Chapter 61: Counterblow (Part 3)

"Alright how the fuck did that thing get there? Did the Sirens of your time just randomly show up out of nowhere?"

"Not quite out of nowhere. I suspect that whatever method they are using to gain access to this timeline is difficult to detect by conventional means, Familiar."

"Although it begs the question of what it was doing so close to the fleet, as well as its apparent interest in one of 'your' Sirens."

"We should probably come up with a proper name for the two different factions, shouldn't we?"

Alexander's comment was met with a chorus of varying agreement as he irritably stared through the cameras of one of the Bakunawa's drones, wondering how the hell something that matched the Bakunawa is size and power had just randomly shown up without the Sirens of his time knowing anything about it until the shipgirls had basically been within knife-fighting distance.

"And I bet they're still gonna be all 'oh the scenario must be carried out as best it can' despite the fact that they're clearly not as up to date as they think they are."

Releasing his irritation alongside a heavy sigh the Aloadae was interrupted by a soft hand placing itself on his arm, Amagi demurely inquiring, "Are you well, Alexander-sama?"

"About as well as can be expected given the bullshit we have to deal with right now. The rest of your sisters got roped into this by accident but you're electing to jump headfirst into trouble."

Aegir released an amused chuckle from where she lounged in one of the plane's seats, languidly remarking, "You expected us to laze about at Azur Lane instead of throw ourselves into a fight, especially when the Commander gave us his express permission? You have gone quite mad if that's what you believed would happen."

"Trust me when I say I wasn't expecting the Ironblood to be all demure and sensible."

"Why, you catch on quick after all~!"

Rolling his eyes at Aegir's good cheer and August's tacit agreement with such an attitude he instead gave Amagi and Shinano a brief glance, both foxes appearing resolute and determined, whatever apprehension and anxiety they may have had about encountering and engaging the beings that once enslaved them for so long either miniscule or excellently hidden.

"And the two of you are alright with this? Or am I calling into question Sakura dignity and heroism? Never quite got that part down."

The pair simply bowed their heads, Shinano replying, "No offense is taken, Alexander-sama. We stand ready…to serve."

"Alright then get set, we're landing in just a couple minutes and I doubt we'll have much time to catch up with everyone."

A round of nods were his only response as the male went back to mentally watching the Republic's coast with a frown.

The Commander - upon learning of the original Siren's appearance and engagement of their fleet - had all but ordered him, Aegir, August, Shinano and Amagi to head there as fast as possible. While they'd had to leave their vessels behind their Riggings would work just fine and Azur Lane was a veritable fortress at this point, it could suffer their absence for a while with the Bakunawa and the other vessels working autonomously.

For what purpose? Salvage for one, but also information gathering. Apparently the original Sirens had been trying to mindjack or control one of this timeline's Sirens and that just raised fifty different kinds of ominous implications that they might only find in the depths of that command and control behemoth.

All that remained was to figure out if the Sirens of their time would actually lend a fucking hand.

Offering the base one last glare - broken and smoking in several places as the shipgirls carefully patrolled and watched its shell - their aircraft came in for a fast landing on Enterprise's deck, the hatch hissing open and allowing sea breeze to batter them as Enterprise herself welcomed them onto the deck, shouting, "I don't remember our first battle with these upgrades being so intense!"

"Well hopefully everything afterwards will seem like a cinch in comparison! Where's our Siren?"

"Down below, alongside another…guest."

Noting the distaste in the carrier's words as they swiftly strode towards the elevator he asked, "Another Siren?"

"Calls herself Empress, said that if we had any issues with her then we should ask you what to do."

"Oh for fuck's sake."

Aegir raised an eyebrow, curiously asking, "A friend or foe of yours, Alexander?"

"More like a royal pain in my ass. She visited a few weeks ago and said that the Sirens of this time would stay on their guard for the Original Sirens but also keep waging war against us."

The Aloadae abruptly frowned, asking, "Does anyone have any objection if we start calling 'our' pale-faces Neo Sirens and the rest Old Sirens? That should hopefully make it a bit easier to avoid confusion while still getting the point across."

"We'll have to send forms in triplicate back to Azur Lane with your signature on them."

Enterprise's teasing words left Curtis grumbling at the joke that maybe wasn't a joke as they entered the carrier proper, coming across the rather odd sight of Essex, Jean Bart and Sovetskaya suspiciously glaring at a pair of Siren women, one recognizable as Empress and the other who he assumed was Arbiter VI, the duo staring at each other with Arbiter appearing heavily apologetic and contrite as they approached.

"...failed, Empress. Considering how my core programming may have been altered it is for the best that after the operation I be…expunged."

"Great. A heavy topic of conversation."

Intruding at what seemed to be a bad time Alexander decided he didn't particularly care, asking, "So are you here just to observe or to actually help?"

Empress turned her attention away from her sullen opposite, neutrally meeting his gaze as she promptly replied, "We will take action, the severity of this threat - while not as great as first assumed - is of sufficient danger to warrant a tangible response."

"Not as great of a threat? Unless my eyes decieve me there's a giant fuck off Old Siren base that had an escort just hanging around and almost grabbed whatever information it wanted from one of your own and has rather convincingly proven that they're out and the world in force. At what point do you pull your head out of your ass and admit your precious little scenario is fucked beyond belief and there's no going back?!"

Narrowing her eyes Empress coldly responded, "At the point where I deem it so. And thus far nothing has changed my mind. You harp about this great threat yet all I see is a broken and shattered hulk that your forces destroyed without so much as a single loss, working in tandem with the Humans of this time to also thwart a hacking of our own. If nothing else we are the lacking force. I have half a mind to let you handle the rest of this matter, as capable as you are."

The woman took a stride forward, meeting Alexander's smoldering gaze with one of her own as a previously placid tone took on a frustrated tinge, sharply replying with, "So do not presume to lecture me on what should and should not be done when I am more than aware of our own slipping grasp on the situation!"

Silence rang in the hangar, even the background repairs and activity falling by the wayside as both shipgirl and Siren alike awkwardly watched Alexander and Empress stare the other down, completely caught off guard by the intensity of the interaction.

"That is quite the unexpected bit of vehemence for a machine…"

Aegir's quiet observation seemed to snap the arguing pair out of their staredown, Empress blinking twice before slipping back into icy impassivity, smoothly stating, "That outburst was unbecoming of my role. Regardless, the situation remains the same. We shall break into and survey the interior of the 'Old Siren' base and ascertain whether any important data was taken from Arbiter before terminating her and removing any further possibility of contamination. It is unlikely that any data has been transmitted further than whatever solid state drives are onboard that structure."

While none of the shipgirls seemed that torn up over hearing of Arbiter's summary execution as soon as events had run their course Alexander wasn't as reassured or unbothered as they were, TB being an excellent example of a Siren that should have been erased but had instead proved massively important to the war effort. Not to mention by that logic Amagi and Shinano should have been shot in the head the moment they'd gotten all pertinent information from their time spent in captivity.

…And while this was a pretty distant consideration he wasn't blind to the fact that Zero and Purifier - the pair stuck back at Azur Lane and keeping an eye on things - weren't exactly happy with this state of affairs either.

"TB, do you have any way to ensure Arbiter doesn't need the axe after this? And please don't say one of the methods is that I fuck her, things are already complicated as is."

[If I were to be given ample opportunity to examine and experiment with the systems aboard the Old Siren base it isn't outside the realm of possibility that I will be able to scan her for any signs of corruption or ill intent.]

Frowning as the AI sounded distracted she answered his question before he could ask it, responding, [Apologies, master. I am attempting to interface and listen in on Old Siren activity. From this distance I cannot discern much but I believe they are taking steps to either repair or scuttle the construct. If we are to infiltrate it then I advise we hurry, if I can make physical contact with the systems onboard I should be able to slow down and disrupt their communications and responses.]

"Got it."

Turning to meet as many gazes as possible Alexander quickly told them, "TB says she might have a way to both slow down whatever action the Old Sirens are trying to take once inside and that there might be a way to keep Arbiter intact without having to kill her permanently."

The bevy of expressions he got in response to that statement were truly intriguing to observe, with the shipgirls either resigned to his antics or wondering why the hell he was offering to save one of their nominal enemies while Arbiter just seemed confused with the slightest tinges of hope to her demeanor.

Empress may as well have been carved from stone, merely asking, "You would go so far as to ensure one of our own's continued existence at the possible expense of your own?"

"We have our own reasons for seeing what's inside that monster. Are you going to work with us or not?"

A few seconds ticked by, the Neo Siren appearing to not so much as breathe…and the briefest of glances towards Arbiter had the woman nodding in agreement.

"Very well, let's begin."

"While us barbarians are always happy to have lovely Valkyries guide us to Valhalla after the fact these particular ladies carry some unfortunate connotations, you know?"

Giving Lieutenant Mathers a wry look even as he performed last minute maintenance checks on his hastily repaired and refurbished armor Alexander grumbled, "Don't worry, I think they're a bad omen as well. But they've got beef with that base more than they have beef with us."

Skeptically setting a hand on his hip the Marine incredulously asked, "And what the hell does that even mean? Is there some kind of Siren civil war going on or something?"

"That's about as much as I could comprehend. The Commander typically doesn't tell someone anything more than they need to know."

"Now that resembles the chain of command."

Alexander glanced towards where Arbiter and Empress had taken up residence near the back of the transport helicopter, the rest of the Marines crowding as far away as possible from the pair while his four shipgirl companions had placed themselves between the opposing parties, acting very much like a line of caution tape that had the Aloadae quietly sighing to himself.

He'd wanted Arbiter and Empress to avoid mingling with normal people as much as possible, to simply skate or glide or freestyle to the goddamn base but they had insisted on taking the copter with them. Sure, the military guys had been the ones to rescue Arbiter and knew something was up but that was a tall order to ask, to go from mortal enemy to trustworthy ally in the span of a few hours.

It showed, if the tense and charged atmosphere was any indication.

Electing to try and alleviate the tension a bit Alexander asked, "You guys got a firsthand look of what Siren ground forces can do, right?"

"It was short and the rest of the shipgirls did most of the heavy lifting but yeah. Gotta say, those new toys that ship of yours handed out are pretty kickass."

The man fondly patted the barrel of the downsized gauss rifle that was still fairly massive, cheerfully commenting, "Inbetween this and those fancy suits we were actually able to clear out those robots pretty handily without having to lug around those damn rockets or set up heavy weapons. Not sure what you modeled these after though, sure as hell doesn't look like any Colt or variant I've ever seen."

"They already came equipped. And feel free to order your guys as you will, you've got some idea of what to do and I don't."

"Weren't you military?"

"It sounds a lot better than just saying I was some guy in training that got ambushed by a bunch of Sirens and almost died."

Another lie but one that was necessary since anyone with any experience in the armed service would quickly wonder why he knew practically nothing about actual fighting and warfare.

"Ouch. Well at least you're honest about it, better than thinking of yourself as some hotshot and getting yourself or someone else killed."

"Yeah. That would suck."

Grimly reflecting on that particular sentence Alexander finished up the final checks on his armor, nodding to himself before rising to his feet as the aircraft came to a stop over one of the many breaches in the enormous base, their entry point for the day.

"All right we'll go in first and catch whatever defenses - if any - are waiting for us. Shinano, August? You're in the center of the formation. Aegir, Amagi? You're interspersed with the rest of the group while the Sirens and myself are on point while the drones are rearguard. Objections?"

To Alexander's relief Mather's seemed perfectly fine with his choice of formation, the Aloadae walking to the rear of the airship as it began to lower itself to the breach-

-and he stepped out into freefall, the six Bunker drones and one Tower falling alongside him as they fell through the still smoking hole in the base, jets and other means of propulsion arresting just enough momentum that they landed with a ferocious series of CLANGS instead of as crushed bits of metal, fanning out as Alexander raised the shield on his right arm to the ready, scanning the interior for any signs of danger or threat.

TB - and by extension Akashi - had apparently given up trying to make him some super advanced and fancy combatant, instead maximizing simplicity and lethality so that there was less chance of him fucking up.

An enormous shield on his right with built in shields and heavy ass metal for double the shield while his left arm sported a rotary cannon that relied less on precise aim and more on volume of fire, left shoulder sporting an independent plasma cannon that freed him from any burdens such as aiming and shooting while serving to counterbalance the hefty hunk of metal on his right.

A nice, simple package that functioned much like the Bakunawa did. A juicy, beefy target that could take a beating while its allies did most of the damage.

"On the subject of said allies…"

Glancing behind him the rest of the squad came in for a landing, the Marines rappelling down at a blistering pace while the four shipgirls made for a graceful landing one way or another. Aegir and August with their massive Riggings snarling and growling with voltaic screeches while Amagi and Shinano resembled grace incarnate, tails and kimonos fluttering in the rush of their descent as they all alighted upon the floor in formation, Empress and Arbiter floating down on their Riggings to either side of him as TB flared their Rigging's claws in a protective fan around his armor, the Aloadae stating, "Let's move!"

As one they descended towards the nearest exit, a collapsed metal door that looked as if it had taken a direct hit from a railgun before marching through, Alexander noting that the thing bore more than a passing resemblance to the corridors and architecture of the base back in the Arctic.

"Let's just hope this goes smoother than that fiasco. TB, where should I put you?"

[From what I have been able to glean of this Old Siren network there should be a physical port forty meters ahead and twenty to the right, a recharging station of sorts, if my observations are correct.]

The AI paused for a moment before adding, [I advise that you hurry, master. Message traffic greatly increased in volume upon your infiltration and I doubt it is for any positive reason.]

"You don't say?"

Keeping the sarcastic thought to himself he instead soldiered on through the inside of the behemoth, eyes on a constant swivel until the group arrived at their given location, Alexander holding up a hand for a halt as he mentally reached out to Warspite, whatever jamming field had taken place largely disrupted at this point as he shared vision of the next room with her.

A couple dozen Bunker class and two Towers connected to a large bank of power or fueling stations, inert but no doubt ready to spring into action at a moment's notice as TB slowly withdrew the optical cable she'd snuck around the corner.

"Well, milady? Think you can nail em'?"

"And just who do you think you speak to, my liege? I advise you cover your ears."

Motioning for everyone behind him to hunker down they waited a few tense seconds as the battleship outside carefully aimed her cannons-

-and even within his armor Alexander felt like he got slapped in the balls, a horrific explosion and shriek of metal accompanying one of Warspite's shells tearing through the outer wall and a great deal of the Old Sirens within.

"Go time."

Arbiter and Empress were as silent as they had been for the entirety of the trip thus far but nonetheless flowed in after him, weapons primed and ready as only a single Tower and maybe a dozen Bunkers remained, the rest gone along with a generous portion of still glowing wall where Warspite had perfectly placed a single shot.

"Nicely done."

"But of course."

Streams of energy and a solid line of ammunition tore across the recovering group of Old Sirens, silencing them in less than three seconds as Alexander didn't waste a moment, running forward towards one of the still intact terminals as the rest of their group filed in, finding only smoking wreckage and wrecked machines.

"Holy shit."

"Shit is right, I didn't get to participate!"

Smirking at Aegir's complaint the Aloadae stood ready as TB plugged one of her appendages into the terminal, seconds passing before the AI somewhat awkwardly replied, [Master, there exists a slight complication.]

"Oh god what now?"

[While I believe I can delay it by a number of minutes this base was set to self-destruct the moment we stepped aboard.]

As if the universe decided to play a cosmic joke of epic proportions on them at that exact moment Alexander's sensors began to go crazy, detecting some kind of energy spike-

-and more than a few retches and gags filled the air as they were transported to an entirely new and undamaged part of the base in the blink of an eye, wisps of Mirror Sea fog retreating as the group awkwardly blinked themselves free of their confusion..

[...And additional defenses have been activated, including physical relocation at will. I will attempt to disrupt and defend against any further actions.]

Alexander didn't bother hiding his groan of dismay as his display was painted red in enemy signals, mentally despairing, "Why can't shit ever be normal?"