Ryan was in his office when the news reached him.

When Admiral Nimitz opened the door with a grave expression on his face, the Commander felt his stomach twist into a knot, which only tightened when he dropped the news.

"The situation's changed, son. I need to get back to my posting as soon as possible," the elder officer declared after he finished explaining.

Admiral Nimitz had arrived along with Chairwoman Tamayo a few days prior, with only Brooklyn as his escort. Given that the humanoid Sirens were loosening their hold around their throat, Nimitz had decided to delegate his duties to his secretary ships—North Carolina and Washington—back in New York Harbor and prolong his stay at Azur Lane to help the Commander with logistics before departing. But now that the situation had suddenly taken a turn for the worst, he was compelled to go back.

Unfortunately, with the Original Sirens now prowling around the sea, Brooklyn alone wasn't going to be enough to protect him.

"I'll... see if I can arrange an escort fleet to accompany you, sir," Ryan said, still a bit dumbfounded.

Nimitz nodded in response, tipping his hat to the Commander before leaving the room.

Alone again, Ryan let out a long breath, trying to compose himself and failing miserably at it. He slammed his fist into his desk with a frustrated cry, which immediately turned into a wince of pain as he cradled his hand to his chest.

"Goddammit…"

News about the Basilica was spreading like wildfire. Around the world, everyone was talking about the fall of one of humanity's most important outposts with alarm and dismay.

His mind inevitably wandered to the lives they had lost. Only dead bodies emerged from the rubble that was the Orthodoxy base, mostly sailors and officers but also scientists and researchers; on top of that, Azur Lane had lost two of their flagships. That single thought was enough to send shivers down his spine, waking him up from a daze like a bucket of cold water.

The Original Sirens were upon them and had drawn first blood on humanity.

However, the people had no idea about it. To the masses, the Sirens that attacked the Basilica weren't any different from the usual aliens that had been terrorizing the planet for years.

It was always like that. Whenever a prolonged period without any major Siren incursion would pass, everyone would grow complacent and accustomed to the relative peace and quiet, only to be reminded of the truth with a harsh wake-up call when the enemy decided to run one of their blasted tests. Only, this time, the enemy came from another world.

From what Nimitz told him, soon a press conference would be held to address the matter at hand and to reassure the people, and Miss Kiyomi had decided to come forward to the council with the proposal of making everything public.

Of course, the council began debating whether that was a good idea or not. Dropping on the people the existence of the multiverse would be admittedly pointless, especially now that the chance of receiving any form of help from the shipboys' world had been squandered. At the same time, though, the situation called for an urgent call to action; preparations needed to pick up the pace, military and scientific efforts would be doubled, and all spare resources would be directed toward the war. The nations would have to justify the hustle to the public since deploying even more troops and reinforcing outposts, facilities, and hotspots was going to cause a huge ruckus.

"This sucks…" Ryan groaned.

"You can say that again."

He turned to glance to the side toward the voice and did a double take at seeing Purifier idly standing next to his desk without a care in the world.

"Howdy, human!" The Elite Siren said with a toothy grin and a wave of her hand.

"P-P-Purifier?!" He recoiled so hard in his chair that he lost his balance and crashed to the floor.

"Hah! You should really see the look on your face! You look like you've seen a ghost!" She openly cackled at him as he desperately tried to find a way to escape.

As he quickly scrambled to his feet, he took note of the situation. He didn't have a weapon and couldn't defend himself, but even if he had a gun, normal bullets wouldn't be of much use against a Siren. If he screamed for help, someone could hear him and come to his rescue, but it was more likely that Purifier offed him before that happened. His only chance was to run for the door, but his desk was in the way. His eyes fell to the open window, where the Siren had probably entered from. It was "only" the second floor, and it wouldn't be the first time he threw himself off a building to escape from an Elite.

"Calm down, Commander. I'm not here to hurt you; we have a truce, remember?" Purifier said, when she was done laughing at his expenses.

Ryan paused in his tracks, baffled. So she wasn't there to kill him; that was a relief.

"What the fuck are you doing here? And how the fuck did you get past the security system?" He asked as he glared up at her, his guard still up.

"Whoa, such hostility... And here I was trying to be friendly for once," she scoffed. "Didn't your parents teach you manners?"

"My parents died during a Siren raid when I was thirteen," Ryan replied curtly, shooting her a glare. "Tell me what you want before I send the entire base after your ass."

"Ugh, you had to make things awkward, didn't you?" Purifier rolled her eyes. "I'm here at Zero's command to deliver you this," she said, throwing him something. "She's the one who hacked into your security system to let me through. If you want to know more, ask her," she added, pointing at the thing when Ryan caught it.

"She?" He asked, perplexed, as he looked down at the object he was holding.

It was a black piece of Siren technology the size of a golf ball. It resembled a bulky, alien smartwatch with a pair of straps to the side. As the Commander scanned it with his eyes, the smooth, flat face lit up, and the hologram of a familiar figure appeared right above it.

"Greetings, Commander Travis. I am TB, your new identification interface digital assistant and navigator," the figure, that resembled Observer Zero too much to be a coincidence, spoke with a deadpan tone. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Silence fell inside the room as Ryan raised a questioning eyebrow at Purifier.

"The heck?"

Back in the Sakura Empire, it was time for the Azur Lane delegation to pack up.

As already decided, Kurama would stay at the Sanctuary for the foreseeable future, offering his help and knowledge to Nagato and the Sakura shipgirls in dealing with the Original Sirens.

Massachusetts and Carabiniere had to return to their posting, and of course, Freedom and Sparviero were going with them. The shipboys would stay on standby at Azur Lane until the return of the search fleet; they would listen to the others' report, and then discuss with Ryan the next course of action.

Since Nagato and Kiyomi didn't have time to see them off, for obvious reasons, Shinano had decided to do it in their stead, taking the chance to thank the shipboys for their assistance. Amagi and Kaga were also there. The only one missing was Akagi, who was more than happy to back out.

"Are you sure you'll be all right just the four of you?" Amagi asked the four Kansen in apprehension. "If you stay a few more days, we can arrange an escort…"

"No need to worry, Miss Amagi; we'll be there in the blink of an eye." Freedom reassured her.

Amagi didn't seem too convinced. "Remember that there's strength in numbers, and with the Original Sirens now prowling around the sea, one should mind their own safety even more than before while traveling."

"Um… Miss Amagi, he meant literally. We are going to be there in a blink," Sparviero intervened.

"About that, what are the chances that you'll end up way off course?" Kurama asked his brothers.

"None. Worst-case scenario, we find ourselves halfway through and will have to sail the rest of the way," Freedom replied.

"I'm not quite following you…" Amagi's confusion was evident.

"It'd help if you stop talking riddles and explain," Kaga deadpanned.

"We are going to warp home," Massachusetts' sudden intervention caught their attention. The battleship had been standing to the side the entire time, arms crossed over her chest and eyes closed in contemplation, and only now she had approached the group. "To be precise, I'll be the one doing the warping."

Of course, such a statement raised a couple of eyebrows.

"You are not pulling our leg, are you?" Kaga inquired, more than a bit skeptical. "Does that mean you've already mastered Wisdom Crafting?"

Massachusetts nodded in confirmation, then began explaining.

"By focusing on my Cube, I can materialize a small radio beacon," she raised her hand for a demonstration, and her red eyes lit up for a second. A moment later, a metal rod-like object appeared in a flash of light into her palm. "By setting it on a certain frequency, I can set up a 'checkpoint.' Then I just need to focus on that frequency to do the magic."

Amagi was astounded, her strategist mindset flaring up in excitement at the implications.

"That sounds… incredible. Did you come up with this yourself?" She asked, observing the device from up close. It resembled a miniaturized radio tower, very similar to the one on the battleship's actual vessel. It was slightly smaller than a baseball bat and slim enough for her to firmly hold it in her hand.

Massachusetts shook her head. "It was by chance. While I was training, I began thinking that the Sirens teleporting around the place like nothing was rather unfair, and I figured it'd have been nice to have something to even the odds," she explained. "Before I realized, one of these things had appeared in my hand."

"So, your Cube reacted to your subconscious and granted your wish. That's truly fascinating," Amagi wondered aloud, then her expression turned into one of concern. "But are you sure it's safe to rely on something like this?"

This time, it was Freedom who answered.

"We've been practicing small-distance leaps back at the base. This is the first time we attempt to cross such a long distance, but it won't be an issue. It'll just be more taxing than usual," he explained.

Just like with Alabama, Massachusetts gaining perfect control over her Cube so soon had been a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. Unlike Alabama, though, it had taken them a while to figure out how exactly the device she had summoned worked and what more she was capable of. Massachusetts could keep only a small number of those active at the same time, and it depended on her physical and mental conditions. Warping also depleted her energy a fair bit; she could bring other people with her, of course, but that also increased the burden on her Cube. Finally, they didn't know if there was a distance limit to her power; coming to the Sakura Empire gave them the perfect chance to find out.

What's the worst that could happen?

At his words, Amagi relented. "Very well. If you are so confident, then you really must know what you are doing. Have a safe trip, everyone," she added with a smile and a bow.

Freedom moved beside his girlfriend and draped an arm over her shoulders, then addressed the group again. "Well then, it's time for us to be off. Kurama, don't cause too much trouble, and Kaga, let us know if he's too much to handle. We'll be back in a heartbeat to tie up his tails."

"Just shut up and go," Kurama rolled his eyes. "Say hi to the others for me when you see them."

"Take care, everyone," Sparviero said as Carabiniere guided him next to the other two. The destroyer grabbed both shipboys' arms and steeled herself. She had already been informed of their idea earlier, and to say that she was skeptical would be an understatement, but she trusted them enough to go through with it.

With everyone set and ready to go, Massachusetts focused on her Cube. Her red eyes lit up again, and with a nod and a smile, the four Kansen disappeared in a blip of light.

Despite expecting it, seeing them vanish in front of their eyes left the Sakura Kansen astonished. When they recovered, Amagi and Kaga approached Kurama with the intent of talking to him, but they noticed Shinano doing the same. The two foxes decided to dismiss themselves from the docks as Kaga threw a glance over to the male Kitsune, who returned it with a nod of his head.

Shinano, thankful for the moment of privacy her comrades granted them, stepped up to him.

"Did you wish to tell me something, Dreamer?" He asked her.

"I just wanted to check on you... But with everything that's happened... I couldn't find the right moment to do so…" Shinano said.

"You don't need to 'check' on me, Shinano; I'm not a kid," Kurama breathed out, turning his gaze away from her and to the ocean. "If it's about me deciding to stay here, there's no need to worry. It's not like I'll get lonely without my brothers or anything."

"Oh, I'm sure Kaga will be more than happy to keep you company… But that's not what I wanted to talk about," Shinano said, the rare display of mirth in her voice eliciting an embarrassed flick of the shipboy's fox ears. "I wanted to talk about Nagato... Your Nagato... I was ready to assume you'd want to hear about him right after I woke up," she added with a more serious and even tone of voice.

Kurama visibly flinched at her words.

It's not that he wasn't looking forward to hearing about his mentor after such a long time. The thing is, Kurama felt entirely responsible for what had happened to him; the guilt and shame of failing to protect him when it really mattered had been eating at him from the inside for a long time. What was troubling him even more than that was Nagato's own perspective on the matter. What if his mentor had come to hate him? If that were truly the case, he wasn't sure he could take it.

With everything that had happened recently, he was able to keep that feeling in the back of his mind, but now, it had inevitably resurfaced. He had been trying to avoid the subject with Shinano, but he knew he'd have to face it eventually. He steeled himself and turned to face the shipgirl.

"Did… Did Nagato-niisama say something?" He tentatively asked her.

Shinano smiled softly. "He said he's proud of you... and he can't wait to see you again."

A huge weight was lifted off Kurama's shoulders as he let out the breath he was holding.

After that, he was more than happy to listen to Shinano recounting the conversation she had with Nagato inside the dream, the shadow of a smile making its way on his lips.

Sparviero's body lost all weight as the ground disappeared from under his feet and his senses stopped working. It only lasted a split second, but it felt like being jerked awake right before falling asleep. His heart skipped a beat when he regained his awareness and realized that his feet weren't touching the ground. He outright panicked when he felt gravity take control of his body as he fell into the water right below him with a splash.

The sound of three more bodies crashing around him marked the landing of his companions.

Next to him, Freedom sprang up to his feet, his hand still holding onto Massachusetts' shoulder.

"Ugh… I don't feel so good," the shipgirl lamented, barely able to keep herself upright as she struggled to fight the feeling of nausea and dizziness assaulting her.

"Hang on, Mamie; I'll get you out of here," he said as he held her up with an arm behind her back.

"Where even is here? Did we make it to the base?" Carabiniere asked aloud, holding a hand to her head, still a bit disoriented; the thick mist surrounding them was making it impossible to discern their surroundings.

The first thing they noticed was that the water was shallow; it was also warm—far too warm for it to be the shoreline.

"Bene, bene, look who's back~"

The group perked up at the familiar voice. Sparviero felt frantic shuffling and water sloshing around them as more voices joined in. Then, realization hit him as he felt Freedom stiffen beside him.

"H-hey there, brother…" Aquila's voice was enough to confirm his suspicions.

"H-hi, sister."

The steam parted like the curtains on a stage to reveal a bunch of shipgirls relaxing in the hot springs, all of them categorically naked.

In front of them, standing proudly in the middle of the tub in all her naked glory, was Littorio herself, regarding them with a smirk; hers was the voice that had spoken first. A few feet behind her, Aquila was leaning over the edge of the outdoor tub they were in, hiding herself under the water as best as she could. Next to her was Yorktown, equally naked and embarrassed. The two white-haired carriers had been discussing aerial maneuvers before the sudden appearance of the four Kansen interrupted their conversation.

"Welcome back, you four," Musashi's voice came next as she greeted them, completely unbothered by the situation. "I trust your stay in my homeland was pleasant." The Sakura battleship was getting ready to enter the tub by washing herself at one of the stools beside the wall. Despite the large curtain of purple fur her tails were forming, they had a perfect view of her exposed back, dripping with water.

"Hey, Mamie, you are back earlier than expected!" Hornet chimed in from the side, waving her hand in greeting, a shit-eating grin plastered on her face.

Freedom and Carabiniere could only gawk in astonishment; all the faction representatives and their assistants had gathered together inside the hot springs, along with a bunch of senior Kansen.

Freedom did his best to avert his gaze, but wherever his eyes settled, there was a shipgirl occupying the spot. St. Louis waved and winked at him, while other, more reserved Kansen simply looked away in embarrassment, trying their best to cover themselves with their towels.

"Looking for some eye candy? There's plenty over here~" the Eagle Union cruiser said, lifting one leg up over the water, her words eliciting amused giggles from some of the shipgirls present.

"Why so embarrassed, amico mio? There's no shame in admiring beauty, so feast your eyes to your heart's content!" Littorio haughtily proclaimed as she moved to stand right in front of them, her arms spread wide in a grandiose gesture.

"I-I-I-I appreciate the thought, ma'am, but this is..." Freedom fought back the urge to stare, his heart racing in his chest as the heat of the hot springs almost got to his head, until his eyes fell on someone visibly upset by their presence.

"Hey! How long are you planning on standing there?! Get the hell out of here, pervert!" Admiral Hipper furiously yelled at him as she held her towel tightly around her chest, her face flushed red with embarrassment.

"Freedom…" Massachusetts gargled beside him; she was on the verge of throwing up.

"Right! Sorry! Godspeed!" He called out his wings, which appeared on his back in a flash of light, grabbed Massachusetts, and blasted off into the sky above the hot springs, leaving behind Sparviero and Carabiniere. A round of laughter spread through the shipgirls, their attention turning to the Sardinian couple.

"My lovely subordinate, how come you're back so early? I figured you'd want to spend some more time in the Land of the Rising Sun," the Sardinian battleship asked her compatriot, her flawless, statuesque body exposed to the elements and dripping with water.

Luckily, Carabiniere was used to Littorio's antics. She saluted her flagship with an impassive look.

"We received the most recent news and decided to hurry back," she declared. "Good thing Miss Massachusetts was there with us; otherwise, it'd have taken us a lot more time to return."

"Uhm, Littorio, why is everyone here?" Sparviero tentatively asked. The poor shipboy was trying to make himself as inconspicuous as possible behind Carabiniere, which was rather difficult with all the eyes he felt on him. He had never felt more out of place.

"Ah, we've just come out of a meeting with the Comandante and decided to take the chance to relax. We really needed it after all that," Littorio replied, her voice switching to a more serious tone and her expression turning sour.

"Why? Did something happen?"

"Nothing much; only Purifier paid us a visit."

"What?!"

"Are you okay, Mamie?" Freedom asked Massachusetts. He was holding her bridal carry, her arms wrapped around his neck as his wings pushed them through the bay of the harbor.

"Yeah, the heat was getting to my head. I'm fine, now. Still tired, though," she replied.

Warping had never been so tiring while she trained it. Maybe it was the long distance, or maybe the fact that she had three other people with her, but she felt completely drained.

"I can imagine. Want me to take you to the dorms so you can rest? I can report to Ryan on my own," he offered.

"One second, please. I want to stay like this a little longer," she said, tightening her grip around him.

Freedom indulged her, slowing down their flight speed to a more relaxed pace until he came to a stop, pointing his thrusters downward. They stood there, hovering midair, feeling the wind blowing on their skin and watching the sun slowly set on the horizon.

Massachusetts hummed in delight. "Mmh, this is nice. Is this what it feels like every time you fly?"

"Most of the time, when I'm not being chased by an airwing of Siren drones, yes," he joked. "If you like it so much, we should do this more often. I can take you for a ride whenever you wish."

"I'll hold you to that," she replied, a note of excitement in her voice. "I love feeling the breeze hit my skin when I'm out to sea. It makes me feel… free."

The two settled into a comfortable silence after that exchange, interrupted only by the gentle humming of the shipboy's wings. While Massachusetts enjoyed the atmosphere set by the sunset, he lost himself in his thoughts as he pondered her words.

"Free, uh..." he breathed out.

"Mmh? Did you say something?" She perked up at his musing.

"Mamie, do you have a dream?" He asked her with a serious tone.

A hesitant look appeared on her face. "Where are you going with this?" She asked him, trying to deflect the question.

"You see, flying has always been my dream; maybe that's why I was granted these wings of all things," he began. "When I first got them, I had never felt freer and happier in my entire life; I felt like I could take on the world... but then I realized I was being delusional. Until the Sirens had control of the seas, none of us would ever be truly free."

"Freedom..."

He sucked in a deep breath as he felt a lump form in his throat. "Before we knew about their ability to time travel, I thought it'd be enough to just wipe them off the face of the planet to end their reign of terror, so we did our best to do what we were born to do—fight and put our lives at risk until all our enemies were destroyed. But then we learned about their time-leaping shenanigans... And then we found out about the multiverse… Suddenly, everything we ever did—all the sacrifices and losses—felt completely meaningless," he halted his rant to let out a frustrated sigh, then his face took on a sorrowful expression. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring down the mood."

Massachusetts had been listening intently, regarding him with an unreadable expression all the while. As she pondered the right thing to say, she decided to throw words aside. She cupped his cheek and leaned forward, catching his lips with her own in a long, tender kiss. The sudden gesture surprised him, but he was more than happy to return it. Soon he recognized the sweet taste of licorice she liked so much filling his mouth as their tongues began twirling around.

When they broke off, she peered into his purple eyes with an inquisitive look. "Does that mean you gave up on your dream?"

Freedom pursed his lips and averted his gaze from her, but Massachusetts quickly caught his chin, forcing him to look at her again.

"I don't have any dreams, but I do have the power to grant them," she stated with a serious tone. "I'm asking you, do you have a dream for me to grant one day, or not?"

Losing himself in her hypnotic, red eyes, he could do nothing but answer from the heart.

"I want a sky free of Sirens to soar to my heart's content," he declared.

She smiled warmly at his words, satisfied. She moved to lean in for another kiss, but before they could join lips again, he changed his grip on her form, eliciting a surprised gasp from her. He was now holding her up with his arms wrapped around her back, their bodies tightly pressed together. He could feel her voluptuous curves squishing into his chest, her arms wrapping around his neck for support. Their feet were dangling into the void below them as he held her in a secure grip and peered intently into her red eyes.

"I want to take you with me; I want to feel the wind together as we travel the world—mine, yours, whatever—I want you to be with me forever," he declared.

His words left her speechless for a moment, her thoughts running wild, and her heart beating faster. Though it only lasted a few seconds, she knew exactly what her answer was going to be.

Seeing her hesitation, he tentatively added, "Do you?"

Her reply was another, even more fiery kiss.

"Wow, this stuff's delicious! Hey, head maid, bring me some more!"

Belfast's smile faltered ever so slightly at Purifier's haughty tone of voice.

"Hey, what's that look for?! Isn't this what you Royal bootlickers like to do? Hurry up, I'm tHiRsTy!" The Elite said, waving around the empty cup of tea in her hand.

The Commander raised his head from the report in front of him to remind her that Belfast wasn't at her service, but before a word could leave his mouth, the alien-looking wristwatch next to him came to life. TB's miniaturized projection appeared, hovering slightly above it.

"Purifier, I feel obliged to remind you that your vessel does not require any kind of sustenance. Not only does your assertion lack any kind of foundation, but your remarks are also unnecessary and inappropriate for the current circumstances. I'd advise you to stop expressing them," TB stated matter-of-factly.

Shoukaku couldn't help the chuckle escaping her lips before she cleared her throat and focused back on her share of paperwork.

"Are you sassing me, TB?" Purifier raised an incredulous eyebrow at the AI.

"She just told you to shut up, and you better comply if you don't want me to make you," South Dakota growled.

"Whoo, I'm shaking in my boots," Purifier openly mocked her, but the battleship simply stood there, behind Ryan's desk, glaring daggers at the Siren, like she had been doing the entire time.

All things considered, the news of Purifier's arrival had been well received by the Kansen of Azur Lane… When Ryan had summoned the representatives to the meeting room, they had almost jumped her the moment they saw her. Things hadn't escalated only thanks to his intervention, but also because the focus had quickly shifted to the most important matter—the Original Sirens and the loss of the Basilica.

The representatives had reacted similarly to the news, but of all those present, the most affected were, of course, Peter Strasser and Prinz Eugen. While the carrier had barely kept her composure, the heavy cruiser had to quickly excuse herself from the meeting in a rare display of emotion and vulnerability, which had earned them the empathy of all the other senior Kansen. If those two had reacted like that, Ryan couldn't help but dread Hood and Dunkerque's reactions when they learned what happened to Bismarck and Jean Bart.

Ironically, the display hadn't failed to elicit a mocking laugh from Purifier, which had promptly been shut down by Littorio with a backhanded slap to her face.

The bruise was still very much present on the Siren's cheek.

In the end, Ryan had to call off the meeting to give everyone some time to relax and cool off before continuing. Meanwhile, he'd retire to his office to deal with the other matter—TB's presence.

There were mixed feelings about the AI. The fact that she resembled Observer Zero so much was off-putting, but he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, just like he had done with her programmer.

In TB's own words, Zero had been working on her code for a long time, studying human behaviors and interactions to insert them into her program. She was supposed to be a Siren just like Purifier, Tester, and the others, with a replaceable body and a mainframe, but her job would have been to support humanity and the shipgirls as a direct ally. Unfortunately, fate had made it so that by the time the Original Sirens had arrived, Zero had only managed to barely finish TB's software and was forced to transfer her to a portable hardware as a last resort.

"You were saying, TB?" Ryan addressed the AI, who switched her attention to him again.

"I was underlining Purifier's ineptitude to properly conduct any form of socially acceptable interaction…"

"Hey, what are you trying to say?!" Purifier exclaimed.

"I think she called you dumb," Shoukaku said from the side.

"Hey!"

"Not that, TB... The other thing," Ryan said, resisting the urge to facepalm.

"Oh, right. I have reason to believe that the Original Sirens have raided your biggest storage and research facility to replenish their numbers before their attempt at taking over the planet."

"Hah! They must have been quite displeased when they found out that we threw their precious Cubes around the globe for humanity to find out," Purifier interjected, laughing hysterically. "Of course they are going to want them back to replenish their forces."

"Why am I not surprised in the slightest to know that it was you guys all along who made us find the Cubes?" Ryan brought a hand up to his head to knead his temple. "Wait, can't they just make more of those now that they've captured the seed? Why waste time and effort going after the ones in our possession?"

"You can't just make a Wisdom Cube, Commander. The amount of data and energy required to synthesize one from nothing goes beyond human comprehension and into the realm of ultra-advanced quantum metaphysics. It's much more convenient for them to take back those scattered around the globe. Not only that, but with the seed at their disposal, they can reprogram the mass-produced vessels and the low-tier humanoid units to follow their orders. I wouldn't be surprised if they had deployed them specifically to attack the Basilica," TB explained.

That was another particularly difficult argument to breach—the downfall of the humanoid Sirens and the capture of the seed at the hands of their counterparts. The only consolation was that Zero had managed to disable the time leap protocol, and there wasn't any risk of the Original Sirens running away and further damaging this world's already messy timeline situation.

Ryan clenched his fists at the thought of the Original Program. Things could have gone differently if only Zero had accepted his proposal to work together, and he couldn't help the anger rousing from within him.

Well, at least she had gone out of her way to send them TB; he had to give it to her, though he would have happily done without Purifier in the package. Having an Elite strolling around the port wasn't exactly a wise idea. The alternative was to have her loiter in his office, under strict surveillance, of course.

Because of that, South Dakota had demanded she be there with him the entire time, and so had Belfast and Shoukaku. The battleship always stood within arm's reach of him, not peeling her eyes off the Siren for even a second.

Purifier didn't seem too bothered by the shipgirls watching her like hawks. She was rambunctious to the point of being insufferable, her attitude testing the nerves of all those present. Them being sworn enemies until merely hours ago wasn't helping either.

If the shipgirls were barely containing their hostility with her around, he didn't dare imagine how the shipboys would react.

As if on cue, a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts, followed by a tired but still jovial voice. "USS-Freedom reporting for duty, Commander Travis!"

Much to Ryan's disbelief, Purifier was the one who gave the go-ahead before he could even utter a word.

"Enter!" She Siren shouted.

The door opened to reveal the figure of the male Kansen in the door frame. The man was about to greet those present, but then his gaze fell on the Siren sprawled on the couch next to the coffee table.

"Look who it is! It's been a while!" Purifier nonchalantly waved at him.

His smile was immediately replaced by surprise first, then incredulity, and then by a murderous scowl.

It took less than a second for Purifier to find herself with her back to the floor and her neck between two of Freedom's wingblades, staring into one of his thrusters with a crazy sneer on her face.

The only thing that stopped him from decapitating her again was Ryan.

"Freedom, wait!"

The male Kansen stopped in his tracks, raising a questioning eyebrow at him, and then his gaze fell on the hologram atop the desk.

"Greetings, male Kansen. You can call me TB. You may want to sit down and listen to your friends. There's a lot to talk about."

His eyes scanned the room, switching from one pair of eyes to the other, but they all simply shrugged.

"The hell?"

Nagato was sitting on a wooden floor chair in the same room where he had woken up. The hospital machinery had been removed to make space for more mundane furniture. His complexion had gotten better, and he wasn't as gaunt anymore. Ingesting proper food instead of the IV fluid helped return his hair to the lustrous sheen it had before.

The news of his recovery had stirred quite the ruckus, both among the Sakura ranks and the other factions. Formal letters of regards had come pouring in from all over the world: foreign dignitaries, high-ranking officers and Kansen, all wishing him a quick recovery and good health. Some of the Sakura leaders had even come to visit him personally, dispensing their apologies for the treatment the former regime had given him and his subjects.

Rehabilitation would take a while, but him being a Kansen meant it wouldn't take as long as a normal human. For that, he was grateful, given the importance of the stuff he had to do. As soon as he was able to hold a pen in his hand, he personally wrote a letter to Azur Lane headquarters. He had decided not to delve too much into details so soon, lest they dismissed his words as the ramblings of a newly awakened coma patient… which he was, to be fair. His letter simply aimed to make clear the urgency of the affair he wished to discuss, and now he was waiting for their response.

In the meantime, he was trying to catch up with everything he had missed during the time he was asleep, as indicated by the growing stack of old papers next to him.

"Nagato-sama, you have a visitor," the voice of one of the nurses came from behind the door, prompting him to lift his gaze from the newspaper he was holding.

"Let them through," Nagato said, putting the paper away.

A few seconds later, a timid "excuse me" was heard as the sliding door opened to reveal the figure of a man in his late twenties, wearing the Azur Lane uniform and a pair of glasses under short black hair.

"Greetings, Lord Nagato. Commander Liam Carter of Azur Lane, at your service," he introduced himself. His words were cordial and concise, as if he had practiced them multiple times, but the man seemed to fumble as he tried to decide if to perform a bow or approach him to shake hands. In the end, he settled for a salute before dropping on his knees on the tatami floor, keeping a respectful distance from the male Kansen.

"There's no need to be so tense, Shikikan. I don't bite," Nagato joked, prompting the man to clear his throat in embarrassment.

"V-very well, Lord Nagato," Liam said, regaining his composure. "It's good to see you awake and in good health. Kurama told me a lot about you."

Nagato's ear flicked at his words. "You know my disciple?"

"Yes, I was the officer assigned to his group during the search for the seed before the-" Realizing what he was saying, he caught himself in time and hung his head in shame. "Forgive me, Lord Nagato. It was indelicate of me to bring this up." Liam internally grimaced as he chastised himself. The human officer had had a bit of time to mourn and come to terms with the supposed deaths of his friends and subordinates, but Nagato had just woken up. Knowing about his protege's fate must have been a hard hit, but Liam had just mentioned it to his face like it was nothing.

Nagato's lips quirked up in a smirk, and he couldn't contain the giggle that escaped them, much to the officer's confusion.

"Fret not, Shikikan. If what you are saying is true, then you'll be happy to hear me out."

AN: Don't mind me setting these flags over here. I'll pick them up later.

Jokes aside, I don't need to tell you that Massachusetts being able to teleport is just a plot device I came up with for the sake of the story.

There is going to be the need of moving around quite a bit in the future, and there's a limit to how much screentime I can dedicate to traveling scenes without them getting repetitive, so this seemed like a good moment to introduce the "fast travel." Take it just as my way to work around the issue.

Next Chapter: The Seed of Doubt and Discord