"Yorktown?" Akagi wondered aloud, astonished.
The Eagle Union carrier turned to regard her with a bright smile. She didn't look that much different than usual, and yet she looked like a totally different person. It wasn't just her pristine white outfit or her shining, brand-new rigging; it was her bearing, which was a stark contrast with her previous, despondent attitude. She now carried herself with an air of confidence that would normally look out of character on her if it weren't for the lack of any kind of arrogance… and were those actual wings on her back?!
For a second, Akagi believed she was dead and that the one in front of her was an actual angel. It certainly sounded like a much more plausible explanation compared to Yorktown personally coming to save her.
"Hang on, I'll take care of this," Yorktown said, spreading her rigging wide and making a considerable number of Wildcats take off from her flight decks.
The miniaturized fighters went straight for Observer. The Elite was still trying to recover from the previous hit, and she quickly wrapped her tentacles around her form to shield herself, making the bullets bounce off harmlessly. As soon as the barrage ended and the fighters passed over her, she tried to lunge at them with her tendrils, only to realize that a squadron of full-sized Dauntless was diving on her from above. She raised her barrels to shoot them down, but it was too late; they had already dropped their payload on her, and Observer was forced to move out of the way if she didn't want to be engulfed in the following explosions.
Trying to get her bearings, she found herself surrounded by another swarm of fighters. The subjugated Elite found herself on her backfoot, unable to go on the offensive. The miniaturized aircraft were unrelenting, constantly harassing her and trying to score a decisive hit on her. She tried to shake them off, but once more, she saw dive bombers incoming.
This time, she tried to aim for their owner, only to notice that she had disappeared.
Yorktown, for her part, was now floating midair, her rigging and angelic wings sustaining her as she manipulated her aircraft to attack the Siren. A laser beam came straight toward her, but she managed to shield herself with one of her flight decks, deflecting it.
She needed to end things quickly; right now, she had the upper hand, but if Observer managed to get the initiative, she wasn't sure she could keep up. She still wasn't completely accustomed to her new rigging, and she didn't want to take any chances.
She vowed to end the fight with her next move, but as she lowered her rigging, she noticed that Observer was standing still amidst the vortex of aircraft surrounding her. She decided to take advantage of the fact by sending another airwing of dive bombers, but before they could even unleash their payload, a portal appeared at the Siren's feet, and she jumped into it.
Yorktown tried to send a few of her aircraft after her, but the gate disappeared in the blink of an eye. Fearing an ambush, she landed next to Akagi, keeping her guard up for any surprise attack, but after a few seconds of waiting, nothing happened.
"Phew, looks like she's gone." Yorktown let out the breath she was holding and turned to help Akagi up, offering her a hand. Silence fell over the temple grounds, with the sound of battle still going on in the background.
The Sakura carrier looked up at her in bewilderment. What the hell happened during the brief time since they last saw each other that changed her so much? A few days ago, Yorktown was barely able to fly her craft, and now she just drove off an empowered Elite Siren on her own—the same one that gave her such a hard time, by the Gods!
Shaking away those thoughts, Akagi accepted the hand gratefully, if a bit hesitantly.
"Are you all right, Akagi?" Yorktown asked the other carrier with concern. She'd never seen her so beaten up. Her outfit was covered in soot, her face had a nasty bruise, and she was having trouble standing straight. Despite that, she didn't seem to have lost her prideful attitude.
"I'm fine," Akagi said, her tone laced with a hint of bitterness. Then she scoffed, letting out a low chuckle. "And to think that until recently, the idea of being saved by you would have been revolting. You have my gratitude for that," she added.
"Hehe, it's nothing," Yorktown tittered. Even after facing mortal danger, Akagi was always the same. "We are friends after all, right? What's the point of friends if they don't help and support each other?"
"Friends, uh…" Akagi trailed off, the word leaving a weird aftertaste in her mouth. "Well, are you going to explain what you are doing here? What happened to your rigging?"
"Oh, right!" Yorktown exclaimed. "It was all thanks to the Commander; his plan worked wonders."
Akagi raised a confused eyebrow at her.
"What do you mean?"
Before Yorktown could explain, a familiar voice reached their ears.
"Miss Akagi! Miss Yorktown!"
They turned to see Aquila waving at them from afar, accompanied by Sparviero and Carabiniere, the two shipgirls leading along the blind male Kansen.
"Aquila, guys, what are you doing here?" Yorktown inquired as they approached.
"We were looking for a safe place, but we heard a ruckus and decided to come check." Carabiniere informed them.
Akagi seemed unimpressed. "Looking for a place to hide? I admit I was expecting more from you, male Kansen. I didn't know you were such a coward."
Sparviero frowned behind his blindfold, and Carabiniere narrowed her eyes at her.
"The pot is calling the kettle black," the destroyer said, making Akagi glare at her.
"Why don't you say that again, pest?" She said with a warning tone.
Carabiniere gulped but didn't let herself get intimidated. "You heard me. Shouldn't you be helping your comrades? What are you doing so far in the back?"
"You dare insinuate-"
"Guys, please, this is not the time," Sparviero intervened. "Miss Akagi, maybe you don't know because you're so far from the harbor, but it's a veritable brawl down there. If I were to join, I'd do more harm than good. Aquila and Carabiniere are just helping me out."
Akagi narrowed her eyes at him. If he could see her, he'd probably flinch under her piercing gaze.
"If the situation is so serious, I should hurry back to the others," Yorktown declared. "Actually, you three showed up at the perfect time. Observer was trying to sneak behind our defensive line to get to the Sacred Sakura. She was probably being controlled, and even though we repelled her, there's no way to know if she'll try something again. Can I trouble you to protect the tree while I go help our comrades?"
"Of course, leave it to us, Miss Yorktown," Carabiniere said, bringing a hand to her chest, the others nodding in acknowledgement.
Then Yorktown addressed the Kitsune. "Akagi, you should stay here with them."
The Kitsune scrunched up her nose, clearly against the idea. "And since when are you allowed to order me around?"
The other carrier gave her a disarming smile. "Well, I'm pretty sure your sister will get mad if you push yourself too hard, especially in the state you are in."
Akagi flinched as she got the hint, her mind wandering back to Yorktown's words.
"Don't worry, Miss Akagi, I'll show you how much I've improved," Aquila piped up excitedly. "I'll protect you, and I won't allow anyone to get close to the tree."
The glimmer of eagerness in the Sardinian carrier's eyes was the last straw for Akagi's will.
"I don't need your protection, but I do look forward to seeing if your training has served any purpose. Don't disappoint me," she said with her usual, haughty tone of voice, finally acquiescing to their demand.
Yorktown had to stifle a chuckle at the display, but it was still enough for Akagi to notice and send her a sideways glance. She cleared her throat, readying herself to move out, but before she could take a step, her radio came to life.
"All Kansen, heed my words..."
It was Nagato.
"Watch out, Fortune!"
Yamashiro META put herself in front of the destroyer, tanking the volley aimed at her with her rigging. The miniaturized superstructure was torn off, and the impact made her stumble, but her turrets were still fully operational, so she aimed them at the attacker—a mass-produced Siren cruiser—and paid it back in kind, nailing her with a full broadside.
"Thank you, Yamashiro!" The smile Fortune sent her was so bright it made her heart clench. Yamashiro still couldn't forgive herself for what happened inside Hermit's sea of fog. Sure, she was being affected by the properties of the mist, but that didn't change the fact that she did try to kill the META destroyer, adding another trauma to the already heavy baggage Fortune was carrying.
For Fortune, though, that was all water under the bridge. Even if she tried, she couldn't hold a grudge against the cargirl; she was too happy for that. Her dream of having all her META comrades together once again had come true, and even if the loss of both Cinder and Ash was still weighing heavily on everyone's minds, being together and supporting each other was enough to keep going.
"You two, what are you doing?! Fall back and stay focused!" Hiryuu META's voice reached their ears as one of her squadrons flew over their heads to intercept a group of enemy drones.
They turned to see her further in the back, rigging out and sword in hand, surrounded by their comrades, METAs and not. They complied, using the covering fire they provided to fall back.
"You two were getting too far ahead; do you have a death wish?" Hiryuu inquired sternly as the two came to stand before her.
"Sorry, we just wanted to help Ember…" Fortune said with an apologetic tone of voice.
Hiryuu breathed through her teeth, turning her gaze ahead, where the aforementioned battlecruiser was engaging the Siren fleet. Accepting the ceasefire between the humanoid Sirens and Azur Lane was one thing; peacefully sharing living space with a couple of their sworn enemies was still acceptable, if a bit grating, but fighting alongside one of them on the battlefield was an entirely different matter.
They all knew that Purifier was coming with them to protect the Sanctuary, but as soon as the Elite took flight to engage the enemy, Ember took off in the opposite direction without notice, deciding to engage the flank of the Siren fleet on her own. Of course, that meant they had to follow her, lest she get herself killed.
"You know how stubborn she can be. If she wants to blow off some steam, let her. She knows the danger; just don't let her drag you into it," Hiryuu retorted. Besides, Ember wasn't the kind to bite the dust so easily, if the show of impressive firepower she was putting up against the enemy was any indication.
Since her comrade seemed to have everything under control, Hiryuu turned her gaze up toward Purifier, narrowing her eyes. The humanoid Siren was flying around the place in formation with Freedom and a few of Devil's drones, engaging the enemy aircraft to keep them off their shoulders. She had to admit that having their former enemy watching their backs was nerve-wracking even for her; at least the male Kansen seemed to have a leash on her.
"Hiryuu, do you copy me?" Kindle's voice came in through their comms. "Recall Ember and regroup with the others."
"Are we finally done playing on the defensive?"
"Indeed. Nagato's fleet is joining the fray."
"Wonderful," Hiryuu let off. "Fortune, Yamashiro, let's get that idiot and go!"
"Roger!" "Ryokai!"
After the initial shock wore off, the Sakura Kansen found themselves brimming with hope and gratitude toward their Azur Lane comrades. However, it wasn't the moment to hesitate. They had long since abandoned their position in the back of the harbor and were hastily heading for the docks, ready to go on the offensive.
Nagato took a deep breath as she stepped into the water, her faithful comrades flanking her. Amagi had remained behind to take care of Kurama, Kaga, Kawakaze, and all the other indisposed Kansen, while those who were still able to fight were there by her side. It was her turn to take the field, and this time, no one would take it away from her.
"Mikasa, are you ready?" She asked the former flagship.
Next to her, the woman beamed. "Always, Nagato-sama."
A smile came to Nagato's lips as she paused, waiting and watching as Kansen and Sirens exchanged fire. As per her orders, the reinforcements from Azur Lane had split into two fleets, one on their left and the other on their right, flanking the enemy fleet while she and her subordinates were taking the center.
As the battle went on, the Siren ranks were slowly but surely being reduced. By now, the waters lapping at the harbor were strewn with burning wreckage, with plumes of smoke obstructing the view; whether the fire was rising from the destroyed pawns or coming from those still fight-worthy, it didn't matter. With this last push, the Kansen would put an end to this battle.
"Nagato-nee, it's ready!" Mutsu's voice came in through the comms, and Nagato didn't hesitate.
"Do it, Mutsu!" As she gave her sister the go-ahead, she readied her rigging. "It's time! Combined Fleet, crush our enemies!"
The acknowledgement she got from both her direct subordinates and the Kansen of Azur Lane was deafening. She sprinted ahead, followed by everyone else, as they all charged fearlessly toward the enemy, guns blazing. The other groups followed suit, crossing the line of fire that was separating them from the assailants.
The Sirens now found themselves in the middle of a three-pronged attack and were forced to split their focus and firepower on three different fronts, but right as gunfire began raining down on them, their systems suddenly shut down. Their guns stopped working, their engines stopped running, and their drones began plummeting from the sky.
Nagato grinned as the now familiar feeling flooded over her and the jamming wave unleashed by the ASD system spread across the battlefield. Her plan was working. The contraption had had enough time to cool down, and it was ready to be used again. The only difference was that, earlier, she had used it defensively to help her comrades while they were in a tough spot. This time, they needed to make the most of it, and the only way to do so was by timing it with a coordinated attack from all the Kansen present. Anything less, and they'd just be wasting its potential.
And that's exactly what she told her allies. Everything she needed was a quick explanation—regroup and wait for the signal—and when Mutsu activated the ASD, that was their cue to launch the counterattack.
And what an onslaught that was! That second-long window granted by the jamming device was enough for them to seize the initiative and overwhelm the enemy.
For a few moments, the battle turned into a one-sided massacre, of which the Kansen were the perpetrators. The forces of the Sanctuary pierced through the center, sending the Siren ranks into disarray, while their Azur Lane comrades picked apart their flanks from both sides. Since the skies were now devoid of the hindrances that were the Siren drones, the allied aircraft had them all to themselves, and the carriers didn't fail to take advantage of it, setting aside all kind of coordination to send their squadron directly at the enemy.
The situation became so hazardous that Purifier and Freedom had to fall back if they didn't want to get caught in the cross-fire. They watched as the clash unfolded, the former with wild amusement on her face, the latter with a frown as he kept an eye on their surroundings.
"Ahahahah, yes, this is the stuff!" Purifier cackled with glee. "I'm so glad I came all the way here; this is so fun!"
Freedom didn't even spare her a glance. Sure, now that the Sirens had lost the initiative and their ranks were slowly being picked apart, victory was finally within their grasp, but given the intensity and scale of the clash, there was bound to be casualties, and he knew it.
He kept his eyes on the battlefield, scanning their surroundings, ready to intervene at the slightest hint of danger threatening his friends and allies. If he could prevent even one of them from ending up dead, he'd swoop in without hesitation.
It was at that moment that something in the corner of his eye caught his attention.
A few miles away from the Sanctuary, a lot further than the last line of the Siren armada, a lonesome mass-produced Siren vessel was sailing.
Floating in the air above the reprogrammed pawn was a Humanoid-type Original Siren. It had stayed out of sight the entire time, keeping an eye on the situation from afar.
The subjugation of the Ineffable Entity was taking longer than initially calculated. In fact, it had found itself forced to adjust the result of its calculation multiple times as the battle went on and new, unexpected variables got added to the equation.
First, an odd signal spread around the fleet, incapacitating most of the pawns. An inconvenience, but manageable.
Then, the Mirror Sea abruptly broke. Unexpected, but inconsequential.
And finally, the sudden appearance of an entire horde of human weapons. Adding that to the failure of the subjugated human-like kin, the plan of overwhelming their target with their newly acquired numbers went off the rails.
But no matter. With the base's defense system completely shut down, the Sanctuary, the Ineffable Entity, and humanity's troops had no defense against what was coming.
It sent a command to the pawn beneath it. A portion of the vessel's flat deck split apart to reveal an elaborate system of levers. What appeared from the bowels of the ship was a cylindrical body covered in dark, metallic plating, traversed by purple and yellow lines of light, its pointy head held upright toward the sky.
With another command, the weapon's engines roared to life, and with a loud blare, it took off.
Freedom looked up ahead to see a thin trail of smoke rising in the air in the distance.
The object in question climbed higher and higher, until, when it reached the peak of its trajectory, diverted its course to come straight toward them.
It took him only a second to connect the dots, and his heart sank.
"Purifier…"
The Elite perked up and followed his gaze, until her eyes met the object, and her grin disappeared from her face.
"Well, shit," she let off. "Looks like they are going all in."
Freedom quickly turned his gaze to the harbor, where the anti-ballistic missile systems were supposed to be… completely wrecked, demolished by the Sirens' preemptive attack.
He turned to the Elite in panic. "Do we have a way to stop it?!"
"Uh? A way to stop it? You serious? The moment it gets over our heads, we are done for... well, they are," she grinned, gesturing toward the Kansen, too engrossed in the fight to notice the danger. "You and I can just get the hell out of here before it goes boom."
Freedom gawked at her, scandalized. "Are you serious?! There's no way in hell I'm doing that! We need to do something!"
She scoffed at him and shrugged. "Bah, suit yourself. I'm going to watch the fireworks from afar. I'm not going to risk my last vessel."
Freedom forced himself to keep his cool as the Elite sprinted away with her rigging. Without wasting more time, he spoke through the comms, "Devil, you see that?"
"Yes; I just noticed." Came the Antiochus' affirmative response.
"Good. Think you can do something about it with your drones?"
"Negative; they are too slow to intercept it in time."
"Heh, figures… No other choice then…" Freedom thought. He knew what was coming, and it took him less than a second to make up his mind.
He focused on his Cube and took off at high speed.
"Lady Nagato, have everyone run inside Sparviero's pocket dimension! You hear me?!" He yelled in the comms.
"What? Why?" Came the flagships' bemused response.
"Just do it! There isn't much time!"
Nagato turned her nose up, following the trail left by the shipboy as he flew over their heads, and her eyes widened in understanding.
"Attention, everyone! Tactical missile incoming!" She yelled into the comms for everyone to hear. "Regroup and retreat on land, hurry!"
The battlefield seemed to turn completely silent for a second as realization fell on everyone before they all began reversing their course. The Sirens, of course, were still attacking, and the shipgirls' evacuation was a lot slower than intended as they tried to cover their own retreat by responding to their fire.
"You heard that, brother?" Freedom switched channels to address the blind carrier. "Meet them at the harbor and get the hell out of here with Massachusetts!"
"Copy that… Wait, what about you?" Sparviero inquired, an increasing feeling of dread washing over him.
"I'll see if I can deviate the warhead from its course!"
It didn't take Sparviero too long to understand the implications of his brother's words.
"What?! No! You can't do that! It's suicide!"
"Better than risking a massacre!" Freedom retorted.
"No, wait!" Sparviero cried. "I can catch it with my power and have it detonated inside my pocket dimension; you don't need to do that!"
"You can't! It's an airburst missile; it'll go off before it gets in your range!" Freedom countered. "Besides, you can track our Cubes, but you can't follow a missile. It's too much of a gamble!"
"Brother, please-"
After that, Freedom immediately shut off the comms, to keep the cacophonies of replies out of his mind. His heart clenched, but he needed to stay focused. He didn't know if they'd make it in time to evacuate, or even if he'd succeed, but when racing against the clock, every second counted.
He steeled his resolve and increased the energy output to his wings, pushing his afterburners to the limit as the pressure almost made his goggles merge into his face.
The missile was coming his way, so he made a wide U-turn at high speed, and as soon as he exited the curve, he found himself soaring with the warhead by his side. In any other situation, he'd take his time to admire its sleek Siren design and flashy plating, but right now he didn't have time to waste.
It was taking him all his might to keep up with it, but surprisingly, the next part was a lot easier. He carefully moved to flank it, then attached himself with his back to its fuselage, docking his wings to the side of the missile and placing his arms on its form.
He summoned all his Kansen strength and used his wings' thrusters to push it upward. Slowly but surely, the missile's nose began pointing up, until it began rising into the air instead of descending on the base.
He gritted his teeth as the warhead's guiding system attempted to force it back on route. If he had to be honest, he didn't know what he was doing. His actions came from despair and the fear of losing the people he loved, but he didn't know how powerful the blast was going to be, so he had no idea if he was already far enough from the harbor, and he sure as hell didn't know if he had enough time after letting go of the missile to turn his back and get to safety. There were too many unknowns in this endeavor, and he didn't want to take any chances. He kept climbing higher through the sky, making sure the missile wouldn't suddenly change course as he held onto it for dear life.
And then, something clicked. His instinct told him to let go, and so he did.
With a powerful cry, he gave a last push and threw the missile higher. He quickly changed his wings' configuration so that his thrusters were pointing upward in an attempt to arrest his momentum, but right as he was about to reverse course, the warhead went off, and the only thing he could do was shield himself with his wings as the shockwave hit him first.
The sky above the Sanctuary lit up with the light of ten suns. The shockwave of the explosion reached the Kansen with the power of a small hurricane, but the detonation happened too far away to cause any more significant damage to the base.
Devil was in the back of the formation when it happened. Sparviero didn't even have enough time to reach the docks and open his pocket dimension, so, ultimately, Freedom's choice proved to be the right call.
She thought back to their first meeting. She had attacked him because she had mistaken him for an outer entity, and that brought them to a confrontation in which she'd had the upper hand, but only now, after witnessing his prowess in a proper battle, she'd realized that if the shipboy hadn't been constrained by the enclosure they had found themselves in at that time, she would have most likely lost.
This last feat of his was additional proof of it.
She let out a wistful breath, watching from atop her rigging as the Kansen engaged the remaining Siren pawns. When they all realized that the danger had passed, they turned toward the enemy once more, genuine anger fueling them, and this time, they were making short work of the remaining troops, as if the enemy had suddenly given up on the battle after that last failure. The mass-produced vessels, while reduced to a tenth of their initial number, were putting up one last puny but still threatening act of defiance, but now the Kansen were dispersing their ranks with relative ease.
"This battle looks as good as won," she mused to herself. "Good thing I managed to catch you before you could escape... How did they call you? Observer, I believe," she wondered aloud, turning to the half-mangled body her rigging was holding for her.
With the knowledge she had, she was expecting to find copies of her Antiochus comrades when coming to this timeline; instead, she found herself with a bunch of unknown programs.
When she asked TB for clarification, the young AI told her that those three—Purifier, Observer, and Tester—had been created a long time ago by Zero; they were her personal helpers and were voted to test humanity across the various simulations by interacting directly with it. Devil's actual Antiochus comrades, who had taken the title of "Arbiters," were employed occasionally as special forces to deal with timeline-related issues.
You could say that those three could be considered Aoste's grandkids, and by extension, her nieces, just like TB.
Devil tittered; she liked the sound of that, as far-fetched as it sounded.
"Don't worry, we'll find a way to save you and everyone else from their mind control," she said, despite Observer not being able to hear her anymore. "But for now, you are going to get us a lot of useful information; I'm sure my master will be pleased," she added, as she got ready to extract her Cube from her body.
Freedom opened his eyes, but he couldn't see; it was too dark. His everything hurt, hot and sharp pain coursing through his body. He wanted to scream, but he also couldn't breathe; the air was too stale for that.
Then light invaded his eyes, and more pain came as he hit his head. He heard the muffled sound of footsteps scurrying around him, and multiple familiar voices reaching him, but his ears were ringing too loudly to make them out. As he lay on his back on the ground, he felt hands roaming over his body, and relief began replacing the throbbing pain.
Slowly, his wits came back to him, and he saw many faces looking down at him with concern.
"Thank goodness he's awake," Enterprise said, breathing a sigh of relief.
Besides the Grey Ghost, there were Nagato, Vestal and her META counterpart, Massachusetts, who seemed on the verge of breaking down, and Sparviero, who had forgone his tricolor blindfold and was directing his gaze down on him, his empty, vitreous eyes a mix of emotion.
It took Freedom a few seconds to process what was happening.
"Guys… What the… How…" He tried to speak, but his voice came out hoarse and weak.
"I can't track a missile, but I can track your Cube, idiot…" Sparviero declared. "The missile went off in your face. You're alive only because the shockwave pushed you back inside my range," he explained.
Freedom tried to move, but a pair of hands on his shoulders kept him in place.
"Hold still," Massachusetts said, trying to keep her voice steady.
When the shipboy had come out of Sparviero's pocket dimension, looking like a burnt sack of meat, the mere sight of him made her shiver in dread. He was almost unrecognizable; his wings, having taken the brunt of the explosion for him, were reduced to melting clumps of steel, and his body was covered in third-degree burns.
"Idiot," she thought as the two repair ships attended to him. They were doing their best with their power and with what they had, but those injuries were just too severe. He was lucky he was still alive, which was possible only because he was a Kansen, but he was still going to need a run with the Reality Lens to go back to how he was.
Meanwhile, as the two Vestal kept treating him, the shipboy had fallen unconscious again, his head in her lap, pain and fatigue getting the better of him. Massachusetts swore to have a word with him after he recovered for the stunt he just pulled, but for now, she was glad he was okay.
"Wow, you're still alive! I was already imagining the Commander's face when I'd tell him you were all dead!" An annoying, familiar voice grated their ears, and they all turned to see Purifier landing beside them with a wide grin on her face. "Good show, male Kansen-"
The slap Enterprise gave her was so powerful it sent her flying over the balustrade and into the water. Everyone let out a liberating sigh as the Elite's pie hole was shut, then Nagato stood up, turning to address the Eagle Union carrier.
"Enterprise-san, please, walk with me."
Nagato and Enterprise walked through the Sanctuary, slowly approaching the central temple, whose grounds had been turned into an impromptu field hospital.
"This is horrible…" Enterprise breathed, turning to look toward the harbor, or what was left of it.
Nagato followed her gaze. The most serious fires had already been put out, but a few of the smaller ones hadn't been extinguished yet. There wasn't a single building left standing, and there was so much rubble and ruin that the streets were barely distinguishable from everything else. Moving her gaze further ahead, the ocean was littered with the corpses of the Sirens, their wreckage spreading as far as the eye could see. If she squinted her eyes, she could see a few of the Kansen who were still at sea checking for stragglers, securing the surrounding waters. Every now and then, the sound of their guns going off in the distance could be heard, announcing the neutralization of one of the few pawns remaining.
The battle was won, but at what cost? Their home was gone, razed to the ground, and the mere thought of the casualties among both humans and Kansen that had yet to be counted was enough to send shivers down her spine. The silver lining was that they had succeeded in preventing the Sirens from reaching their goal; the Sacred Sakura was still standing.
"I'd like to extend my thanks, Enterprise-san," Nagato said, averting her gaze from the devastation to the taller shipgirl. "To you, the other representatives, and all the other Kansen for coming to our help," she added, bowing her head to her.
"You don't need to thank me, Nagato," Enterprise replied sincerely. "There are so many people that deserve your thanks more than me; the shipboys, for starters, and everyone else that made this possible…"
"That's true, and I will make sure to personally thank them as well," Nagato said solemnly. "But given the history between our nations, the Grey Ghost and the Kansen of the Eagle Union risking their lives by personally taking the field to protect our home is going to have a much greater impact on the grander scheme of things."
"On that, we can only agree," Enterprise said wryly. "How are we going to explain to the higher ups that we teleported an entire fleet across the ocean?" She wondered aloud, letting out a sigh at the prospect.
"I'm sure Chairwoman Tamayo and Admiral Nimitz will help with that," Nagato said confidently. "But before that, you'll have to inform Shikikan Travis on everything that's happened here when you get back. I'm sure he's eager to know the outcome."
Enterprise perked up at her words, an idea coming to her mind. "You can do that yourself if you wish," she told Nagato, prompting the shorter battleship to look at her in confusion.
"You are going to need a place to stay after today," Enterprise explained. "There's plenty of room at Azur Lane for the Kansen of the Sanctuary. I'm sure the Commander wouldn't mind, in fact, I think he'd be on the same page as me."
Nagato frowned, pondering her words. As much as etiquette obliged her to find an excuse and to politely refuse, the flagship found herself genuinely considering the offer. The other option was to wait for the relief units dispatched by the other Sakura outposts to arrive, but that would force the wounded to face a long trip before being able to receive proper care to the nearest ports.
Instead, Azur Lane was already equipped with everything they needed, and most importantly, it was at warping distance.
"I see; if you'll excuse me, then, we'll avail ourselves of your hospitality." Nagato gave her answer, along with a grateful smile, and Enterprise nodded her head, returning it.
Of course, someone will have to stay here to wait for their compatriots to arrive. After all, the Sanctuary needed to be secured and protected more than ever, especially now that they knew how much the Sirens wanted the Sacred Sakura gone.
Nagato internally sighed at that thought. As if things weren't already plenty complicated, they had another issue to investigate. Why did the Siren go so out of their way to ensure the tree's destruction? Kurama had already advanced a few hypotheses for that, but for now, there were no certainties, only speculations.
The two of them kept walking and making small talk until they arrived at the central temple grounds, where the field hospital had been put together. A single, large tent had been put up, wide enough to host most of the injured Kansen.
"Mikasa, what's the situation?" Nagato addressed the former flagship as they approached.
"Nagato-sama, the human personnel have been allowed outside the refuges and are being taken care of by our officers." Mikasa, standing to the side and keeping an eye on things, turned to acknowledge her. "Our wounded are all here, and most of them have only had minor injuries. After we're done here, we'll start… counting our losses."
Nagato kept her cool and nodded to her as she looked around. Indeed, most of her subordinates here were either sleeping on their bunks or talking animatedly, with only a few of them sporting some major injuries. Even with that, the mood wasn't as downcast as she expected, maybe thanks to the Kansen of Azur Lane, both Sakura and not, lifting their comrades' spirits as they took care of them.
She could see Musashi patting Shinano's head as the carrier dozed off in her sister's lap; the two hadn't seen each other in person in a long time and were making the most of their reunion. Amagi was also there, trying to split her focus between attending to a still unconscious Kaga and trying to calm down a very upset Akagi. Of course, the source of the carrier's irritation seemed to be another carrier, that is, Shoukaku, who couldn't help teasing her senpai after noticing her injuries, all under Yorktown amused gaze.
Nagato noticed that Kurama and Kawakaze were also there, peacefully sleeping under Mutsu's watchful gaze. Her younger sister was doing her best to put up a tough exterior and stay awake as she dozed off next to their bunks. The destroyers seemed to have already left behind the horrors of the previous hours as they chatted playfully among themselves and their visitors; even the METAs were trying their best to fit in, despite some initial fumbling.
At the sight before her, Nagato couldn't help the sigh of relief that left her lips.
"This could have been so much worse," she thought.
"Nagato-sama!"
She quickly turned toward the source of the alarm-filled voice to see Aoba hurrying toward them. The cruiser bore a distressed expression on her face as she came to a stop before her, panting.
Seeing her like this, Nagato's confusion was replaced by dread "Aoba... what is it?"
"I… *pant* After sending the alarm, I've been keeping contact with the other bases, and… I've just received some concerning news." The cyan-haired cruiser informed her, trying to compose herself.
"Oh, no," Nagato thought. "Aoba, please, speak."
"The missile strike… it didn't happen just here."
"What do you mean?" Enterprise inquired, dread creeping over her.
"It's everywhere… All the major bases around the world have been hit at the same time!"
Nagato and Enterprise gawked in shock as the implications of Aoba's words hit them at the same time. They shared a look of horror as they came to the same conclusion.
All the major bases… including Azur Lane!
"The Commander!"
AN: As the battle comes to a close, it's time to take stock of everyone's performances. Don't feel obligated to answer, but I'm curious, who do you think would get the MVP title after this? Kurama, Kawakaze, Kaga, Mikasa, Nagato, Freedom, Sparviero… Whoever you think deserves it! Remember to motivate your answer if you do!
And yes, that whole sequence with Freedom and the missile was a rip-off- ahem, was inspired by that scene in the first Avengers movie with Iron Man saving Manhattan.
Next Chapter: War Council