A/N: New chapter, yay! This isn't exactly an action-packed one, and I took a few liberties, but hey, I hope you enjoy it.

Now, onto responses:

Drake202: Yes, that's just how he is.

Sawyannaing: No problem, here's another.

With that, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, commissioned by drake202.

Prince of Wales deigned to join Alex and the others once what was left of his wings were disposed of as if they were biological waste. Even to this day, Alex could still remember how he and his compatriots reacted similarly when they first laid eyes on the wings Joshua made.

He could still remember the tears, the laughter from watching others cry at the sight of the wings before devolving into tears at the sight of them. It was simultaneously horrifying and hilarious at that time and all the following ones. Granted, he got used to them fairly quickly, and once one got past the mind-numbing spiciness, they were genuinely delicious.

Food was passed out, the leaders, or the highest ranking at the moment, were there, and now, it's time for some answers. "We spoke with our superiors." Prince of Wales began, her eyes narrowing while Alex bit into some fries Hermione left. "They confirmed that there is no First Lieutenant by the name of Alex Walker in the Eleventh Airborne Division." The table they were at seemed to go down a few notches, though Alex seemed unbothered.

"I told you the truth." Josue retorted, leaning back. "My name is Alex Walker, I was born in international waters but was registered as an American citizen. I joined the Lazarus Project during my time in the Army and became a First Lieutenant during it."

The eyes were on him, while Illustrious added, "Mr. Walker, you have to understand our situation," she insisted gently, "We are not accusing you of anything you have not done, you appear suddenly with a type of aircraft we've never seen and tell us you're part of one of the countries within Azur Lane. But when we submit an inquiry, your past does not come up."

Alex nodded, releasing a breath before patting the side of his jacket. The cold steel of the insignia calmed him down, allowing him to release a breath before shrugging. "The only way this could happen is if I either went back in time or am in an entirely different world, absurd as it might sound."

There was a stretch of silence, the Kansen glancing at each other, probably talking somehow, before Hornet frowned, "Well, that's true…"

"Well," he added, bringing a hand to his chin, "there was that rank I went under, but it's more absurd than the entire 'different world' possibility."

"What was it?" Illustrious asked, interested while Josue reached into his jacket and brought out a medal that caused their hearts to drop in recognition.

All Kansen recognize authority instinctively, even the youngest can look at the patch and recognize a 'superior'. Listening to their orders is another thing entirely, but it's something engraved into their very being. Because of the nature of the Wisdom Cubes, they're capable of also gauging how authentic certain symbols of authority are.

So, when the girls watched the man bring out a medallion, a gold one with a triangle in the middle, painted black with the image of a gold eagle with its wings folded standing out in the middle of the medallion.

It wasn't a medallion that was worn much, but it was used by someone who earned it. The Kansen knew this in their blood, in their very hulls that floated on the docks.

Then, he said, almost off-handedly, "I was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces for a while."

The group could only gape while Alex put away the medallion, though one thought did course through their mind once they got a good look at it. They just hope the higher-ups would agree.

So, after submitting him to a medical inspection, they went to report it while Josue was led to a room with Hermione to attend to him.

Within the Commander's Office, the hologram of Azur Lane's High Command, consisting of some of the highest-ranking Navy leadership within the Eagle Union, Royal Navy, and Northern Parliament could only look at the Kansen with varying levels of disbelief or amusement.

"Alex Wal-. Wait, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces?" The Eagle Union Admiral asked, rubbing his eyes. "And, you're sure about this?"

"Yes sir." Enterprise nodded, "I believe the Eagle Union and the other Navies have performed experiments on our ability to recognize authority."

The Admiral of the Northern Parliament guffawed loudly, interrupting the Eagle Union representative, "She's got you there Nate."

"It's from an entirely different world if they're correct, how would we know he's on our side?" Nate retorted, ignoring the use of his name while the Royal Navy representative watched the play-by-play.

"Well, what else can we do?" The Northern Parliament representative began. "We've been poring over our military's medical reports, and not just our branches, and none of them have the required affinity for this endeavor. What's this we have in our hands?" He asked, revealing a paper in his hand, "A medical report of Alex Walker, with an affinity that's higher than what we need and probably the only one who has an affinity that high. He also has experience in the military, or do you want to try and bring civilians into this?"

"No way Dimitri," Nate answered with a shake of his head. "But, is this our best choice?"

"It's the only choice we have." The Royal Navy representative grumbled. "It was decided by our predecessors that Azur Lane would be led with a hands-off approach. While there are many problems and issues with this, most of them would be waved away with experience and tests. They are capable of ignoring stupid orders."

Nate brought a hand to his face and released a long sigh. After a few seconds, he removed them and turned to the assembled Kansen, "You have our permission. Inform Alex of the situation once he wakes so we may meet him."

"Yes sir," Enterprise said, bringing a hand to her head in a salute before Nate and the Royal Navy representative, Damian, flickered, leaving them with Dimitri.

"Good luck girls." He said with his usual accent and cheery laugh before he too flickered out, leaving the four to their devices while Alex slept.

"We should probably go to sleep too, huh?" Hornet mumbled audibly, grabbing Enterprise, to the silverette's surprise.

"Indeed." Illustrious agreed while Prince of Wales smiled.

"Yes, let's. Good night." Prince of Wales said, waving while Hornet dragged her sister along, waving back.

"Night~!"

"Hornet, hey-!" The group exited the room and made their way to their dorms to sleep.

Alex woke up to the sight of a beautiful white-haired woman shaking him away with a fond smile and soft brown eyes. He stared for a second, his eyes trailing down to her noticeable chest while he tasted his breath for a second. Not a pleasant experience, but it was his life.

Alex's brain slowly began to remind him that there were cuter girls with bigger chests before he wondered why he knew this.

A second later, he remembered, he was in a different world, almost entirely different, but they still recognized the insignia of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces. He didn't ask why, but now that he has the benefit of hindsight, it feels like a notable question.

"Commander, wake up." The soft voice of Hermione pierced his exhaustion while he grunted. "It's time to wake up, if you keep sleeping you'll be late."

There was one time when he was in training to become an officer, he woke up in a rush, thinking that he was back in school until he remembered he graduated and promptly went back to sleep. That was until he remembered he still had classes.

That's what he felt. "What are you talking about?" He asked in the middle of his exhausted haze, turning and sitting at the edge of the base. "I'm not a Commander anymore. My contract's nearly done anyway."

Hermione seemed vaguely amused and was about to speak until the sound of something hitting the floor began to ring out in the dormitory he was in. Then, the doors burst open. "Commander, help me~."

Javelin burst in, followed by Laffey as he locked eyes with her and she smiled. "Commander…" She said, stumbling forward before falling on him.

"Why are you wet!?" He asked, the lithe and warm body of the Destroyer melding with him in the worst ways while he was previously dry, especially for a certain reaction. Laffey using the opportunity to dry herself off using him as a towel didn't make it better.

"The Commander is warm~. Time to sleep~." Laffey said, yawning before falling on his body as he turned to Javelin, who was despondently leaning against the door, her soul coming out of her mouth while she wore a fairly trendy two-piece swimsuit that she looked good in. It also made her bust stand out, but he didn't point that out, there was no need to.

He looked down at Laffey before turning to Hermione, "Well damn, guess I can't wake up."

The maid looked particularly worried as he slumped back and wished for his dreams to take him to some faraway place. "U-Umm, Commander~."

"Commander!" Javelin yelled, landing on Alex as he grunted in pain, her thighs straddling him while her chest shifted with each movement atop him. "Listen, me and Laffey were going to the beach, but then everyone began asking us so many questions, I didn't know how to answer!"

"Noisy." Came Laffey's muffled agreement while nuzzling her face into his side.

"They just kept chasing us~," Javelin said, joining Laffey on Josue while he did his best to ignore it and go back to sleep.

There was a series of knocks, causing Javelin to stiffen before hiding under his blanket, shivering in fear while Laffey ignored it and continued sleeping. Hermione opened the door and in came Prince of Wales.

She paused at the sight and noticed that Alex's eyes were opening, "C'mon, time to wake up, you have to meet your new superiors soon, Commander."

"Huh?" Alex grunted, blinking away the sleep in his eyes. "What you talking about, the President's got better shit to do if the world ain't at stake."

"That he does." Prince of Wales agreed, nodding but hiding the slight laughs that burst up. "But your superior isn't the President."

"Huh?" He asked, blinking blearily at her while he sat up. "The French Prime Minister?"

"No." Prince of Wales corrected him while he blinked.

"The Queen?"

Prince of Wales had a complicated expression for a long moment before she shook her head. "Not exactly."

"Then who? Actually, why do I have superiors? My contract's ending already." He pointed out while Prince of Wales got closer, her expression unreadable and a bit conflicted before placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Well, I have good news and bad news." Prince of Wales began, smiling. "The good news is that you have a job that if you do right, no one will question you."

"No…" Alex whispered under his breath, shaking his head while his eyes widened in pseudo-horror, hiding the anticipation he felt while Prince of Wales held a hand to her chin.

"The bad news… well." She said before the door burst open, Hornet appeared with what looked like a naval uniform as she announced it.

"Welcome to the Navy Commander~! The Eagle Union needs you once more!" Hornet added, twirling before making two finger guns and jerking them back as if they went off while silence swallowed the room.

Slowly, he brought up his hands to his face, inhaling before finishing with an exhale. "What?" He asked, his face contorted in confusion.

"So, let me get this straight." Alex began, dressed in normal clothes while being followed by Javelin, Laffey, Enterprise, Prince of Wales, and Hornet. "You, without my opinion mind you, put me forward as the Commander of Azur Lane? Again, while I was asleep?"

"Well," Hornet began, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment. "When you put it like that, it sounds kinda rude."

"It's the epitome of rudeness, in my opinion." He noted, sitting down while he began to eat. "Honestly, never seen anything ruder."

There was silence as he continued to eat, with Hornet leaning forward with a bit of embarrassment. "So…?"

"I'll take it." Alex answered, to their surprise while he continued, "I'm not good at much, but leading and flying are some things that I'm better at. Not like I had much of a chance to get a job outside of a military base anytime soon."

The girls seemed relieved, returning to their food while they fell into silence, the clatter of silverware ringing out. "Speaking of, who am I meeting?"

"You'll be meeting the representatives of Azur Lane, Eagle Union, Royal Navy, and the Northern Parliament in particular." Enterprise explained, eating her food while Hornet watched her doggedly, unwilling to let her sister fall into unhealthy habits once more. "There, they'll gauge your capabilities and then we'll introduce you to the base for real this time."

"Also," Prince of Wales began, "no one can activate your aircraft, right?"

Alex shook his head, "No, not really, I'm the only one who should be able to use it, why?"

"Well, it's gained a lot of attention." Prince of Wales explained. "A lot of the younger ones," she said, reaching into her pockets that were… somewhere to reveal a device. "Here." She said, showing him the device as he looked at it.

'Juustagram' was on top of the screen and it showed a few of the Kansen taking pictures with the Excalibur. Fiddling with it a bit, he was impressed to see that it could move with the tap of a screen but quickly returned it.

"Yeah, it shouldn't be able to be opened easily." He answered, leaning back. "I guess, well, today's going to be busy, if anything else." He said, returning to his food while the others nodded sagely.

"Don't worry." Hornet said, patting his back, "We'll help you along the way, Commander~."

"Good, I'd have to punish you otherwise." He joked out loud while Hornet chuckled. The others watched them as they prepared for a busy day.

The office was an office, he couldn't describe it any other way, it's like the one he worked in while being the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces. There was a large desk with paperwork and behind it was a bookshelf filled with books. There were windows leading outside to one side and a wall in the other.

It was an office and inside, the Kansen were setting something up, though he didn't know what. He sat at the desk and leaned back, enjoying the comfy chair while it lasted before getting into the nitty-gritty that is politics. Or just a debrief. He'd prefer the latter.

"Everything's ready, Commander." Prince of Wales announced, stepping aside while Hermione closed the blinds. A few seconds later, Alex nearly fell out of his chair to see holograms pop up. Immediately, he made sure his feelings weren't shown on his face at the sight of the Russian.

Even after the whole debacle, Alex never hated the Russians, only a few were truly involved in Yuri's plans anyway, so there's no real reason to be angry at them. Of course, the battlefield and people don't work like that, but Alex has learned to let things go when it concerns someone unaffiliated with the Russians of his world. Dimitri was bald with a well-maintained beard and a sharp chin with an infectious smile that pierced through his attempts at looking serious.

Next, they went to the Royal Navy representative, Damian, a noble as is the case for most officers within the Royal Navy. Like most of the British he's worked with in the past, made sense. He was blonde, but different from his dirty blonde hair while he wore a uniform and sat up with a teacup at his side.

Finally, there was the Eagle Union, Nate, a brunette with his hair cut short, a stern countenance, and an admiral's cap. "Alex Walker." He began.

"Yeah," Alex responded, leaning back. Holograms tend to lose the glamour after a few seconds of having a sour man look at you. "How can I help you?"

There was a pause, stretching out for a short while until Alex sighed once he got tired of it. "Look, what the hell are we here for?"

The silence stretched for a long while until someone broke it. "I like him already." Dimitri laughed while Nate's hand clapped against his forehead and Damian watched everything.

Nate huffed in frustration before answering. "We're here to gauge your capability as a Commander, Alex Walker. The Kansen believed that you would fit well as their Commander, and with their… strange abilities. Azur Lane is largely independent, so we can veto, but we can't do much about it if they decide to appoint you." Nate explained though he didn't seem to like it.

"Basically, we're making sure you're not full of shit and assuaging the worries of those higher-ups that the ones leading the super-powerful Kansen are neither incompetent, a danger to himself nor a danger to our countries." Dimitri elaborated while Alex nodded along, seemed like the Russians were very similar to the ones back home. Blunt and fairly friendly until you get them angry.

"What he said." Damian answered, taking center stage, "We'll be putting you through a series of challenges that come with manning a Naval base. From leading the ships into combat to logistics, and the true scope of this war you'll be fighting, Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces."

"First Lieutenant, Sir." Alex corrected him. "Lost that rank after everything was said and done. Medallion doesn't mean shit at this point, but here I am because of it."

"Yes… In that case, consider this a promotion, Commander Walker." Nate said, leaning back and watching with interest. "Are you ready?"

Alex had to stop himself from acting stupid as he answered, "Yes sir. What's the first test?"

"Logistics," Damian said while Hermione placed a stack of paper on the table with a sheepish smile. "Find the discrepancies."

"Can I curse during this?" He asked before reaching over to grab the first paper and inspecting it.

In an hour, he was done with the logistics, found the discrepancy, fixed it, and filled out the correct forms. His brain was hurting, if he was honest, it's been a while since he last worked on logistics.

"Next up, leading and planning." Nate came up, Enterprise stepping forward and placing a map on the table. He began rattling off situations and information for Alex to use for the optimal next move, theoretically since he'll usually be in the bridge of the flagship for any important missions.

He sighed as he began asking questions and answering.

There was a pause in the room, the representatives doing… something but their voices couldn't be heard. 'Muted', Prince of Wales called it. Finally, after a lot of nothing, they returned. There was a glint of something in Nate's eyes, Damian seemed slightly more interested while Dimitri looked like he didn't mind it at all. "To cut this short, Alex Walker, until it is decided otherwise, we have decided to bring you into Azur Lane as its Commander."

"Whoo~," Alex said weakly, raising an arm. "Do I get a raise?"

Clearly, the exhaustion has completely broken the brakes of his capability to stop him from being a smart-ass.

"No." Nate shot him down, though his lips did twitch slightly into the vaguest of sardonic smiles. "Instead, you now have access to information on humanity's current enemies."

"Sirens, right?" Alex asked, sitting up in interest. "I got a rundown on my way here."

Nate released a long sigh, "Enterprise, Prince of Wales, please remind the Destroyers that what happens in a mission shouldn't be shared easily."

"Understood." Enterprise nodded while Prince of Wales nodded.

"So, what did they tell you?" Nate asked.

"Not much, just autotune aliens is what stuck," Alex admitted while Nate's lips twitched slightly at the description before sighing.

"They're not wrong." Nate conceded before sighing. "The Sirens are aliens, but that's as much as we know."

"What?" Alex asked, his voice taking a slightly rougher tone than he used when commanding and instead scolding someone for incompetence without directly saying anything. "What do you mean that's all you know?"

"The Sirens are, for lack of a better word, enigmatic." Damian picked up, "The few interactions we've had with them had all ended in violence in one way or another except for the first, where they first gave us the Wisdom Cubes." He explained while Dimitri nodded.

"Da. Boon they were and gave many sailors a scare when we began experimenting with them and these ladies began to pop up." Dimitri explained, "Then, the second meeting with the Sirens wasn't as nice."

"They have laser-based weaponry that can pierce nearly anything except the Kansen's natural defenses." Nate picked up. "Your mission as the Commander of Azur Lane is this: Defend humanity against its enemy using any means necessary."

"Understood." Alex nodded, narrowing his eyes.

"You will be given all the tools needed. Don't abuse them." Nate warned before nodding. "Until next time."

With that, his hologram flickered while Damian nodded, his image flickering and leaving Dimitri as the last one left, which was slightly uncomfortable but Alex ignored it.

"Take care of yourself, Commander," Dimitri said cheekily before his image disappeared and the lights came back on.

"God-!" He stopped himself from cursing, rubbing his eyes from the sudden change in brightness. "Warn me first, at least."

"Of course, Commander," Hermione said while Alex stood up, already over the chair since he now has a job. A job with a lot of paperwork, so basically the same thing as back home.

"So, now what?" Alex asked, and before anyone could answer, the door burst down.

"You're the Commander, right?" Someone asked with pale skin, blue eyes, and silver hair tied in a side ponytail, her sweater zipped down and revealing her chest being held by a bikini top. Or, at least he thinks it's a bikini top. Anyway, she had a short skirt and a fairly buxom body.

"Err, yeah?" Alex asked, turning to the other girls who nodded. "Why? Need something."

If he strained his ears, he could hear a different set of footsteps in the hall while the girl in front of them stepped forward, to him, taking a deep breath. Finally, she reached the desk and slammed her hands on the desk, "Please-!"

She bowed, her forehead hitting the desk while she asked, "Let me erect a church in Indy's name!"

"Denied."

"Eh~? Why~?" The girl cried like she didn't just ask for something ridiculous. "It's for Indy, my cute sister, and I refuse to think that there are people in the world who don't know that!" She straightened up, a fire in her eyes while Alex sat back down on his chair. "I must reme-!"

"Be quiet, Portland." A quieter voice walked in-.

Flames. Flames and the cries of the damned, the mushroom cloud engraving its mark on the world and in his eyes while those with him watched the devastation, powerless to do anything.

He didn't know if the heat was from the explosion, despite being miles out, or from the indignation and numb rage he felt.

Alex blinked the memory away, clamping on his reaction before exhaling, opening his eyes to see a young girl floating on a nuke, for some reason. She hopped off it, watching as it dispelled into those cubes before it seemed to disperse as she walked to the desk. She was tanned with heterochromia, one eye was blue and the other nearly gold. She wore short shorts with a strip of cloth covering her chest, as skimpily dressed as her sister. She had marks under her eyes as she bowed.

"I apologize for the trouble my sister has caused, Commander." The girl said before standing up. "C'mon, you too."

"Eh?" The girl, Portland, said with confusion. "But-."

"So, you're 'Indy'?" Alex couldn't help but ask before the girl's eyes snapped to him, clearly displaying her feelings on the nickname.

"Indianapolis, second ship of the Portland-class. Again, I apologize for my sister's actions." Indianapolis said while bowing. Alex just waved it off.

"It's fine," Alex said while Indianapolis relaxed, only to stiffen at the sound of a strange giggle, the two turning to see Portland in her own world, drooling with her eyes closed. Enterprise put a hand to her forehead while Hornet just chuckled sheepishly.

"Portland…" Indianapolis had the most severe reaction, her quiet becoming one of slight worry and disgust.

"Huh…" Portland said before shaking her head. "What is it, Indy?"

"Please don't bother the Commander." Indianapolis requested, only for the damned squeaky wheels to return once more. Not the wheels.

"What did I agree to?" Alex asked, despondent while Enterprise made a hasty retreat along with Hornet. Prince of Wales was practically beaming but also attempting to be subtle about it. Meanwhile, Indianapolis and Portland were simply confused about what those wheels meant.

Wheels Alex learned to fear, not because they brought destruction, but because of the migraine he'd be feeling at the end of the day that comes with performing the logistics for an entire coalition of allied forces.

The door opened, and the tower of papers wobbled, Hermione pushed it with a sheepish smile while Portland's and Indianapolis' eyes widened at the piles.

Alex looked dead inside while Prince of Wales was all smiles, after all, she was the one who had to do most of the paperwork in Azur Lane. "Don't worry." Prince of Wales said kindly, barely able to hide the relief in her voice. "I'll help you until it's time for your introduction in the afternoon."

"Fuck me sideways." Alex's voice rang out clearly in the office, catching the attention of all the girls before his head slumped, hitting the desk with a loud groan that devolved into a laugh. The laugh stretched out for too long to be considered 'normal', worrying Portland as she looked at the pile.

"W-Well, Commander, you seem… busy. We'll just-."

"You want that church," he spoke lowly, causing Portland and Indianapolis to freeze, slowly turning back to see the light casting a shadow over Alex's face, like something out of a horror movie while an eye glowed menacingly, "right?"

Indianapolis' eyes moved to her sister, and she could see the wide eyes, the realization, and, above all, the smile on her face. The innocent, pure smile, in contrast to the scheming grin on Alex's face, before his eyes landed on her while a feeling of resignation set in.

Prince of Wales shook her head, watching Portland be suckered into helping Alex sort through his paperwork with Indianapolis helping her. Still, it was notable how much harder Portland worked at the thought that the Church of Indy would be considered.

He didn't even promise that he would, just that he would consider it and that was enough for Portland. Even Indianapolis seemed surprised, and a bit unnerved, at how hard her sister worked.

Alex was going through the paperwork easily, but he looked like he wanted to be anywhere but there. Not to mention the speech he had to do…

He was a simple man with a complicated mind, a mind that helped him win battles and end wars, but such knowledge doesn't do good in politics. If it were him, he would go in, say a few words in jeans and pants, and get right back to work. The soldiers don't want to sit through hours of speeches, and he doesn't want to write hours of speeches. No one wins in situations like those.

While he inwardly ranted on the stupidity of speeches, Prince of Wales pointed out another mistake that he quickly corrected.

By the end of it, Portland looked like a corpse, Indianapolis was worried, and Alex wasn't any better.

Unlike Portland, he had something else to do, and he couldn't evade it.

So, after apologizing to Indianapolis, he made his way and changed into the uniform.

Within his new room, he looked at himself in the mirror, wearing the naval uniform for Azur Lane, consisting of a navy jacket with a white shirt under it. Reaching up, he set the cap over his head with a sigh. "Let's do this, one more time."

Felt like it was the first day of the Soviet invasion, so much happening so quickly and without much reason, but he'll just have to chew it up and spit it back out.

Time for Alex to take his first step into saving another world.

The steps of the auditorium rang out, silence pervading the Kansen of the Royal Navy and Eagle Union stationed at the base. For days, they've heard of a man who came with Unicorn and her group in a strange jet, only for rumors to come true that he is the new Commander.

Enterprise waited to the side, looking to the sea before returning to Alex as he stepped up to the podium. His bearing was that of a proper soldier, unreadable face, perfect stance, and measured steps. Behind him, Prince of Wales followed in his footsteps and stopped as he reached the podium.

Stepping up, his gaze washed over the attending Kansen, all with different features and histories, and all of them ready to fight.

He tapped the microphone, the sound ringing out signifying its active status as he got closer.

"For the sake of time, I'll try to keep this short," he sighed heavily, looking longingly in the direction of the canteen, "they're giving lobster and steak for dinner."

Some of the Kansen chuckled, but Alex continued. "My name is Alex Walker, now your Commander. For years, all of you have waited and today, your wait ends." His voice, even and severe, caught the attention of many of the Kansen. "You've fought enemies beyond the scope of human understanding before being forced to turn those weapons against your allies. The Ironblood and the Sakura have harassed us while the Sirens wait for some unseen signal, using technology beyond our understanding and given by those Sirens. Were they reckless to do so? Extremely so. Are they in the right?"

The silence stretched out for a beat, audible swallows and tapping of feet rang out. "We fight on two sides in history," he said, his voice rising in volume, "detached from what many will remember, our future is uncertain, our odds of winning are uncertain, and our true enemy is uncertain. We cast our sight to the void that is our future with all these uncertainties and what can we do?"

There was silence, bated breaths, waiting while their blood pumped in their ears, their Cubes humming, and their hearts beating a mile a minute. The Kansen could hear their calling in the waves splashing against the docks.

Finally, Alex smiled, savage and unrelenting, cunning and, above all, filled with resolve. "Step into the void and figure it out, one battle at a time!"

With that, cheers rang out. The Kansen were ready for battle with their Commander, while Alex sighed and smiled easily.

"For now," he began, interrupting their cheers, "if any of you have a problem, my office is open to all. Until then, I bid all of you a good night."

With that, he stepped out and stretched.

There, that's enough. Right?

He made his way to his new home and felt his eyes close, preparing himself for a new day.

It was easier when they weren't young girls, when they were hunks of metal that cut the waves and you had to care for them as you would your own family.

The ship he started in was dutiful, cute, and easy to tease, the younger ones would try to make a pass and she'd dress them down, while the older ones would speak to her as if she was a daughter. She had friends among the Sakura, Royals, and Eagles. The 'Starter Squad' they were known as since they were always seen together.

That was until the War began, and then he could see the caution she had around him. She didn't dress down the recruits fondly but shut them down coldly. She no longer hung around with the older crew members and would sequester himself to read in some unknown nook or cranny.

She knew that he would never participate in such atrocities, but they were under his name, under her name.

Then, he never saw her again.

They continued to defend the Fatherland, one that would sooner scrap them for insubordination than reward them for standing beside them. Their imagery was torn and they still were maintained in secret.

Once more, he manned the radio in hopes of intercepting the transmission of the Allies, so he waited.

"...Azur Lane…" He perked up at that, looking around cautiously while he began fiddling with the settings.

Finally, he managed to decipher the signal. "Azur Lane has gained a new Commander."

Azur Lane, the man could remember her talking about it before the War began. Grabbing his wallet, his hands shook while he brought out a small picture in black and white, taken before the boom in technology caused by the Kansen.

On it was a young man, his lips shaking while he tried to keep his stern countenance while, beside him, was a young woman, glaring at him with her cheeks puffed, her blue eyes narrowed and platinum blonde hair cut short, a beret atop her head with a uniform that revealed her shoulders and legs with gloves.

Z23.

Niimi.

His mind remembered the way she looked at him when he saw her leave, full of regret and unwilling to look him in the eye. He always wanted to fix his mistake, of being unable to help her or bring her to a better place where she would be accepted.

Maybe, just maybe, it could work.

She was his family, one of them, and even in the face of death, he would see her off correctly, even if it'd be the last thing he'd see.

He began his work, motivation renewed.