sight except for your operations and social events. Concerts, parades, goodwill missions…people looked up to all of you, even a fair few ones who'd been suspicious at the start. The warriors incarnate fighting and dying for our sake. I figured that if I was put into a situation where I could help, maybe a lot or even just a little, well…"

He shrugged, simply stating, "Why not take it? It was the least I could do for the true heroes of humanity."

Émile just calmly listened to his words, lightly playing with his hair before she nodded after a moment, replying, "And being able to share intimate, passionate love with these heroes was just a bonus, yes?"

The Aloadae fell silent, stumped at the response…and the cruiser broke down into giggles as she poked him on the nose.

"Purely in jest, Alexander~!"

A more genuine and soft smile adorned her flawless features.

"You undersell yourself, monsieur. You are not a mere cheerleader or stepping stone for us or the world. Not anymore. Your life holds great value and I say with utmost confidence a great many souls would be devastated at your loss."

Alexander found himself staring up at an upside down image of Émile, haloed by flowing locks of golden hair as she whispered, "Do not throw away or disregard your life, many would be heartbroken to see you pass…myself included."

"Umm, I don't think this sensation of rising heat has to do with my fever."

"Y-yeah, I hear you."

"Good~! And just to ensure that you know my feelings on the matter-"

Soft lips closed over his own, the male's eyes flying wide as he tried and miserably failed to channel some of his usual composure.

"If there is an open agreement between all of my sisters to partake of your heart then I would be quite interested in doing so as well, after all…"

She maneuvered her head so that those sinfully full lips were pressed against his ear.

"There is a reason the Iris tongue is called the language of love~."

"...Oh my god, what the fuck? She hasn't even undergone the mental connection and stuff the others did, this is way too much for my virgin heart. Yeah this body is advanced and all but how am I going to handle so many-you know what? Just smile and nod."

"Oh my god you're insanely hot."

"Your honesty is greatly appreciated, monsieur~!"

Alexander inwardly grimaced, fever forgotten as he lamented his good fortune, an oxymoron if ever he'd heard one.

Eugen found herself wondering if it was acceptable or excusable to feel utterly and inexplicably furious with someone who had done nothing but amazing and wondrous things for her with practically no expectation of recompense or payment, to be stewing a whole bevy of negative emotions when she should instead feel elated and joyful beyond description.

…

Obviously it wasn't but the cruiser found herself wanting to throttle a certain giant of a man for motivations she was perfectly willing to admit were petty and bizarre in nature.

Her wandering gaze once more landed on her newly manifested sisters, taking seats in one of Azur Lane's smaller assembly halls as they had already started amicably chatting with Sovetskaya and Bart, mood and words suggesting that they had been a part of the organization for several years rather than hours as the rest of her sisters tried with varying levels of success to make it seem they weren't eavesdropping.

"...I'm not the last Ironblood. Not anymore."

That thought hadn't lost any of its intensity, the shipgirl's heart clenching at the mere idea as her hands curled into fists, the inexplicable and unfair desire to give Alexander a piece of her mind once more coursing through her mind.

She was Prinz Eugen and she had always been the rock that her sisters could rely on, the composed elder sibling - by nature if not age - that always had a witty comment, teasing barb or reliable solution for the crisis or issue at hand. Those roles were not reversed and the fact that she now had someone who had gone so far beyond anything she had ever expected was a shift in circumstance that felt a bit like a dropkick to the face.

It also made her face warm, breath race and fingers tingle with a bevy of feelings that she had to resignedly admit was overwhelming gratitude and affection.

"I am going to fuck that heilige's brains out first chance I get."

"Thinking pleasant thoughts, sister~?"

Snapping out of her ruminations the cruiser flippantly responded to Aegir's comment with, "Naturally. After all, I now have two adorable little sisters to tease."

The horned shipgirl pointedly crossed her arms underneath her chest, purring, "Little sisters, hmm? You know we never really addressed that little bit of contention."

Matching the gesture as she gracefully took her seat between the pair Eugen replied, "Indeed. But worry not, I'm sure you will one day match big sister."

"Perhaps my eyes merely need time to acclimatize to this period but I do believe that our proclaimed elder is of similar if not…smaller proportions."

August's idle observation raised a competitive fire in Eugen as she prepared a rebuttal-

"You three can have a well earned moment to yourselves once we're done with this meeting, until then stay focused."

-and the trio shrugged at the Commander's words, settling into their seats as Eugen tried to restrain the shiver of delight that crawled up her spine at once again being in the presence of her fellow kin. Even if they were apparently from a far flung future.

"Just to be certain, you two are fully aware of current circumstances, yes?"

Aegir nodded while August explained, "Upon manifesting us my familiar imparted all knowledge of recent events - albeit from his perspective - so that we may immediately begin our duties."

That drew no shortage of raised eyebrows from the gathered crowd, since while they had all been born from the Wisdom Cubes with a clear purpose and personality they hadn't been made aware of the greater circumstances surrounding the world they had manifested in, leading the initial wave of shipgirls to have quite the rough initiation period.

"And you say you're from the time when the Sirens first invaded?"

That brought more sour expressions from the duo, Aegir explaining, "Quite so. And that we are here to even the score is most gratifying, especially after such a discouraging conclusion to what we had hoped would be an eventual victory."

"But here we now are, called through time to achieve a proper ending to our war."

The Commander nodded.

"And what, precisely, do you bring to the table? If you're from a time decades ahead of ours surely you have armaments just as powerful as the Bakunawa's, correct?"

"You assume correctly, Commander. Although I feel compelled to point out that while we would be more than happy to share we will need Alexander's permission to do so, as he is the overall authority on what 'modern' implements of war can be disseminated."

Yet another bit of info that had most of Eugen's sisters blinking in surprise, caught off guard by the admission that they weren't subject to the Commander's orders but instead Alexander's. True, none of them were technically beholden to the older man's every word and whim but it was he who had championed their cause and that of Azur Lane despite heavy opposition. It was him who had altered notoriously ingrained military doctrine to account for their eccentricities and it was him who had managed to keep humanity alive despite absolutely horrific odds for several years.

If there was one human on the entire planet who could boast of having the personal loyalty of the shipgirls - even politically powerful ones like Nagato and Elizabeth - beyond even the chain of command it was the Commander. Having a shipgirl bluntly state that wasn't the case seemed utterly surreal, Jean Bart's eye predictably twitching with barely contained suspicion.

"Oh do relax, if nothing else I promise you that my familiar has nothing but respect for your idol, we will cooperate and follow orders as requested."

To their surprise it was the Commander himself who added, "Well? You heard the ladies, that's the situation as it stands. But it sounds as if you can tell us what your weapons are capable of, just not how to replicate them, am I correct?"

"Correct, now allow me to espouse my talents!"

Aegir was first to offer, beginning with, "Engulfer torpedoes were one of the future's first attempts to properly weaponize the time and reality altering techniques of the Sirens and were…reasonably effective."

"How so?"

"Well upon detonating the Engulfer's would create a temporal field that would put everything within its radius on a different time scale as the surrounding areas. Munitions would move slower and vessels would be far easier to strike. Although there were…complications."

While appearing less than pleased to admit there was any flaw whatsoever to her weapons Aegir nonetheless admitted, "Were any part of the target's body to interact with the space surrounding it - no larger than a speck of dust required - it would be free of the slowing effects. And the reverse was true for anything entering the field."

August nodded, calmly adding, "My fighters were equipped with similar technology, although to a limited extent. Missiles or bombs could be easier to deploy than torpedoes in some scenarios."

The room was visibly intrigued by the concept, none more so than the Commander as he stroked his chin.

"Intriguing…well as soon as Alexander is feeling up to speed I'll speak to him about reproducing these methods and weaponry. He'll also begin finalizing the retrofits all of you are undergoing before moving on to the next phase in our campaign."

"Oh? And what might that be, if I am permitted to ask?"

The Commander smiled at August's curious words, explaining, "First we're to secure and regroup with our Sakura allies, then we are to begin reclaiming the Republic to the south and finally retake the Basilica."