Chapter 6
*Metis' Observation Log - 2
Only a few days remain before our planned first sortie and... I have been pleasantly surprised by the progress everyone has made so far in their training and preparations.
- For example, Commander Liam's ability to find links between what he knows and apply them to the situation in front of him shows off a natural talent for creative thinking despite his lack of military knowledge or experience. A very vital talent if we are really to fight a (quite literally) one man war against the Sirens.
- Furthermore, cycling everyone through the accelerated training program has also helped in laying down the groundwork for when we expand our numbers. I was fortunate that the Commander and the fleet agreed with my concerns when the specifics were being worked out.
- As for my own personal contributions, I am quite grateful that everyone agreed to the other project I proposed... It will take a considerable amount of time and resources before we see any worthwhile results, but its success will solve most of our manpower issues once everything is in place.
- Lastly, I should be finished parsing out and compiling all of the intel I've managed to collect since coming online. If nothing else, it should give the Commander and the others a more accurate and clearer picture of what's going on out there in the wider world. *
xxx xxx xxx
September 3rd, 2023 - Afternoon
On the (simulated) bridge of the aerial combat support carrier, Liberty.
"Y'know. This is still really way too surreal for me," Liam thought aloud as he took another look around at his surroundings, now abuzz with his crew's activity and the ever changing and shifting combat and status display screens flashing in and out at surprisingly fast speeds.
"Hm? What are you talking about?" asked the ship's AI who, instead of floating about in her usual, slightly see-through holographic form, was actually sitting next to him with a real body while busily going over the Liberty's startup checklist.
"Well, there are three Royal Navy maids manning the bridge of a real life airship that, for whatever strange reason, I'm in command of and about to take part in a battle alongside two full fleet of shipgirls staring down a horde of Sirens that definitely outnumber and outgun us. Oh, and all of this is some super, hyper realistic virtual reality simulation too."
"Oh, right. I keep forgetting that, until recently, you were just a plain low-level faceless office grunt." Believe it or not, Metis wasn't trying to be mean here; she was just blunt, like really blunt. Fortunately for Liam, thanks to having to take care of, and deal with, a younger sister with a similar temperament and disposition herself, he didn't mind the AI's quirks; rather, he liked that about her. It felt kind of, nice and familiar even.
"I mean there's that too, I guess. But like, it all just kinda feels over the top... like in a weird lucid dream, y'know?"
Metis just shrugged. "Ah, I see. But regardless, this is still very much reality for you, me, and everyone else here. It's all we know, and moreover, we've only been conscious and 'alive' for barely even a few weeks; a few days in my case. Put simply, none of us can imagine life any other way than what's right in front of us."
Hearing her point that out, Liam just stayed quiet and deeply thought about Metis' words for a bit before awkwardly nodding, sheepishly scratching the back of his head at how insensitive he must have sounded. "...I guess, that's true, huh. Sorry. For not thinking about things from your guys' perspective about all this, I mean."
Metis smiled as she took in her Commander's rapidly changing expressions, slightly amused. "It's fine. At least you're thinking about us and our well being. Besides, considering how much everyone tends to throw themselves at you, innocently or not, should more than spell out how much they appreciate you. No one's going to get mad at you over a little slip up when you're just trying to make sense of things. Same as the rest of us."
'That's true, huh.' After all, before Liam met the shipgirls and Metis, he was just another nobody in the crowd who only ever had one real girlfriend in his whole life... who ended up cheating on him with his sister's best (female) friend over a year ago, so the shipgirls being so affectionate with him was like a drug to him (not that he'd ever openly admit that, of course). That's just how it was when you're starved and desperate for affection but never expect to get it and just... 'act' like everything was fine and normal while all the while thinking that porn and the occasional hookups were the best he'd ever get. Things were different now though, all he could do was just keep doing what he's doing and hope he doesn't screw things up... with his second chance, the girls, or their lives. "A, anyway, are we ready to get started then?"
Sensing that her Commander wanted to change the subject (yeah, he still had some baggage to work through), Metis went into full 'adjutant mode' and spoke with a cool and calm professionalism. "All systems are green and we can begin at any time. However, I would suggest you take a moment to try calm down and collect your thoughts before the battle begins."
"But-"
"-It's fine. You've been working especially hard lately to prepare for this," Metis gently but firmly interrupted. "You've earned at least a small break before we drag you down to the depths of hell head first." Liam couldn't help but shudder slightly at the small yet cruel smile on her normally expressionless, beautiful face.
"...Y'know. Even when you're being nice, you're still scary as hell." Liam quietly said, shaking his head before offering her a small smile of his own.
Instead of replying, Metis just softly giggled before getting back to work and checking in with the two fleets on standby.
- Meanwhile, with the three Royal Maids on the bridge -
"Are you okay, Enterprise?" asked the bustier blonde Royal Maid sitting to her right with a hint of concern.
"No, I'm fine. Just a little nervous," replied the shy, petite and bespectacled bookworm shaking her head ever so slightly. "I know this is just a simulated battle, but still... it's hard not to feel super nervous."
This time, it was the more sharp tongued but inwardly kind fellow blonde sitting to her left who spoke up next.
"It's fine. They're just trash after all, so just think of it as 'cleaning' up a really big mess."
"Sheffy is right you know. More importantly, they are our enemies and are standing in our Honorable Master's way,"
"Besides. Did you forget that after the exercise, Master will do anything we want later tonight?" Sheffield finished with a subtle but hard to miss mischievous glint in her normally impassive amber eyes.
"...So, I can get Master to have tea and read with me in my room? ...Or maybe, his?" Enterprise pondered aloud with a light tinge of pink dusting her cheeks.
"And more, if you so wish."
"...And more?" Enterprise quietly repeated, her thoughts running a mile a minute at the possibilities.
"They moved faster than I expected," Sheffield observed. "And we still had two minutes to go, too..."
"They moved faster than I expected," Sheffield observed looking down at her console. "And we still had two minutes to go, too..."
Just then, alarms began blaring loudly as the bridge began to shudder violently from the impact of sudden enemy fire striking against the Liberty.
"Enemy ether shell impacts to port side and bow!" Sirius reported as she quickly ran through and analyzed the incoming damage reports flooding her console. "Luckily, our damage wasn't was kept to a minimum thanks to our shields coming deploying at the last second. However, we're still too far away to launch any sort of counterattack though."
"First and Second fleets are now moving to intercept and break through the enemy formation from the center and get them into smaller, more manageable 'chunks'," Sheffield reported to Liam as she brought up the large tactical view display of the battle now going on ahead of them.
"Now shifting the Liberty from cruising to combat speed. Loading guidance and tracking assist programs into main AA, anti-ship and CIWS. Charging bow mounted ether cannons and diverting excess available energy from non-essential systems to our bow, port, and starboard energy shield nodes," Enterprise added as she quickly and expertly ran through the various defense protocol sequences she and the others had been practicing.
*BOOM!*
Another round of enemy shells had struck just as Enterprise finished setting up the Liberty's defenses. While all of this was happening, Liam and Metis were busy coordinating with the two shipgirl fleets as they made contact with the first wave of Sirens using the data coming in from the three Royal Maids had been passing on.
"Alright! You girls are doing great1 Just keep on applying pressure while slowly drawing them in so that our aircraft carriers can finish them off with their artillery guns and airstrikes! The Liberty should be in position for the next phase of the operation within the next 251 seconds so hang in there!" Liam said over the comms while Metis was busy coordinating things on her end with the bridge crew maids.
"Yes, I'm updating the new ECM and ECCM algorithms and libraries now. That should keep the humanoid Sirens from hacking into and jamming our own comm lines, targeting systems and data links. I'm also devoting a fair bit of my own processing power to keep them from opening up any back doors. Hm? Alright. I'll see what I can do about sending out some more camera drones but don't expect too much. I've got my hands full as is."
...
With another violent shudder from yet another round of enemy artillery fire, the ACSC Liberty charged forward as it prepared to engage the Sirens in its first ever (simulated) battle.
- With the First combat fleet -
Plumes of water sprayed high up into the clear blue sky as another round of cannon fire from a trio of mass produced enemy battleships narrowly missed Belfast, who gracefully evaded every shot at the last possible second. Her long maid's skirt and beautiful silvery hair gently fluttering about as she deftly weaved in and out of the way of their attacks as she moved in closer and closer to counterattack. Meanwhile, Eldridge and Prinz Eugen were busy using their complimentary shield and evasion skills to draw in the rest of the Sirens that ignored Belfast so that Saratoga, Alabama, and Unicorn could finish them off.
...
"...Und feuer!"
With a swing of her slender arm, the normally teasing and playful Iron Blood heavy cruiser sent out a barrage from her her main guns followed by a salvo of torpedoes while wearing a truly predatory smile on her face, her ruby eyes flickering with an intense, fiery light. A little ahead of her, and with blinding speed and sparks of azure trailing behind with every step she took, Eldridge took a more up close and personal approach where, after dashing in as close as possible, she would unload on whatever poor Siren happened to be in her way before drawing back just far enough away to finish them off with her own torpedoes, with their every move only made possible by the inherent synergy of their unique skillsets and natural combat instincts.
"...Ooh! Good job, me...!" chirped up the little blonde zapper in a rare display of pride.
"Ja, a very, very good job indeed, little one~!" Eugen agreed, gently patting the smaller shipgirl's head.
"Count?"
"Hm? Oh! I'm up to seventeen mass produced pieces of garbage and about six Enforcers," Eugen replied matter-of-factly... before quickly amending her score not even a second later. "Ah, make that seven. You?"
"...Um... nine... nineteen big ones! And, six little ones!"
"Hoh~? Not bad! A little too close for my liking though. So... how about we really get serious then, ja?"
Eldridge nodded, blue electricity sparking with her enthusiasm. "Yes! Eldridge will beat Teasing Sister! Definitely!"
"My, my~! Aren't we the confident one! Well, just remember that it's not me you're competing with but the Second fleet. We have dinner and a night to ourselves with the Kommandant tomorrow night on the line after all, so we'll need to be at the top of our game, ja?"
"...Yes! Commander's lap, belongs to Eldridge!" cutely declared the reinvigorated and highly motivated blonde little zapper, fists curled up into little balls to show off her pure (and absolutely adorable) determination. Eugen just giggled lightly at her friend and fellow fleet sister's sheer cuteness.
"Then let's show them just what the First fleet is made of!" 'Now then. How will the fox and the phoenix respond I wonder...'
Incidentally, whether by accident or design, Eugen had left her comm lines open the whole time.
- With the Second combat fleet -
"...Oh, I see how it is. That, scheming little harlot!" Akagi quietly yet very clearly angrily hissed out, absolutely seething at the cheeky, silver haired heavy carrier's impertinence as her many dark and fluffy tails bristled with rage; her crimson red fiery eyes and aura violently flaring in response to her rising emotions. "How dare she try to take what is rightfully ours!" She then turned to her fellow Sakura Empire fleet sister and Shikikan devotee. "Well? We certainly won't let them beat us, will we? Sisters or not... we WILL show them their place. Ne, Taihou-chan~? "
Instead of replying, Taihou simply smiled sweetly. Now, to those who didn't know her or how deep her affections and mean streak ran, it would have looked like the most serene and lovely smile in the world, but to those who 'truly' knew her, that smile only meant one thing... pain. Lots and lots of pain. In truth, it was a smile steeped in malice and the most violent and unkind sentiments humanly possible. Luckily, she loved her dear fleet sisters so this was more of her usual 'game face' than anything else.
As for everyone else in the Second combat fleet?
"...S, s, , scary...!" was all Javelin could say as she tightly held Laffey for dear life, who simply nodded in agreement before taking another long swig of her liquid coura-oxy cola. Unicorn, on the other hand, was reduced to a whimpering mess hiding behind a sighing Peter Strasser just shaking her head.
"Mein Gott. You know Eugen's just trying to rile you two up, don't you?" '...And she's really good at that too...'
"...And? You think that's enough to stop us now that that little strumpet so brazenly threw down the gauntlet?" Akagi replied dismissively. "No, I say we take up the little harlot's challenge and show her just who she's messing with, or are you saying that you're okay with letting her get one over on you as well?"
...
Another long sigh later, Strasser finally spoke up. "...Well, it's not as if I can really stop you so sure, why not? Besides, you've got a point," she then grinned viciously. "I do think our dear sister needs to learn what happens when she takes her jokes too far...!"
"And what about you little ones? Are you just gonna let Eugen and that little blonde, zap happy menace hog our dear Shikikan-sama all to herself without even putting up a fight?"
And that did it. Whatever fear and doubts the three vanguard shipgirls had were quickly replaced with (adorably cute) looks of fierce determination. Even Unicorn's mysteriously sentient stuffed unicorn had a visible fire in its eyes. "M, Miss Stra, Strasser's right! W, we c, can't let Eldridge win! I, I want to sit on Big Brother's lap and f, for him to pat my head a lot t, too!"
"She's right! And it'll be my chance to show off some more for the Commander too~!✩" Javelin declared, twirling her spear excitedly with a wink and twinkle in her eye.
"... *glug, glug glug!*" Laffey just, charged ahead after whipping out and drinking yet another bottle of booz...-oxy cola.
"...It's easy to forget with how she normally acts, but the little rabbit's honestly the most bloodthirsty out of the lot of us, huh," Akagi mused with a chuckle before following after said little killer rabbit. A moment later, the sounds of fierce battle rang out in every direction, starting with with where Laffey headed off to.
...
By the time two minutes had passed, both combat fleets ended up being tied at over seventy mass produced ships and Enforcers each.
- In the observation room currently watching the battle -
*Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, TAP!*
"Nyahahah~! So much wonderful real live combat data, nya! That's it! Fight, fight, and fight some more, nya! Oh I can't wait to see Shikikan and the Liberty in action, nya! Just a little more... hurry up, nya!"
*tap, tap, tap, tap, tap...*
The newly constructed shipgirls who were watching the battle with the cat eared verdette were mesmerized by both the battle playing out on the large screen in front of them and the quickly ever changing and shifting displays of accumulating and constantly updating data Akashi was busy with. Honestly, it was a bit much for them to take in but, at the same time, they couldn't bring themselves to look away either.
"...Anchorage is very, very confused..," drawled out the almost childishly innocent buxom blonde with near swirling eyes as she tried (and failed) to make sense of what she was seeing on the smaller screens and consoles Akashi was busily typing away on. '...So, so many numbers and weird pictures...!'
"Yeah. You and me both, sweetie. You and me both. Oh, but it's fine though, 'kay?" New Jersey reassured, gently patting Anchorage on the head while giving her a big and friendly smile.
"...Really?"
"Really!" replied the energetic, buxom bluenette. "I mean, we're all here to fight the Sirens and free humanity from their tyranny! Akashi does that with her smarts while you and me do it on the front line with the Commander! That's just her way of fighting, get it?"
"...Mm!" Anchorage nodded happily, seemingly very satisfied by New Jersey's explanation.
"Oh, look! It's Liam's airship!"
"...Teacher! Go, go!"
- On the (simulated) bridge of the ACSC Liberty -
"Akagi and Eugen's fleets have successfully broken up the Siren fleet's formation," Sheffield reported while continuing to monitor her allies' current condition and movements. "Just in time for the next phase of the operation."
"Bow mounted large ether cannons charging complete. Now adjusting line of fire coordinates with the allowed margin of error value accounted for and set at +/- 5°," Enterprise said next before moving on to double check the status of the Liberty's other armaments.
"Looks like a few mass-produced Siren ships led by a single Enforcer managed to slip by Akagi's fleet," Sirius continued. "They should be coming within range of our defenses in roughly one-hundred and fifteen seconds."
While all this was going on, Liam couldn't help but feel some small doubts about whether or not he would be able to make the right calls when the time came. '...Shit! Need to calm down. Deep breaths! ...Inhale. Exhale. Rinse and repeat...'
"Commander? Is everything alright? Your heart rate and brainwave activity are a bit elevated," Metis asked with a hint of concern in her voice.
Broken out of his little stress induced mental loop, Liam took another second to collect his thoughts before turning to face his adjutant AI and nodding. "Yeah, I'm good. Just a lot on my mind. First battle jitters and all that."
"Ah, I see," Metis replied with a note of understanding in her voice. "Well, just try to keep calm and try to take in everything you can. That's what these training exercises are for, after all."
"Still wondering if there's even anything I can do right no-"
"-Enemy contact in 3... 2... and 1! Everyone! Brace yourselves for incoming enemy fire!" Enterprise called out in what was possibly the loudest voice she'd used since waking up.
*BOOM!*
An instant later, several enemy artillery shells struck the Liberty's shields causing the airship to slightly shudder from the impacts.
"...Shit!" Liam quietly cursed under his breath before quickly shoving his doubts away to the back of his mind to focus on the situation going on in front of him for now.
"No serious damage sustained, but the enemy's shelling was much fiercer than expected and our overall shield strength has dropped to 93%," Sirius reported. "Luckily, we were able to take out the mass produced ships with our own anti-ship guns just now. Unfortunately, the Enforcer was able to retreat somehow."
""How are Eugen and Akagi's fleets holding up?" Liam asked.
"They're still busy trying to see who can get the highest kill count while luring whoever they can to right in front of us, or more specifically, to the designated point for our part of the operation," Metis answered after getting a sit-rep from the two fleets in question. "The timing's going to be close, but they should still be able to get out of the way of the ether cannon's discharge."
"...I'm honestly not a fan of essentially using my shipgirls as bait, but I really couldn't think of any other way to use this thing's big ass ether cannons..," Liam muttered, less than happy that he couldn't come up with a better plan. Still, Enterprise, Sheffield, Sirius, and Metis couldn't help but smile, happy that their Commander cared so much for them.
"Honorable Master. Our dear sisters are tough and agreed that making use of themselves to buy time for us was the best move we could play to gain a decisive victory and finish the battle as quickly as possible."
"Sirius is right," Sheffield added. "Besides, you aren't a soldier, had no formal training, and this is your first time in command. You might be a pathetic, nervous wreck of a closet pervert, but it's fine-"
"..Ugh." Liam couldn't help feeling a little crushed at the ever impassive, sharp-tongued Royal Maid's stinging words. Well, at least until he heard the rest anyway.
"-you'll improve with time and experience. And you'll have us by your side too."
"Sheffy's right. I mean, it's not like we could come up with any better ideas either, and Metis did sign off on the plan," Enterprise added. "In the end, we're new to all this too."
"...Thanks you guys," Liam said, grateful for their kind words and support. Of course, all good tings had to come to an end.
"Look alive everyone," Metis called out, bringing everyone's attention back to reality. "Everyone's in position and we'll only have less than a minute to execute our part of the plan so we'll need perfect timing and coordination to pull it off." She then turned to look at Liam. "Commander."
"Huh? Wh, what's up?" '...Holy crap is that a scary look in her eyes!'
"You'll need to be the one to give the order to fire so pay close attention to the timing and what's going on with the battle."
Liam couldn't help but gulp. "..No pressure, huh."
"You'll get used to it. Anyway, it's time."
'Man, it's do or die, huh...!'
- Just a little earlier, back with the First and Second combat fleets -
"Over there, look!" Javelin pointed to her left with her free hand. "It's that Enforcer we missed."
"Where?" Ayanami asked, just now joining in the conversation after gunning down another mass produced ships trying to slip past them.
"...Doesn't matter. Laffey's taking it out...!"
*RATATATATATATA!*
The already damaged Enforcer didn't even have a chance to defend itself before the savage little killer rabbit riddled it with holes complete with putting one last bullet between its eyes using her personal handgun and watched as the Siren broke apart into particles of light that scattered away on the wind. "...'V'! *glug, glug, glug!*"
"...Hey. Where do you think Laffey keeps pulling those oxy colas(?) out from?" Javelin asked, wondering if maybe her rigging had a built fridge in it or something like that. 'I wonder if I can ask her for one? Oh, I hope it's just soda though...' Ayanami, who was standing next to her, just shrugged, but before she could add in her two cents, Strasser's voice came in loud and clear over their comm lines.
[Hey. The Liberty's in position and ready to fire its main, bow mounted ether cannons. Keep our kill count tallies in mind, but we need to link up with Eugen's group and draw the Sirens in as much as we can until the last possible second, okay? It'll be tough, but we should still be able to have enough space between us and the Commander to doge and then quickly finish off whatever doesn't get vaporized.]
- Back in the observation room -
"I know it's just a simulation, but would Sirens really behave like that? I mean, trying to overwhelm us with just their numbers and no strategy?" Jean Bart wondered aloud, surprised and a bit disappointed by how simpleminded humanity's supposed greatest enemy was behaving. "I mean, I get that the Commander is new to this and all, but the Liberty is kind of hard to miss, isn't it?"
It wasn't just Jean either, everyone else, (minus the all too innocent and naive Anchorage and the equally too busy to care data collecting cat-eared verdette, that is) had the same thoughts. Thankfully, Akashi was really good at multitasking.
"Sensory jamming, nya."
"...Sensory jamming? But, none of us have hacking abilities that powerful," Black Prince quietly noted, her gaze still locked onto the sight of Eugen and Akagi's fleets retreating further and further towards the Liberty while firing off airstrike after airstrike to keep the Sirens chasing them.
"You're right, we don't but the Liberty, or rather Metis, does. Remember she's an AI based on salvaged Siren tech. The development team couldn't put in the same optical camouflage system that this island has, but they were able to install a suite of nifty other little features that should be able to confuse, blind and otherwise keep most low to mid level Sirens from noticing her or, situation permitting, support us with 'buffs' instead; one or the other at a time though."
"...Ooohhh! I get it!" Kii chirped up, knocking a fist into her palm. "So that's why Shikikan went with that crazy plan!"
Akashi nodded, impressed. "As long as you aren't an Elite Siren command unit, Metis can deploy powerful wide area full sensory jamming within the Liberty's defense line radius. However, the Liberty can't actually move too much when the field's up, but for an operation like this, it's more than suited for this kind of plan."
"Good thing Laffey got rid of that stray Enforcer then!" Vampire added, hopping up and down in excitement. "Ooh! I can't wait to see what those ether cannons can d-"
"-So bright!" Anchorage suddenly exclaimed, quickly covering her eyes with her jacket sleeves and backing away.
- A moment earlier, with Eugen and the others -
"...Now! Everyone, MOVE!" Saratoga ordered in a rare moment of complete and clear seriousness.
Behind the shipgirls were the remnants of the Siren fleet, hot on their heels and hellbent on seeing them dead while ahead of them was the fast approaching and near blindingly bright blue light of very hot, highly condensed and supercharged, weaponized ether. Thankfully, they were just in time to catch Liam's order to move out of the way at full speed while the Sirens, who were still being hampered by countless planes and blindly charging forward, hadn't noticed what was really going on until it was too late.
"...!"
It was a risky gamble, but Liam and the others won. The Sirens wouldn't be able to get out of the way fast enough before whatever was left of them were completely and instantly vaporized right then and there, swallowed up by a surging torrent of the pinnacle of mankind's latest and greatest example of science inspired modern day tactical grade offensive magic.
"...Ugh! Too bright!"
Though the Liberty's surprise attack hadn't touched the water's surface itself, the sheer heat of the violently savage beam of energy quickly caused steam to rise and even after the attack ended, it took roughly another dozen or so seconds before everyone in or out of the battle could see clearly again. Then, when everything was said and done, only a few barely functioning Sirens were left afloat.
"...No, way...!" was all the stunned Saratoga could quietly murmur after being the first to recover enough to take a look around and survey just how severe the attack was. But, before anyone else could say or do anything else, countless artillery shells flew overhead from behind and rained down like divine judgment onto where the few Siren stragglers remained, engulfing them and everything around them in flames and ending the exercise right then and there.
- Back in the Observation room -
"...I uh, I think I might have... overdone it with the ether cannon's specs, nya..."
"..." '...'Might have'? ...Really?' Kii just shook her head.
"..." 'Hyper realistic VR simulation or not, how the hell did the Commander's ship not explode from putting out that much power all at once!?' New Jersey wondered.
"...Mon Dieu!"
"...Ugh! So bright!" Vampire all but hissed, furiously rubbing her eyes and mentally cursing herself for not turning away sooner while Black Prince silently did what she could to comfort her.
"...So cool! Teacher was so awesome!" Luckily for the mildly oblivious Anchorage, Black Prince managed to slip a pair of particularly strong sunglasses on her before moving to take care of Vampire, so she didn't even really notice what was going on, only that her 'Teacher' did something amazing.
The reactions were wide and varied, but no one could deny just how well their new aerial combat support carrier performed. Well, at least in a simulation anyway. But, given what Akashi admitted, there were clearly still some kinks to work out before the real thing went into action.
xxx xxx xxx
Elsewhere, somewhere off the eastern coast of the Sakura Empire's main island on the bridge of the ACSC 'Hyperion', first and namesake of the Azur Lane Alliance's three experimental airships.
"Admiral Yang, your tea," calmly said Lieutenant Frederica Greenhill as she put down a cup of hot tea down on her beloved superior's desk as he was busy reading through the latest round of area survey and patrol reports conducted by a few of his own shipgirl fleets. Thankfully for the both of them, it didn't take long for the smell of black tea mixed with a healthy bit of brandy to get his attention.
"...Ah! Lieutenant Greenhill. Good timing," Yang said, putting down the stack of papers he was going over before stretching a bit before reaching over for the cup of warm tea.
"Not a problem sir," she responded warmly before going into full lecture/light scolding mode. "But really Admiral, you know we've told you time and time again that you shouldn't be pulling so many all-nighters and getting plenty of rest. I mean, wasn't it just yesterday that Enterprise and Yorktown were saying the same thing? And then there was Julian the day before that as well."
"I know, I know. Sorry," Yang said apologetically, rubbing the back of his neck somewhat sheepishly. "But, y'know... there's a lot to go over and prepare for the 'eastern expedition', so I wanted to make sure all of our planned routes were still safe to use and update our latest intel on the Siren patrol fleets in the area. I guess I just lost track of time somewhere along the way..." It was basically the same excuse he always gave Frederica and the rest of the fleet whenever they caught their Admiral overworking himself, but really, it was just so hard for them to be too mad at him when gave them that silly, earnest, and almost painfully straightforward smile of his whenever he apologized after being caught.
Frederica couldn't help but smile before lightly sighing with a hint of resignation, knowing full well that she just couldn't be too mad at him. "Well, just try to take it easy until the scheduled officer's meeting. Oh, I almost forgot!"
"Hm? What's up?"
"Ning Hai and Ping Hai. They wanted me to remind you that it's their turn to have dinner with you tonight, so don't forget," Frederica said before swiftly turning on her heel to exit the room and finish attending to her duties
After his ever reliable aide left, a very much exhausted Yang Wen-li, known by many as 'the Unbeatable Magician', let out a long and tired yawn as he closed his eyes and let his head lean a bit more on the leather headrest of his chair as he thought about everything that he still had to do... like an upcoming dinner date with two Dragon Empery gluttons with somewhat spacey, single-minded and simple personalities and seemingly bottomless stomachs.
'...Well, at least it's never boring with these girls around, even if they can be a bit of a handful sometimes,' Yang thought with a slightly amused smile on his face before his normally relaxed and carefree eyes took on a rare sharp and focused glint. 'Still, something about the Sirens' recent movements further out in the Pacific bothers me. I hope it's just me being paranoid, but...' He let out another quiet sigh. "Well, whether or not there is anything to it, we'll know for sure when we actually get there."
xxx xxx xxx
A/N:
....And, DONE! The first chapter of the new year too! ...Belated as it was. Sorry about that btw.
About the only legit excuse I have for myself outside of the usual holiday related stuff that may or may not come up is that I... sprained my ankle and ended up not being able to move around or concentrate very well for a few days. Well, that and the usual major editing and cleaning up ritual I go through before posting. Lots of shaving down of excess... Oh, but the biggest change came with the ending. See, normally, I like adding journal entries for the girls but, seeing as this segment is only one half of the overall scene I have in mind, I felt that plugging in Yang's intro now as setup for his and Liam's eventual first meeting was more appropriate. At least, it felt right to me as a writer anyway, if that makes sense... Something like that.
Ah, as for the full roster of Liam's fleets? That's already been settled and funny thing... they contain no shipgirls from either the Sardegnian Empire or the Dragon Empery. I, didn't initially plan for things to work out like that, but none of their shipgirls really 'clicked' with me as far as Liam's fleets were concerned. Anyway, that did allow me to re-purpose them as the exclusive shipgirls for other Commanders. As you might have noticed, Yang gets the Dragon Empery girls. But yes, there are a few other Commanders. Two others, counting Yang Wen-li that is. See, the island lab Liam found was the main kansen R&D facility, but when it was abandoned, a number of 'backup labs' went online with one being in the Sakura Empire where the Hyperion was, hence why Yang has Shipgirls of his own. Oh, Liam won't get any other human officers either and will work exclusively with kansen and other humanoid weapons platforms...
Anyway, that's all so I hope you enjoy!
See you next update!