Hermione approached the water from the pier and summoned her vessel with an elegant flick of her wrist. The cruiser appeared in a flash of light right next to the docks, where everyone was gathering for the departure.
Upon the shipboys' insistence, the preparations for the sortie had begun immediately after the end of the meeting; luckily, the fleet was relatively small, so it took them only a few hours to get ready.
"I'm going too!" Sparviero exclaimed.
"No, you are not," Kurama replied flatly.
"But why?!"
"Because we're going to need someone with a keen eye out there, and you don't exactly fit the description," Kurama replied with a stern tone. "Besides, we'd all be a lot more at ease knowing that you are safe here."
Sparviero gritted his teeth in frustration. "Even after all this time, you are still treating me like someone who needs to be protected."
Kurama didn't answer; instead, he addressed the blonde destroyer next to him, who was trying her best not to glare at him. "Hey, pipsqueak. You are his bodyguard, right?"
"P-pipsqueak?! Me?!" Carabiniere gasped in surprise, outraged.
"Yes, you. See that he stays out of trouble while we are not here."
"I don't need you to tell me how to do my job. I'll protect Sparviero of my own accord," Carabiniere protested, to which Kurama replied with a smug grin.
The Commander was also there to send them off. A few steps away from them, Ryan was talking with a certain blue-haired cruiser.
"Are you sure you are going to be okay?" Ryan asked Helena, concern showing on his face.
"Of course, Commander. I've completely recovered, and I can't wait to try out my new and improved SG," she reassured him.
When Cleveland told her about the plans of the shipboys, Helena volunteered to go with them. After the battle against Purifier, she had been cooped up in the hospital with her hull stuck into dry docks for so long that she thought she'd start to grow mold. When she thought things couldn't get any worse, the nightmares started haunting her, and she was starting to get even more depressed than she already was. But thankfully, Enterprise had managed to lift her spirit, and now she was itching to go out on sortie again, especially after the Commander came to visit her. Ryan had told her that the blueprints for her retrofit were ready and waiting, and if she wanted, the bulins could install the upgrades on her vessel as they repaired it.
Of course, she had accepted. Almost every Kansen stationed at the base had gotten a retrofit; hers was being delayed because of the complications the engineers were experiencing with the new model of the SG radar, but now that she had it, she couldn't wait to try it out.
"Now you are talking, Helena. Good luck out there and give them hell," Cleveland cheered with a happy grin.
"Thank you, Cleve," Helena beamed at her, and Ryan couldn't help the smile that came to his lips.
"Fine, if you are so determined, I won't try to stop you," he told her, then he addressed the two Kansen next to him. "What about you, Freedom? And you, Massachusetts?"
"I'm as good as new; I can't wait to take flight again," Freedom said, bumping his chest with his fist to show that his wounds were completely healed.
"I'll keep an eye on him for both, Commander. I'll make sure he doesn't overdo it," Massachusetts stated.
Massachusetts and Helena were the only members of his fleet accompanying them; this was an unofficial operation, after all, one they intended to keep secret from their superiors. For that reason, none of the shipgirls stationed at the base could be relieved of their duties to take part in it, lest missing or altered reports gave their intentions away. Only those who had earned a few days off were allowed to sortie, namely Massachusetts and Helena. Of course, those who weren't part of the fleet could do as they pleased, like Kaga, who had been quietly standing on the side, waiting to board the cruiser.
The flagships and the representatives of each faction, along with their retainers and assistants, had to remain behind with the Commander; after all, the summit was by no means over. The most pressing matters had already been addressed, but that didn't mean it would end there. The talks would keep them occupied for a few hours per day for the next few days, and they would discuss all kinds of important matters.
If there was someone who was not looking forward to it, that was Jean Bart.
In order to spare herself the tedium of the talks, she decided to ditch her sister and the meeting to keep the promise they had made to the shipboys by tagging along with them. At that, not even the Cardinal could argue.
And now, there she was, briskly walking toward the docks where the light cruiser was waiting for them to get on board, with Le Malin by her side.
"I don't understand. With my ship, it would take us a lot less time to get to our destination," Le Malin mused under her breath.
"We need them to find us, Le Malin, and with your speed, it's going to be pretty hard for them to do so," the Vichya battleship pointed out.
"Ugh, I don't like complicated stuff," the destroyer lamented.
"Rather, you didn't have to come; your sister would feel a lot better if you just stayed here," Jean Bart reminded her.
Le Malin gently shook her head with a sad frown, remembering the beaten and bloody but still smiling face of the shipboy she had abandoned during the battle against Tester. "I promised to bring him to safety, but I failed; I want to make up for it now that I have the chance."
"Suit yourself," Jean shrugged. Despite her aloof demeanor, she could empathize with the destroyer. Failure usually begets restlessness, and someone like Le Malin would never allow it to bring her down, so it was obvious that she'd want to tag along, despite her indolent nature.
The pair of Vichya shipgirls approached the small group and greeted those present. Jean stopped in her tracks, and her eyes went wide as they fell on a certain bronze-skinned woman. For an instant, a surprised glint passed through the uninterested gaze of the white-haired battleship, and a frown creased Jean's features.
"Jean Bart, how long has it been?" Massachusetts greeted the pirate woman.
"Too long, if you ask me, Massachusetts," Jean grumbled, knowing full well how much time had passed since they last saw each other. During the war between the factions, the Vichya battleship had been counting the days until she'd get the chance to even the score with the Eagle Union shipgirl. She was aware that Massachusetts was part of the Azur Lane joint fleet when she decided to accompany her sister to the meeting, so she knew it was just a matter of time before they ran into each other; but alas, the factions were at peace, and the chance for a proper fight had faded forever.
"You know her?" Freedom asked his girlfriend.
"Yes; she's like… my rival," she replied with an uncertain tone.
"Rival, that's funny," Jean scoffed. She considered Massachusetts to be more like her nemesis, as they hadn't had a chance to face each other since the end of the conflict. "We barely saw each other during the war and never managed to finish a single, proper duel. A shame; I would have liked to settle the score eventually."
"I've also been looking forward to a rematch. We can always arrange a mock battle if you are up for it," Massachusetts offered with a sliver of hope in her voice.
"Never mind; I wouldn't want to cause an international incident by beating you to a pulp," Jean mocked the other battleship.
Massachusetts narrowed her eyes at her. "Who says I'm the one getting beaten to a pulp?"
Sensing that the situation was taking a bad turn, Freedom stepped in to to defuse it. "Now, ladies, this isn't the time to argue; why don't we save this for after the mission?"
"And who are you to stick your nose in other people's business, shipboy?" Jean questioned him in annoyance.
"Freedom, my boyfriend," Massachusetts flatly stated.
"I see, he's your—wait, WHAT?!" Jean Bart stumbled with her words before letting out a cry of disbelief. "What do you mean, boyfriend?"
"It means that we love each other very much," Massachusetts drily stated under the very amused expressions of those present.
"I know what that means! I meant, how did you manage to find a boyfriend?" Jean insisted, a slight blush now adorning her cheeks.
"Oh, he saved my life."
"Just like that?" She was incredulous.
"Well, one thing led to another, and now here we are," the shipboy replied sheepishly.
"You know what? Let's leave it at that," Jean cut them off, massaging her temple in incredulity. "Just tell me when we are leaving."
"As soon as the others arrive," Kurama answered her from the side, having just finished lecturing his brother and his so-called bodyguard.
As if on cue, Leviathan and Emperor immediately showed up, riding atop Liebe's back, accompanied by Chaser, Admiral Graf Spee, and Deutschland. The rigging's face was entirely submerged as she sped up through the waves of the bay toward the group; Leviathan and Emperor were holding onto her dorsal fin, which was almost twice as tall as them. Chaser was clutching onto her brother's side, trying her best to keep her balance atop the ragged back of the mechanical shark; Graf Spee was doing the same with Leviathan, her sister holding onto her as if her life depended on it.
Once the rigging came to a stop, the three hopped onto the docks and approached the group.
"Business has been taken care of; we are ready to go," Leviathan declared.
"Oh, so you three are coming too?" Kurama questioned the shipgirls.
"Yes, Leviathan's my friend; I want to help him," Spee nodded to him, clenching her claws with a determined expression on her face, which immediately turned into a more bashful one when the aforementioned shipboy patted her on the head in gratitude.
"Her Majesty told me to do as I please, so here I am," Chaser also nodded with a smile.
"I'm only here because I couldn't possibly entrust my sister to you all," Deutschland looked away, huffing in annoyance.
"Guys, please talk to Kurama; tell him that I want to go with you," Sparviero pleaded as soon as he heard the others' voices.
Emperor and Leviathan exchanged looks. The former briskly walked up to him and clasped his shoulder in a comforting manner. "Don't worry, brother. We'll be back before you know it with good news; wait for us here."
Knowing that his chances of winning that argument were less than zero, Sparviero's shoulders sagged, and he hung his head, frustration and betrayal filling his heart. He only managed to mutter a goodbye to his brothers, too dejected to send them off with a proper, cheery farewell.
After that, they all climbed aboard the Hermione. The plan was set, and they were ready to go.
"So, what are you doing here?" Kurama addressed Kaga. The shipgirl was standing on the bow of the cruiser, feeling the wind blow through her short hair, looking out to the sea as the sun started setting over the horizon.
"As much as I enjoy training and sparring with Enterprise, staying at the base all the time will make me too complacent," Kaga replied with a disinterested tone, then raised an eyebrow at him. "Why? Got something to say about it?"
"Not at all; in fact, I appreciate it," the shipboy stated with a solemn tone of gratitude, which threw her off for a second.
"Don't misunderstand; I'm not doing this out of the goodness of my heart."
"It doesn't change the fact that you are offering your help to us… despite the way I treated you."
"I figured we were well beyond that by now. I don't care much about it; besides, I consider your teachings compensation enough," Kaga waved off his concern. Sure, being humbled in such a flagrant way still stung a bit, but she was being honest there; besides, if she remembered correctly, she was the one who antagonized him first.
"Really?" Kurama had a puzzled look on his face, then a smirk came to adorn his lips. "Are you sure you aren't just into that sort of stuff?"
Kaga's cheeks flared a deep red, and her tails flailed as the insinuation left his lips. "You impudent… ugh, why do I even bother?"
Kurama responded with a low chuckle at her embarrassment, but this time his laugh was devoid of any mockery, just genuine amusement.
"In any case, the fact that you are willing to risk your life to help us save our brother means a lot to me," he told her once his laugh died down. "So, thank you, Kaga."
Her heart made a flip in her chest, and she lost herself in his smile for a second. There they were again, those weird feelings that came out only when she was in his presence. She couldn't comprehend those emotions at all. What was that? Some sort of primal instinct?
"Since we are on the subject, what's the plan your brother cooked up with Shikikan Travis?" Kaga averted her gaze from him in an attempt to hide her embarrassment and change the topic.
"For now, we keep our course. By tomorrow, we'll have reached a suitable hunting spot," Kurama explained. "Then, we go after every single Siren we find, whether patrol boats or scouting fleets. We need to destroy as many of them as possible and make a hole in their network big enough so that they feel compelled to intervene personally. If an Elite shows her ugly mug, we apprehend her and force her to listen to our request."
"Simple and effective, I like it. What if they refuse to comply?"
"We dispose of them and move on to the next one," Kurama replied, with a menacing hue passing through his eyes, which shone with the same color as the sunset ahead of them.
"Freedom, another patrol boat, two miles west of your position," Helena's voice came in through his radio for the umpteenth time that morning.
"Roger that!" Freedom adjusted the energy output of his wings and sharply sped up, leaving behind a trail of exhaust in his wake. With his speed, it took him only a few seconds to reach his prey. Upon sighting it through his goggles, he dove down onto the unfortunate vessel, summoned his rigging, and swiftly dealt with it with a single volley. Before the rounds reached their target and enveloped it in a fiery explosion, he had already dismissed his rigging and was already regaining altitude.
"I have another contact fifteen miles south-east of us!" Helena informed everyone in the comms.
"I'll take care of it," Kaga called dibs on it.
"Chaser, I've got a small fleet here. May I ask you for a bit of backup?" Emperor's voice was next.
"Coming through, brother!" Chaser replied enthusiastically as she diverted the course of one of her airwings toward the direction Emperor's had gone off to.
It was early in the morning, well past dawn. The thirteen Kansen were all standing on the deck of the Hermione, except, of course, for Freedom, as the hull of the light cruiser sailed through the waves at sustained speed, following their preplanned course.
The shipboy had been following Helena's indications for a while, flying around the place at high altitude and swooping in on the unsuspecting targets located by the shipgirl's radar. The three carriers had their riggings out and were using their squadrons to further extend the range of their scouring, occasionally intervening to take care of the eventual Siren they encountered on their course.
The rest of the Kansen were outside on the deck of the warship with them, their presence not exactly needed at the moment but still ready to intervene in case of necessity. Under them, beneath the waves, Liebe was on the lookout for any Lurkers trying to catch them by surprise.
They had been going at it for a while now, and they had already destroyed a few dozens alien vessels, but they kept finding scouts and patrols every other minute. It wasn't a bad thing since their goal was to smash enough of them to piss off the Elite Sirens, but that meant they barely had time to catch their breaths, especially Freedom.
"Brother, come back here and take a break; you are pushing yourself too hard," Emperor called out for Freedom.
"I'm fine, Emperor; I can keep up a bit longer," Came the reply of the other shipboy.
"You are not fooling me; I know how tiring and energy-consuming your wings are," Emperor insisted. "Come on, I don't want you to collapse on us in the middle of the ocean; we'll cover for you in the meantime."
Silence permeated the comms for a few seconds, but before Emperor tried to insist further, Freedom replied, "Fine, clear the way for me, please."
Emperor complied and motioned for everyone to make space on the deck. After a few seconds, the whirring of jet engine announced his brother's arrival, who came to a stop right above their heads. His wings changed configuration, aiming their afterburners downward as he slowly lowered himself onto the deck of the ship in a vertical landing.
Once his feet touched down, his wings disappeared, and the shipboy let out a tired breath as he stretched his shoulders and popped his neck. As he took off his goggles, he noticed Emperor's smug grin and rolled his eyes.
Massachusetts approached him and gently grabbed his hand, guiding him under the shade of the Hermione's forward battery. "He's right, you know. What if an Elite appears right after you run out of energy?"
Freedom let out a breath and conceded to her as he sat down with his back on the turret. "Fine, I'll rest up a bit, but only for a few minutes."
Slightly irked by his attitude, the battleships kneeled down next to him, saying, "Freedom, I like how cool you look when you are pushing yourself hard... but overdoing it isn't good. I'll force you to rest if I have to." Her voice had a serious undertone to it, and she was staring at him intently to get her point across.
Freedom chuckled softly, completely unfazed by the threat. "You know, I really like when you act so tough." With a mischievous grin, he leaned closer to steal a quick peck from her lips. Once he retracted his face, he noticed that Massachusetts had her eyes wide in surprise and her mouth slightly agape.
Her bemused expression turned into a frown as the battleship tried to think of a way to get back at him. Then she grabbed his head with both hands and snapped his face toward her before locking lips with him in a fiery kiss, catching the shipboy by surprise and forcing him to hold onto her lest he lost his balance and tumbled to the floor.
He was so taken by surprise that he was forced to come up for air after only a few seconds. "Is that how you're planning on forcing me to rest? By seducing me?" Freedom asked his girlfriend, panting slightly and fighting back the heat burning on his face. There was no chance he could properly relax after that.
"If needed," Massachusetts replied with a smug grin on her face, more than satisfied with his flustered reaction.
"Ahem," Jean Bart cleared her throat, sending them a sideways glance. "Seriously? While the others are working hard you two start frolicking without a care in the world. Why don't you announce it to the four winds while you are at it?" She reproached the two of them, her cheeks taking on a slightly darker hue at their display. If Richelieu were there with them, she'd probably start with one of her sermons about depravity, carnal sins, and so on.
Freedom chuckled sheepishly as Massachusetts averted her gaze in embarrassment, and Jean Bart let out a sigh. Helena and the carriers didn't seem to have noticed; they were too busy operating their riggings and maneuvering their aircraft, but Hermione and Le Malin were clearly glancing at them in curiosity from the corner of their eye, trying their best and failing to be subtle about it.
After a few more minutes of rest, Freedom was back on his feet again, and right at that moment, Helena's voice rang over the deck. "Multiple Siren contacts ahead of us; it's a whole fleet!"
Emperor turned toward the others with a resolute expression. "Time to set our plan into motion."
Tester was annoyed. She had just woken up in her new body, and the last things she remembered were the final moments of her previous vessel. The shame and anger of her defeat at the hands of the shipgirls of the Iris Orthodoxy were still burning, but they were quenched a little when she realized that she hadn't lost her test subject to them.
Based on what Zero had told her when she woke up, Observer had intervened at the last second to retrieve both her Cube and the shipboy. Speaking of the male Kansen, Tester couldn't wait to take her anger out on him for screwing up her test, but Zero had told her to give it a rest.
The shipboy had proven himself above their mind control, and he was dead set on not talking even under torture, so the Original Program had decided to just put him to sleep for the time being and wait for Empress and Observer to bring back those who were taking shelter at the Azur Lane main base; after that, they would resume their sessions and see which one of them gave up first at seeing their beloved comrade being violated in front of them.
Of course, the head of the Arbiters and her superior never came back; their fates were clear as a day to her. After that, Zero was forced to bring Tester back to replenish their ranks, as her newest body was the first available; Purifier and Observer were next in line, even if they had to settle for vessels with only the memories of their previous backup.
That also meant Tester was the only Elite available until Purifier's and Observer's new bodies were ready, and what was the first order Zero issued her?
Investigation duty. They had been losing contact with a considerable number of their patrol vessels around the Pacific Ocean, and Zero wanted her to check on the matter. Tester knew how important their scouting network was to keep tabs on everything that happened around the globe; nonetheless, it was still a pain.
As she flew around the ocean with her rigging out, she came across one of their patrol boats' mangled and sinking form and landed atop it to investigate. The readings of the data she got from the wreckage told her that it was a fleet of Kansen, nothing new. It wasn't uncommon for Azur Lane patrols to bump into their scouts, but it was less common for the shipgirls to actively go after them. She was about to take off again, but her attention was piqued when the readings signaled that the presence of at least one male Kansen had been confirmed.
Tester sneered at the news. This was her chance to atone for the humiliation she had received with her defeat and to secure another shipboy for Zero. She called forth a handful of portals from which an entire fleet of mass-produced ships and Executor-class Sirens appeared and got ready to locate her quarry.
She was sure it wouldn't take long; she only needed to follow the trail of Siren wreckage until she found them.
All the Kansen had already taken up positions.
Massachusetts and Jean Bart were standing at the front of the formation with their rigging out, watching as the enemy fleet came into view: four battleships, three carriers, five escort vessels, and plenty of humanoid Sirens. Swarms of drones were already being launched into the air by their carriers.
Helena was a few feet behind them, a determined expression on her face as she intently listened into her radar for any kind of strange movement from the enemy formation. Last time, with Purifier, she had allowed the Elite to get the jump on her, but this time, she was ready to take on any threat.
The blue-haired shipgirl was flanked by the two escort carriers. Chaser and Empeor also had their rigging out and were recalling the squadrons of aircraft they had sent to scout ahead. When Emperor summoned his rigging earlier, both girls couldn't help but wonder at seeing it for the first time. It resembled a silver and gold metallic sculpture of an eagle with a crown atop its head, with its wings spread widely on each of his sides, and it was hovering behind his back. Those wings resembled both an aircraft carrier's flight deck; at the tip, they transitioned from solid matter to shining rays of light, protectively enveloping the three of them in an ethereal cloth.
Kaga was doing the same with her planes, but instead of recalling them to protect the skies above their heads, she sent them further behind to cover the course of a certain Vichya destroyer as she sailed away from them as fast as possible, carrying the two Iron Blood heavy cruisers with her. Kurama was standing next to her, his nine scabbard-barrels hovering above him in a semi-circular formation and his tails flailing in anticipation; he already had two of his katanas in hand and was eager to engage the enemy.
He didn't need to wait much longer.
The mass-produced vessels came into range and opened fire. Jean Bart and Massachusetts responded with their own as they sailed together toward the left flank of the enemy fleet.
Only two battleships against an entire Siren fleet would be suicide, so the two shipgirls were forced to take an indirect course to engage the enemy, drawing their attention upon themselves, performing evasive maneuvers, and returning fire all the while.
The situation wasn't sustainable for long, but Emperor and Chaser came in clutch. Their returning aircraft caught the Siren fleet in a pincer attack as they engaged the drones in the sky right above their heads, forcing the vessels to split their attention between the two battleships and air defense.
Meanwhile, the group of Executor-class had detached from the fleet to meet the Kansen head-on. Kurama and Kaga did the same, charging ahead to intercept them before they got too close to Helena and the others.
The male Kitsune drew first blood, ducking under the blast of a Tracker before decapitating her with a swift slash of his blades. A Breaker aimed her multiple barrels at him, and he was forced to jump out of the way before the barrage of laser beams turned him into a colander.
The shipboy took a stance, ready to retaliate, but an explosion of blue fire enveloped the Breaker before he could leap at her, frying her system and reducing her flesh to charcoal.
Kurama sent a sideways glance at Kaga, who responded with a smirk. She raised her hand, showing off a bunch of blue paper planes between her fingers, and flung them at the closest Sirens. The three turned into miniaturized models of her planes, burning with the same azure fire as her rigging, before throwing themselves at one humanoid Siren each, which suffered the same fate as that Breaker.
"Four," Kaga declared before backstepping to dodge the assault of another Tracker.
Missing her target left the Siren wide open, and Kurama immediately took advantage of it by swiftly disposing of her with a volley from his rigging.
He returned Kaga's smirk with one of his own. If that's how the white fox wanted to play, then he'd play along. He lunged at the largest group of pawns, eager to even the score… and was left with a handful of air as a purple glow descended from above and cleaved through the humanoid Sirens with a blur before heading back toward the sky.
"For fuck's sake, Freedom!" Kurama bellowed, watching as the purple glow left a trail of exhaust behind him, speeding up toward the enemy fleet.
Freedom was too busy navigating through a flurry of anti-aircraft artillery to respond to his brother. He kept moving forward, pushing his wings to the limit as he flew close to the surface. Once he was in range, he summoned his rigging and let off a flurry of torpedoes into the water before dismissing it and climbing back higher into the air.
After a few instants, the sound of impact reached his ears as the explosions cleaved through the hull of the alien battleship, sealing its fate in a fiery display.
He shifted his focus above his head, where Emperor's and Chaser's squadrons were battling the alien aircraft. He willed his wings into changing configuration once more, aiming his afterburners downward as he climbed into the air vertically, towards the dogfights.
He summoned his secondary guns and let off a flurry of bullets right as an airwing of Grumman fighters was about to clash against a group of drones. He tore through them from below with the speed of a diving hawk, wreaking havoc among their ranks and allowing the allied aircraft to finish them off without the slightest sign of losses.
He kept climbing higher in the sky until he went over the clouds, where he came to a stop, hovering midair as he panted in exertion, letting his engines cool down.
He chastised himself as he tried to bring his breathing back under control; he had spent the entirety of the morning flying around, and he was starting to feel the backlash. Massachusetts and Emperor were right; if he hadn't stopped to rest for a few minutes at their insistence, he would have already collapsed. He was grateful to them, but he couldn't help it; he needed to release all the pent-up frustration accumulated during the days he had been grounded. Moreover, he really wanted to impress his girlfriend, as dumb as it sounded, if only to make up for the awful display he had shown her and the others during the siege of the joint base.
Taking one last deep breath, he let himself into a freefall. As he inexorably approached the surface of the water, he took note of the situation from above.
Massachusetts and Jean Bart had taken positions on the left flank of the enemy formation, bombarding the alien vessels with everything they had, but the enemy escort was making their way toward them, and soon they'd be overwhelmed. At the same time, he looked in the distance, where the hulls of a certain Vichya destroyer and two Iron Blood heavy cruisers could be seen quickly approaching the enemy fleet from behind.
He had to make sure the Sirens didn't notice them by keeping their attention on him as long as possible, and at the same time he had to support the two battleships.
It was time to rev up the engine.
"Incoming!" Jean Bart shouted her warning at Massachusetts and jumped out of the way as a Siren drone dove down on them from above, carpet bombing their position with a flurry of plasma bullets.
Massachusetts stepped to the side, barely avoiding the attack, and turned on her heels as the alien craft traveled over her head and made a sharp turn, preparing itself for the runback.
The Eagle Union battleship raised both her turrets, extending them in front of her. She took a deep breath to stabilize her aim and fired a full broadside, predicting the course of her target and nailing it with her rounds right as it reached the lowest altitude required to attack.
She sidestepped as the now half-destroyed drone crashed into the sea right next to her. The impact lifted a spray of water which clouded her sight for only a moment, but it was long enough for an Explorer to approach her from her blind spot for a surprise attack.
Massachusetts didn't even have time to acknowledge the presence of the Siren that Jean Bart had already leaped into action, slamming the side of her rigging into the Executor-class, breaking her spine, and sending her flying into the drone's flaming wreckage.
"Thanks, Jean," Massachusetts said to her fellow battleship.
"Save it for later; they are coming for us," Jean Bart replied as the sound of artillery going off in the distance forced them to move.
Now that the setback had been taken care of, they could resume their task, which was to draw enemy fire away from their comrades by flanking the Siren fleet and dishing out enough suppressive fire to keep the formation from scurrying around too much. Unfortunately, the most agile of the mass-produced ships were already closing in on them: three destroyers and two cruisers with their alien-looking guns ready and aimed at them.
Right before they could even stop to think of how to take them on, Freedom came down from the sky in the form of a shooting purple glow accompanied by the explosive sound of jet engine. He dove toward the group of escort ships, flying at surface level amidst their ranks and unleashing a flurry of torpedoes in the middle of their formation. The following explosions managed to throw off the mass-produced vessels for a few seconds, and the shipboy exploited the moment to reach for the two battleships with his radio.
"Mamie, Jean! Le Malin, Graf Spee, and Deutschland are getting in position! You two fall back while I hold them off!"
Massachusetts and Jean Bart didn't need to be told twice; if those three were ready, then their job was done. They acknowledged his warning and turned on their heels, speeding up toward their comrades in the back, but not before wishing good luck to the shipboy. He'd be busy for a while, but that meant they had all the time to regroup with the others and proceed with the plan.
As they approached their comrades further behind, they noticed that Kaga and Kurama were still engaging the Executor-class Sirens in close quarters, so they got ready to provide support from a distance. Some of the low-tier humanoids noticed their arrival, and a small group detached from the bulk of their ranks to intercept their course.
"Here they come! Get ready!" Jean cried to her comrade as they took position side by side, readying their guns as they aimed at the approaching pawns… and then they unceremoniously collapsed on their knees, their eyes widening in shock.
The shipgirls looked at each other in disbelief, sharing a confused look of dismay.
"Merde," Jean couldn't help the curse that left her mouth as the Sirens got closer to them with each passing second.
Panic began settling in as they tried to push themselves back on their feet, but their buckling legs had lost all their strength, or rather, it felt as if the rigging they used to wear so naturally had suddenly become too heavy on their backs. They tried to extend their turrets forward from their downed position, but they were completely inert; they even tried to contact their comrades for help, but their comms weren't working.
At that moment, a spot of air in front of them began rippling, its colors slowly shifting until it revealed the figures of two particular Executor-class Sirens—they were Intruders.
Realization dawned on the two shipgirls. The ASD had been developed precisely by reverse engineering the half-destroyed riggings they salvaged from defeated Intruders. A single one of those Sirens had the ability to neutralize Kansen rigging in a small area of effect; two of them had enough power to completely shut them down, especially at such close proximity.
The battleships glared at them. The two Sirens stared back, looking down at them with their emotionless expressions, their jamming devices aimed at them, glowing and pulsing with an intense purple light as they kept them in place.
It didn't take long before the shipgirls found themselves with a myriad of guns and barrels pointed at them, the rest of the Executor-class having caught up with them.
They closed their eyes and braced themselves for the inevitable, but instead of the sound of guns going off, they were surrounded by the distinctive sound of fire crackling.
When they tried to peek, their eyes were blinded by the blue torrent of flames surrounding them. Soon, the smell of burnt metal and flesh reached their nostrils, and the weight that was keeping them down was lifted from their shoulders as their rigging came back to life.
When the flames died out and they stood up on their feet, only the charred bodies of the Sirens and the blackened scraps of their alien-looking rigging remained, floating in the water around them.
With their hearts still hammering in their chests, they looked around for their savior. Their eyes stopped at the blue fireball floating in the air at a distance.
No, it wasn't a fireball; that was Kaga!
The Sakura carrier was standing atop her own rigging, which was hovering many feet above the surface of the water like a magic carpet. Her arm extended toward their position as the last embers of fire snuffed out around them. A bunch of her paper planes were floating above her as her blue eyes shone with an intense light and her tails burned with the same azure flames that had just saved their lives.
Upon seeing her own handiwork, an eerie smile came to adorn Kaga's lips.
"It's time for a deathmatch."
AN: Guess what? This chapter and the next one were supposed to come out as one, but I wrote too much and was forced to split it… again. Fuck me sideways.
Next Chapter: Cornered Prey