Now that the dreamscape chapter is done, Trigger's past has been revealed. Now it's time to know what Trigger, his fleet and his squadrons are going to do this time.

There's still a war going on and during the war, a high profile officer would want to meet the Ace running Azur Lane.

Yes, I admit the revelation of Cipher being Trigger's father was rushed. So yeah, to those who pointed it out - Guilty as Charged.

I took way too long with that dreamscape chapter since I pretty much encompassed the whole Alicorn Incident and I needed to add Trigger's reaction to knowing that Torres was targeting Oured.

As for Trigger's Dad being Cipher was a callback to a review in one of my previous chapters. Special Thanks to Wingcommander WhiteWolf for guessing the correct answer.

Now with that out of the way, let's start with after Trigger's surprised shriek woke up the base.

Let's dive right in!

Azur Lane HQ

Commander's Office

December 21st, 2019

0950 hrs

Trigger sat at his desk with a cup of coffee as he had a look of shock on his face. Count was there as he said,

"You know, I didn't think that girl was bold enough to sneak into your room like that."

Trigger sighed, "It wasn't the first time that a kansen slept next to me, Count."

He chuckled, "I also noticed how they got the hots for you, buddy. You should consider yourself lucky to be surrounded by these ladies."

Trigger stated, "Lucky? Count, each kansen varies by their type. The destroyers are pretty much like young girls and a few look mature. So if Hammann caught you saying something like that, then she would go ballistic calling you a pervert."

His wingman stated, "Hey, none of us are that sick. I'd rather do a belly landing beneath the Space Elevator again rather than do something like that."

Trigger nodded and said, "Good, now with cruisers, these kansen make up the escort fleet with two types. Light cruisers are more balanced with speed, survivability and firepower while heavy cruisers are the heavy hitters that can go toe-to-toe with capital ships and their body types also vary. As for capital ships like Carriers and Battleships, Wales, New Jersey, Enterprise and Illustrious have the bodies of mature women, Unicorn is a light carrier and she's a little girl and Elizabeth…she's a bit questionable."

Count figured, "Short and flat for a battleship, especially for a Queen."

"Her sister, Warspite, is an honorable knight and vows to protect her sister."

Count was impressed, "A personality that fits them and after seeing these girls pack a punch in combat - I'm looking forward to the next mission when we get those aliens and Red Axis."

Trigger reminded him, "We're not just fighting the Sirens and Red Axis, Count."

The shaggy haired man knew, "There's also those pilots that those Iron Blood girls told you about."

"Major Herbert of the Ridgebacks fought them before and he will tell you not to underestimate them."

Soon enough, the door opened as Enterprise entered, she noticed his wingman and said,

"I didn't know that someone else was here."

Count shrugged, "That's okay, I was just leaving. See you around, Trigger."

The man left as the carrier sat at her desk as she noticed, "Trigger…I heard about what happened."

The pilot's head hit the desk, "I pretty much woke up the whole base with that scream."

Enterprise stated, "Admiral Hipper told me that her sister would be punished for sneaking into your room at night."

He lifted his head, "It's fine, I should've known that Prinz Eugen would either tease or pull this off."

He soon asked, "So what's going on with the main fleets in the pacific?"

She brought him various reports, "The Allied Fleets have pushed past the Solomon Islands and several of the girls serving alongside the main forces have helped reclaim the Marshall and Gilbert Islands. There are also various SDF forces offering their aid in stamping out Red Axis. Additionally, Red Axis Carrier Kansen have been seen clashing with the ASDF in the Berings Sea near Alaska while the northern forces temporarily stationed at Dutch Harbor are waiting to make the voyage through the Berings. We also have a notice that Admiral Williams is arranging a meeting with the JMSDF in preparation for the amphibious invasion of the Philippine islands at Pearl Harbor - and he wants Azur Lane to attend with a representative of each faction as well as the lead and #2 pilots from the Long Range Strategic Strike Group, mainly Strider, Cyclops, Sol and Ridgeback."

Trigger was surprised that he was called for a meeting with the higher ups of the Navy. But Enterprise looked at a letter with a look of surprise before handing it to Trigger,

"You also received a message…from Iceman."

"Iceman?"

Enterprise corrected, "That's Admiral Kazansky's callsign when he was a pilot."

He grew interested because this was the Commander of the Pacific Fleet that contacted him. He opened the letter and read,

"To Azur Lane's Commander,

I have heard about you due to the high praise from Williams in your victories against Red Axis and the Sirens. He wanted a true leader in command of Azur Lane and you were proof that his choice was the right one. Your actions have gotten my attention and I wish to meet you before I am due to retire to the mainland. Meet me in my office at Pearl Harbor before you attend the meeting. I need to meet the pilot that inspired hope for our forces.

ADM. Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky

Commander of the Pacific Fleet."

Enterprise was surprised by this since she heard that Ice was one of the two best pilots in the Top Gun Program. She read that he and Lieutenant Mitchell operated off of her modern counterpart before they went their separate ways. They were rivals, friends and brothers who flew through a dogfight with several MiGs with their last flight being when Crimson and Varcolac went rogue.

Trigger leaned back as he said, "I'm going to Pearl Harbor…representing Azur Lane." He looked at her, "The Admiral is looking into liberating the Philippines because of what it represents - the Gateway to Kyoten."

The carrier knew this as she said, "Liberating the Philippines will get us closer to ending this war. But we haven't seen any signs of siren activity."

"You're right, we haven't heard anything about them ever since I destroyed Tester. But from what Akashi and Tabloid had told us, that one siren with the tentacles is definitely a leader manipulating Akagi into finishing the Orochi."

"But we never saw her in any combat sorties, either she doesn't take part in them or…"

"She's observing the battles."

That would make sense since they haven't encountered her in any battle and there have been few sightings of that particular Siren by the main forces, but she would disappear shortly after being sighted. Trigger had one word to describe her,

"Observer."

Enterprise had a feeling about that and was curious about one thing, "What happened to the cube that we stole?"

Trigger reached behind his desk and pulled out a specialized container as the black cube was shown, "It's been here in my office the whole time. Akashi witnessed this 'Observer' create this thing and Shinano called it a mental cube, which means it taps into the mind of whoever touches it, but it was confirmed that its powers are only activated through the touch from uncovered hands. I'm glad Edinburgh was wearing gloves when she held it."

Enterprise had a compulsion to touch the cube, but restrained herself because of what she had seen in the dream. As Trigger placed the container back in a safe place, Enterprise said,

"I also want to talk to you about another trek through the dreamscape with Shinano…I know your name…and your true heritage."

Trigger was taken aback about what she said since the thought that someone else would know about it. But then again, she and the Yamato Carrier have been seeing those dreams and seeing his memories through the dreamscape because of their bond and the dream fox's ability as a dreamwalker. So he said,

"Then you must know of my dad's true identity…"

Enterprise nodded as she said, "Your father is the legendary ace pilot and your mentor…is your uncle."

Trigger nodded as he made it clear, "Then that's why I always keep my Dad's true identity a secret and the connection I have between Dad, Mobius 1 and I. Both just wanted to be at peace with what they have. Mobius 1 found it best to be a flight instructor for the IUN-PKF while my dad opened his motorcycle shop in Oured."

He got up from his desk and looked out the window, "The time during the war where my home was threatened - I had to do whatever it took to stop it…"

The kansen realized, "The Hunt for the Alicorn."

When he heard it - he began to flash back to those desperate moments where the lives of thousands, including his family depended on the success of Operation Fisherman. The crazed belief of Torres and how he is carrying out a terror attack using a nuclear shell on Oured. The fact that his home city was nearly destroyed had he hesitated, seeing his family…gone if he didn't act as the laughter of that psychopath began to echo in his memories.

It wasn't until a pair of arms wrapping around his waist snapped him out of his thoughts as Enterprise rested her head against his back. He asked,

"Enty…"

The carrier said, "You nearly lost everything to that madman, everyone that you loved would have been gone in an instant…you would've never lived with yourself. You…would've been like me…a drone always throwing itself through suicide missions."

Trigger sighed as he turned and hugged her, "I understand, but the way I saw it that day - Torres and his crew were the ones who lost everything because of the Lighthouse War. One SACS pilot, Louis Barbieri had lost his whole family in the war which I believe spurned him to join his captain's cause. He was a tough pilot even amongst his fellow submarine airmen, but still I was able to down him before crippling the Alicorn. Barbieri's dedication was not lost on me, but Torres - he had an impressive history."

"The Hero of Comberth Harbor?"

Trigger nodded and said, "There is more to that, when he told the story of when he was a gunnery officer - I grew curious about it and David sent me his file which stated that during the Usean Coup D'etat of 1997, Torres was awarded a medal for sinking an enemy ship 30kms away in the middle of a storm as gunnery officer of the destroyer Herne, by pulling off an impressive shot in rough seas - only one shot hit the right point which sank the enemy ship. He was going to compare his attack on Oured to that achievement in his early career."

It did make sense for the captain to try to hit a target at long range, but she asked, "When you were trying to destroy the cannon, you and Torres argued about Belka and nuclear bombs. What happened?"

Trigger released from the hug as he leaned against the window and asked, "You know Dr. Schroeder, the scientist that was picked up from the Sudentor?"

The carrier nodded as she said, "I do, but why bring him up?"

"Mainly because of what happened to his home country on June 6th, 1995, when the world bore witness to the stage of the apocalypse…"

He remembered seeing his dad in pain when he told him this story, "It was the year 1995, the Principality of Belka was at war with the nations of Osea, Ustio, Sapin and Yuktobania in an event known as 'The Belkan War.' They had already lost the southern lands in the retaliatory counterattack as their legendary Air Force crumbled under Ustio's 66th Air Force Unit as the industrial city of Hoffnung was destroyed in an allied bombing raid, originally a precision bombing run, but soon became a saturation bombing raid. After the fall of Hoffnung, the remaining Belkan forces retreated to the Waldreich Mountains at the city of Sudentor, home to the South Belka Munitions Factory and an ideal spot for a standoff with the Allied Forces. Waldreich is a mountain range which also creates a border between North and South Belka. But even though they were backed into a corner and in a standoff, the Belkan Government ordered their military to commit the unthinkable act."

The kansen guessed, "A nuke."

"Not one - but SEVEN nuclear bombs were used on seven Belkan cities on the Waldreich Mountains. Seven bombs, seven explosions - seven pillars. And the people living in Sudentor had to witness two of the explosions."

The carrier remembered seeing pictures of huge mushroom clouds from pictures of the Bikini Atoll tests. Her historical self was already scrapped by the time it happened, but she knew that the historical Saratoga, Nagato, Arkansas and Prinz Eugen were sunk by those terrifying weapons. But those were only tests and the former target ships were reborn as kansen. But to hear that the unthinkable occurred in warfare was a horrifying sight to see - seven nuclear explosions, killing thousands of innocent men, women and children - ordered by the same government who was supposed to protect those people. It boiled her blood that the Belkan government condemned their own cities to fire. The fact that they went to great lengths to horrify the world, instead of surrendering, blowing up seven towns and killing 12,000 people. She asked while still feeling shocked at this,

"They destroyed their own cities and killed innocent people?!"

Trigger nodded, "All because they didn't want to surrender…all that's left of the seven towns are nothing more than craters and the local area is still highly radioactive due to the nuclear fallout. Dad once told me that when he flew over Stier Castle in Belka when chasing a heavy command cruiser and saw that barren land - it was dead, lifeless and nothing seemed to be moving, like it was the end of the world."

She soon embraced him again as she said, "I often pictured what the end of the world would look like through nuclear war, but what you described is horrible. It's beyond me how those people believed that they could control the very weapon that wiped out their own cities."

Trigger soon hugged back as they stayed locked in each other's arms as he understood that what he said made her sad, about what his father went through and the nuclear detonations was not an easy subject. He soon became cautious as they were locked in this embrace as he asked,

"Aren't you worried that someone will catch us like this?"

She said as tears dripped from her eyes, "I don't care…after what you told me, Patrick."

Unbeknownst to them, someone did see them hug as the smug maid peered through the slightly ajar door as she whispered,

"Getting even closer, Lady Enterprise."

Azur Lane HQ

Main Gate

1045 hrs

At the main gate of the base, the lead and #2 pilots as well as a select number of kansen stood before the commander as he said,

"All right everyone listen up, Azur Lane has been called to a meeting by Admiral Williams, he and the Admiral sent by the Maritime Self-Defense Force are going to be discussing the way forward with our counteroffensive. So they want the pilots of the LRSSG and a representative ship from each faction to meet with them."

He looked at the kansen gathered as he said, "Enterprise will be representing the Eagle Union since the naval staff respect you and your fighting spirit."

She saluted, "I won't let you down, Commander." Trigger was glad that his secretary had felt better after he told her about the nuclear detonations. He soon turned to the Royal Navy Battleship,

"Hood, it has come to my understanding that you were recommended by Her Majesty to serve as a representative for the Royal Navy."

Hood stated, "Her Majesty wanted the Pride of the Royal Navy representing them, Lord Commander."

He noticed that Belfast was with her as the maid said, "Her Majesty insists on having the Head Maid accompanying Lady Hood."

Trigger accepted her reasons as she looked at the Sakura Carrier,

"Shinano, due to the fact that you were not in the Red Axis, you will be representing the Sakura Empire in this meeting."

The dream fox bowed her head, "There are other shipgirls of the Sakura Empire who were against this war and I will be honored to represent them."

Trigger knew her dedication to stopping the Red Axis since she wanted to stop Akagi's madness. But little does he know that Shinano saw Amagi's aura emanating from him, knowing that the Battlecruiser was right about binding herself to the pilot.

The pilot soon turned to the last representative, who was wearing a pair of 8-bit sunglasses,

"Prinz Eugen, you were Bismarck's lieutenant and led the Iron Blood detachment at Kyoten until you defected. Although Hipper is the elder, you have command seniority out of the three. So with that being said, you will be representing the Iron Blood."

She giggled, "Vwell, I can say that I have seniority over Hipper since hers is as flat as her chest, despite being my older sister. But we are more likely separatists from the main Iron Blood, but it vwould seem that more will follow, no?"

That did bring some thought to his mind - that more defectors will join them. But there's also Eugen's sense of humor since he still remembered that she snuck into his room while he was sleeping.

He also noticed that Prez was there as well as his WSO spoke,

"I will be coming to the meeting as well since I was also assigned to represent Sicario and apparently my organization asked me to attend the meeting with the Admiral's approval."

He did know that his WSO is a mercenary, but since Sicario has connections with the Navy, he is obligated to accept this. He couldn't forget that Prez is acting as the Sicario Rep to Azur Lane.

He soon looked at the pilots, "As I said before, Admiral Williams expects the lead and #2 pilots from our squadrons, so Strider, Cyclops, Sol and Ridgeback Squadrons are going to attend this meeting, representing Osea, Erusea and the Coalition."

Count asked, "But who's going to be running things at the port while we're away?"

"I assigned Jaeger as Acting Commander since he's the senior member of Strider Squadron and Wales is going to be Acting Secretary for him."

Wit spoke, "It does make sense since he was only the second senior of the LRSSG aside from your previous leader."

Skald spoke, "It was a good choice and I bet he'll be telling stories about Trigger's exploits or even his son."

Fencer chuckled at this since they all know that the family man will often talk about his kid. The Cyclops Lead was getting anxious and stated, "I'm actually looking forward to seeing Pearl since I read about it last night from that green haired girl with the glasses."

Trigger chuckled as he knew that Fencer was talking about Langley, "I bet we all do." He looked at his number 2, "And Count, I can bet you were imagining Húxiãn wearing a hula girl outfit."

His face went red and said, "Hey, I can't help it. This is paradise."

Edge stated, "Some of our guys all feel that way when it comes to tropical beaches."

Slash chuckled, "When sortieing with marines, they would feel disappointed that they weren't working on tropical beaches all the time."

Trigger understood that notion since those marines joined for the wrong reason. He soon stated,

"In the meantime, Pearl Harbor awaits us. Let's move out!"

The group soon boarded jeeps as Trigger mounted his KLR motorcycle and drove away from Azur Lane HQ en route to Pearl Harbor, but unknown to them - a kansen had unexpectedly launched from the port heading to the same destination.

Kyoten

Sakura Tree Path

1100 hrs

The island of Kyoten served as an interesting place for visitors, but it's also as its name implies - a fortress island meant to house the majority of Red Axis' fleets. But aside from the island itself, a lone white fox walked along the path as Sakura petals fell from the trees.

Kaga felt like going on a peaceful walk throughout the island as she wanted to clear her head after hearing her sister's lustful moans as she fantasized about the object of their desire. Last night, Akagi had that recorder with her as she played recordings of his voice and she heard the ace pilot's voice as well which reminded Kaga of her desire to be his bride. But she knows that it was in jeopardy because of the war and Bismarck's mercenaries.

The white fox knew that things had changed since the Allied Counterattack as she approached a shrine at the end of the path. Kaga knew that her sister built this shrine in honor of Amagi as Kaga knelt in front of the altar. As she saw the small statue of her half sister and her ship displayed, she wondered,

"We are supposed to fight, but after the ruins. I am not so sure."

"So you are questioning yourself, dear sister?"

Kaga recognized that voice as she stood up and looked behind her to see a kansen that she recognized,

"Amagi…"

It was indeed Amagi, but as a ghost as blue spectral energy radiated from her as she walked into the shrine with her umbrella in hand. Kaga was confused,

"How?"

"How am I here? You can say that I bound myself to a certain Osean pilot."

"So you are a spirit…occupying Trigger's body."

Amagi sighed, "It was after I escaped from the Sirens and joined with the Commander's body, his actions are of his own spirit which attracted me to him and while bound to him - I observed his actions. He has done a great thing of healing you as your outlook on him has changed from wanting to kill him to wanting to marry him."

Kaga was taken aback by this when she realized that Amagi saw Trigger shoot her and then treat her wounds. But then she remembered that day before she set off to watch the skies above Azur Lane HQ and she saw Amagi,

"Your heart lies within the Three Strikes."

The spirit nodded as she said, "It's the reason why I was bound to him upon escaping."

The white fox was now aware that Amagi is alive, but there was still one question,

"Why have you not appeared to Akagi?"

The Battlecruiser sighed, "If I appeared to her, then the sirens will take notice of me since their lie was to use the Orochi to bring me back. As much as I want to appear to Akagi, I fear that her proximity to that Siren and the Orochi has made it difficult. It's also because she is caught up with everything and the lie about Orochi. To break the lie is to ensure that Orochi never set sail."

Kaga knew what that meant, "Destroy Project Orochi."

"But I can tell it is not that simple."

All of a sudden, a new voice spoke, "M…Ms. Kaga, what is that?"

The two turned to see at least four small destroyer kansen, they were pretty much little girls. One of them was a short girl with brown hair tied in small pigtails and has cat ears, she has green eyes and a long cat tail. She wears a blue kindergarten uniform with red-lined white collar and red-line white cuffs, yellow neckerchief and buttons, yellow skirt with white lines and white ruffles underneath with green ribbons, white folded socks with red ribbons and a cat bell, black & red loafers and a yellow-colored school hat. This is the Destroyer Mutsuki.

The second destroyer is a short girl with short frizzy pink hair tied by a lollipop-motif hair clip and has dog ears, she has pink eyes and a dog tail. She wears a pink & white kindergarten uniform with blue-lined white collar and blue-line white cuffs, pink ribbon tie with bells and pink buttons, white frilled skirt with blue lines, white socks, black & red loafers and a yellow-colored school hat. She also had a band-aid on her left knee. This was Uzuki, Mutsuki's sister.

The third destroyer is a short girl who has long light-brown messy hair with a long side-tail tied by blue & white striped candy ribbon & crescent-shaped hair clip and has dog ears, she has purple eyes and a fluffy dog tail. She wears a blue kindergarten uniform with blue-lined white collar and blue-line white cuffs, yellow ribbon lace, blue skirt with white lines, dark-brown pantyhose, black loafers and a yellow-colored school hat. This is another one of the Mutsuki sisters, Nagatsuki.

The last destroyer was a short girl with mid-length pink hair tied by a red ribbon and has cat ears, she has pink eyes and a long cat tail with a cat bell tied on it with a red bow. She wears a blue kindergarten uniform with red-lined white collar and red-line white cuffs, yellow neckerchief and buttons, yellow skirt with white lines, white thigh-high socks, black & red loafers and a yellow-colored school hat. This is Kisaragi, another of the Mutsuki sisters.

The destroyers were shocked as Mutsuki pointed out,

"Is…is that a…a ghost!?!"

The frightened destroyers made Amagi chuckle as she said, "When you say that, I am very much like a ghost, little one."

Kisaragi asked, "Why do you look like Akagi-san?"

Amagi told the little girls, "It is because I am Akagi's older sister, the Battlecruiser Amagi."

Nagatsuki spoke, "I…I thought she was destroyed in the earthquake."

"My heart survived and now I have bound myself to Azur Lane's Commander."

Uzuki was confused, "Three Strikes? You're inside Three Strikes?"

Amagi nodded and said, "I dwell in his heart until the day when I can be reborn via my Wisdom Cube."

The destroyers were surprised to know that Amagi can come back to life as the Battlecruiser turned to Kaga,

"I believe this is where I must leave you for now and make sure you do not frighten the little girls, Kaga."

Kaga spoke, "But…sister, I would never…"

Amagi placed her hand on the white fox's shoulder and smiled, "I know you won't, with your love for the Commander. Remember my dear sister - Follow the Three Strikes."

After she said that, the Sakura petals swirled around her as her spirit vanished as the petals flew out to sea which signified to the five that Amagi's spirit was returning to Hawaii.

Mutsuki was surprised, "Ms. Amagi is actually inside Three Strikes!"

Uzuki spoke, "That means that she's bound to him…"

Kisaragi asked, "But if she's inside Three Strikes, is she a friend or foe?"

Nagatsuki looked at the departing petals, "Kaga-san, what do you believe?"

The carrier lowered her head as she said, "This revelation means that Amagi is alive, but she has also bound herself with the man who is my heart's desire."

Kisaragi asked, "Heart's desire?"

Mutsuki realized, "Kaga-san wants to marry Three Strikes!"

Nagatsuki and Uzuki were surprised by this as they giggled at Kaga's desire for the Ace Pilot. As for the carrier, she had a red blush on her cheeks as she felt a bit embarrassed before saying,

"He bested me and he healed me…so…I wish to be his bride…"

"Oh, so you're telling the little girls about your desire?"

They turned to see Akagi walking into the shrine as she noticed,

"And to find you here in my sister's shrine, now that is interesting."

Kaga spoke, "Sister, this is personal!"

Akagi wondered, "Your desire for Three Strikes, you mean? Then why are you here in Amagi's shrine?"

The Mutsuki sisters said nothing as they watched the two converse. But they didn't want to say anything about Amagi talking with them as Uzuki asked,

"I wonder what Three Strikes is doing right now."

Mutsuki looked out towards the ocean as she wondered the same thing.

Pacific Fleet HQ

Pearl Harbor, Hawaii

1130 hrs

Upon leaving Azur Lane HQ, the crew were traveling throughout the island heading east, they saw some interesting sites like various beaches and small mountain ranges that darted the island. But upon reaching a large body of water, the Oseans, Eruseans and Kansen saw it - Pearl Harbor as they saw several ships dock at the naval yard while some come in and out. But right in the center of Pearl stood Ford Island, originally a central airfield for planes in the 40s after the attack at Pearl - now the area around Ford Island is a museum sight for tourists and there is even an aviation museum on the island.

The small convoy soon made their way towards the urban areas and up to the checkpoint into Naval Station Pearl Harbor which is a joint-base between NAS Pearl and Hickam Air Force Base. Once the gate guards had their identifications verified, they were free to follow the escort vehicle provided by the higher ups to direct them to where the meeting was to take place.

Soon enough, they were brought to Pacific Fleet HQ, originally meant for the Pacific Submarine Fleet, now serving the entirety of the Allied Fleets in the Pacific. They parked their vehicles as they made their way inside the building, but Trigger made a different turn as Count asked,

"Wait, where are you going?"

The Strider Lead said, "I was told to talk with someone before I go to the meeting. I'll meet up with you guys later."

They reluctantly agreed, but Enterprise knew why as they continued on while Trigger made his way to meet with Admiral Kazansky.

He made his way to the Admiral's office until he noticed someone approaching him. This person looked grizzled, but he's also an admiral, judging by the admiral's insignia. He saluted,

"Rear Admiral Chester Cain, Eagle Union Navy."

Trigger saluted, "Commander Patrick Cross, Osean Air Defense Force and Azur Lane."

Cain spoke, "You don't know who I am, Commander. I am in charge of various aviation projects around the Western Coast of the mainland - Point Mugu, the base that you saved used to be a testing site until it was commissioned for coastal defense by the Naval Air Force."

"So you used to oversee the development of new specialized aircraft for test pilots at Mugu, sir?"

Cain stated, "No, I am more focused towards the various drone programs, Commander."

Trigger knew where this was going as the admiral stated, "I'm sure you must know that pilots like you are growing close to becoming obsolete in favor of unmanned drones. The way I see it, the future belongs to UAVs which would eliminate the use of fighter pilots. Point Mugu itself was a testbed for drones when they launched an F6F-5K Hellcat drone in 1956. There was a drone program until the base became refitted for manned planes on orders of HQ - which I couldn't do anything about. They are still putting faith in pilots rather than drones, Commander. I was looking for your opinion in the matter regarding the use of drones over pilots."

Trigger was already shaking his head at this because of his experience with drones, "With all due respect sir, HQ had a very good reason to shut down Point Mugu's drone program. If I remember correctly from this world's history, the F6F-5K was out there to test missiles until the operators lost control of the drone. The Air Force fighters attempted to shoot it down, but their missiles missed the drone and hit a town called Palmdale which led to fears of an attack, considering the Cold War."

He glared at Cain, "And I for one have seen first hand, the dangers of man's reliance on unmanned drones. How advanced drone technology used by a crazed political party and military opportunists caused chaos in a nation at war. A machine can't replace the skills of a pilot, a pilot can't be hacked by the other side and use of drones will simply boost numbers while reducing pilot deaths in favor of expendable lightly armored unmanned aircraft."

The admiral raised an eyebrow, "You have fought drones before?"

Trigger declared, "I have and what you believe regarding the drone programs should be abandoned immediately. During the previous war, my squadron and I shot down hundreds of drones. They would swarm us, but we didn't falter in our efforts to destroy them. On our final mission, my #2 and I flew into a tunnel to chase down a drone and he followed me because as long as he stuck with me, he would make it - which he did."

Cain sighed, "You're clever for your age, a seasoned ace pilot and a natural leader. But your fight against drones inspires your wingmen and you are a guardian for many who serve with you. I can see why Williams chose you for this experiment."

"Experiment?"

The Admiral stated, "Azur Lane has always been at the forefront of anti-siren operations, but Williams wanted a true leader to lead Azur Lane and knew of how provocative that the shipgirls are and needed someone to be a leader and withstand their advances. I recommended several able naval officers, but he was very picky with my choices. He wanted a leader with integrity and inspiration, someone who the shipgirls would follow and who would treat them as people rather than weapons. When Williams's office was informed of the Raid on Mugu and your arrival to this world, he chose you - a fighter pilot meant to lead squadrons to lead a fleet of shipgirls."

"And you have seen the results, Admiral."

Cain agreed, "I have and it seems like the age of pilots is still dragging on."

Trigger stated, "As I explained, pursuing drone production is a bad idea, Admiral. They have no place in the skies or the cosmos. Mankind has been flying since the two brothers who specialize in bicycles flew their revolutionary creation and gave mankind the talent to become pilots, so there will always be pilots. You may say that the generation of fighter pilots is coming to an end - but pilots will always be needed. Drones can't produce aces - it's the pilot that makes an Ace, sir."

As the Osean left the admiral to his own thoughts, he continued to make his way to Iceman's office as he noticed a female officer sitting at a desk next to the door, he spoke,

"I'm here to speak with Admiral Kazansky, my name is…"

The secretary stated, "Commander Patrick James Cross of Azur Lane. Admiral Kazansky is expecting you. Just a reminder, he will talk to you through typing since talking hurts his throat."

He nodded as he opened the door and walked into the office as he saw an older man, looking good for his age, gray hair, glasses and a look that has a brotherly sense to him. Trigger saluted,

"Admiral, sir."

He saluted as he typed up, "Please call me Iceman or Ice."

Trigger nodded as he sat down as he asked, "Okay…Ice. You wanted to speak with me?"

Iceman typed, "Yes, I did and my reason is to meet the pilot that gave Red Axis a black eye, killed a Siren Elite and inspired the kansen to follow him. I also know about where you actually came from."

Trigger understood this, "Then you know that I am Commander Patrick Cross, TAC Name: Trigger and the leader of the Osean 124th Tactical Fighter Squadron also known as Strider Squadron."

Ice typed as he smiled, "And Leader of the Anti-Siren Coalition called Azur Lane."

He nodded and said, "I'm sure you also want to know about the situation with the last mission."

The old pilot typed, "There is no need since Admiral Williams gave me the report. Your squadron assaulted a Siren Portal from your world in order to get here. You arrived and protected both your squadron and the Iron Blood Defectors aboard the GIS Sudentor, a captured cargo ship that they took from a Siren Fleet. You also coordinated with Stonehenge Giluwe to shoot down an Aigaion Heavy Command Cruiser."

"We did what we had to do, Ice. My squadron was in trouble and those defectors needed my help. But as for Stonehenge, we needed heavy artillery in order to destroy the Command Cruiser and we were inside Giluwe's Engagement Zone."

He sighed, "As for my guys, I'm still surprised that they managed to bring a joint Osean-Erusean Fleet with them. I'm also glad to see the OFS Admiral Andersen again since I launched from her deck to end the Lighthouse War."

Ice typed, "I'm glad you see it that way. But there's also the Varcolac member you fought there - Daniel Oruma."

Trigger spoke, "His file says that he was born in the Eagle Union, but he is said to be of Sakura descent."

The aging admiral typed, "I know, but you need to know that Oruma was a ground attack specialist which means that he was more fit for ground attacks rather than dogfighting."

"It's the reason why he flies an A-10, but even so, he's no pushover."

"You're right, but Faryd Gaviria and Tolya Kiriakov are the ones to look out for since they specialize in intercept and dogfighting. And of course - there's Milosz Sulejmani, the leader of the squadron."

He remembered Williams telling him, "You fought both Crimson and Varcolac when you used to fly."

"I did, both squadrons were tough sons of bitches. But Crimson 1 was the toughest out of all of them."

Trigger got curious about it and asked, "What do you know about Rodriguez, Ice?"

Iceman typed, "Rodriguez was a former peacekeeper pilot in the Air National Guard. He was proud of his service because he and his squadron protected the West Coast when the Sirens began to attack humanity. But that all changed when the first ship was reborn as a kansen, as the sirens withdrew from the shores due to Stonehenge and Azur Lane being formed, he began to feel like he and his squadron were being replaced on the frontlines, reduced to coastal defense."

He asked the aging pilot, "The Sakura kansen, Shinano spoke about the Tokyo Incident. Do you know what happened that day? How exactly did they attempt to drop a WMD equipped satellite on the city?"

He typed, "Rodriguez and Sulejmani had stolen a supply ship and smuggled a Cordium warhead on a satellite which was originally used as a kinetic energy weapon. But they weren't content with dropping the warhead from orbit and, with siren modifications, proceeded to drop the whole satellite on Tokyo."

That brought Trigger back to a time when he was child, it was the morning of New Years Eve of 2010, he snuck out for a view of the sunrise over Oured. He was waiting for it until he saw something on the horizon and out of curiosity, he brought out a small telescope and saw a huge object heading for Oured, but he also saw four black F-14A Tomcats attacking the object. After the Tomcats finished attacking, they cleared the area as the object blew to pieces. The explosion was so great that he didn't need the telescope to see it, he even saw the four Tomcats form up as they ascended up into the skies. Ice noticed his trance and typed,

"Are you okay?"

Trigger snapped out of it and said, "I'm fine, it's just the way you described the satellite is vaguely reminiscent to the Strategic Orbital Linear Gun, it was used at the end of the last war as a means of deploying a nuke that could have wiped out half of all the large cities in Osea. On New Year's Eve, it entered a controlled descent as a fail safe with the landing point being my home city, but luckily - Four Black Planes had stopped it."

He learned of this when he visited the Circum-Pacific War Museum that opened in Oured and learned about what he saw that one New Years Eve morning. It was there that Iceman brought up an image as he typed,

"The SDF took this during the Tokyo Incident which showed the satellite…does it look familiar?"

Trigger looked at the image as his eyes widened in shock at the four long loading units, the rotating accelerator, the long barrel and the solar panels which were the same technical aspects that he recognized,

"The SOLG…but how?"

Ice typed, "There was a joint program between the Union and the Northern Parliament meant to create a series of attack satellites after the fall of Ulysses since brief conflicts erupted afterwards. Four satellites were completed before the project was soon abandoned in the peace that followed, the SOLG that was in Tokyo was called the Schroeter, equipped with defensive lasers which gave the SDF a hard time before destroying it one component at a time."

Trigger realized, "So there's only three of those satellites that are still up there?"

"All decommissioned and carefully monitored should an unauthorized spacecraft attempt to dock with any of them."

Trigger leaned back as he asked the old pilot, "So, back to Rodriguez when you fought him. What is he like?"

Iceman typed, "On the day he went rogue, my squadron and I were patrolling the California coast near San Francisco until Varcolac ambushed us. I knew how dangerous they were, so I ordered my squadron to withdraw while I covered their retreat. Sulejmani nearly had me until Maverick arrived to fight him."

Trigger asked, "That's Captain Mitchell's TAC Name?"

"It is and once more we fought them with all of our skills. Even when Crimson showed up, Rodriguez attempted to pursue Maverick, but I knew Mav wouldn't allow him to keep up for long. But after Rodriguez took a hit, he ranted about how he and his squadron were abandoned, he stated that Ulysses should've erased mankind, give us a chance to start anew. Besides his ranting, he is dangerous and he likes to show that his squadron is elite. He used to take great pride in having never lost a squadron member when deployed in full force. Many pilots who go up against him never come back."

Trigger points out, "You, Maverick and Slash came back, Ice."

Iceman typed, "There's a fourth who came back from a fight with Crimson."

That got the Osean's attention since he remembered three pilots surviving a fight with those squadrons, "Who?"

"The Crowned Mercenary of the Berings Strait. He was Sicario's Top Ace who earned his title by destroying Siren ships and planes in the Berings. He fought against the Crimson Team and downed a few members which was a blow to Rodriguez's pride. He and the Scorpion of Martinez Security, Sulejmani's rival, were present during the Tokyo Incident, they were the ones that shot down the Schroeter and drove Crimson and Varcolac off before they disappeared."

Trigger asked, "Does anyone know what happened to the Crowned Ace and the Scorpion?"

"The Scorpion is unknown, but your Sicario rep was once the WSO for the Crowned Ace."

That did give Trigger a lead on who the Crowned Ace is, but he noticed Ice look at the time and type,

"You should head for the meeting, Williams is expecting you."

Trigger nodded as he stood up, but he asked, "Before I go, where is Maverick now?"

Ice typed, "He's testing a hypersonic scramjet on the mainland and Admiral Cain heads the program, but is looking to cut funding for it in favor of his drone programs. Why are you asking?"

Trigger smiled, "Is it possible to move the project to Azur Lane HQ?"

Ice knew what he was up to as he grinned and typed, "It may make Admiral Cain mad that he wouldn't shut the program down, but it is possible. Pilots are always needed and I think it's time for Maverick to return. I will see to it that the project is moved under your command."

Trigger knew that if Iceman managed to pull through with his request, then he would have a veteran pilot under his command. In the meantime, he said,

"I enjoyed our meeting, Ice and thanks for the information about those two squadrons." He sighed, "I've got a lot on my plate, the counteroffensive, Red Axis, the Sirens, the Orochi and I have a joint-fleet of Union, Royal, Sakura and Iron Blood kansen as well as a joint-fleet of modern Union ships along with Osean and Erusean Ships with the Andersen as the Flagship. I also have a number of aircraft and pilots ready to fly them and they are going to follow me into the fire. These are brave sailors, kansen and pilots, Ice and running this large a force is still hard to take in. Williams chose me for a reason, but he's put a huge responsibility on my shoulders - it's almost scary."

Ice, knowing that this pilot is still young, stood up as well, placed a hand in his shoulder as he actually spoke in his raspy voice as he assured him,

"Azur Lane…needs…Three Strikes. The coalition…needs…to know...that Three Strikes…and Azur Lane…means…Hope."

That reminded Trigger of what Captain Norman said about his fleet, "We are the tip of the spear in this war and we won't let you down."

The Admiral nodded as they saluted each other and Trigger left Iceman's office.

Pacific Fleet HQ Meeting Room

NAS Pearl Harbor

1145 hrs

As Azur Lane and the LRSSG gathered into the room, the Admirals watched as each rep ship as well as Squadron Lead and Number 2 entered the room. Williams was glad to see that they have the Eagle Union and Royal Navy as well as defectors from the Sakura Empire and Iron Blood. He knew that this wouldn't have been possible without the influence of the Commander.

His colleague, Admiral Hisashi took notice of the kansen as well as the additional maid who was alongside Hood, knowing that the Royal Navy would want the presence of the Maid Corps. He took note of the presence of Slash and Edge, the two pilots he recommended to fly the ASF-X Shinden II when the Ridgeback Squadron first formed. It pleases him to see those two working with others even with kansen. He did notice Shinano's presence as he had high respect for the dream fox and her stance on the Red Axis was a symbol of it. But there's something that he noticed as he asked Williams,

"You said that your protégé would be here?"

Williams nodded and said, "He is here, but it looks like…"

It was at that moment that Trigger entered the room as he said,

"I apologize for not arriving with the others, but I had to speak with Admiral Kazansky."

Williams understood this, "I was already informed about it, no need."

He soon introduced his colleague, "Trigger, I would like you to meet Admiral Kenji Hisashi of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, Sakura Empire's Modern Naval Force."

The Osean slightly bowed, "Admiral."

Hisashi bowed and spoke, "I have heard many stories about you and of how you were dealing with these rogue kansen, Commander. There have been many sailors and pilots who would look up at the skies for your marking and it shows how your legend spreads."

Shinano spoke, "It is true that the Commander has done a lot for Azur Lane, including killing Tester to rescue the Dragon Empery ships trapped on a cargo ship."

Hisashi noted, "Your insight is well-known and well-respected, Lady Shinano. Your commander is truly a leader to be feared by his foes and respected by his friends."

He soon stated, "I am in charge of Escort Squadron 1 out of Yokosuka and Admiral Sakai, Chief of the Maritime Staff sent me here to this meeting to join forces."

Enterprise spoke, "We did hear reports of clashes between the SDF and Red Axis on occasion."

"We have every intention to liberate Kyoten and end the Red Axis. Our Navy is composed of modern Defense Ships as well as kansen who refused to join the rogue faction."

Williams stated as he booted up the map, "Admiral Hisashi is right that they have been clashing with Red Axis since the war started, but they lost a few ships to either siren ships or to enemy kansen."

The map showed several SDF positions near the Sakura mainland, Guam and West Paupa, "The SDF have gathered with the coalition forces in order to liberate the Philippine Islands since Red Axis took it in the opening stages of this war. Once occupied, the enemy has been using the islands as a base and has Siren Battleships to protect the shores."

The images showed the Bishop Class Heavy Cruisers patrolling along the islands as several siren, Sakura and Iron Blood aircraft were present. But they also noticed a few Iron Blood kansen in the water, one had white hair, dark cap and military outfit with stockings, the second had white hair, a dark cap and wore a dark outfit and had a sly grin, the last one had dark indigo hair, a regal outfit and her rigging looked like that of a dragon. To make matters shocking, Prinz Eugen recognized them,

"Mein Gott, that's Graf Zeppelin, Elbe and August Von Parseval!"

Trigger asked, "Former allies?"

"All three are carriers, Graf is a brooding sort of woman, Elbe is lighthearted and a very teasing girl, but August - she's dangerous."

He asked her, "How?"

The heavy cruiser stated, "She's a PR Kansen - she was reborn through constant labor and research and as a result - she came to be. Her historical records were only plans and blueprints, but the Iron Blood scientists studied and through data collection and funds - it was possible to create her. This was all before Bismarck and Akagi began the war."

Williams stated, "Iron Blood presence will also mean that they have constructed a research facility to study siren tech and those mass produced ships came from a shipyard. Those will be marked as targets for the invasion and we will find out more as the invasion draws closer. Task Force 70 of the 7th Fleet will be taking part in the upcoming invasion, but the Landing Ships from the SDF will have to travel from the mainland to reach Paupa to rendezvous with TF-70."

The map shifted as the SDF Admiral pointed out, "In addition, aircraft of the 201st Tactical Fighter Squadron and the 3rd Tactical Fighter Squadron will be taking off from the airport at Dutch Harbor to rendezvous with a KC-10 for refueling before moving on to rendezvous with the 204th at Guam while providing air cover for the Landing Ships."

Trigger asked, "What were they doing at Dutch Harbor?"

"Red Axis attempted to use Siren ships and bombers to destroy the Allied fleet stationed there as well as any fishing boats in and around the harbor. One of these fishing vessels, the Northwestern, was nearly hit by a Pawn-Class Destroyer, but she was able to escape, thanks to the kansen that we dispatched to Dutch as a safeguard."

Shinano grew curious and asked, "I am curious, who saved the Northwestern?"

Hisashi brought up four dossiers as he arranged them side-by-side as four images of four shipgirls were shown. There were two heavy cruisers, one with brown hair and a horn while the other was dirty blonde with two horns. The other two were classified as battleship kansen, one had dark hair and had the appearance of a fox girl while the other had curved horns on the sides of her head and there was actually a second picture of that same girl, but with Tanuki ears and a scared look on her face. Shinano recognized them,

"Mogami, Kumano, Kii and Suruga."

Trigger spoke, "Four of the Sakura kansen that did not side with Red Axis."

Hisashi nodded, "Those four knew better and they would gladly do whatever it took to stop them. These four worked with the fighter squadrons during the attack on Dutch Harbor in protecting both military and civilian ships."

The map zoomed in on Dutch Harbor, "As a matter of fact, Mogami, Kumano, Kii and Suruga are going to be escorting the fleet through the Bering Sea in a few days and we were hoping that your Long Range Strategic Strike Group would assist with the escort."

The Commander thought about this since he will be bringing his squadron to the Aleutian Islands to escort the Allied Fleet to the Pacific. It would be a long flight, but they all know what they need to do in order to win this war and they need that fleet to assist in the upcoming invasion of the Philippines.

He soon spoke, "Admiral, I can assure you that the LRSSG will protect the fleet. But I would like to pick a small fleet to go with us for the escort."

Hisashi nodded and said, "A small fleet is acceptable."

Williams soon turned to the others, "There is still another matter to discuss - Red Axis' Superweapon."

Shinano placed a datapad on the table as a holographic display of the ship shot up from the pad as she stated, "This ship is the very reason why Akagi formed the Red Axis - the main reason why this war started. Aside from its size, its main guns could deal massive damage to any modern ship, but the runways on the stern suggest that it is capable of operating like a carrier. There are also silos near the center of the ship which suggests that it's capable of cruise missiles."

Trigger noted, "But without the Mental Cube, it's stuck in its hidden dry dock and vulnerable. When we get to Kyoten, that vessel will be a target of choice."

Hood asked, "But what if they do get the cube back and the Orochi sets sail?"

That made him pause a bit since they only thought about destroying it while in dry dock, but if it's active and at sea, there's no doubt that it would be powerful. But he suggested,

"If it does set sail, we will find it and initiate a combined attack. Kansen and Modern ships would attack it from out of its range while aircraft conduct airstrikes on the vessel. This is only an idea, but this is only if they do get the cube back."

"And a good one."

That was spoken by a new person in the room, it was a kansen. Judging by her attire, she is a Sakura kansen with silver white hair and lightly colored eyes. She also had a katana that was carried in a sheath on her backside. There are parts of hair styled like horns with a red ribbon wrapped around the left horn. The kansen looked at Trigger and said,

"I never figured that a pilot of all things would be Azur Lane's Commander. But it's just how things go. I am Hakuryuu, PR Aircraft Carrier of the Sakura Empire and I'm looking to see if you live up to your legend."

Hisashi looked at her, "Now I do not want you to antagonize the man who has been instrumental in dealing with Red Axis, Hakuryuu. Just remember that you are going to be under his command - no antagonizing."

She reluctantly bowed, "Yes, Admiral."

He looked at Trigger, "Hakuryuu was the only carrier with the four kansen that held off the attack at Dutch Harbor and heard about you. She's here because she insisted on meeting you and wishes to transfer to Azur Lane."

The ace pilot was a bit surprised to see that a Sakura PR Kansen wanted to join Azur Lane. There were many factors since Azur Lane has been the tip of the spear in this war and they essentially go out to expand the frontlines. But having another Sakura Kansen would also help with ensuring that not all of them are bad since he already has Shinano, Ayanami and Akashi. He stated,

"I will accept her transfer, Admiral."

Hisashi was pleased as he said, "You need all the help you can get if this offensive is to succeed."

Trigger pointed out, "We won't let you down since I have the best sailors, pilots and kansen with me."

Williams spoke, "I knew that I chose the right man for the job, but there's also something that you need to know."

The map showed a logo which Trigger's WSO was familiar with,

"Sicario has dispatched Gunsel Squadron, Assassin Team and Hitman Team - Prez's old squadron to Merrill Field in Anchorage, Alaska to protect the STN in the center of the state. But we asked for Assassin and Hitman Teams to transfer to the Marianas island of Tinian in preparation for the Assault."

Enterprise realized, "Mercenaries."

Prinz Eugen spoke, "Two squadrons of mercenaries to support the amphibious assault. It means more air support for the soldiers."

Williams added, "Task Force 108 has also dispatched a bomber squadron to Tinian."

Trigger figured, "An amphibious assault with landing ships, kansen, fighters and bombers. This could be the largest landing operation I have ever seen."

Hakuryuu stood by his side, "Operation Overlord from WWII was the largest landing operation. But this one will definitely be big and I will expect you to be in the air when it happens."

Williams knew what to say, "As of now, Sakura PR Carrier Hakuryuu will now be with Azur Lane and the LRSSG will take part in the upcoming escort mission in the Bering Sea. We have a long road ahead of us before we can see the end of this war. But we also have news - the Royal Navy has taken notice of our offensive and is deploying a fleet of modern ships led by three PR Kansen and the Aircraft Carrier, Indomitable."

Hood recognized that name, "That's Illustrious' fourth sister and she's coming to the Pacific?"

Trigger realized, "I know that Victorious and Formidable are Illustrious' sisters - but she has a fourth sister?"

"She was held back by Royal Navy High Command when the call came in. Only Illustrious, Victorious and Formidable were dispatched to Hawaii until the war began."

Hisashi spoke, "The Royal Navy had her on reserve until the war began. But it seems that things have indeed changed - this was general mobilization."

Trigger nodded, "Illustrious will be happy to fight alongside her sisters I bet."

After that, the ace pilot soon remembered his findings from this morning and told the admiral, "Sir, we also identified the Siren Leader that my infiltration team encountered at the Orochi dry dock."

He brought up a datapad which showed a profile of the siren and various sightings across the Pacific. He stated,

"There have been sightings of her by the main forces and every time they see her - she disappears as quickly as she arrives and many sailors say that she was observing them."

Williams and Hisashi looked over this information as it became clear that when she showed up, it wasn't to fight - but observe as Trigger finished,

"We soon came to call this Siren Leader - Observer and she is the one seemingly pulling the strings."

Wit, who was silent the whole time spoke, "That would make sense. That alien observes the actions of the main force and pulls the strings for the enemy to build this Super Ship."

Belfast spoke, "I agree with him since she is the only Siren who is staying on the sidelines. When Master killed Tester, sightings of this Observer had begun - almost like they were curious."

Seymour spoke, "And that concerns the Orochi, Red Axis wants it to launch, but without the cube - it's vulnerable. But what do the Sirens gain by having Red Axis deploy it?"

Trigger said, "I don't know, but judging from its specs - they intend to stamp out Azur Lane and wipe out the human race."

Shinano pointed out, "Akagi used the Mental Cube to control the siren ships, but that control came at a price. Mental Cubes make whoever touches it see alternate timelines and worlds. It even delves into the user's deepest desires."

Hisashi had a feeling, "Like her longing for her lost sister, Amagi."

Trigger asked, "Amagi?"

He gave him a datapad which showed the kansen in question as well as her file with a picture that was like the same fox girl he saw after Tabloid's first flight. But when he read the status,

"Deceased?"

Hisashi had a mournful look, "She died in an earthquake…and her cube was never found."

What they didn't know was that the spirit of Amagi herself saw this as she said, "It's still in Kanto, wherever I go - Kanto is my home and where I am - Kanto is my tomb."

Shinano felt the spiritual essence from the Commander and sensed a faint echo from the place where the spirit's physical life ended as she spoke, "Admiral, I have a feeling that Amagi's Wisdom Cube is still in Kanto."

Hisashi raised an eyebrow, "Interesting point, but most of our searches turned up empty. Are you sure, Lady Shinano?"

The dream fox spoke, "I know because I can sense the echo from her cube." She summoned a dream butterfly as the little insect landed on the datapad which showed the town where Amagi had died. Hisashi stated,

"Interesting that it might be there, I will dispatch a search party to investigate."

Shinano smiled as she sensed Amagi's spirit smile back as the battlecruiser stood alongside Trigger as Amagi lightly held his arm - no one besides Enterprise and Shinano saw her, but the Commander felt something hold his arm before he turned his attention to the meeting.

Williams soon spoke, "There's one more thing that you all should know…" He brought up a datapad, "We have received contact from an Iron Blood Resistance group, a small group of kansen who were against forming the Red Axis - they are giving their support for Azur Lane."

Trigger sighed, "I said it once, but I'll say it again. I guess not everyone was onboard with this war."

This made Prinz Eugen interested, "Who is it that contacted you?"

He brought up a file of this resistance fighter and gave it to Trigger as both he and Eugen saw the file. It displayed a girl with white hair, a small red streak, a pair of horns on her head and orange eyes. She wore a black stocking suit with black fabrics with some of the shoulders exposed. He asked the Iron Blood cruiser,

"Do you know this girl?"

The heavy cruiser nodded as she said, "That is the Large Cruiser Ägir, a PR Ship named after a mythological ruler of the sea with some aspects of a battleship and a cruiser, but not a true battleship. I also know that she has a fascination for beer and her favorite event is Oktoberfest."

Trigger nodded and looked at the file again as he asked, "So she contacted us to pledge the Resistance's support?"

The Admiral answered, "It's more than that - Ägir herself, wishes to join Azur Lane because she sees that you are the one to follow."

Trigger knew that he was put in this position as he said, "As my squadron always says…"

Count finished, "Stick with Trigger and You'll Make It."

The two admirals agreed with that statement as it became ever so clear - as long as they stick with Trigger, they will survive. The admirals soon ended the meeting as they dismissed the Azur Lane crew.

Pearl's Bar

Pearl Harbor, HI

1530 hrs

After a long meeting with the admirals as well as acquiring a new kansen, Trigger decided to take the pilots out for a drink since they found a nice bar on the base. They just wanted to wind down for a bit and interact with each other before returning to HQ. Enterprise, Prinz Eugen, Hakuryuu and Hood joined as well while Shinano and Belfast wished to take in the sights of the nearby beach. As they walked into the bar, they saw a few local military members enjoying themselves, having drinks with friends and conversing. Trigger even noticed a group of military members gathered around a man with aviator sunglasses, playing a piano as he sang,

"You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain

Too much love drives a man insane

You broke my will, but what a thrill

Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!"

It did bring a smile on his face seeing the group sing along with the man at the piano. So the group walked up to a female bartender as Trigger asked,

"Excuse me?"

The woman looked and asked, "Yes?" But she noticed the others, "Wait…are you with Azur Lane?"

This confused the pilot and asked, "Why?"

"It's just…I never actually met a real kansen before."

Enterprise stepped up, "We are with Azur Lane."

The bartender soon guessed as she looked at Trigger, "Then you must be the Commander - Azur Lane's Ace Pilot - The Three Strikes."

Her claim caused everyone in the bar to pause and stare at the group, even the piano guy stopped playing.

They were in an awkward situation as Trigger asked, "Why do you want to know if I am the ace? I could be some wingman that he sent."

The bartender stated, "I've seen pilots come into this bar and every pilot is different. But this particular pilot - the Ace of Azur Lane is something completely different and when I saw you walk up here, I figured 'Could this be him?' All the other pilots in the bar are wondering if this is the Ace that they were hearing about. So are you the Ace of Azur Lane?"

Trigger figured that there was no way to get out of this, so he decided, "Well, consider yourself lucky. Commander Cross of Azur Lane and leader of Strider Squadron, at your service."

The bartender was excited as she rang a bell and announced, "Well folks, it's official that we have a group of pilots and shipgirls in the bar, but more importantly - The Ace of Azur Lane!"

It was that moment that all the patrons were in awe as they began to applaud or salute them as Count realized,

"You're a real celebrity, Trigger."

Trigger whispered, "So are you, since you're part of my unit."

"You're right."

After it ended, they all took their seats as the bartender handed them each a glass as she said,

"You and your shipgirls did a lot to lead us to victory, just for today, drinks are on me."

The Osean Ace said, "Thank you, although our operations had us clashing with the sirens and Red Axis, but we did take Wake Island."

He gestured to Count, Fencer, Skald, Wit and Seymour, "Even having to pull these guys out of the fire when they were in trouble near New Guinea."

Count shrugged and said, "We had that under control, but those two enemy shipgirls singled me out."

Fencer stated, "We were lucky that Trigger and his fleet got to us in time."

Skald spoke, "All things considered - it was getting a bit rough during that battle."

Wit spoke, "We were getting the full course since it was an air-to-air and anti-ship battle."

Seymour gestured to Prinz Eugen, "It was also an escort mission since we had to protect her and two defectors commandeering a High-Value Cargo Ship."

The heavy cruiser spoke, "I was happy to see the Kommandant since he proved himself a guardian, no."

The bartender chuckled, "It's odd to see a pilot in command of a fleet since most Air Force and Navy commanders were former pilots who couldn't fly anymore. But you stand out from the rest since you can still fly while coordinating with your fleet and you look a bit young to be an ace."

Trigger noted, "Everyone says that and considering what I went through, it built up my experience." He soon realized something about the bartender, "You seem to know a lot about the navy, Ms…"

"Penny Benjamin and yes, I know a lot because my dad was an Admiral."

Enterprise recognized that name and spoke, "I think I heard about you when a pilot told a story about how a hotshot flyboy did a high speed pass over you."

Penny smiled and said, "You're right and Maverick did that just to get my attention."

That name caught Trigger's attention, "You know him?"

Penny stated, "I do, Pete was a former lover who loved showing off, but that was a long time ago."

Trigger knew a personal subject when he saw it and decided not to ask more and instead enjoy his time with his crew at the bar until the group that was by the piano approached them with the lead being the guy that was playing the piano. He spoke,

"Excuse me, I heard about what you did over Wake Island - it was amazing how you brought down that Orgoi."

Trigger took notice of the man, he had a mustache, aviator sunglasses and a Hawaiian T-shirt. Comparing him with the others behind him who were wearing military uniforms, he was more casual. The man saluted,

"Sorry about that, Lieutenant Bradley Bradshaw, TAC Name: Rooster, VFA-87 Golden Warriors Squadron off the USS George H.W. Bush."

Trigger saluted, "Commander Patrick Cross, TAC Name: Trigger, 124th Tactical Fighter Squadron and Commander of Azur Lane."

The other pilots introduced themselves, the only female pilot went first,

"Sir, I'm Lieutenant Natasha Trace, TAC Name: Phoenix, I was a member of the Black Ace Squadron on the Stennis."

Trigger figured, "Huh? There was once an Ace Pilot that had that nickname, but he was a mercenary pilot who fought an insurrection and a conflict while fighting against a strange red aircraft."

But he also remembered the squadron that this woman was from and realized, "Wait, you were there when we rescued Sheffield and Edinburgh at the ruined island!"

Phoenix nodded, "I was there myself and I must say, you really know how to handle an Osprey to fly it like that."

"Believe it or not, it was my first time actually."

Count was surprised, "You flew an Osprey?!"

He shrugged, "Long story, Count."

A dark skinned pilot saluted, "Lieutenant Reuben Fitch, TAC Name: Payback, VFA-125 Rough Raider Squadron. It's an honor to meet you, sir."

The next pilot saluted, "Lieutenant Javy Machado, TAC Name: Coyote, VFA-86 Sidewinder Squadron off the USS Ronald Reagan."

Hood recognized him, "I remember you, your squadron helped Her Majesty fend off a siren attack off Ireland and you acted as a spotter for Stonehenge Liverpool when a siren fleet attempted to move in on the Irish Coast."

Coyote nodded and chuckled, "The Reagan was assigned to assist the Royal Navy, Ms. Hood and how is Her Majesty anyway?"

The battleship stated, "She has acknowledged Trigger's command very well and Warspite has high respects for him."

Coyote chuckled as he looked at Trigger, "I won't be surprised if she ends up knighting you, kid."

The Osean stated, "Maybe when the war is over."

The next one saluted, "Lieutenant Mickey Garcia, TAC Name: Fanboy. formerly VFA-143 Pukin Dogs, now with the Rough Raiders serving as Payback's WSO."

Trigger noted, "We not only have pilots, but flight officers as well. But your TAC Name?"

Payback stated, "He's a Star Trek Fan, I'm sure Enterprise knows of the show."

The carrier kansen shrugged, "Only a few episodes."

Trigger asked the sandy haired man with the glasses, "And you are?"

He saluted, "Lieutenant Robert Floyd, Flight Officer, formerly VFA-51 Screaming Eagles, now with the Black Aces as Phoenix's WSO."

Trigger was curious by the way he introduced himself, "No TAC Name, Robert?"

"No, sir. But I would respectfully ask to be called Bob, sir."

Trigger accepted it and asked, "Okay Bob, were you and Phoenix flying an F/A-18F during the rescue mission while protecting the EW Aircraft?"

Bob nodded, "Yes sir."

"I think I did see you two after I touched down on the Stennis. But I was too focused on Sheffield, Edinburgh, Ayanami and Akashi to introduce myself."

Phoenix understood, "You were worried about them, I get it."

Bob spoke, "We understand, sir. The rescue mission was because Sheffield was injured and couldn't make it back to base safely."

Slash spoke, "I was the one that warned him and it was a good thing that I did. I couldn't imagine what Red Axis would've done to them if we were too late, especially Akashi having seen the Orochi."

Edge sighed, "After that, they hire the most deadly squadrons to get us."

Rooster could only guess, "Crimson and Varcolac…"

Trigger asked as the other pilots were shocked by this, "You know about them?"

"Yeah, when we were at Top Gun, we heard about these rogue pilots…and the Tokyo Incident."

He pointed to Slash, "The Major was one of our flight leads after we graduated from Top Gun and first assigned to a patrol over Yellowstone National Park to investigate the presence of Siren aircraft that slipped in under the radar when we faced them."

Slash sighed as he remembered that incident, "I didn't want to put them in any danger, so I ordered them to withdraw while I engaged them. One pilot against two squadrons…toughest fight of my life and I almost thought that my F-18 was going to break apart, I was able to damage a couple of them, but I had to let them go when they realized that they were low on fuel."

Rooster spoke, "You did save our lives that day, Major. You bought us time to escape, but we got bounced by two Siren jets as we evaded them, only thinking about getting away. But one of us got one kill on a Siren Drone before we escaped."

Trigger asked, "Who is that?"

"That would be me." Said the last pilot of the group.

The pilot spoke as he saluted, "Lieutenant Jake Seresin, TAC Name: Hangman, VFA-151, CVW-9 on the USS John C. Stennis."

Edge noted, "So you're with the Ugly Squadron that wasn't in the rescue operation."

The pilots and kansen chuckled a bit as Hangman said, "Yeah, I know it's funny because of the name and my squadron were only put on standby for that mission. Before that mission, we heard a story about you and it was that you did what many say was impossible - you killed a Siren Elite."

Count whispered, "He's referring to one of the humanoids, right?"

He nodded to his wingman before telling Hangman, "I did, but only to buy time for my fleet to escape."

Edge pointed out, "It's true, we were actually there to witness the Commander kill that Siren."

Hood asked, "You were there?"

Slash stated, "We were investigating any siren activity in the area. We spotted the Elite Siren dueling a Harrier with three scratches on the tail. We would've helped, but something was different about that pilot and the minute I saw the siren sparking electricity as she fell into the water and explode - I knew that the pilot was special."

He looked at Trigger, "It's the reason why my squadron joined you, kid."

The Osean Ace knew everything that he had been through in this war. But now to see other pilots know about what he and his fleet had done reminded him of how the LRSSG grew during the Lighthouse War. He and Count were ex-cons assigned to a special group operating separately from the main forces, he led Strider Squadron while Count was Wiseman's number 2 for Cyclops Squadron. During those operations, they grew from rivals in the 444 to buddies in the LRSSG as well as Count being the best number 2 that Trigger can have. He remembered how scared his friend was when Wiseman died and command of Cyclops fell to him.

When Trigger chased the Siren Drone and didn't return, Count took command of Strider Squadron in an attempt to find him. The Commander knew that his wingman wouldn't give up on him and he rallied the Andersen Fleet to assault the portal and find him. But he was snapped out of his thoughts when his phone rang and he saw that it was the base as he answered the phone,

"Hello?"

"Trigger, it's Jaeger. One of your battleship girls came to me and she told me that her sister is missing."

The pilot curiously asked, "Which battleship?"

Jaeger thought about it and said, "It was Pennsylvania who asked about her sister."

The ace remembered that Pennsylvania had a sister ship and as he went through his head to determine who it was - a navy pilot who was sitting by the window spoke, "Hey guys, look at this - I see the Big A on the beach!"

Trigger heard this as he got up from his seat and walked towards the window and saw what was going on. Trigger held the phone to his mouth and told Jaeger,

"Tell Penn not to worry because we already found her sister."

He said that because standing on the beach was the recognizable shape of a kansen whose fate was sealed in this very harbor in the past. The long dark-brown hair and blue and white uniform made it very clear who this was, including the noticeable tears that glistened in the sunlight.

He soon hung up the phone as he turned away from the window and went to the door. The other pilots, flight officers and the Azur Lane crew were a bit concerned about it. They weren't expecting to see her at the base, nor the harbor in general. But as Trigger walked out the door, he wondered,

"Why did you come to Pearl Harbor, Arizona?"

A/N: And there's the cliffhanger.

There is a series of preparations for the liberation of the Philippine Islands which is the purpose of the meeting.

Trigger also meets Iceman as they discuss his experience with Crimson and Varcolac before he was promoted to Admiral. He also spoke of his old friend, Maverick who was now a test pilot for a scramjet aircraft.

The encounter with Admiral Cain as well as Trigger ripping him on his view on unmanned drones was something I enjoyed writing. I didn't like Cain with his push towards drones and considering Trigger's history with UAVs, it would be fitting to let him know the dangers of man's reliance on drones. There will always be fighter pilots willing to take to the skies - and eventually becomes an Ace.

So we have Trigger meet Rooster and the pilots from Top Gun: Maverick.

I also added a Deadliest Catch reference during the meeting.

But now the situation in the cliffhanger - Trigger learns that one kansen with extensive history is in Pearl Harbor. But why?

Find out in the next chapter!

Nighthawk Out!