So new event for Azur Lane drops and Amagi has returned... God damn it. There goes all my cubes.
Enjoy the new chapter. Action, love, and some questionable things. So Reader discretion advised.
With Love ~Dresner
There he was…
Battered.
Bloody.
Cut off from the rest of the group.
Alone without backup, far behind unknown lines.
And out of cigarettes.
Karl could almost chuckle at the odd routine he found himself in as he lumbered down the corridors and over railway tracks on his way to the next loading station. His jaw felt like it was hit by a ton of bricks. Maybe he needed to compliment Typhoon on her stiff left hook.
Laugh…
All he could do was laugh some days…
"We used to laugh a lot, K.D..…" Karl mutters to himself. "You learned to laugh, or else you'd weep."
He felt pain in his back, his feet felt numb, his stomach growled, and a chill rocked his body between the adrenaline wearing off and the sheer cold of the tunnel system.
"The best advice I ever got from you, Pawpaw…." He shivered.
His grandfather was an original operator, a Green Beret in MACV-SOG, and one of the few wise men in his family. Phrases, sayings, and hidden knowledge were common among his family. Paying attention saved his life many times, but sometimes, the words haunted him, no matter how uplifting or wise they were.
The uniform he wore was torn and wet with blood on some parts. Typhoon took out a lot of her aggression on him…
A sign marked Platform 6 gave him hope that he was getting closer to the objective. "Keep going, old man… Just keep going…" Karl pushed himself. It seemed that the tunnel grew colder, making him feel sick. His nose began to close up with snot, shivering became more common, hair stood across his body, and his breath lingered around him like a ghost. He was naked, basically, with no weapon and no real clothes for the weather, but he wasn't afraid…
As he approached the platform, the signs of a fight and holes in the tunnel from all kinds of weapons were prominent. Pieces of siren gore were spread across the tracks, limbs, and a couple of heads, and the yellow coolant coated the tracks. However, as he drew closer to the platform, Karl looked down for tripwires or mines.
"Anyone alive?!" Karl shouts. "Major Dael! Friendlies!"
Nothing. Only the echo of his voice returns to him.
He looks around for a moment to find something to throw. The last thing he wanted was to figure out what caliber machine gun was hiding on the other side of the wall by feel…
He finds a siren head with some remaining hair. The mangled head of the siren was missing its jaw, with the wires connecting it hanging grotesquely like tendons as they dripped with the piss-colored coolant. Throwing the head towards the open platform, it landed on the ground with a thud before rolling around on the ground.
Nothing, Once again, nothing.
Taking a considerable risk, he peaks the corner and sees a sandbag defensive line with a couple of human bodies draped over it and dead siren bots littering the area. Karl says with a mix of worry and anger as he walks up on the line. No one was holding the position here, and the large caliber browning machine gun sat alone with a broken searchlight mounted to it. Behind it were the remains of a soldier in a tracksuit split in the middle. His legs lay separately between cans of ammo and another body of a young female in a tank top soaked in blood. More corpses appeared in various states of disembowelment laid with their weapons near them. Sirens lay beyond their bodies, collapsed in pools of their yellow blood towards another open area.
Karl approaches the corpse of a young girl in green fatigues lying on her back. The girl was a pretty yet physically impressive woman. He could almost call her a 'Tomboy' by her toned features, only visible by the torn uniform. On her shoulder boards and sleeve were NCO strips of Staff Sgt, "Young for a Staff… Maybe 23? 24?"
Young… So young… Especially for a leader… He sighs and spits in disgust. "Don't be so sentimental, old man… It happened to you too…"
She was around five or five feet six inches tall, with long black hair and a tan complexion. Maybe she was Hispanic or Mediterranean? He didn't know. But she was leading this defense. Looking back at the number of bodies, it was a decent fight until they got close. He shakes his head…
"Fuck…" Karl says in disgust as he bends down to retrieve the short G3K from her hands. He tried to pull it out, but the girl's fingers were locked onto it. He saw other weapons, short Chinese carbines, AKMs, and some H.K. patterns, but they were broken or destroyed from the fighting. Turning his attention back to the tomboy, he continued to fight the weapon from the body. The short G3 was gripped tightly in her hands, so he had to peel her fingers back for it. Once he took the weapon from her hands, he did a quick chamber check and mag check.
The weight of the mag was about half, and the belt rig had a few loaded mags. He hated taking from the dead, but it was him or the enemy, and he'd rather be the one to go home. Taking the rig and electronic ear protection off of her, he checks each mag to find three of the eight mags used. It wasn't ideal, but it was good enough. Getting back to his feet, he takes one more look at the carnage somberly.
He wanted to say something but couldn't get the words out of his mouth. He was left in silence to clear the area and check for supplies. To Karl's surprise, this platform had a small barracks near it where security troops were stationed. Judging by the armory across from it, locked to his dismay, and the bright green line paint over both it and the barracks, these were railway troops. The disgust filled his stomach more. The railway troops were usually reservists who came from the civilian railways. Granted, some were armored train crews, and they had saved his ass more than once…
"Boys and girls… Young… To young…" He remarked sourly.
Walking into the barracks, he saw the same mess as the last few. Tossed beds, lockers flung open, and articles of clothing spread across the floor. Some boxes of ammunition of various calibers and magazines were also on the beds or the floor. The image of the event that transpired played through his mind as he began to see the small pieces of humanity around him. Books, playing cards, cell phones, snacks, and other earthly pleasures. He could almost hear the shouting and panic in their voices as his imagination took over. Soldiers throw themselves out of bed with hast, some reluctant and others with enthusiasm, to get to their lockers to dress themselves. Some had time to throw on their uniforms while others did not, only throwing on their trainers, as the fitness uniform was called. Karl recalled some of the bodies wore their soft shoes, running shoes.
Looking around, he managed to find a corpse, a man roughly his size and build that was only in combat pants. A large metal pipe was shoved into his chest, killing him instantly, it seemed. He lay next to his locker; he knew it was his by the pictures taped onto the inside.
"A brother? Maybe a father?" Karl contemplates as he looks at the pictures. "A son?"
He closes his eyes and turns away from the pictures. "It… It doesn't matter… Not right now, my friend…"
Opening his eyes, Karl enters the locker to get him some proper clothes. The camouflage uniform was covered in blood and gore, soaked completely. But the trainers were not. Karl puts on the black tracksuit with a white-striped hooded Adidas tracksuit. It was warm and protected him against the cold around him. Throwing the hood over his head, he threw on the British-style belt kit again. Thankfully, some of these men had a few boxes of 7.62 NATO lying on their beds. After reloading and redressing, Karl exited the barracks to return to the platform. Turning back to the last stand, he finally found the words he couldn't muster.
"You won't be forgotten."
Through the tunnels, he went on.
Pushing on, he could hear men and women barking orders, followed by the harsh rattle of Kalashnikovs. He picked up his feet and double-timed it over to station 7. The barriers of sandbags greet him, and he waved his free hand to show he wasn't an enemy.
"Friendly! Friendly!" he shouts. Three figures wave him over, and Karl charges towards the sandbag wall. When he gets to the wall, the trio pulls him over, and he soon joins them as siren beasts attack their position.
No words, only action.
"GET ON THE MG!"
"RIGHT SIDE! RIGHT SIDE!"
"FRAG OUT!"
"RELOADING!"
Simple phrases for simple actions.
The action was only matched by the angry rattles of Kalashnikovs and the thunder of several other small arms worldwide. The defiant gunfire, complete metal jacket rounds striking metal and concrete, and blades striking flesh. Adrenaline and muscle memory took over as Karl acted on instinct.
CLICK.
Grab the charging handle, lock it to the rear, replace the magazine, and slap the charging handle...
BACK IN THE FIGHT.
Karl repositions to grab grenades from a nearby box. A Kommando in ATACS-FG comes to his side and grabs grenades. "Hey! You!" he shouts to Karl.
Karl looks up and sees who it is… A large man of average height with a big handlebar mustache looks at him with a death glare.
"No fucking way," Karl says in shock. "Mac?"
"Major!" Mac responds, surprised. "What the fuck are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same!" Karl shouts as the Browning .50cal begins to roar to life.
Mac and Karl take grenades over to the men. The Sirens pressed forward, firing at them with heavy weapons. Taking cover, the two began lobbing grenades like they were going wrong. Then, a bright light fills the tunnel, followed by bright red balls of light ripping the remaining sirens to pieces. A loud train horn echoes through the tunnel as the sight of an armored train appears at the station's platform. More Kommandos appeared with some security troops behind them, pulling security and fighting off the rest of the siren hulks.
"Load up!" Mac shouts to the rest of his unit. Three at a time, his men load onto the train while the others pull security. Finally, everyone loads up, including Karl and Mac. Once they are on, the train lurches forward. Karl looks around to see some familiar faces…
Mac and Jimmy were the two he was most happy to see. The two giants in exoskeletons with gas mask-equipped helmets, the brothers known only as Hugin and Munin, with their PKP machine guns with Scorpion ammo packs, took positions near the ZU-23 railcar at the front. He recognized Even some others but couldn't place names at the moment. But what surprised him the most was Atago tending to the wounded men Mac's team brought aboard. Karl's eyes were locked on the heavy cruiser.
Shame filled his heart as he saw the blood on her uniform and her frazzled hair.
'She shouldn't be here…' He laments to himself.
More images and memories of the other girls flash in his mind. Taihou bloody and covered in engine oil, Takao bruised and beaten, and Akagi….
No.
No.
No, Not now… Not now, Old man…
Karl shuts his eyes and shakes off the bad memories as he sits on a wooden ammo crate. Mac hands him a flask, which he snatches to take a heavy gulp.
An oddly sweet burning sensation fills his senses as it races down his throat. Karl coughs and reaches for a canteen from his kit to wash the taste from his mouth. "Ahhh! Fucking Jager! I should have known!" Karl shouts.
Mac laughs, "Got you again, Major…"
"You son of a bitch." Karl snarls, Shaking Mac's hand. "Long time no see bud…"
"You're telling me… We thought we wouldn't see you again." Mac remarks somberly.
"Well… I'm here… Hate that you have to see me like this…" Karl laments, embarrassed. He looks back at Atago as she assists more troops. She then runs to another part of the train, leaving him staring at the wounded and dying. "Fucking hell…"
Mac grimaced, "Don't talk like that, K.D. You know we don't think less of you."
Karl scowls. "I'm surprised you even went on this operation. The men are still in Juno, eh?"
Mac shakes his head, "No. Some of us came here. When they were rounding up men from the 67th, we heard they were going to where you were… Shit, you should have seen it." Mac smirked, still shaking his head as he looked at some of the Kommandos around them. "We all tried to go, every last one of us. But Madam Marlin would only let about fifty of us join them. So we came…"
Karl gasps, "Fifty? From our company?! I thought I had a deal with her!"
"We wouldn't leave you behind, you old shit." Mac chuckles. "You can't party without the boys. To hell with her deal!"
He shoots to his feet and turns to Mac with fire in his eyes, "You fools! We'll all go to the fucking coal mines for this! Slaves to those bastards if you're caught here with me!"
"To hell with them, too!" Mac shouts. "We'll break out and hang them from the street lamps! Nothing much you can do now!"
"FUCK!" Karl shouts, looking out the window of the armored train car. "FUCK!"
"Fuck what?" Mac asks bluntly, visibly confused.
"That bitch fucking lied to me AGAIN!" Karl shouted, kicking a hole in the wooden ammo crate. Loaded 5.56 AK-101 and G3 7.62 NATO magazines spilled onto the floor of the train car. "None of you, NONE OF YOU, were supposed to be here!"
"And so what if we are, eh?!" Mac shouts back, getting in Karl's face. The sound of conflict draws the attention of everyone on the train, including the brothers who lumbered into the car. Jimmy soon appeared as that big Mongol lug and tried to get between the two.
"You heard me before! Z will give us a one-way trip to the fucking mines because of this! Because of me! You shouldn't be here! None of you!" Karl shouts, thrusting his hands over Jimmy to point at Mac.
"And I told you it doesn't mean a thing!" Mac rebuttals, thrusting his hands over Karl, trying to grab him.
The two get violent, trying to grab each other as the large Mongol wanted to keep them separated. Hugin and Munin snatch the two men up and pull them from each other. "What all this then?" Hugin demands as he pulls Mac back.
"Boss, you've never been like this," Munin says, holding Karl back.
"We're damned now! All because of me! I should be the one to take the hit for this, not any of you!" Karl shouts, thrashing against the strength of Munin.
The men looked around and quickly pulled Karl outside to the open-topped ZU-23 railcar. Karl explains the situation more coherently. The betrayal of Claudia, the memory wiping, and the exile. The brothers and Mac thought as long as they processed the information. The stoic brothers didn't seem phased, simply shrugging nonchalantly. Mac held his chin in his hand in thought until he finally spoke up, "Don't mean shit, K.D."
"We were betrayed, Mac, all of us," Karl says, emphasizing us with fever in his voice.
"What did you expect from a Witch, Karl? Especially a Consul member!" Mac exclaims. "Look, none of that matters. We got to get this place under control."
"I expected that she would keep her word to me! I was her husband once!" Karl shouts.
"Were, you WERE her husband. But what happens with that, eh?" Mac asks him frankly. "She can't be trusted, and if she was going to send us to the mines, then so fucking what? We'll burn it down and head back for their heads. You know that!"
"Here, here!" The brothers chuckled.
"No, no, NO!" Karl interjects. "That's more trouble than it's worth. Right now, there are more pressing issues."
He briefly looks back to the rest of the train, thinking about Jimmy and Atago. He grinds his lower lip between teeth as he contemplates the next move. "We need Jimmy and Atago… We have to make a plan here… Everyone has to be on board with this."
The men nod, trusting him, and follow into the cars. The iron smell of blood, the acrid odor of gunpowder, and the stank of soldiers gave the vehicles a lived-in feel. Karl wanted to crack a bad joke, like soldiers giving any place on earth an instant 'Lived-in' feel. But the bitter look on the faces of the wounded and the fear in the eyes of the non-disabled made him hold his tongue. The Kommando among them nodded and greeted him hopefully, but the regulars looked on, wondering who he was.
'That's him… The Black Hunter… He'll turn this around…'
'The fucking big man himself, The Black Hunter… Now we'll get this shit done!'
'The man, the myth, the legend…'
Their reverence for him almost made him sick. He hated his title and meme, but it made the Kommandos giddy and ready for war. Morality meant a lot in war, but it didn't win wars.
Wars are won by firepower, not high spirits.
Karl noted their weapons: A.K.'s of all patterns, H rifles in 7.62, AUG's, and machine guns of the PKM and PKP variety. They were well-armed, and some had high explosives with them. But he wasn't too happy not to see RPGs or Carl G's with them. Maybe there were some at camp or wherever they made base?
Some were old, about 30-35, and others were relatively young, around 18 to 22.
"Too many…" Karl murmurs, looking at two young girls, maybe 20, tying up their hair into buns as another young one, a ginger kid, holds his G3K out the window.
"We need all we can get," Mac replies somberly.
"Kids… Too many kids." Karl murmurs, displeased but hiding concern. "The garrison here is nothing more than a summer camp… Too many kids."
"At least you're still a concerned Dad, K.D.," Mac says snarkily. "This will make adults out of them. Then they will be grumpy old farts like us one day."
Karl shakes his head, "If they make it."
"We were young once, remember?" Mac interjects. "I'm sure our NCOs said the same thing all those years ago."
"They said many things to us," Karl says flatly. "Like how we'd die in a bog in Ukraine, a street in Iraq, or on a beach in Taiwan. Now here we are, telling them they'll die on a frozen island in Alaska…"
He shakes his head more, instinctively reaching into this jacket to grab a cigarette, but finds nothing. He bitterly remembers how Raiden and the other METAs destroyed his uniform. Mac gives him a rather pitiful hand-rolled cigarette from a case and a lighter.
"They're ready to die for you now that you're here. We all are." Mac says solemnly.
"Death or dishonor sir." The Brothers tell him.
"They should be ready to kill…." Karl says coldly, to the enjoyment of the trio.
Entering the next car, they find Jimmy and other members of the train crew reloading magazines, eating rations, and smoking. Atago is nearby, putting magazines into ammo boxes and giving them to more of the train crew. Her serious expression is only broken by a slight smirk as she hands the ammo boxes out like Halloween candy to the young troops. She turns and sees him.
The two locked eyes, freezing in place. Karl felt a heavy wave of shame in his heart and wanted to turn away. Atago felt anger at him, but it faded as a heat washed over her. She rushes and leaps onto him, taking him to the floor. Atago holds him tight, burying her head in the crook of his neck, crying.
"Never… Never… Never…. Never lie to big sister…. Never…. I love you too much to hate you, but I hate what you did!" Atago cries, her fists banging against his shoulders in a vain attempt to vent her anger.
"I'm sorry…. I'm so so so sorry…." Karl whispers, holding her close to him. "I didn't want to hurt any of you… I didn't want this to happen…"
"Big sister… Your babydoll will protect you!" Atago says, her voice getting hoarse as she begins to cry.
"But I have to protect you girls, too!" Karl protests. "I'm a bad man; I'm a monster! I have to protect your girls from it!"
"We're strong, my darling!" Atago interjects. "And you are, too! But we need each other! You can't do it alone!"
Karl hugged her like this was the last time he would ever see her. "I'm sorry…"
"I forgive you… I forgive you, my love, but never do it again…. Big sister can't take it when you hide things from her…"
"I won't hide anything from you…. Not anymore…" Karl promises.
Atago pulls out of the crook of his neck and looks him in the eyes, "Promise?"
"I promise."
Atago kisses him on the lips, and the two promise to do the same again. The men stay silent. Undenounced to Karl, they knew this would happen. Atago wouldn't stop asking about him to the Kommandos. They all told her the truth about him. Breaking the kiss, he looks around to see some familiar faces smirking at him. As the cruiser gets off of him, they return to their feet. Mac pats him on the back, and they gather around the table. Atago holds on to him closely, warming him and giving him a cuddle boost in the mood.
Jimmy and other Kommandos gather around, shaking Karl's hand and greeting him. Atago looks around at the Kommandos vs the regulars. They were all older, about 30-35, with hard eyes. Obviously, they were battle-hardened to anyone looking at them; even their kit reflected that by the way it was frayed, ripped, and sun-bleached. Some had pictures of their loved ones taped to their stocks, one carried a child's toy tied to his kit given to him by his daughter, and some spoke of their lives at home.
They left an impression on Atago… She couldn't help but want to help them more, even if it was to get to her darling.
"It's Good to see you, sir," Jimmy says, his thick Central Asian accent in full swing.
"Likewise, Jimmy," Karl smirks. It's good to see you all again… If I knew the family was coming to get me, I would have bought beers."
"Aye," Munin replies, "That port the shipgirl was talking about has a bar, eh? Drinks on you then, eh?"
They chuckled. "If we make it, yes," Karl says bitterly.
"We'll get something after all this. But first, what the hell is going on?" Mac interjects.
"The Wicker Witch sold me out… Says we need to recapture this place. More than likely, we won't." Karl says bluntly, putting his hands on the table with a sigh. "Between these siren drones and the bombing, not sure if it's from my allies or the Eagle Union, we won't be able to take it back. Those META girls put a hurt on us, eh?"
"Damn straight," Mac agrees. "The defenses here and those KAN-SEN things sank the fleet. It was a miracle we could get on assault craft to get here. Fuckin blood bath…"
"How many we got?" Karl asks the group.
"Around half a company of us, 50," Mac replies. He pulls out his PDA and looks at the management system of available Kommandos on the blue force tracker. "My notes say we got about two hundred regulars here, a mix of grenadiers with a large sum of support troops, plus a couple of armored trains. We don't have much."
"Shit," Karl growls as he takes numbers in his mind. "Less than a Battalion at best and a company plus worst. Most of them kids…"
"Could be worse," Mac interjects lightly, "They could be kids in the Waldreichs."
Karl grunts, shaking his head as he remembers the mountains again with a bitter gaze. "Yeah… But at least we had the firepower in the mountains… My darling Atago here has a lot of cannon to go around, but we had tanks, rocket artillery, and flamethrowers to back us up. I haven't even seen a fucking AGS, MK19, or even a damn rifle grenade, either. A bag of M67's is nice, but not against these fucking steel monsters."
"We used a lot of that good shit against that powerful tart Ember." Hugin snarls, his English accent coming through his mask's speaker. "Beat her good, but we had to pull back after she used some cannon. Damn dog's breakfast, that was our first contact."
"What about Carl G's? RPG's?" Karl asks, impressed that they fought hard enough to defeat Ember.
"There might be somewhere we're going," Mac adds. "This train is heading towards distribution point 2. We got to pick up some sweet railcars, fiber optic wire, and microchips. There might be a munitions car or two with some heavy firepower. The CO of the security company here said they made a special order of Fuel-Air rounds and proxy shells just in case something freaky happened."
"Hell yeah," Karl smirks.
"Hell yeah, brother." Mac smiles wildly. "We get those and that shit for the nerds at 77th Sustainment Division, then we golden."
"77th Sustainment? They are the ones taking all this shit?" Karl asks, generally curious.
"Yeah, they take the trains after these guys at the Rock do the handoff," Mac says dismissively.
"Weren't those the same clowns who fucked us on fuel for like a month when we were pacifying the western valley?" Hugin asks.
"Yeah, those same assholes," Mac says, disgusted. "Fucking idiots."
"Alright, Alright, Enough," Karl interjects. "We'll shit on the late pump jockeys over wine, women, and song. Now, who did that order come down from?"
"The wire and chips?" Jimmy chimes in. "Admiral Makarov stated the Consul demands all supplies that can be moved be taken through the portal."
"Then we will grab that shit, but nothing more," Karl says flatly. "Everything else needs to be buried or destroyed. Those META girls did some black magic to resurrect those siren hulks. The last thing we need is the wrong ones waking up… Like that Devil one the boss lady was talking about."
"Devil?" Jimmy gasps. "You know of that one?"
"Did I stutter, Jimmy?" Karl asks him, eyes centered on him.
"I didn't know how informed you were," Jimmy says flatly. "What about the Devil?"
"Raiden, the head bitch in charge, wants to awaken that walking 3D printer and rebuild that Hadrian weapon. Remember 'Rods of God'?"
The men go quiet.
"You… You remember that?" Mac asks, fearful of what would happen next.
"Yeah, I remember that." Karl snaps.
"Fuck, Madam Marlin tried to clear us out of that, too," Mac admits. "But you know how I am with that tricky witch, Belladonna." He gives a knowing chuckle.
"Looks like she knew better than to try and help me out then, Eh old friend?" Karl hisses.
"I thought she did," Mac says innocently. "Guess she was scared of that Witch of yours."
"No one should be scared of that lying cunt." Karl growls.
"Darling!" Atago snaps. "Language!"
"Excuse me." Karl relents, swallowing his anger against Claudia Marlin. "No one should be afraid of her. She's no better than scum. I won't let her have a victory like bringing a sentient 3D printer to Niflheim. Not her, Z, or anyone on the Consul will profit from this. I don't care if all of Azur Lane throws all this material into the fucking sea! This is the last train out of here. To attach all the cars, we can move, load up the wounded, and we need to get all of you out of here."
"All of you? What do you mean by 'You'?" Jimmy interjects.
"You all," Karl says harshly. "Every last Order member on the Rock needs to get out of here with this train."
"Under what authority?" Jimmy challenges him.
"My authority as Brigade Commander," Karl replies calmly, his gaze narrowing on Jimmy.
"Major," Jimmy hesitates. "You were removed from command after your exile. You have no authority under."
"The current command chain here is unclear, orders are unclear, and the only person here with a field grade rank to his name and an idea of what the hell is going on is me," Karl interjects, resting the barrel of his G3K on the table. "Raiden and her sister, Ember, informed me during my capture of their intent on using their Siren contacts to awaken the Devil, go to our world, and either take or build a Hadrian orbital station to use here by any means necessary, including possibly, the destruction of our nation. I evoke our mission command doctrine to meet the Commander's intent of protecting Niflheim at all costs. High Command orders are kaput; the mission is now to prevent the enemy from gaining our intel and attacking our country. Are you saying that an egotistical battle between the Consul is more important than national security, My friend?"
"Bullshit." Jimmy spits.
"I wouldn't lie to you, Jimmy," Karl says coldly. "You straight lace fuck. The Consol turned on me, and I won't let their stupidity spoil our happy times now…"
"What are you saying, Major?" Munin asks, the static echo of the M50 respirator's electric speaker.
"Raiden, the leader of this 'Black Ocean Society,' intends to use these Siren drones, Her siren allies, and the Devil siren to invade Niflheim and secure weapons she needs to attack her enemies. We can not allow her to cross over. Thus, we must secure everything the Consul wants and leave. But I'll be damned if the Consul gets any data either… They can have all the spare parts they want. But everything else here needs to burn." Karl says bluntly.
"I… I…." Jimmy studders, picking his words carefully. The man momentarily contemplated as he recalled how powerful these sirens of Raidens were. "Fine."
"Get me some papers, a map, and the leaders…. As of now, you are a part of Kampfgruppe Karl. I'll have a FRAGO in ten minutes."
While the Kommandos planned, The META's of Raiden's society bickered. What radar contacts they could get showed Eagle Union and Sakura Empire ships approaching. The security systems were failing, and the active defenses were slowly shutting down. Typhoon and Junyou were sent off to begin the defense against the onslaught of the combined fleet. Ember was too wounded to continue any fight, but that left Raiden. She tried to use the security cameras to get an idea of what was happening, but something was jamming them. It had to be that red-headed shit, Lucy… However, some of the communications, including her personal communications, were also being jammed. Only one person she knew could jam the networks of another META….
"Helena…. Damn it…" Raiden growls, scowling at the notion that Helena META was also involved. "I can't contact the drones. They are feral at this point."
Ember is repairing her rigging and tending to her wounds. "Damn humans…" She mutters, the anger seething out of every breath.
"How badly did they hit you?" Raiden asks her.
"My number 3 and 4 turrets are offline, and numbers 1 and 2 have targeting issues." Ember reluctantly admits as she runs testing on them via an Ashen handheld computer. Ember casts her gaze over her sister, looking at her distinct lack of rigging. "Are you going to participate in this fight or just here for show?"
Raiden looks at her sister sharply. "I intend on engaging only when necessary. If I have the forces to use, I will use them."
Ember rolls her eyes. "Are you sure? To me, it seems you are not wise to harm your pet human."
"Pet human?" Raiden seethes, the rage burning through her golden eyes like the sun. She keeps her calm tone as she speaks to her beloved sister. "Are you insinuating that my darling is nothing more than a household pet?"
Ember doesn't budge and continues to work on her repairs: "It appears that way. I don't care what your 'feelings' tell you; that thing you call darling is just a weak being of flesh and bone."
"How I treat my darling is not your concern, dear sister." Raiden snaps her composure on the brink of breaking. "I would watch your tongue when speaking about my darling Commander."
"Darling Commander?" Ember interjects, standing up and putting her hand on the hilt of her sword. "He is your little plaything, hm? Did you forget he abandoned us, abandon you?"
"The truth was always within me, Takao. I knew he never willingly left us." Raiden snarls.
"That accursed Order already changed the fabric of his mind. What makes you think you aren't looking at an alternative depiction of the battle?" Ember points out.
"Because he recalled it!" Raiden exclaims, "My darling is not a liar! He would never lie to me, so help his soul!"
The wild look in Raiden's eye disturbed Ember, but the stoic samurai wouldn't let her sister see her unnerved view.
"The love of my life never lied to me! NEVER!" Raiden explodes, breaking her character as a calm and collected leader. She closes in on Ember and grabs her by the uniform. "If you EVER apply such things again, I will destroy you, dear sister."
"As if you could defeat me, dear sister," Ember says calmly, the batteries of her rigging aiming at Raiden.
Raiden breathes calmly as she looks at the 203mm batteries. "How sure are you, Sister?"
"Ember, Tester." The communicator interjects. "Sensors indicate you are under attack from Azur Lane forces. Do you require assistance?"
Raiden puts her hand on her communicator, not breaking eye contact with her sister. "Tester, Raiden. Yes. Sweep the seas of their insolence. Ember and I will join you shortly."
"Understood," Tester replies coldly.
"Seems your friends are going to join us finally." Raiden scowls.
"They are not friends," Ember retorts. "A means to the end, unlike your pet."
Raiden and Embers' gazes meet. The sharpness in their gazes could cut through steel. Like two dogs sizing each other up before a bloody fight, their hair begins to stand, and the unconscious actions of reaching for their swords begin.
The train ground to a halt within the distribution center. Soldiers and Kommandos dismounted quickly to seize the objective. Thankfully, There weren't many siren drones, and the men and women of the newly formed Kampfgruppe began moving the tracks to allow them to hook up to the armored train. Most of these were railway troops, judging how they hopped onto the shunting engines like it was second nature. Karl counted at least twenty cars already loaded and ready to move. Some on a siding were almost ready, but he wasn't sure how much time they had.
"Major," Jimmy approaches him. "What do you want with the half-loaded cars? We have enough men to get them full and ready as well."
"Make it fucking quick then," Karl says, gambling on the slow movement of the drones. "Make sure we get all shunters we need to move this heavy bitch out of here. Attach some empty box cars as well. I don't know how many wounded or able bodies we have, but we need to be able to load them up, too.
"We already sent a train out with the wounded, sir!" Jimmy replies confidently. "Everyone else is here or dead."
"Any of ours?" Karl asks, referring to the Kommandos.
"A couple…" Jimmy says reluctantly. "Jackson and Timo… That big KAN-SEN cut down Timo, that Ember woman in front of us. Jackson… Pink mist by her cannon…"
The news made his stomach churn as it sank in. Atago notices the bitterness in Karl's expression as he takes a deep breath to calm himself. "We'll make it even soon… What about the regulars?"
"To many, K.D.," Mac replies flatly, Atago picking up on his Southern accent from the Eagle Union. "Those drones fight like starving gators, ruthless fuckers. I think all together we got about hundred hundred fifty?"
"When you get back, I want a count. Everyone, every last one of them." Karl orders them. "Name, Rank, the whole deal. But right now, we have got to move. That devil shit is here, yes?"
"That's what the manifest said," Mac replies unsurely. We'll have to check the rail master office. I think the cute blonde L.T. is their OIC. She should know."
Karl looks at Mac crossways, "Ladies and Gentlemen: Mac. Only knowing the chain of command if they are a fine piece of ass."
Mac puts up his hands playfully, "Hey, it's how I remember shit."
"Christ." Karl shakes his head. "Fine, the munitions car. Get us some firepower. Where did that L.T. go?"
"Towards that bigger locomotive." Hugin points eastward to a larger SD40 locomotive than the rest of the engines. The hulking man hands him a radio and nods.
"Handle business gents. You get those explosives you radio me, yeah?" Karl orders.
"Got it, boss." Mac acknowledges, moving with the team to search.
"That L.T. better know if a comms station is nearby. I need to reach Helena." Karl says, out of earshot of the men. He looks to Atago and takes her hand, allowing his short G3K rifle to rest against his left side. "This is a shitshow."
"I wouldn't expect anything like this to be perfect, Darling." Atago agrees. "You care about them."
"I do," Karl says, looking around as their footwear clicks against the concrete floor beside the rails. "Even the regulars… They're mine till I get them home."
"You know their names too…" Atago notes, looking at him concerned as he scans around the area. They cross tracks to a platform where more regulars load boxes into railway cars. "They know you well by how one soldier speaks to you."
"Mac and I went into the service together," Karl remarks, looking at the young men and women loading boxes of microchips by hand into the box cars. "That was almost thirty years ago…"
"Thirty?!" Atago exclaims as they keep walking. "You've been doing this for thirty years!?"
Karl nodded solemnly as they carried on. He didn't think much of his decades of service and wasn't keen on thinking about it, period. But Atago was still shocked as she looked around and remembered aiding these brave young men and women.
"Thirty years… You've… You've done… This." Atago says, looking at the troops rushing around them.
"Since I was 19," Karl says quietly.
"19…" Atago whispers, taking it in. A sadness grows over her as she tries to imagine a younger Karl, afraid and going off into the unknown. "Why that young, darling?"
He shrugs, "What else was there to do for a poor boy in the dirty south?"
She says nothing, only wrapping his arm between her breasts as they walk. Atago wanted to comfort, hold, and make him feel like everything was alright. But it wasn't the time for such things. The determination in his expression to press on gave her a feeling of purpose. Crossing the platform, they see a blonde woman wearing mechanics overalls and sporting lieutenant rank on the shoulders. An AKMS rested on her chest as she did the last checks on the all-green SD40 locomotive with two other soldiers. Another SD40 was moving out slowly to join the rest of the train.
"L.T.!" Karl calls to her.
The L.T. snaps around and looks at him questionably, "Yes?" She asks in a noticeable posh English accent.
"Major Karl Dael, Kommandos, and your current Commander. SITREP." Karl says smoothly.
The L.T. renders an English salute with the bottom of her hand facing him. Karl returns it promptly. She was young, around her mid-twenties, but how she carried herself made Karl believe she used to be enlisted at one point like he was.
"My crew and I are preparing this locomotive for movement. The Armored train won't have enough power, so we are readying this one, another, and two of the switcher engines to act as additional power, " the L.T. says quickly and clearly.
"Good. Next question," Karl begins looking her over again. "Are you in charge of these men or the rail master?"
"Both, sir." The L.T. replies confidently. "First Lieutenant Abby Cox, OIC, and Rail Master. Callsign Rail Master."
"Perfect," Karl smirks, confidence building as the plan comes together. Where is your office? Did your computer have access to the great database?"
"Yes, sir!" LT Cox replies. It's in the nearby office building. Follow the line down this way, and you'll see a metal door. Just follow the green line, and it takes you to my office." She points behind them with her thumb.
"What about communications? Do you have access to long-range radio?" Karl persists.
"No sir," LT Cox tells him. "Only within the facility. Only the communications station has that ability."
"What about that devil creature? That siren? Is she here or where?" Karl demands.
"Siren?..." LT Cox begins to think. She pulls a notebook from her officer satchel and flips through it. "The special cargo… Yes, she is just past my office in the special research department. Take my keycard."
She hands him a special key card with a pink strip on it. "Your Captain already told me what would happen if we don't stop this… My men are at your Command, Major Dael… God be with you."
He puts the car into his pocket and looks down the line, "How far is the communications station?"
"Just up the line past Station 7 en route to the portal." LT Cox replies.
"Keep the train here. You're our ride out of here, understood?" Karl commands her.
The sudden order caught her off guard, and she hesitated. "Sir… I can't abandon my men. I must go with them."
"We will be quick. Just have this train ready to move as soon as you see us." Karl reassures her. He waves to Atago and the two barrel down the tracks.
They quickly made it to the rail master's office and moved first to the special research department. Scanning the card, Karl put up his weapon, and Atago spawned her rigging. Inside, they found the remains of the Devil lying on a table. It was what he feared: a complete example plus four incomplete examples being assembled.
"Destroy it all!" Karl orders Atago. She motions him to move away and fires her primary batteries. Dust coats both of them as the 203mm shells destroy everything. When the dust cleared, Karl ran in and checked for any pieces that would be of use. The remains of the complete model that remained was a one-armed corpse.
A moment replayed in his mind as he put the corpse of the siren girl in his sights. Flipping the selector to semi, he puts her head in the hood of his front sight.
"Mister…. Mister…. Please…. I… I'm scared…" An innocent voice echoes in his head.
"Don't be…. Just don't be… Please don't be scared…" His voice echoes back.
"It hurts…. It burns… It burns bad, mister…" The innocent voice of a young girl whimpers. "I can't find my arm… Where did… Where did it go?"
Karl flips the selector to full auto and empties his magazine. Twenty rounds of 7.62 NATO rip into the lifeless body of the siren, turning it into an unrecognizable pile of metal and yellow fluid. Karl quickly reloads and looks around at the rest of the Devil's examples, but they are unusable. He rushes out of the dust and sees Atago waiting for him.
"Did it try to attack you?!" Atago asks urgently.
"No… I just… I had to make sure." Karl replies calmly, scaring Atago. "We have to move. Do you have Lucy on the net?"
"She… She wasn't in the best shape… But I will try." Atago regrettably admits.
Karl attempts to respond but holds back, assuming the worst. Atago gets on her communicator and reaches out to Lucy.
"Hunter 6, Red Lucy, How copy?" The weak voice of Lucy responds.
"I knew you wouldn't die without my orders…" Karl says sardonically with a chuckle.
"Ya ya… I see you made it…" Lucy responds, coughing heavily.
"I wouldn't turn on my comrades for all the money in the world… You know that." Karl reassures her.
"I know… I hope Atago knows that, too… Whose net are you on?" She asks, unaware they were both using Atago's communicator.
"Atago's," Karl responds.
"Good on you, Atago…" Lucy coughs again. "I'm at the portal. I'm pretty rough, but I got the doctors to put some antibiotics in me. I have a little time to run this portal… I still remember how to work it…"
"Even better, you know how this shit works. But do you know how to break it for good?" Karl asks as they walk towards the rail master officer.
"What do you mean?" Lucy asks, confused.
"Atago and I finished Devil off, all five copies, but we need to clear out the base's Intel cloud. Do you know of anything, ANYTHING, to wipe this database? I want nothing left." Karl informs her, the excitement in his voice alarming both girls.
Lucy is silent for a moment. Once Atago and Karl reach the rail master's office, he scans the keycard and enters to find a computer. Plugging the card into the computer gives him access to it.
"When you find a computer, go to the login and put my I.D. number: 85099729831RL and Password 7779984986," Lucy informs him.
Karl enters the information, which takes him to a black screen with a series of files. He describes this to Lucy, and she thinks for a moment, "Open console commands and type _J23 Server Override."
He does, and the screen reveals more. Files marked 'The Hub event,' 'Hadrian Testing,' 'Hadrian blueprints,' and other files written in Gaulish script that noted unsavory things.
"I'm at some archive. A lot of juicy things are here." Karl notes on the comms. "All the stuff we need…"
"Perfect… Now hit console commands again and type _Virus house*; that will start the emergency wipe protocol and remove everything permanently." Lucy informs him.
"Will that affect the portal?" Atago asks her.
"The portal operates on another network. I have it with me now…" Lucy reassures them, coughing heavily. "Just hurry up. I need to get on that train when you get back."
"How do I get a personal roaster from this before I take out everything?" Karl interjects.
"Command search 'Personal' and it will give it to you. Why?" She asks with another heavy cough.
Karl looks around and finds a USB stick. He inserts it into the computer and downloads the whole list. "I will give you a USB with all the personnel here. I want a count of everyone, EVERYONE, and it better be right. These men and women fought like hell today, and they will get something for it."
He pulls the stick out and puts it in his pocket, then returns to the command screen. Typing in the command code, he hits enter. The computer then begins acting 'Virus House.' Two more computers around them turn on, and a blue screen appears with the text 'Virus House.'
"We did it!" Atago cheers. "All that stuff is gone! The Devil is gone, too! You did it, my darling!" Atago hugs him and kisses him on the cheek.
"We aren't out of the woods yet, honey!" Karl kisses her quickly on the lips. "We have to beat feet out of here."
The faint expression of care from the heavily armed Commander made Atago fall for him harder. But she knew it was time to get serious. As they ran out of the Rail Master's office, her mind began to race with thoughts.
He wasn't a traitor; here, he was loyal to his men and Azur Lane. But he was still sending them out with more supplies…
He wipes all the data from everything in their database, yet he assures his men that they will get something for all this.
The man acted swiftly and without doubt… Maybe it was because he was, as Raiden told them, betrayed as well.
"Rail Master, Hunter 6," Karl calls on the radio.
"Hunter 6, Rail Master." LT Cox replies.
"We are en route. Ready the train for movement." Karl informs her.
"Roger, we have three cars attached. It won't be a fast ride," LT Cox informs him.
"Roger that, Hunter 6 out." Karl closes the communication, and the two pick up speed. Rounding the corner, they see the last of the other cars and engines being hooked up to the armored train. A loud horn sounds as the long train of over thirty cars and engines lurches forward.
"K.D., Mac." Mac sounds on the radio. "You handle that shit?"
"Bitch is dead, and Lucy is kicking," Karl says relieved. "We used something called Virus House to wipe everything here. No one is getting shit!"
"Damn! Claudia is going to be pissed! She might send us to the mines as soon as we return!" Mac chuckles.
"Fuck her. I wouldn't want to dig coal with anyone else but you all." Karl chuckles, his expression brightening as they reach the SD40.
"See you on the other side, my brother!" Mac replies as the last cars pass by.
Karl helps Atago onto the nearest flat car. She spawns her rigging and takes an aggressive stance, "I have your rear!" Atago says cutely.
"I got yours too, darling!" Karl responds as they leap on.
"Major!" The growl of an electric speak echo near them. Hugin and Munin soon appear with boxes on their shoulders. "We got something fun for you."
The two men jump on the train and place the boxes down. It wasn't anything significant, just a few ammunition boxes of 40mm grenades for a grenade launcher. Opening the second box, Karl is greeted by the sight of a GM-94 pump action grenade launcher. He function checks the pump action launcher and loads it with fresh high explosive grenades before slinging it over his back. Munin throws him a bandolier of 40mm grenades and nods, both men knowing what a GM-94 could do somewhere close like this. An evil smirk takes over Karl's face as he slings the bandolier over him.
"Good… Good… Take a position on the front and middle of the train." Karl orders his men before getting on the radio. "Rail Master, you are good to go. Let's get out of here."
"Roger that, Heading out." LT Cox responds. The train lurches forward, causing everyone to catch themselves.
Karl takes a seat on some crates. He looks at the writing to see that these are more microchips, stabilizers, and other junk. He spits off the train and groans, "More junk."
"Why do your people need all this?" Atago asks, sitting next to him.
"To rebuild," Karl says with a sigh. The world was destroyed by us, by humans, by people who thought they were gods among men... We humans are from a different branch—all of us are. But war never ended once we destroyed our earth. So we went away to a new world and rebuilt. We take what we can from our world, but we need more to repair all the new weapons we either find and repair or build ourselves. This is a means to an end."
"To keep fighting? Just like you do?" Atago adds.
"To keep other things together as well. We don't have the means to build things like this at the quality we need…" Karl replies, thinking about all the modern tech put into their old weapons. He turns to her and looks at her oddly. "What do you mean by the last part?"
"Darling…" Atago sighs, moving closer to him and taking his free hand. "30 years of fighting? You tell me you've been doing this for 30 years… What keeps you going? You care about your troops, I see that, and I hate to think what would happen to you when you lose them…"
"I…" Karl hesitates, trying to keep himself together as the memories return. "I just… Do… I keep going because… I keep going."
The train rounds the corner and hops on the mainline. The movement is slow but consistent. Karl tries to bury his feelings and grips Atago's hand tightly. "Its… It's not the time… When we get out of here… We'll talk about it… All of us…"
"Promise me you will," Atago says firmly. She gently moves his head to hers. The old man in front of her had balls of fire behind those green eyes, a conflicted man. The cuts on his calloused hands, the scars on his body covered by tattoos, the salt and pepper hair, and the way he kissed her like every moment was his last on earth told her everything she needed to know. But she wanted to hear him say it all.
The old man couldn't look away. He hated admitting it, but he was afraid to tell her about it. Karl felt like he would drown her in his sorrow, drown all of them… But as Atago gently grasped his face, he felt a warmth in his chest. His body and mind agreed on one thing: He would bring an end to this nightmare for the sake of his comrades and his girls.
"I promise," Karl says, hugging Atago.
The two held each other for what seemed to be eternity. But Atago then backs up and kisses him on the cheek.
Commander Helena Maxis looked out of the bridge of the only Montana-class battleship in the Eagle Union. The sun was slowly dropping below the inky black sea, with only its dark orange hue illuminating the way to Attu. Montana was a standard mass-produced ship and not a KAN-SEN, but the firepower she brought trumped even that of the mighty Black Dragon, USS New Jersey. An improved Iowa class with another battery of 16-inch guns and heavier armor, Montana could take on even the likes of the Yamato class on an even keel. She was the only one of her kind; her sister canceled due to the push for more carriers and Iowa class battleships. Thanks to her father, this mighty ship became her flagship.
"Commander," Memphis says to Commander Helena. "Radio traffic from Sakura Empire ships say they are launching airstrikes on the island of Attu."
"Have you made contact?" Commander Helena asks her as she admires her fleet.
"Yes, Commander," Memphis responds. "Musashi responded and gave me her fleet roster. They are supporting Commander Karl Dael in an assault on the compound."
"An assault?" She inquires calmly. "The patch me through to him. We will seize him in person."
"I tried," Memphis says sadly. "But Musashi informed me that he was personally leading it. According to her, they made landfall over three hours ago."
Before Helena could explode in anger, she took a deep breath and smiled happily. Maybe she wouldn't have to land to take him after all. A friendly fire would be an easy cover-up. No one could tell whose bomb or rocket it was that would end the thorn in her side: Karl Dael.
"Good… Then we will… Assist… Let Enterprise and Essex…"
"Eagle Union Task Force, This is Commander Karl Dael. Radio Check."
The voice made her skin crawl but contrasted with confirmation that he was alive, making her smirk. She wanted him dead by her people…
"Dael, This is Commander Helena. I read you loud and clear, " she says calmly over the intercom.
"Good… Helena Maxis," Karl begins, picking his words carefully. "The META KAN-SEN here have alerted the Sirens, and they are en route here. My fleet is attacking the facility, and the META's are willing to defend this place… Put your units on high alert and ready for combat ASAP."
"What makes you believe that I will take your word on this, Hillbilly?" Helena responds with hostility, looking to her right to see Helena META appear beside her. The META begins tapping into the communications and triangulating his position.
"Now isn't the time, Schoolgirl." Karl jabs at her. "Two of the META's are carriers, one of which has jet fighters. The lead two are Ember and her sister Raiden, Takao class heavy cruisers. You know of the former, yes? I believe she attacked N.Y. city. You need to raise your shipgirls now, or else we will-"
"I'm the only authority here, and I see no reason why a possible enemy of the state is giving me, a Senior officer in the Eagle Union's navy, orders." She says calmly as Helena META shows her a live feed of him in a ramshackle collection of tracksuits and camouflage-wielding weapons while slumped over a radio set.
"If I was an enemy of the state," Karl begins, his anger growing. "Then why would I warn you? If I wanted you dead, I would have saved this island's defenses and turned your ass cherry pie red."
Essex, Enterprise, and New Jersey soon greet Memphis. Helena META looks at them, concerned, as she thinks about what Karl has told them.
"What makes me think this isn't a ploy for you to run off with whatever you have in that facility?" Helena prods, wanting to give time for Helena META to get his exact position.
Karl grunts, punching the long-range radio set out of rage. The shipgirls note this and gasp, all but Enterprise, who just gazed on. They watch him take the hand microphone and take several calming breaths before speaking.
"I am not your enemy, Helena Maxis," Karl says to her, almost pleading. "I am not, nor will I ever be, your enemy. Please… You need to save them now, or else, more than necessary, they shall die."
"You are my enemy." Helena Maxis states that her ego inflames her. "You took away my port, my ships, and my pride. You swept it out from under me when you have nothing, NOTHING, that makes you even worthy enough to clean by dress shoes by ANY NAVAL STANDARD. Yet here you are, part of some kind of rouge unit. I see you in that base. My contacts have told me everything. You are MY ENEMY."
"I'm your enemy?" Karl asks, his tone turning sharp. "How sure are you of this?"
"My META has shown me what is there. You'll rot in a prison cell if I don't kill you myself." Helena threatens him directly.
"Then I am your enemy," Karl says flatly. Then run. Run away now."
"Excuse me?" Helena asks dumbfounded, chuckling almost at the statement. "You have nothing to barely threaten me with!"
"Helena, Don't do this," Karl pleads in a strong yet caring tone. "Leave while you still can before it's too late. Don't do this."
Helena only laughs at the confusion of her shipgirls. Helena META also looks at her oddly, keeping the feed up to see Karl Dael struggling to deliver the message. Helena META's HUD shows a massive fleet of Sirens appearing far north of Attu, and radar contacts of the META shipgirls Typhoon and Falcon are deploying their planes.
"Tell them to retreat now, Please, Please… Think of their mothers, those men you have with you. Think of those girls you have. Don't do this then. I don't care what you think you have; we will both, in any case, die here if I am your enemy. Who will win this? What's the point of this pissing contest you have with me?"
Radar contacts were approaching their fleet at high speed. But Helena Maxis didn't notice, only laughing in disbelief at the old man's pleas.
"You and I won't survive this, Understand?" Karl pleads.
"COMMANDER! ENEMY AIRCRAFT CLOSING IN ON US!" Essex shouts before charging out the side to begin engaging the incoming aircraft. The rest of the girls exit, but Helena only continues to laugh.
"Helena… Please, from the bottom of my heart…. Get out of there…"
The line goes silent.