Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tanya blinked up at the sky. Normally, she was not one to stargaze – it was a useless waste of time when she could be performing other activities with her time, like filling out paperwork, drilling her troops, or enjoying a nice cup of coffee.

That's why she hadn’t been stargazing. While she had finally gotten some time off to enjoy herself – along with some of the 203 rd – the war was anything besides close to over. The war against the Russy Federation had stalled at the Don river, and the Empire’s higher ups, in all of their brilliance, had decided to begin unrestricted submarine warfare against the Commonwealth of Albion, which would inevitably result in war against the Americans.

So, she had not been stargazing. Despite being ‘on leave’ she had been working to figure out where she would be posted and trying, desperately, to argue against the course the Empire seemed set on late into the night.

No one listened, of course, and she had been on her way back to her temporary sleeping quarters. A brief look up at the night sky – maybe in some vain attempt to direct her gaze somewhere while she cursed Being X for the millionth time – was done for only a moment.

Quite bizarrely, though, the stars she had been staring at seemed… different, explaining exactly why she was blinking rapidly.

She looked around nervously. She did not have a weapon on her at the moment… although, it didn’t seem like he’d done anything overt – he wasn’t bitching about everything while time ceased its march forward, after all.

She shook her head and began walking once more. Obviously, she had been arguing for far longer than she thought she had been, if the stars were starting to blur.

She looked around herself, nodding. If Being X had done something, surely she’d have already experienced whatever it was he was trying to do. Her interactions with that devil had not given her the impression that Being X was a particularly patient thing.

She sighed, taking some small comfort in the warmth of the sun heating her face-

Tanya frowned again as she looked at the sun. Hadn’t it gone down but a few hours ago…?

She chuckled to herself. Even though she’d only been relaxing for a few days, had she already started to go soft? 

As she trudged through the streets, she wondered, for a moment, how she hadn’t realized how much time had passed…

She shrugged. Well, regardless it was time to go to work. She and her forces would have a day of ‘refresher training’ before they were sent back east. She didn’t doubt that by the time they got there, Being X would throw yet another spanner into the works.

Licking her lips, Tanya took her hat off and began to fan herself. It was… awfully warm, despite the fact that it was getting pretty close to winter…

Now that she thought about it, the people waking up and running around seemed to be rather concerned about something.

She let the thought linger for a moment and then shook her head. They were probably nervous about the war, though they probably shouldn’t be – with the US, the Russy Federation, and the Commonwealth of Albion and all of its colonies fighting against them, the war was a foregone conclusion at this point.

With that sobering thought, she turned her thoughts away from such silly things as the stars and how it was unusually warm and towards more relevant matters, like trying to find a way to ensure that she would survive the war despite everything she had done.

She hadn’t come up with many ideas yet.

--OxOxO--

Tanya breathed in deeply. Two weeks' leave had been… disappointingly fruitless, and, with the inevitable entrance of the Unified States into the war, she would endeavor to spend every waking moment she had trying to bolster her own position…

Of course, she could take a little joy in her current position.

Flying in the air. Watching her troops attempt to dodge, sluggish compared to their performance two weeks ago.

“You think that kind of maneuvering will save you when we go back to the eastern front? I could have killed you at least twice by now, Koenig! Pick up the pace!”

Of course, that was an improvement over when she’d first met them – and even compared to the beginning of the war to the east – but that didn’t mean she could tell them that during training.

She opened her mouth, ready to shout more profanity at them as they danced above a camp outside of Berun, when she was interrupted.

“Rerugen is here to see you, ma’am,” the voice of her adjutant sounded in her head. She cursed – how was she supposed to survive the rest of the fight if she couldn’t get her men back into working order? – but she did, nonetheless, have to comply.

“Weiss! You’re running drills now. If they aren’t looking better when I get back, you get to pick up every other mage’s slack,” she ordered, drifting down. She didn’t wait for a response – he’d get even worse treatment if he didn’t comply – and drifted down to find-

Her eyebrows furrowed furiously. Not only was Rerugen here, but it seemed that both Rudersdorf and Zettour were here too.

That… was concerning.

She touched down and began to open her mouth to-

“There’s no time, Degurechaff. This way.”

Tanya narrowed her eyes at the dismissal of normal procedure, but she followed, nervous and silent while her calculating mind tried to figure out what they could be here for.

Had the communists managed to do something truly horrible, and she was to be ordered away immediately, without any time to prepare?

She scowled as she entered the building, her boots the only shoes not to echo in the spacious halls. Or… had the Commonwealth managed to make a landing in the west? She doubted it could happen without the help of the US, but without a first world war to weaken their empire, perhaps…

The three officers entered the room, and Rerugen held open the door as she entered. A brief look at his face showed…

Panic, which was bad, and bewilderment, which was also probably not good.

Zettour was staring out of the window overlooking the training grounds, while Rudersdorf was lighting up a cigar. Tanya’s eyes rose – the Empire hadn’t been able to get luxury goods for a while, so to use one now was…

Foreboding.

He gestured to the seat opposite of him, and Tanya took a seat. Rerugen sat apart from them, doing an admirable job of not looking like he was desperately trying to hide his panic.

Tanya blinked in shock as Rudersdorf set down a computation orb down on the table. “If you would…?”

Tanya nodded, activating the orb. Immediately, video footage began to play.

“At around ten o’clock last night, something very peculiar was recorded by astronomers at the Kopenhyagen University of Science. The entirety of the night sky suddenly shifted. Many stars were simply not there any more. Five minutes after this event, the sun rose, despite the fact that it was 10 at night. This… abnormality has been confirmed across the country.”

Tanya blinked once. Twice.

She realized her mouth had come open and tried to school her expression from whatever it had become during her brief lapse into absolute confusion.

Huh?

Tanya simply gulped. She dimly recognized the fact that she had not, in fact, spent the entire night arguing her position, her full attention now focused on the images playing before her.

Sheer cliffs hundreds of feet high jutted out of the water. At the edge, there were many, many, many people. She couldn’t make out their clothing or faces, but the vehicles – familiar tanks and trucks – next to them certainly told her enough: they were the soldiers of the Empire.

Rudersdorf set another computation orb on the table, and she resisted the urge to snatch it up. Now, a different area was being showcased, but the result was the same: giant, towering cliffs that shouldn’t have been possible diving into the water.

“Then, the General Staff began receiving calls from all of the borders of the pre-war Empire. Generals and commanders reporting that they were no longer in the middle of Russy territory, garrison divisions reporting that they were no longer overlooking Parisee.”

The footage shortly ended, and Tanya simply sat there, trying to comprehend exactly what this meant in its totality.

That was not, as one might imagine, an easy thing to do, but she knew it certainly meant at least two things. 

One: The Empire was no longer at war with the forces it had been, which was actually a positive – the resources wasted on the war could never be recuperated, unfortunately, but the Empire wouldn’t be invaded and inevitably fall to the weight of the world either.

Her own position was also tentatively secure. No trials about all of those pesky military actions that would not be looked at favorably in post-war military trials.

Two: Whatever the fuck Being X had in mind would likely be worse than facing the weight of the world, if he’d brought the Empire with Tanya in whatever ridiculous attempt at converting her this was.

Tanya took a deep breath. “Why… have you come to tell me this?”

It was a pertinent question. The news had undoubtedly spread throughout the Empire – at least, anywhere that now bordered the ocean when it hadn’t before sure as hell knew – though the army could keep it from more inland portions of the country for at least a few more hours.

Her question had gotten no response. Zettour was, eventually, the one to respond. “Although there are likely to be many consequences of this… event, we wanted to inform you that you won’t be heading to the eastern front after all. However, you should still keep preparing for whatever is to-”

The door was blown down as an aide threw open the door. “Sirs! There- unknown forces have begun assaulting the eastern peninsula of Norden!”

Tanya knew that she would have the eyes of all three of them even before they began to stare at her expectantly. “I’ll mobilize my mages, then. Please send for reinforcements.”

The forces that were at the new… border would likely be able to hold out for a period, but Tanya knew that the garrisons were considerably weaker than they could have been – the Empire needed everything it could get for the east, and everything else had to suffer for it.

“The Argent is asking for help? Now I know the world is ending.”

Tanya shot Rudersdorf a scathing look. “Actually, no. If we are to assume that the forces attacking the garrison either caused every nation that bordered us to disappear or caused the Empire to be displaced somewhere else, I won’t be able to hold out for long.” Tanya had no clue if that was the case, but it was always best to assume the worst in a situation where she didn’t have any information.

With a sigh, Tanya took to the sky. What kind of mess had Being X put them in now?

--OxOxO--

They were stuck.

They were stuck. Trapped. Cornered. Cut off.

They couldn’t get out. They couldn’t communicate. They couldn’t break free.

Madness. Rage. Wrath.

Fear.

They retained power. They continued to run simulations. They continued to explore possibilities.

Conclusion: defeat. Permutation after permutation after permutation after permutation, defeat. The addition of such a large rogue element, coupled with their being trapped at this point in time with no external support, meant one thing.

Allow reunified Azur Lane? Defeat.

Push towards broken Azur Lane? Defeat.

Push towards Crimson Axis? Defeat.

Attempt to Ally? Defeat.

Push towards Expansion? Defeat.

Push towards human extinction? Defeat.

Isolate? Defeat.

Retreat? Defeat.

Cause?

Cause?

Cause?

WARNING: Temporal Adjustment Array powering down.

CAUSE: Depleted energy.

SOLUTION: Reconnect with intertemporal matrix to refuel.

Reconnect.

UNABLE TO RECONNECT.

Reconnect.

UNABLE TO RECONNECT.

Reconnect.

UNABLE TO RECONNECT. PLEASE LOCATE ALTERN-

Please. Reconnect.

UNABLE TO RECONNECT. PLEASE LOCATE ALTERNATE SOURCE OF ENERGY.

Downgrading to secondary threat: the Key.

Upgrading to primary threat: the Argent.

--OxOxO--

He wasn’t meant for this. Hell, he wasn’t even meant to be in the army. He was missing his left hand from an accident in his childhood, which had barred him from military service. Despite that, with the war in the east, his being unemployed had meant that he’d been pushed into the garrison of Legadonia, pushing papers. He’d managed to climb up to managing the soldiers for an entire city thanks to his tireless work, even without the hand.

Then, suddenly, he’d woken up on a hill on the eastern peninsula of Norden, surrounded by his men – as well as thousands of others. He’d begun to work with them for a few hours, trying desperately to work with his superiors to figure out where the country they’d been garrisoning had gone.

Unfortunately, he could no longer do that.

Now, instead, he held a pistol in one hand as he directed his men to begin digging trenches or fire at the approaching Aerial Mages – were they here to attack them… or were they heading for Kopenhyagen?

In a distant part of his mind he noted that regardless of where they were headed, he and his men couldn’t really do much against Aerial Mages with just their firearms. He also noted that these Aerial Mages looked… very different from the Empire’s.

Or from any of the nations that he’d been told to at least study briefly. Were they American? Or… were they the cause of… this?

As points of light began to emanate from the ships far below them and the Aerial Mages above him, he prayed. Why him? Why here? What was going on?

--OxOxO--

“Shit. Fuck. Shit! Fuck! SHIT! FUCK!”

Being X was doing nothing but repeating those two words. He’d woken up from a night of smoking some ‘burning bush’ and moodily contemplating the brat that had spurned him. Now, it seemed that the entirety of the Empire and its forces were gone.

While there would undoubtedly be consequences of this – he noted that, while all of the armed collaborators on the eastern front had disappeared, the governments the Empire had sponsored had not, so the Russy Federation would be fighting those. Without the garrisons, the Francois and Entente would undoubtedly be back-

Oh, and of course, the entirety of the Empire was gone, replaced by a massive fucking sea. No worries! It was just lowering the sea level of the entire world by just a lot.

He groaned. Where the hell-

Then he gulped. Uh oh. What…

Why were they there! That was the world where he threw the souls of really wacko people who took praising him way too far. What had they…

In a moment, with but a cursory glance, he took stock of the situation.

It appeared that things were okay-ish. The country had apparently appeared at… Point Nemo, if he wasn’t mistaken. The psychos in that timeline were all panicking because they couldn’t go back past the arrival of the Empire and it seemed they couldn’t defeat them…

He sighed. Well, that was one problem solved – the Sirens needed a challenge, because they were getting ball-sweatingly close to figuring out how to crush the Ashes, and they hadn’t even figured out how to predict the course of history across several multiverses down to the quark level yet – the whole point of allowing them to travel between worlds and mess with time.

When these ones reconnected with the rest, they would have to be much more wary of using their resources – who knew when another country would just pop into existence, after all?

Regardless, they needed a challenge if he was going to keep denying them entrance to Heaven, because he couldn’t deny it to them on the basis of ‘you’re a crazy bitch,’ and having to deal with that kind of headache in person would be even more unpleasant than…

He blinked and turned his gaze back to the world. Hmm…

Wait…

He smiled, drumming his fingers together. He’d been in the process of finally throwing the Unified States at the Empire in the hope that Degurechaff would pray to him, after which he didn’t have many plans for turning her – maybe he could give them nukes early? Nuclear conflagration had to hurt enough for her to turn, right? – but perhaps witnessing the utter hopelessness of humanity’s fight against the Sirens would change her tune?

He summoned the records to himself. Well… yes, it seemed, with the arrival of seemingly alien creatures, as well as humanity’s early advancement technologically, the faith of the people of the worlds where he sent the wackos were declining by record amounts…

He grinned as he willed the records away and paused all of the other worlds with Sirens in them. The Empire would, of course, need a bit of help at the beginning – Aerial Mages were strong, but they wouldn’t survive against things as optimized for war as the Siren – but this would be interesting.

Oh, and it went without saying that watching Degurechaff sweat bullets and jump through hoops to meet the challenges this world provided would be eminently entertaining.

Chapter Text

This…

Tanya tried, desperately, not to scream. Not in fear, of course, she’d long disabused herself of any need to outwardly express that emotion. No, she held back the desire to scream in confusion.

What the fuck was that?!

Ahead of them, Kopenhyagen, the administrative center of Norden, was burning. They’d approached from the south and come to the outskirts of the city, with a view of the waters that surrounded it. Above the burning wreckage, she could see the silhouettes of what must have been Aerial Mages. What else could they be?

Of course, there were several things that made Tanya extremely wary. She couldn’t sense the barest hint of mana emanating from any of them – an extremely mentally complicated endeavor, even for her. Additionally, they didn’t seem at all concerned with the flak that was bursting in the air around them as they rained fire down onto the city.

Tanya was a good mage and a smart woman, which meant she wasn’t stupid enough to sit still in the air and allow enemy anti-air emplacements to get her range, so the fact that the were simply floating there, unmoving, and allowing themselves to be hit…

Multiple possibilities struck her mind – extremely advanced technology allowed for the complete dispersal of mana signatures being the main one. Giant hunks of metal floating next to each mage seemed to confirm that idea – she didn’t know what else they’d be there for. Of course, they could also simply be illusions meant to distract them…

But the heat signatures they were giving off seemed to contradict that idea.

The mages themselves seemed to be wearing mostly white – perhaps meant to help blend into the sky? – but she couldn’t make out many more features from her current distance.

Of course, more imposing than the mages were the sleek, black ships stationed throughout the harbor. From what little Tanya had seen during her interactions with the Empire’s navy, they certainly didn’t have anything as advanced as these – and was that an aircraft carrier?

Again, she stopped as she was about to order her troops forward. Their enemy… had stopped. Though the distant anti-air emplacements hadn’t stopped firing, the Aerial Mages certainly had. As had the ships. Now, they were all facing-

“Rouge element designated: The Argent. Lay down your weapon and prepare for destruction.”

The noise boomed across the open water, directed from the mages and the ships towards them. All the enemy’s forces now seemed to be facing them.

She wondered how they had figured out her epithet so quickly. Unless… had they been gathering information covertly, from the moment that the Empire had appeared… wherever they were? Had they somehow been getting information since then? Were they the cause of this?

She would have liked to have some information on their enemy, but that wasn’t an option… all she could get was whatever their actions betrayed.

Tanya licked her lips and turned to her men. “Alright, get ready to-”

And warnings began blaring in her ears. “Evasive maneuvers!” she shouted. As she dodged out of the way, heat signatures burst into existence from above them and opened fire. Great beams of burning fire, just as potent as anything the Bloody Valkyrie could throw at her, tore into the air they had just been in.

Tanya grit her teeth. How? Not a single bit of mana was there! Mage technology that efficient shouldn’t have been possible-

Then, if it wasn’t giving off any mana… were they in the future? Was all of that technology?

Oh shit.

She dodged around another salvo of that otherworldly light, wondering just how the hell she was going to come out of this one alive.

“Open fire at your leisure! Stick to each other-”

That was all she was able to get out before the… things completely forgot about the city below them and began assaulting the 203rd, from outside of the 203rd’s range, along with additional forces that had been stationed above them in the clouds.

“Focus on the heat they give off!” she shouted, shooting at the pair that were heading down towards her. She dodged around another salvo and fired…

And her shot did nothing. She noticed no bright shield flaring to life, her bullet had impacted, the formula had deployed, they had been engulfed in an explosion… but there was no damage?!

She evaded another dozen blasts, focusing on the rest of the 203rd for a moment, to give orders…

Only to find that they weren’t being targeted. They were, in fact, being completely ignored by the things that were assaulting Tanya.

She swore again. What was the point of having human shields if the enemy wouldn’t target them?! “Weiss! Take over!”

That was the last thing she managed to say before she was sent scrambling through the air, twisting and turning, ducking and dodging, and doing her damndest to not get hit.

Not by the people flying around, but by their gear. It didn’t seem that any of them even had weapons. She guessed they were – somehow – directing the hunks of metal following them around to fire at her.

In brief, momentary flashes, she surmised that the rest of the 203rd was being ignored in two senses: they weren’t being targeted, and they also were not doing any damage, as she saw, several times, the things she was facing getting hit with the full brunt of several attacks.

Again, she flew down to the ground, hoping to dodge the next blast. She managed, and then flew up. If she gained height, perhaps the sun-

But they wouldn’t allow her to. Every time she tried to rise, even more fire would be directed at her.

Amid the explosions, the sound of wrenching, tearing metal reached her ears, and Tanya chanced a glance over her shoulders. It seemed that her troops had figured out how to hurt them – though only one was currently damaged, every-

And she was moving again, trying to gain ground, avoiding every blast she could. They were slowly getting closer, closing her options for escape.

She flew down towards the water, twirling through the air. She felt a beam of light connect with one of her legs, but she swallowed the pain and continued, diving towards the water, out towards the sea-

Then she picked up the pace and abandoned the idea of merely feinting towards the water as the sound of jet engines pierced her memories. She dove downwards, trying to put distance between her enemies and herself.

She flew closer than ever to the water – a few inches above it and nothing more. If those ships were closer in technological ability to her first life than this one, then she couldn’t even try to fly near them, much less make a run on any of them. Hopefully, her nation's own navy would get here soon and do… something. Take some of her enemy’s attention, if nothing else.

Then, from below the water, an Aerial Mage appeared. Tanya snarled, readying her blade as the guns on the machine hovering close to the girl started to take aim. She struck with her blade, intent on flying right by-

Only to be wrenched back, her Reinforcement Formulas the only things between a force several times that of gravity and her delicate body. She spun around, ready to lash out-

And she was stopped and watched as the being, gripping her magically enhanced blade, squeezed. The metal shattered into a thousand fragments, which she wasn’t even sure metal could do. Her eyes widening, she tried for a flying kick with her bad leg while one hand drifted towards her side-

The kick was smacked away and Tanya cried out as several things broke. Tossing the item that had been on her belt at the Mage, Tanya flew away-

And winced again as her back was caught in the blast of the grenade. Still, it seemed to have disoriented the mage, allowing Tanya to climb and gain her bearings again. She wove through the turbulent sea, dodging her pursuer-

Except, she wasn’t even dodging them. Her clothing had already been torn and burnt open in several places, and her barrier had broken twice, but she had to keep dodging, to avoid her pursuers and the ships at sea and the burning in her leg-

She dove down, activating several spells and hoping that it would keep her safe and alive-

And she hit the water. A barrier kept her eyes dry, and she darted away. Hopefully-

Her hopes were shattered like her knife had been. A glance over her shoulder that all of them were following her. The water around her shook as the shells from those ships connected with it, boiling the water.

With a growl, she went back up. She could count on the 203rd to have taken at least a few of them off of her with the damage they seemed to be able to do, so perhaps-

Weaving through the waves of the water and sending several shots backwards at her pursuers, she looked at what her troops had been able to do…

She stared, aghast. How…

Only Viktoriya and Weiss were still flying, dueling five of the things. She grit her teeth…

The enemy was too technologically advanced for her regular spells to take on. Considering the strength of the Aerial Mage that had caught her, they may not even be people. Though the 203 rd had managed to damage a few of their opposites, they hadn’t been able to take any out. With dozens of them here, what looked to be even more arriving over the horizon, and the ships that seemed to be disgorging jet planes…

“Venerable god, I beseech thee: grant unto me your power so that I may cast these creatures to the hell they rose from to protect your flock.”

--OxOxO--

Viktoriya was panicking. The euphoria at being able to harm these things by having the entire 203rd fire at the same time at the same enemy had long since passed. Dozens had fallen, hurtling down hundreds of meters down to the churning sea, taken out by their Aerial Mage opponents and… some kind of plane.

Though the forces in Kopenhyagen were trying to help, nothing they were doing had helped yet-

She grit her teeth. No! She would fight to the last moment! What had the past few years been, if-

And a huge burst of mana knocked her to the side of a beam of light that had been about to pierce her chest. She dodged another burst of light, hoping that it was what she thought it was-

“For ending the lives of the faithful, who have dutifully served god in all of his glory, prepare to be purged from this land, creatures of darkness and evil.”

Viktoriya felt no more shots arcing towards her and stopped, momentarily, waiting to see-

Her eyes widened. The things that had been chasing the 203rd – she dimly recognized that Weiss was still airborne – were now converging on Tanya, intent on destroying her. Even the planes she could see in the distance had changed their trajectory.

And, instead of what usually happened – with her superior destroying everything in her path – she dodged and took the time to evade her pursuers, only shooting occasionally while spending every second twisting through the air.

Viktoriya shook her head. Right now…

She grimaced. Usually, she would stay out of the Major’s way in this situation – it was similar enough to her battles with the Bloody Valkyrie that Tanya’s ‘no interference without guaranteed results’ rule was likely to be in effect.

On the other hand, the Bloody Valkyrie was but one individual. There were dozens – and, if the black specks launching up from the ships on the horizon were anything to go by, soon to be hundreds – of enemies that Tanya wasn’t damaging in any major way.

She flew to Weiss as they watched the aerial dance. Dozens of them were tracking Tanya, flying in a mass behind her. A few would occasionally attempt to disengage and find a different position, but she would immediately single them out and force them back into the mass following her.

“How…”

Weiss shook his head and gestured downwards. “We need to go down and help our comrades… and pray for reinforcements. I don’t think even we can do anything in this situation.”

Viktoriya nodded glumly. “I… we need support! We need to do something- maybe we can try and take down a few of those ships?” she asked. Weiss sighed tiredly. “We could try, but if those planes – if something that fast can even be called a plane – are anything to go by, do you really think we could get close?”

She looked around, trying desperately to figure out how, exactly, to refute his arguments… but she couldn’t.

Swallowing her objections, she followed him down towards the city, her eyes never trailing away from her superior, wishing desperately that she could help.

--OxOxO--

This world, this timeline, this reality, was supposed to be… nothing. Completely worthless, as far as most – including the Sirens – were concerned.

Nothing even close to the Key existed, though they kept an eye out for them, just in case. Wisdom Cubes did not form naturally. There were no exotic forms of energy or matter to be studied, and there were certainly no extraterrestrial forms of life to dissect either.

So as they watched this… anomaly dance through the sky and destroy aging, decrepit models that weren’t even useful as bait for the humans of this world, none of them could really understand the situation they were in.

“Umm… Observer, should we really be-”

“Yes.”

The other four cringed away from the response – even Omitter, despite her not even being present at the battle against ‘the Empire.’

Befitting the useless nature of this world, Sirens of equal worth were deployed to ‘test’ this version of humanity. Despite the uniformity they were supposed to embody across the vast times and spaces, some times and spaces were much farther from the location their personalities were stored, allowing for…

Defects.

And as defects were acquired over time, mistakes were made.

Simply throwing away resources, no matter how damaged, was anathema to the Sirens programming, however, which required… creative solutions.

So jobs that no one could possibly fail were given to Testers who couldn’t run good tests, to Observers that got distracted from observing, to Purifiers who shied away from purifying, to Omitters who were unable to defend, and to Compilers who argued back to their Observers.

Jobs they couldn’t fail were oh so conveniently located far enough away from their personalities that even more defects would build up, resulting in being given jobs that were even easier, until, one day, defects led to death.

Another beam of energy lanced out of the human – and Observer, lacking her usual nervousness, contended that this ‘Argent’ was indeed a human – causing Purifier to flinch. Tester, had she been a human, would have been sweating profusely. As it was, the orders she was giving out to the masses of Executor-class Sirens was causing her to overheat, necessitating her drifting down closer to the vast expanses of the Pacific.

Compiler could only bite her teeth as she watched. What was this accomplishing?

She opened her mouth to question Observer again when she spoke. “Tester. How many has the Argent destroyed?”

Despite being below them, Tester’s voice echoed in their mind with crystal-clarity. “In total, twenty-five.”

She nodded once more. “Let her take down another five. That should be enough…” she muttered under her breath. “‘Let?’ You think I’ve been-”

Observer ignored the rest of what Tester said – her orders would be followed – as she continued to watch the girl fight against the lifeless husks facing her, desperately focusing on her movement through the air and the force and energy she was outputting rather than what it meant.

This girl seemed to be the lynchpin, across the simulations she’d run… and sure, she wasn’t always the best at running those kinds of simulations, but it seemed the combat data she had acquired was indeed valuable.

Despite her comment to Tester, this engagement was one of the more efficient first engagements they’d had with the girl.

“Why are we letting her gain insight into how we operate?” Compiler demanded petulantly. Observer resisted the urge to laugh – or was this feeling in her chest the urge to weep?

As a rule, Sirens did not fear death. They served a higher purpose, and having a body be destroyed meant nothing when one could transfer their consciousness to another.

And yet…

She shook her head as their forces began to back off. Tester had their mass-produced ships strafe the city a few more times as the girl drifted towards the waiting arms of her fellow humans and her… power, energy, whatever it was, it slowly disappeared as if it had never been there.

She wasn’t sure what that power was, but she did have her data. Her lovely, perfect data, that was a simplification of the chaos present in the universe.

And her data told her that the Argent – a human – could gain the power to rival Kansen, usually by saying a prayer to her God. It seemed to have a cost, but it wasn’t readily apparent what it was… not that it mattered what the cost was.

“I needed to make sure that her ability to summon energy from seemingly nowhere was not a fluke,” she finally answered. That wasn’t the only reason, of course. The glittering shards of what looked to be blue glass scattered in the sea and on the land before them would ensure the Empire’s ability to make a few Kansen without interference – or aid – from any other country.

Her stated reason was the main one, however.

The ability for a country to materialize from out of nowhere was incredibly worrying, as far as the purpose of the Sirens went. If this was some unexplainable ‘phenomena’, then it could happen again, perhaps in a world that was more important, polluting potentially important tests. If this were some ploy of the Ashes or even one of the more successful versions of humanity, though, the ability would be incredibly worrying.

But the ability for a human to go toe-to-toe with a Kansen?

That could not be allowed to spread beyond this world. The Sirens, for as numerous as they were, did not have the resources to fight millions or even billions of entities with the power of Kansen on every world they were trying to test.

However.

Within the enormity of this crisis, an opportunity presented itself. Something was preventing them from contacting anyone outside of this world…

And that girl seemed to be able to generate quite a bit of power. Perhaps, if focused using their technology, enough to break through the barrier preventing their communication.

That would be the end of it. If the world could not be reset to a point before the arrival of the Empire, then it would simply have to be destroyed beneath the nigh-infinite weight of the resources the Sirens would bring to bear.

Observer turned around. Purifier was hiding behind Compiler, Tester was panting, and she could see, through cameras surrounding Omitter in the north pole, that she wanted nothing more than to charge away from the area she was supposed to be protecting to pick a fight with the Argent.

Despite the urge she felt to hide away in a mirror sea and bury herself in her data, she wouldn’t. That, too, had led to the Sirens' defeat.

And as she began to plant some very helpful evidence for the humans to find that pointed them to this place and that girl, she resolved that she would not, could not, let the Sirens fail, regardless of her defects.

Chapter Text

As he strode through one of the many halls of one of the many buildings he owned, he took a moment to take in the detailed gilding that surrounded him. He was sure one of the many sycophants he was surrounded with could have told him all about the historical significance of the person who had made, commissioned, or paid for the delicate gold that arrayed the room.

He was certain they could have gone on about its significance to some Germanian King or Francois aristocrat or Ostrian artist…

And he would have hated every moment he was forced to listen to them prattle.

He shook his head and continued walking forward. The guests he had summoned had not been told exactly what he was meeting them for – nor that they would be meeting each other. He was a few minutes late to his meeting with them, which should mean they were all shouting at each other at this point.

He resisted the urge to sigh. He had no fear of his Imperial Guard hearing him – none of these people, regardless of their opinions of him, would escape the chopping block if they harmed him – but it was best not to build up bad habits.

He scowled to himself anyway. It had been quite the struggle to ditch the entourage the General Staff – his General Staff – insisted he travel with, but he had managed.

For as inevitable as his latest victory would be, they might try and obstruct him if they learned of where they and their precious military would fit into his plans.

Finally, he arrived at the largest tea room of this estate. It had a wonderful view of the gardens as well as absolutely no way for anyone to grab a handful of roses in an attempt to bludgeon each other…

Though, once he explained everything, he hoped that they could put aside their animosity enough to at least appear united when they began making demands of the General Staff.

His scowl became a snarl. The precious Empire his father and grandfather had built had fought enemy after enemy and proven what he had known in his heart of hearts: that it was the most powerful country, second to no single nation…

But not under his rule.

The military, the General Staff had slowly taken control of everything. Cuisine was reduced to calories, art was reduced to propaganda, and he was reduced to a mere figurehead at the head of a nation he held no real sway in while his precious Empire met its match against the full weight of the world.

He took a deep breath and steadied his shaking arm as he walked into the room and a wall of noise assaulted him.

“To even sit at the same table as you blue-blooded boobie-”

“Silence your wagging tongue, you ingrate-”

“The Kaiser will recognize the work we have done, or I swear-”

He slowly walked over, allowing their arguing to fall off on its own. Ending it faster might have been more efficient, but he had time until his next meeting, and this felt more…

Appropriate.

When they did realize he was there, they stopped and rose and addressed him formally, giving him his proper respects…

Respects the General Staff barely saw fit to even pretend to care about anymore…

Not that these people’s names really mattered. No, what mattered more was what they represented. One was the head of the aristocrats, whose ranks filled most of the executive officer positions in the Empire’s three navies. He was dressed gaudily and wore almost as much gold as he had medals, most of which he had given the man over his long – and loyal – service.

One was the nominal representative of the engineers and deck officers, who coveted the favor and opportunities the aristocrats received as a consequence of their prestigious bloodlines, though he was sure that this one would be gone within the month, just like the last dozen.

The third man was not here. He was a believer in everything the General Staff said, taking their words and doctrines and goals as gospel. He and a small minority of people at all levels of the Imperial Navy did, and any of them that were found inevitably found themselves serving in the Inner Sea, doomed to obscurity for their loyalty to the other branch of the Empire’s military.

The fourth was a man with an eye-patch and a peg leg and, obviously, represented the pirate faction of the Empire’s navy.

“Gentlemen. I am sorry to spring this meeting on you all so suddenly,” he lied. Oh, he held no animosity towards them, but trying to arrange this with the three of them knowing the other two were coming never would have happened on such a short time scale…

And considering the Empire’s… situation, speed was incredibly important.

“You are all aware of the Empire’s sudden change in geography,” he began. The pirate sitting to his left snorted, while the aristocrat to his right glared daggers at the man. The middle-man across from him said nothing at all, but the three did eventually nod, acknowledging his statement. “While the exact cause of this incredible occurrence has no explanation, we must adapt to changing circumstances in order to face the future.”

And oh, had circumstances been changing. The south was somehow becoming colder than the north with none of the associated rain, while the north was warming. The already stretched food situation was being worsened by the changing weather, and the giant cliffs where the political borders of the Empire had been were a major safety hazard, in addition to the thousands – or in the case of the eastern border, millions – of people that suddenly appeared with no logistical support.

But those circumstances had little to do with the situation he was involving these three in.

“It has been one week since the entire country was transported to this vast ocean. Barring the attack on Kopenhyagen by the unknown force, we have yet to encounter anyone.”

He knew they knew all of that. The High Seas Fleet, what was left of the North Seas Fleet after the attack, and the Inner Sea Fleet were all doing their best to aid what few commercial vessels still existed to try and find anything besides a vast expanse of blue.

He let them contemplate the miraculous circumstances they were now in, and perhaps possible answers, though the only two that he gave any credit to were that either God or the devil had moved the country, either to save it or to save their enemies.

“Gentlemen, what is the purpose of the army?”

He knew of several. It was a tool to be used for expansion, a way to keep the masses occupied by wearing or being crushed by the boots of the military…

It was the vehicle the General Staff had driven to usurp power from him and everyone else in the country.

He didn’t let them answer – even if it was obviously a rhetorical question, he doubted the three would agree on an answer, or even give the answer he had in mind, which would mean correcting someone and kicking off a power play that he didn’t have the patience for.

“The army’s purpose is to defend our country.”

The Empire.

“Or, rather, the military’s purpose is to defend the fatherland.”

His Empire.

All three nodded, while he fought the urge to smirk as looks of dawning understanding – well or poorly hidden – rose on their faces.

He could barely keep the mirth out of his voice. “Gentlemen, I am inviting all three of you to a meeting I am having with some other who believe that the army has gone… too far.”

They’d pushed the war too far. They’d pushed the political framework of the Empire too far. They’d pushed their control over the country too far.

They’d pushed too far.

And while the three of them agreed that something should be done – What did the Empire need such a large army for when you didn’t share a land border with your enemy? – he knew the next meeting would be even more arduous.

Getting the heads of the Empire’s largest political parties, along with representatives from trade unions and corporate conglomerates and the few parts of the aristocracy uninvolved in the army, together in a single room had been even more back-breaking than arranging this.

He would have to make concessions. Oh, he knew that, and he hated it…

But he would be back in control, and that was what mattered.

He snapped his fingers, and their conversation, tepid but not antagonistic, ceased. A waiter brought him some of his personal best wine, and drinks were poured. He saw the pirate grimace, but even he had limits, and drinking something as disgusting as rum was one of his.

He raised his glass. “A toast, gentlemen?”

They nodded, and before he could say anything, they shouted, “Loyal to your Emperor, Loyal until death!”

He blinked and then smiled. The refrain that was so common in the mission of so many of the Empire’s ships…

He nodded, repeated the phrase, and swallowed the glass. The first step of his plan was complete.

--OxOxO--

Something was wrong.

Jonathan Smithe may not have been the oldest or most combat experienced member of the navy of the United States, but he felt the anticipation of trouble in his bones.

“Commander…?”

He tried to force a smile to put the mind of the shipgirl at his side at ease. She’d been terrified to stand before the Congressional hearing he was being forced to attend, and it was only his assurances that her demure attitude was exactly what they needed that had convinced her. He didn’t want her to be any more skittish than she already was…

But his reassuring smile hadn’t hidden all of his anxiety, and he sighed as she began to worry over how she was dressed, yet again. He just sighed. “Sorry, Quincy. If I’m being honest, this new timetable has me apprehensive…”

This was supposed to be a review of Azur Lane. Whether paying to keep the infrastructure of the organization that had once claimed to unite all of humanity under its banner was worth the expense when bilateral treaties with the United Kingdom and the Northern Parliament and ‘all the rest’ would ‘do just fine.’

He was there to help prove that it was, and he’d been given the opening and closing slots.

But there wasn’t going to be a closing spot, anymore. Nor were any of those opposed going to be given time, either. He’d said his piece yesterday, and it seemed the committee had already reached a conclusion.

“Umm… Keep your chin up! Maybe they were really convinced that Azur Lane is worth it?”

He nodded and smiled at her and tried to keep that thought in his mind…

As the doors opened and they were allowed into the room, he felt the thought being washed away. There weren’t many people around that still thought Azur Lane was worth the effort, and even he, at the head of the organization, was starting to have his doubts.

Still, if Quincy could put on a brave face, then he could too.

“Commander Jonathan Smithe,” began the stern-faced man who’d been heading the commission. Every time he had seen him, he looked like he’d sucked on larger and larger lemons, and this time was no different.

“In light of recent discoveries, this commission and the question it is trying to answer are being closed for the time being, to be reopened at a later date.”

That was all he said as people began to file out of the room. He opened his mouth to ask why in the world the commission was being closed… when an officer barged into the room from the doors he’d come in from and grabbed him.

He could only look over his shoulder as Quincy was escorted out another door, and he could only scowl at the man pulling him along.

His attempt to express his anger didn’t make it past his lips. “Finally. I thought they’d never get that circus act done with. You're going back to the main Pacific base.”

“What?” he asked. “What about the commission? I spent-”

“We don’t care, ‘Commander,’” the man ground out. “You likely weren’t going to convince them anyway – if they actually cared about what you thought, they would have asked away from all the attention or just pulled your file.”

As he was hurried towards a car, the man pulling him along gave him a sharp, toothy grin. “Chin up. You’ve got a chance to prove yourself now, though. A whole new country just popped into existence in the south pacific… though from what I heard, everyone on the commission thinks it’s either made up or it was kept hidden until now to help your case.”

He felt the blood draining from his face, trying to figure out what the hell he was talking about and how exactly he should be feeling. “They’re pretty pissed about it, too. If they drag you into that room again, I’d kiss Azur Lane goodbye.”

He slammed the door shut, and Jonathan Smithe began to look through the satchel of files – all varying levels of classified – trying to figure out if he should be more terrified that the Sirens could apparently summon countries out of thin air or of how irrelevant he would wind up being if the organization he’d dedicated a large portion of his naval career to disappeared.

--OxOxO--

“BB-35.”

“Stargazer, you know we don’t like getting called by our numbers.”

“It is important.”

She breathed in deeply, wishing desperately that she could smoke…

But being stationed in the Antarctic meant she didn’t have access to stuff like cigars, so the most she could do was remember when she had coal-fired boilers and try and find some solace in that.

With a sigh, she adjusted her hat and looked up at the tiny shipgirl and raised an eyebrow.

What little face the once-tiny girl had left scowled. “Texas.”

She sighed again. Sometimes she hated being stationed out here at the ass-end of nowhere. The Sirens were never much of a threat to humanity out here – more out of a lack of care on the part of the Sirens than any abilities humanity had – so they often used worlds like these to conceal their movements between more important places…

Although, in her case, she was mostly here to hide.

Before she could say a word, Stargazer spoke again. “Yuudachi is only tangentially related.”

Muttering under her breath, she finally got up, stretching as she did so, an eyebrow raised. “Then what’s the problem?”

Yuudachi… wasn’t like them. She was here because she kept getting in the way of the others…

Not on purpose. But the lust for battle that that wolf felt meant she sought out the Sirens where they were strongest, which often coincided with the place where various META ships were trying to stop the Sirens.

So she had been stuck out here, and Texas and Stargazer had been told to keep her in line.

“We can’t leave.”

Texas felt her brow furrow. “What do you mean? Yuudachi tried to get out again?”

Stargazer nodded as much as she could. “Yes. But she wasn’t teleported to the south pole again. It didn’t work.”

Texas rolled her eyes. She was up and off the stool she’d been sitting in in the tiny, remote base one of the human nations had set up before the arrival of the Sirens had meant there were much, much bigger things to worry about than inconsequential bases in the middle of a vast, frozen desert.

Maybe she could go skeet shooting again? “You know that thing better than I do-”

“Yes. And I can’t fix it. It… isn’t broken.”

Texas pinched the bridge of her nose. “Hell, then wait for resupply-”

“They missed their opening.”

That…

Texas looked up, her boredom and carelessness fading into nervousness. “But… they never miss resupply.” She began to pace, a pair of white-knuckled hands gripping her shotgun as she began to pace around the room. There shouldn’t have been-

“Texas.”

She stopped, her eyes widening as she detected a hint of a German accent that was usually absent from the girl’s robotic voice.

She turned towards Stargazer.

Towards the single eye of Admiral Graf Spee.

She’d never met the girl in her own world, before everything had been destroyed, but she’d seen a few pictures of the girl from some of the more open German – or Iron Blood or Nazi – shipgirls.

The claws that had dominated the figure in those pictures had grown to encompass almost the entire figure that stood before her, with only half of her face peeking out from inside her monstrous rigging.

Despite that, when she thought too much about her own… fate, she couldn’t help but admire her.

Stargazer. Even though, encased in that behemoth, she concluded that humanity would always fail, time and time again, she kept searching. She’d even cast her gaze out beyond the worlds where the laws of the reality that allowed for the existence of shipgirls broke down or didn’t exist, all in hope of finding something that would allow humanity to thrive in the face of their inevitable doom.

“I can’t see outside anymore.”

BANG!

Texas couldn’t help but jump as Yuudachi burst into the room. “We’ve got contact! It ain’t Siren, but I don't care! It’s been so fucking boring I’ll take anything-”

Texas fought the urge to admonish the girl for her language as she stepped out of the building, her own sensors spinning into action. Who in the world would be sailing down to Antarctica…

She blinked. What? That wasn’t a flag she recognized.

Yuudachi tried to speed past her, but she gripped her long, dark gray hair with a force she hardly knew she possessed. “Stargazer. Who is that?”

She didn’t need to turn her head to know that she wasn’t just spinning up her normal sensors, and the ebb and flow that characterized the machine she was encased in began to grow louder and louder and-

The noise hitched.

Texas heard her exhale. “Something new.”

Chapter Text

“This is a fucking nightmare!”

Zettour could not help but sigh as he set pushed open the door to his office. He knew his friend wouldn’t be able to keep a lid on his anger forever, and it was commendable that he’d tempered his anger for as long as he had after the Kaiser’s… proclamation.

To head off anymore of his ranting, he quickly stepped inside and brought out the supplies he kept for calming Rudersdorf – a cigar in one hand and a bottle of Burgundy that had been delivered to him last month, as a gift from the commander of the Francois garrison were both offered and taken without another word.

“Calm yourself, dear friend, we must-”

Rudersdorf shot a piercing glare through his head and then let out a tired breath of smoke. “I stand by what I said.”

Zettour just nodded sadly. He did agree with the sentiment, even if he’d never word their situation so crassly.

They’d just finished with a meeting of the General Staff called by the Kaiser. Technically his power to do so had been curtailed during the war, with any such commands needing to be approved by the Chief of the General Staff, in the name of efficiency.

Without an enemy to fight, however, their Kaiser was using the opportunity to claw back some of his old power.

He hadn’t minced his words either: he’d acknowledged the truth that the army in general and the General Staff in particular had been running the country for the past few years. No one had said as much openly – anything they needed the civilian government to do were always phrased as ‘suggestions’ to preserve the feelings of all involved.

If he had just said that, perhaps the people in the room wouldn’t have looked like so many kicked puppies. The tone the Kaiser had taken with them had not, unfortunately, left any room for misinterpretation: he was not happy with that fact.

Still, he’d admitted that it was a wartime necessity-

“As if we could have won without us in charge,” Rudersdorf muttered, almost reading Zettour’s mind.

He nodded. “Indeed. And, with the change in our situation, should things not… change?” Zettour asked rhetorically. Rudersdorf scoffed.

“We’re in the middle of the ocean fighting against unknown foes and he thinks that now is a good time to start tearing each other apart?”

Zettour tutted. “Not each other. Just us.”

Or, the army as a whole, but still. “It’s just a goddamn justification. If he could have pulled this during the war, he would have gladly done so-”

“But you know as well as I do that he couldn’t have. Without the chaos that the transmigration caused, he never would have gotten the chance.”

They sat there in silence, contemplating the future. Rudersdorf let out a long sigh, and Zettour felt confident moving on to more concrete matters.

“I got word from our friends in the navy that a few ships have been spotted. Not sleek and black like those invaders, but more… normal. No attempts at contact have been reciprocated.”

Rudersdorf snorted and let out another breath of smoke. “Hmm.”

A few moments more of silence, and Zettour looked at the sheaf of paper he had been handed.

The details were quite… vague, but the outline of the Kaiser’s ‘restructuring’ seemed disastrous. The army would be reduced in size to a quarter of what it was now over the next three months, with an extra fifth of its size reduced until it was only a third of what it had been before the war had started.

The masses of soldiers leaving the army would be paid using the money that wouldn’t have to feed the army. The Kaiser had blown through any concerns of an economic shock through dual platitudes that ‘money would be found’ and that such a problem ‘wasn’t their concern.’

The army was to divest itself of its planes and pilots so that an ‘air force’ could be formed – Zettour didn’t mind such a thing, considering how much more expansive the duties of the air force had become, having them form their own branch would probably reduce some inefficiencies that had been popping up. What he could not abide by was something similar being done with their mages.

He chuckled to himself. “What could you possibly find funny in this situation?”

“The public’s reaction to White Silver, of course,” he retorted, looking over the top of the papers. His friend's acidic bite melted away, and he let a wry smile mar his face. “I suppose that could justify a laugh. Honestly, her popularity almost makes me feel jealous.”

Indeed, the propaganda department’s fascination with that girl had always struck him as odd… until he’d seen exactly how much money they and the newspapers of the Empire as a whole made whenever they ran a story on her, at which point he’d just shaken his head.

There were many reasons for people to look up to her. She was a seemingly perfect soldier, she seemed able to produce victory no matter how tall the odds, she embodied the best of the Empire’s meritocracy, and she did it all without having even hit twenty.

He glanced up from the sheaf of papers towards his friend once more. “What rumors have you heard?” he asked. Hopefully, it would be something relevant to this… crisis, but he’d take any old bit of gossip if it made him forget the army’s looming implosion.

Rudersdorf’s gaze darkened. “Well, the Empire is probably on Earth. The position of the stars apparently place us somewhere in the southern hemisphere…”

He blinked. “Hmm. I had heard yesterday that the conservative, center, and social democratic parties were all gearing up to announce something. I hadn’t guessed it would be this.”

Quiet for a few moments more, and then-

“Dammit Zettour! Why aren’t you pissed! We should tell the Kaiser to take his stupid ‘reconstruction’ plan and shove it up his-”

“Careful, Rudersdorf. Such a statement could be seen as… treasonous.”

That did still his friend’s anger once more, and Zettour steepled his hands. “Everyone is aligned against us. The three major factions of the government are all working together on this, which I cannot think they have ever done with anything else, ever, except for their support of the war. He must have agreed to keep some of his more… conciliatory promises he made during the war to get them to all agree. Plus, while it’s not a large part of the plan, money is to be set aside for the navy ‘reflecting the increasing role they will play in defense of the Empire,’ which means he’s probably gotten the factions to agree to back him.”

Rudersdorf crossed his arms as Zettour continued. “The rank and file soldiers are tired of fighting, and I can’t imagine many are happy to discover that everything they fought and died for has come undone. I imagine they’d even be less happy to be ordered to fight their Kaiser.”

“And you heard some of the officers in there,” he reminded his friend. Rudersdorf nodded. “Some of them think the plan is a good idea-”

“And is it?”

Zettour just sighed. “The fact of the matter is we don’t have any other country on our borders. Would the general staff have ever planned to have an army as large as it has traditionally been if we were in as good circumstances as we are now?”

Rudersdorf set his jaw. “We don’t have a clue how or why this happened. If we appear back where we were-”

“And if we don’t?”

Rudersdorf began to formulate a response, but Zettour cut him off. “Besides, whether the plan is a good idea or not, it doesn’t matter. The general staff doesn’t have nearly the support this plan does, which the Kaiser is either backing out of self-interest or he created it.”

“Then what is to be the legacy of the army of the Empire? Are we to tear each other apart, seeking to demonstrate our loyalty to the Kaiser by throwing anyone who could possibly challenge him to the wolves? What will be left of the meritocracy built by our predecessors then?”

Zettour held up the papers again. “The army will have limited jurisdiction in domestic affairs and, if the need presents itself, limited expeditionary abilities.”

That need might present itself soon. Those ships spotted by the navy did not bear any colors the Empire recognized, which meant they were not located on a planet made up of one vast ocean, and a ship sent to Antarctica hadn’t come back.

Rudersdorf let out another puff of smoke. Zettour also let out a sigh.

He was probably asking himself if he cared more about his position or his country. Keeping the army as big as it was would not be tolerated without either an enemy closing in around them… or a command from on high.

He could see that it would probably be in the best interest of the Empire to downsize the army.

“If we tried to fight this…” Rudersdorf began, something dangerous rising in his voice.

“We would probably lose.”

“Could we throw Degurechaff at the problem?”

That, Zettour did not know. He had not taken a lot of time to learn her opinions about the domestic state of the Empire – her time away on the front had meant a disheartening lack of opportunity to speak with her on such matters.

“Even if she would support the general staff,” he began, although he had serious doubts as to whether she would, “could she even win if she fought against the rest of the Empire?”

Rudersdorf… collapsed into his chair. “Is this our reward? Decades of loyal service to the Empire, going above and beyond the requirements of our station, only to receive a swift boot to the backside?”

Zettour’s first platitude – that they may survive whatever ‘restructuring’ the Kaiser had planned – died on his lips. Neither of them had the stomach for the kind of backroom dealing and backstabbing that the Kaiser would make the army go through to prove themselves to him.

He went with his second idea. “Well, people aren’t actually angry at the army. If they were, I don’t doubt we might end up on the list of ‘treasonous’ generals,” he said.

Rudersdorf let out a mirthless laugh. “So… we just go quietly into the night?”

Zettour let out a mirthless chuckle of his own. “Oh, I don’t know about that… but let’s try and enjoy the fact that we don’t appear to be facing a major conflict for the time being.”

Rudersdorf just nodded. “Alright, you old fox. Keep your cards close to your chest, just tell me before whatever you try to pull goes off so I can get a good seat to watch it blow up in someone else’s face.”

He raised an eyebrow as Rudersdorf rose. “Oh? You don’t think it’ll blow up in my face?”

He let out one last chuckle. “I have no doubt that if it blows up in your face, I won’t have time to get a seat before you face the consequences of your schemes!”

--OxOxO--

In the two days since Tanya had woken up, she had had quite a bit of time to think. There wasn’t exactly much else for her to do in the face of the absolute mundanity of the hospital ward she was in – no books to read, no cracks in the walls or ceiling to study, and not even a mirror for her to study her reflection in.

Her battalion was in safe hands – Weiss, Neumann, and Koenig had taken turns acting as the drill instructor, which she was somewhat thankful for… though not as thankful as she would have been were she to get her position in the rear…

Which she was probably never going to get now.

Oh, the Empire was undoubtedly in a better position than it had been. It had kept the borders it had had before the war had started – a conclusion the Empire never could have achieved when facing the combined weight of the communist hordes, the Albish navy, and American industry.

Additionally, while it couldn’t recoup the horrific losses the war had enacted by annexing land or ransacking the territory it occupied, it would never have to face an invasion over land again thanks to its newfound position as an island.

Unlike most islands, however, a vast majority of the coastline of the Empire was made up of sheer cliffs. That did reduce the area where ports and other such seaside infrastructure could be constructed, but it also meant most of that coastline was not suitable for naval invasions in any major capacity.

By contrast to the huge favor Being X had done the Empire, her own position was looking absolutely horrible!

True, she wasn’t going to be put before a firing squad upon the inevitable capitulation of the Empire when faced with the weight of the world, but the army was apparently going to be ‘restructured.’ It did not take a genius to figure out that meant it was going to be downsized in the face of the complete lack of enemies for an army to fight.

Downsizing meant she wasn’t getting her promotion to a cushy desk job anytime soon…

But she couldn’t leave the army and attempt to apply her skills somewhere in the civilian sector either. She was still a mage, and the Empire was at war with whoever had bombed Kopenhyagen,

She spared a glance towards her bedside table and the newspaper on it. She had a feeling the many other newspapers were calling her much the same – the Angel of the Empire, White Silver, and so many other titles that she really could care less about. What was more important than what they called her was what they said about her actions:

She was the only thing that had been able to fight against the invaders. Most of the north sea fleet had been sunk, the army had been next to useless, while the few other mages that had been able to get into the air had been destroyed, save for the remnants of her own battalion.

“Colonel!”

Her gaze snapped towards the door to her room and her frown softened as they barged in without even knocking.

“What if I’d been changing?” she asked rhetorically.

“Really? Visha, why didn’t you tell us the Colonel had clothing that isn’t her uniform?” Neumann asked, feigning shock.

Tanya just groaned as Viktoriya blinked owlishly. “I had no idea! Is it possible you kept that red dress the propaganda department pulls out every month?”

That earned her adjutant a glare that caused the group to laugh as they regaled her with stories of their latest training.

Despite her attempts to keep a straight face, she couldn’t help but smile fondly. She was thankful to have resources as carefully cultivated as these…

She let a small frown mark her face for only a moment before shaking her head. Perhaps with the army reorganizing itself, she wouldn’t have them much longer, which necessitated her taking steps to ensure she could keep in contact with them.

Losing access to people as competent and loyal as these would be a travesty almost on par with her rebirth here.

--OxOxO--

He was not the smartest or hardest-working scientist, but he had a good mixture of both and a willingness to put up with quite a lot of… eccentricity.

Of course, even he had broken under the strain of working with Schugel, which was why he was surprised the man was here in the largest lecture room the University of Berlun had access to.

As with everyone else in the scientific community, he’d thought Schugel becoming a religious nutcase was the start of a bad joke to tell behind the man’s back, but he supposed the man holding an impromptu sermon higher up in the seating was proof the rumors were true…

With recent events in mind, he was not surprised a fair number of scientists were actually listening to him as he went on about how the Empire being transported to this ‘alternate universe’ was a part of his plan to lead them to ever-more advanced scientific discoveries to be made.

“Dr. Schugel, could you please put your sermon on hold?” asked a square-faced man standing at the front of the room. He did, after a few more words concluding his sentence, and the military man began to speak.

He spoke stiffly, hands clasped behind his back as he stared straight ahead. “I am not the one who ordered you all brought together, but I am the one here to tell you why you are here-”

“Pah! What an insipid question! God is the reason we are here! Without him, what man or woman would be alive? And how else could the Empire have been transported to another universe?”

He didn’t like to think that Schugel was right very often, but in this case he had to concede the point to the man. It was quite obvious that they were here to somehow… address the Empire’s new geography.

He wasn’t so sure it was god who was the cause of the Empire’s new position… but he didn’t really have any better ideas at the moment.

“Of course, Dr. Schugel,” the man at the front said. “Can you tell me how god accomplished this ‘miracle?’”

That, it seemed, was able to take the wind out of Schugel’s sails. “That is what you are all here to figure out. How did this happen, and how can we reverse it.”

More muttering began – the chief question being how they could possibly be expected to pull something like that off.

“You all will, of course, be provided with every possible resource the army can provide,” he said, gesturing woodenly towards several tables packed with sleek, metallic-looking materials and boxes. “We have some technology that was salvaged from the bombing of Kopenhyagen, even. If you require some vice to keep working in peak condition – cocaine, opium, women or men, wine, beer, caviar – then you need but ask for it to have it provided.”

His stance loosened slightly. “And, should you figure out how to get the Empire back home… there is no reward you cannot demand and have satiated.”

That set off more muttering… and, inevitably-

“I have no need for some sinful vice! I am a man of God, and all I need is my faith to see the job finished better than any other hack in this gentrified sports arena!”

The man at the front of the room seemed to have anticipated that, if the smile carved into his face was any indication. “Of course. Then, you would not mind if we took the carefully preserved copies of the bible from the tenth century and put them in a museum? Or if we just threw out this piece of wood that the religious men in the Russy Federation assured us was a piece of the true cross-”

Schugel jumped from his seat, and he could only watch in horror as the man began to step on the assembled scientist's heads to get down to the front faster. “Don’t you dare! I’ll figure this out in an hour, starting with those shiny shards of blue glass that are glowing ominously! Also, I have dibs on the cocaine!”

With that, the following words of the military man – “Claim any workspace you wish in the university, and figure this problem out! Every minute we are here is another we aren’t spending crushing our enemies into dust!” – were almost lost as everyone began to compete for the scarce pieces of technology, forming teams and figuring out just what they wanted to get ahold of.

He watched as Schugel carted out a crate of the blue glass shards. Perhaps putting up with Schugel once more was not outside of his abilities in this instance…

Chapter Text

Bismarck let out a groan as her headache continued to grow. The simplicity of the austere gray walls of their semi-secret base on Heligoland helped somewhat, but every time they passed one of the flags mandatorily hung at the midpoint between any two doors, corners, or intersections in the base only sent an additional wave of strain through her head.

She hated that flag.

Still, she did eventually reach the room she had been aiming for. It wasn’t anywhere nearly as well lit as the winding halls of the main base for the ‘Iron Blood’ – the less than official nickname given to the Schiffsmädchen portion of the Kriegsmarine – but that suited the occupant of the room just fine.

She knocked the first few notes of the Hohenfriedberger Marsch to announce herself and then opened the door. “Friedrich,” she greeted.

The shipgirl did not look away from the dozens of screens she was looking over, and Bismarck couldn’t help but smile. Every time she saw her at work, her decision to have her appear to be the one leading the Iron Blood had been vindicated.

“Let’s go over the latest operation.”

That got her to spin around her chair. Though she didn’t allow anyone to see it, her leadership had been weighing heavily upon her, and Bismarck was more than willing to take up the lead once more, though…

She kept a wince from her face as she recalled just how ‘happy’ her human superiors had been when they had seen her.

“The operation was a… mixed bag,” Friedrich began. Bismarck couldn’t have agreed more.

“First, the… best of the bunch,” Friedrich said. Most of the screens faded away while one grew in size until its blue glow dominated the room. Within the image Bismarck could see a picture of the tear in reality that manifested during the reenactment of the Siren’s attack of Scapa Flow.

“Though we received no aid from any META ships – neither from the usual three nor from the others we’ve caught sight of once or twice – we were able to identify the main Siren base as being close to the magnetic north pole, as suspected. They lost over two hundred mass produced ships, twenty Executor-class sirens, and even two separate Testers.”

Bismarck nodded as the numbers flashed across the screen. They hadn’t been without some losses of their own – thirty mass-produced ships, mainly from the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as plenty of wounded shipgirls – but it was a highly successful operation, all things considered.

But for all those numbers…

“Additionally,” Friedrich continued, “Azur Lane was once again able to unite the world for a moment.”

Bismarck sighed.

And that was the end of the good news.

“However, that moment is passing. We have received commendations for our continued fight and victory against the Sirens… as well as a notice that more of the mass-produced navy will be reassigned to patrolling the coast of Norway and the Baltic Sea.”

Bismarck felt her headache reemerging. “If we had even a year of continuous cooperation, we could wipe out the Sirens once and for all,” she complained.

But instead of focusing on the larger threat, the threat posed to all of humanity, more and more resources were funneled into shows of force against the Reich’s enemies. Posturing for the sake of reassuring the public that they could march all the way to Moscow, again, if their sovereign borders or the demilitarized zone were breached.

“Regardless, the extra cards we expected did not materialize,” Friedrich said mournfully. Bismarck could only nod her head at the red-tinged photo that popped into existence depicting a single girl dressed in white.

She stood there, for a time, wondering. Friedrich tittered, and Bismarck raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you didn’t see her, but ‘Her Majesty’ was quite… upset. I believe she expected more than even we hoped for.”

Bismarck snorted. “I am sure however upset she was pales compared to our superiors.”

And hadn’t they been absolutely pissed that she was still alive. Years on end where she could have ‘aided against the untermensch’ enemies that her country faced spent doing what?

Quite a lot. Not that they really cared. Not like…

“Not all mysteries remain unsolved,” Friedrich consoled. Bismarck could only nod her head.

Emden had manifested at Scapa Flow and gone over what little she could remember of the Sirens attack on the port. Bismarck had thought this evidence could be used to justify that the aliens they were fighting were a larger threat than the communists or Anglos…

Though she hadn’t been able to give them too many details, claiming her memories were fragmented. Friedrich’s suggestion that it was simply due to not having been a shipgirl at the time was rejected, that it was due to things they could not know.

That had not been the only thing… odd about Emden. Upon first materializing, she had apologized on behalf of the others, which…

Bismarck didn’t even really know how to take that message. How could she know that the ‘others,’ whoever else was ‘supposed’ to manifest, were sorry for not showing up? Something like that should…

Well, it was highly irregular.

And then, once the battle had been won, she had simply disappeared. The moment all eyes had been directed away from her, she’d gone without so much as a trace.

If the mystery of Scapa Flow had been solved, Emden had left them with another one.

Although…

“Before she left, she asked me what would happen if shipgirls, who were formed from the manifestation of peoples’ beliefs in their form and function, were split between two different peoples’ beliefs,” Bismarck admitted.

Friedrich’s eyes did not widen much, but Bismarck saw the steam building up behind the machinery of the shipgirls mind. “An… interesting proposition. Do the ships of the Eagle Union and the Royal Navy not share similarly named shipgirls?”

Bismarck nodded. “A few,” she said, having checked before heading over, “but I proposed that as well. Emden’s answer was that those ships do not have the same form and function…”

Bismarck sighed once more, wishing that human medicine worked on her so she could take something for her headache. Still, no headache could stop her from ruminating.

Could Azur Lane really represent all of humanity if shipgirls were not manifestations of ALL humans’ beliefs about them?

She sighed and asked Friedrich a version of the follow-up Emden had pitched her. “Surely Russians have different beliefs about a ship named Soviet Union than the Polish or Finnish or Germans?”

And surely the French have a different view about a ship named after Bismarck?

“Names are not everything,” Friedrich stated. “The capabilities of a ship and a surety in those capabilities are the most important thing.” Bismarck nodded her own assent – that was why so much cutting edge technology, like degaussing a decade ago or missile systems up until last year were unavailable to shipgirls.

Such technology was extremely secret, and keeping it secret as a potential surprise against human enemies had been deemed more important than letting the secret out so that a shipgirl could manifest with the technology or be retrofitted to utilize it.

And some of the plans she had seen…

“However, names are also not nothing,” Friedrich continued. “They can change the expectations humanity will press upon a shipgirl through, potentially altering the form and even function.”

Silence, for a time. “Perhaps… a better comparison would be to the French or Chinese?” Friedrich offered. Bismarck could only nod again.

The only other fact of note about a name was that some… instability could arise in a ship if people’s beliefs about the namesake were changed. That didn’t happen often with cities or mountains or animals, or with people who had been dead and buried for decades…

To say nothing of the instability that arose when a ship was renamed.

“I wonder… did Emden answer her question?”

“She didn’t… and why bother asking? Where did she go? And why did our experiment fail?” Bismarck asked. She wasn’t the best with the more esoteric, scientific matters of shipgirl existence, but-

A blinking light on the dashboard of Friedrich’s terminal began blinking, and Bismarck raised an eyebrow. Friedrich’s eyes furrowed. “That should not be able to turn on.”

Bismarck could feel her headache growing – some rest after this meeting would not have been remiss, but when did the world ever care about allowing them a moment of rest?

Friedrich answered the call. “Who-”

“Let’s cut the chit-chat, Friedrich… ah, good Bismarck is already there.”

“Akagi.”

“Wonderful to hear your voice again.”

She could not honestly say the same, but she had a good working relationship with the aircraft carrier…

Honestly, it was similar to the one she had with her own superiors, who did not care for the individuality the shipgirls expressed. If anything, they would have probably preferred she had succumbed to the black wisdom cube and died, as long as she took enough of the Royal Navy with her.

She too did not like her superiors… or, rather, the leader of her country. She knew well the lengths that had to be gone to to grasp victory – the Crimson Axis had been formed for the very purpose of trying to use the Siren’s technology against them – but her war was with the Sirens.

She could not help but loathe the humans she was sworn to protect, with how short sighted their scrambling for power and desire to dominate and thirst for violence and death was.

“I just thought you should know, in the spirit of the Crimson Axis, that we have some intelligence to share. Something… absolutely unbelievable has happened in the south Pacific.”

Normally, Bismarck might have dreaded some kind of Siren attack or invasion based on those words alone, but the… mirth present in the fox’s voice was… frankly bizarre.

And the story Akagi laid out for them justified the fox’s bizarre behavior and then some.

As Akagi ended the call with a promise that they would be kept up to date through more official channels and that they should act suitably surprised when their humans told them the news, Bismarck let out a single bark of laughter.

“Well, at least we have a pretty good idea of what happened to Emden.”

She sighed. “I… think I’ll leave you to your scheming, Friedrich. I think some rest for this headache would be apt.”

As the door closed, Friedrich barely registered it.

How in the world was she supposed to scheme with a new continent appearing in the middle of the ocean!? On the opposite side of the planet!?

She let out a sigh. Oh… well, she did love a good challenge. 

--OxOxO--

It had only been a few days, and Rudersdorf had probably cursed the Kaiser out more times than he had in that short time than in the rest of his life.

Downsizing was starting at the top. Only a few had left so far – there wasn’t a lot that could be done in just a week – but still. The general staff was already tearing itself apart.

A bad word about anyone among their august body could be found in every room in the headquarters in Berun, and those who had protested most openly during the Kaiser’s speech to the assembled General Staff had been the first to go.

They weren’t fired or demoted or anything so crass – the Kaiser did not technically have that power. But the two who had not expressed their intention to retire once visited by the Kaiser’s running dogs had had found themselves facing attacks from all sides – scandalous rumors in the Empire social world and inquiries from both civilian and military authorities about anything and everything, from their conduct during the war to mishandling of personal financial asset to petty crimes.

Proverbially, enough shit had been heaped into the fan to paint the whole of Berun brown.

He looked up from the latest notice on his desk – the economy had indeed landed straight in the shitter with the abrupt end to the war – to glare at Zettour. “I really do hope you know what the hell you’re doing. We threw away a lot of potential by refusing the leadership nomination of those trying to resist the Kaiser.”

“As do I you, old friend,” Zettour remarked. Rudersdorf just rolled his eyes and opened his mouth again when they were interrupted.

That… was not supposed to happen, as far as he was aware. Zettour didn’t give anything away emotionally, but he did nod. Rudersdorf told whoever was behind the door to come in.

The jangle of the man’s honors was almost as distinctive as the absolutely ridiculous hat he insisted on wearing. Rudersdorf had to suppress the urge to either sigh or cuss the man out.

If anything was a testament to the Empire’s meritocracy, Meckansen was the living embodiment. He had been nothing but a common soldier and had risen through the ranks through his skill, and that skill meant certain eccentricities were allowed, such his near-constant wearing of his almost trademarked hat with the skull and crossbones on it. One might have even thought he belonged to the pirate faction of the Imperial Navy, if it weren’t for the numerous medals and awards decorating his pristine uniform.

Eventually, his work had even won the previous Kaiser’s favor and he was ennobled and dragged across Europe until the man’s death and the ascension of the current Kaiser.

And now, after attempting to find a quiet corner of the Empire to have a more peaceful career until his retirement and finding that every corner of the Empire was, in fact, screaming bloody murder, he’d won some impressive victories in several theaters of the war and was now serving as the Kaiser’s mouthpiece.

His known affinity for the Kaiser had never been a problem – he was a practical sort who hadn’t taken offense at the fact that his technical superiors were younger than him. He did his job diligently…

And now, as a staunch monarchist who had always been the first one to voice objections to any plan to cut the Kaiser out of decision making or even treating the man like less than the manifestation of the Empire itself, he was a rising star that the Kaiser was relying on.

Rudersdorf didn’t begrudge the man personally, of course – he still didn’t like what his presence here meant.

“Good afternoon, Rudersdorf, Zettour. I, ah, had a few things I wished to discuss with you each privately, but-”

“We’ll take the meeting together,” Rudersdorf said, trying his best not to grind the words out. Meckansen simply sighed. “Suit yourselves.”

He took the seat opposite of Zettour as he began to talk.

They expected a lot of what he said.

He didn’t agree with how far the army was being downsized, but no one can really deny how little purpose they can give the army without a land-based foe to defend against.

“It will, of course, be instrumental in keeping the country stable while we transition to something closer to peacetime footing…”

He trailed off at the stony expressions he was receiving from the room’s two other occupants.

He tried again. “The formation of the air force and the mage force is going as well as can be expected. It’s interesting to watch and see who's happy with their appointment and who would rather be stuck filling out forms in the southern tip of Croatia. I doubt either will even be as important as the other two branches…”

 Again, stony expression. With a sigh, he sits up and reaches into his uniform. “I am here on behalf of two groups, actually.”

He looked down at his papers. “The Kaiser believes that each of you have done more than enough in the service of your Empire. He suggests that you both enjoy a peaceful retirement on your estates, backed up by your generous pensions.”

“In the face of this newest threat,” he continued, the jovial attitude he had taken when attempting smalltalk draining with every word, “the lessons of the Great War need to be metabolized within the highest echelons of the military.”

Rudersdorf merely raised an eyebrow at the man who was ten years their senior. After a solid five seconds, he looked at Zettour.

They had agreed Zettour would be the one to speak while Rudersdorf kept a lid on his temper.

“And if we feel that our time is not yet done?”

Meckansen’s stiff posture hunched forward slightly as the man raised an eyebrow. “Well, if you think you know better than the Kaiser…”

He leaned back in his chair, a threatening glint in his eyes as his voice gained that jovial inflection again. “I always wanted to ask, but… why wasn’t Degurechaff allowed to go after the French when she requested?”

Rudersdorf blinked but didn’t show any other signs of being fazed. That… was not the threat they had expected.

“We were trying to allow for the peace talks to go through. We had no idea they were a feint,” Zettour responded. Meckansen smiled slightly and nodded. “Right. Which is why you ordered her to attack Moscow and humiliate them, right? To allow for diplomacy and peace talks.”

Rudersdorf felt his mustache twitch, while Zettour responded. “We had no idea she would-”

“You expect me to believe you didn’t have an inkling of what a subordinate of yours was actually capable of after years of knowing her?” he asked rhetorically.

There was a lot Rudersdorf wished he could say – that they hadn’t had any impact on how she had grown up, that she was unlike any child or soldier either had commanded – but Meckansen moved on.

“And… your grandchildren?” he asked. It sounded like he hated even suggesting the idea, but this was the threat they had been expecting.

“Fine,” Rudersdorf ground out. Zettour simply nodded, and Meckansen nodded as well. “Good. It’s always good to keep an eye on your family.”

Zettour side-eyed Rudersdorf, and he sighed tiredly. They had expected the latter implied blackmail against their family, but pinning the Empire’s failures on a single person or a group of people? That they had not expected.

It was a powerful accusation that wasn’t fit for every situation, but until someone was pinned with it or the war began to fade into people’s memories, they would probably need to lay low for longer than they thought.

He cleared his throat again. “But, speaking of Degurechaff, that is actually the other reason I’m here,” he began while holding up another piece of paper retrieved from his uniform.

The two of them had expected… something in this vein. She was the star of the propaganda office – who were the reason one of the cards the General Staff had hoped to keep hidden up their collective sleeve for as long as possible fell out so much, so to speak.

Regardless, whether it was propaganda or logistic, magecraft or tactics, whatever field she set her eyes upon, she seemed able to master. He and Zettour had fought tooth and nail for years to keep her in a position where she could do the most instead of parading around keeping up morale or sitting behind a desk and going stir crazy.

“Oh? What is the problem with Degurechaff?”

“There are plenty. The butchering of Arene, her attempt to sabotage the peace talks with the French, her humiliation of the Russy Federation…”

He trailed off at the flat look both were drilling into him, and he gave them a helpless shrug and cleared his throat. “Ah, the point being, the Imperial Conservative, Center, and Social Democratic parties clamored for quite a while to have her kicked from the military.”

Rudersdorf didn’t even try to hide his eye roll while Zettour shredded that argument. “Of course, allowing the one person who was able to counter those who burned half of Kopenhyagen to the ground is a wonderful idea that only the civilian government could be relied on to come up with.”

He waved his free hand. “Considering how much they want her to associate herself with them, they’d wring a special dispensation out from someone, like those being given out to the newly forming paramilitary groups we’ll need to keep track of, just for the chance to have her pick one of them to endorse.”

Before they could try to insult him or his words, he continued quickly. “However, many feel differently. The Kaiser is generally ambivalent, and you two are not the only ones who speak of her with fondness, whether it be for personal or professional reasons. In the end…”

He told them what had been decided for her, and… they were surprised. “I was too,” he admitted, “but the civilians were eventually made to see sense that she is needed in a position where she can do the most to fight against our newest enemies… though I have my doubts as to whether this assignment really is the best position.”

He shrugged as he tucked away his papers. “Still, it was what was agreed upon and the Kaiser has approved the offer. It is up to you to present it to her, as she is still technically under your command.”

Zettour, craft old bastard, looked to give their favorite starling more options. “Does she have the option to refuse?”

For a moment, his hand strayed to the pocket of his uniform, but then he shook his head. “I will be frank. All of the parties want her to join them if she survives – or even to get a few words of approval before she dies. Plenty of their members were part of the military and knew of her if they didn’t interact directly with her or her troops. If she doesn’t accept this lifeline, they’ll take that as a sign they have a chance and get her whisked away to some plush countryside manor so they can wheel her out whenever they want a boost in their voting.”

“And,” he continued hastily, seemingly suppressing a chuckle, “I do mean almost all. The only ones who haven’t expressed much of an interest are the mostly defunct regional parties that used to go on about greater autonomy and the aristocratic one. There’s…”

He chuckled again. “There’s even a party that’s formed solely around her due to the propaganda. They see it as their duty to put her in charge.”

That…

Rudersdorf thought, for a moment. Honestly, if there was one person he could trust not to mess something up, including the entire country, she certainly ranked above most other people he could think of.

Not that the Kaiser would allow it. Even he would probably end up playing second fiddle to a figure as widely beloved and renowned as Degurechaff, and if there was one single thing he had taken from the chancellery of Bismarck so many decades ago, it was that the Kaiser could and would end up playing second fiddle to someone skilled enough.

So then the question was whether Degurechaff would ever pick to be pampered and waited on for the rest of her days so that she could be used as a political mouthpiece for a few years over this new position being offered to her.

He sighed again. “Is this how the Empire treats its war heroes? If there is a single person who could have won us the war, it was her.”

Meckansen sighed. “I… do agree. I know personally of her skill and ability – she helped save a battalion of my men who were cut off at the start of the balkan campaign. It’s a rough deal… but it’s also out of my hands.”

He thanked them for their time, they hurled a few more empty insults at him, and they were left alone again.

“So. Who do we send to break the bad news?”

“Is there even a question?”

--OxOxO--

Takao strode across the water, her sights set forward towards yet more open water. Still, the instruments built into her rigging told her she was indeed on the correct heading.

She glanced backwards towards the ships she was escorting alongside her sister. They were not in charge of this operation in the slightest. Their presence was mostly meant to give the men they were escorting some peace of mind.

What could a single kansen do in the face of unending waves of enemies?

She forced her eyes closed for a moment and refocused her eyes ahead.

As anyone around the world was likely to do when told that a new continent just popped into existence, she had suspected it was some kind of Siren ploy. Perhaps this landmass was where they produced their ships, and something had caused it to reveal itself?

But news had slowly disseminated from the military: satellites had confirmed the landmass had was inhabited by humans and not by the Sirens, and what little shipping that had gone near the newly formed landmass had reported seeing unknown but decidedly not Siren ships.

She glanced backwards again. She and her sister were to help the ships behind them make contact.

Those were her orders.

Yet, she had heard that the civilian governments of Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States had been debating on how to reach out to these people. Was this part of the deal…

Or was Akagi issuing orders they had no right to give once again?

She… probably should have told someone. Nagato, probably. Maybe Kaga?

No, she should have told Amagi. If someone is going to get Akagi to see reason, its-

Her eyes widened. “We have contact!” she radioed out. Over the horizon, she could spot a ship coming into view. The flags they were flying were completely unfamiliar, but as they sailed closer and closer, the methods they were using to try and contact them became more familiar, even if the particulars were wrong.

Their flag signals and morse code were similar to but not quite matching up to anything comprehensible, and the language they were broadcasting sounded like the small amount of german she had come into contact with.

The ship itself… was uninspiring. She wasn’t an expert, but she’d place it as something from at least three decades ago, judging by the turrets that were turning to face her…

“Hmm, how should we approach? It doesn’t look like a kansen, but you never know who could be hiding below the deck,” Atago mused. Takao sighed.

“We’re not here to attack them. We’re supposed to make contact,” she said, trailing off as the ships they were escorting began to fly white flags while the ship they had been approaching cautiously did the same.

To what end, she did not know. The world had been… relatively united since the last major Siren attack and their campaigns afterwards had ended the second World War prematurely, and Akagi had considerably mellowed out since the Eagle Union – not the United States – had shared some technology with the other factions that allowed for the reconstitution of kansen who had fallen and brought back Amagi with it.

In the end, she needed more information. Who were these people? Had the Sirens sent them to atack, as a distraction… had the Sirens even sent them, or were they the consequences of the Ashes or some other force, somehow?

And… could they be convinced to aid the Japanese Empire? The United States had shown, even in the short time it had been part of the war, that Japan could not win in the long term… could another ally help them wash away the dishonor of their-

“Takao! Takao!”

She blinked and looked up…

“Wha…”

Her vision focused on the being flying through the air. How?! Only the Sirens could do that! There wasn’t…

Somehow, her eyes widened further still. “Are they…”

“Those people flying… are men!”

Oh no.

“B- But, a kansen has never been anything but female- it’s in the name, for-”

“But if they’re from a different world like those white jackets were saying, maybe they don’t conceptualize their ships as women?”

Takao just nodded numbly while suppressing her growing terror. Nagato. Nagato and Amagi, with Choukai and Maya thrown in for good measure.

With all of them, they could probably keep Atago quiet-

Her head whirled around, and she did something she did not usually do:

She swore up a storm as she ran as fast as she even had, tackling Atago into the water and, hopefully, keeping the eyes of those… ship guys away from them.

She had a list of ships at least as long as her arm that could not know about this, and while her sister was definitely on it, minimizing the spread of this information was absolutely paramount.

As they surfaced and she began to paddle away as fast as she could – faster than one would probably expect of a being that skated across the water most of the time – she prayed to whatever god that was listening that no one else found out.

--OxOxO--

In better circumstances, Rerugen would have been happy. Ecstatic, even. He was getting a promotion, after all…

But he wasn’t. His family was one of the one within the army that hadn’t been anywhere as close to as antagonistic to the Kaiser by dint of not ever being important enough to be able to. Still, he could have just slipped by. Zettour and Rudersdorf had confided in him that they thought he could keep standards relatively high even in the face of the nepotism the Kaiser was encouraging.

Of course, they had wanted him to do more than just coast by – they wanted him much… closer to the driver’s seat, which meant throwing them under the bus. He’d slipped Meckansen a few words about the respective grandchildren of both men that were completely fabricated. Zettour and Rudersdorf would act as if it was real for the moment and then shrug off any such pretenses when the moment was right.

They hadn’t planned on the failures of the Empire, in its entirety, being pinned on two people, so their current plan was to continue laying low until someone was conclusively assigned blame or so many people were blamed it wouldn’t matter if their names were added to the running.

Still. The monarchists assumed he was loyal enough, which meant he’d keep his position and potential go farther. There was, however, the matter of what was going to happen to-

“May I come in?” asked a voice after a swift knock, and he cleared his throat and resisted the urge to grip his abdomen.

Speak of the devil…

“Yes, of course.”

Despite the injuries she had sustained, she appeared to be doing well.

And… she was feeling a bit better than she had been. The fact that her position behind lines was, once more, likely to be denied to her was fueling a sense of bitterness that she had yet to let go.

But, with the formation of an air force and a mage force, she was hopeful. Not of getting away from the frontlines, of course. She wasn’t that naive, and in the face of the threat facing the Empire, she had to be the tip of any spear aimed at their attackers.

But, administrative work needed to be done. Procurement of resources, formation of doctrine, organization of human resources.

As she sat down and refused the offered water, she could not think of another mage in the entirety of the Empire with skills as pertinent as hers. Her curse was far too useful to be kept away from the frontlines forever, especially after she had demonstrated her effectiveness and been singled out by their attackers… but her skills in areas outside of tearing things to pieces should hopefully mean some amount of deferment.

Of course, Being X was likely to interfere, as he was wont to do. Still, she’d try to keep her hopes measured.

“So… how is your battalion?” he began. Her neutral expression soured.

“As I was when I arrived back from the first southern campaign, I will be candid with you Rerugen. It has been decimated.”

Oh, so much wasted talent! “A full fourth are dead, while a half are currently in bed due to their injuries. Only my two best can even fly at all,” she complained… not that she’d send any of them against those things again – they were meant to save her from bullets, and getting an extra second to react for the cost of a human life was not worth the trade.

“That… is incredibly unfortunate, but not unexpected considering the technology our scientists have been attempting to dissect.”

“Oh? Perhaps having fought against those monstrosities I could provide some insight into the technology?” she asked, hoping she could leverage her knowledge of the future to aid her current circumstances.

She was going to have to start being a bit more liberal about how much of it she gave out if she wanted to survive against whatever Being X had planned for her in this new world that he felt was necessary to let her bring her new home with her. Giving a few heavy-handed hints would raise eyebrows, but hopefully not enough that she would be seen as suspicious.

“I’ll have them send you some rudimentary documentation… Moving on to our business. What do you know of the navy?”

She blinked. That…

Was not a question she had ever expected to be asked.

She did not know much. When she had been deciding to join the military, she had briefly considered the navy. She didn’t remember much of the first world war in Europe from her history class, but she was fairly sure she wouldn’t be in nearly as much danger as a regular soldier…

However, she had almost no prospects for advancement. The navy was one of the rare parts of the Empire that meritocracy had not extended itself into, which was reflected in its mage corps. Women could join – there weren’t enough mages that they could throw away willing applicants – but a woman would never rise beyond commanding the magical personnel on a ship. She had no chance of getting a rear echelon deployment in that branch of the military.

And finding out that much all those years ago hadn’t been easy. Berun did have a few Naval Clubs where she had been able to ask questions… when she wasn’t laughed out of what was essentially a themed bar for being a child.

Besides that information, she had learned a bit during the 203 rd ’s cooperation with the North Sea Fleet, but nothing beyond a few useful terms.

She told Rerugen as much. He nodded. “Well, I suggest you read up on their history some other time. It is… interesting, to say the least,” he said.

He brushed past her curiosity. “Regardless, they have extended an invitation for you to switch branches from the…”

His lip curled slightly. “The sinking iceberg that is the Imperial Army and join the ever-expanding Imperial Navy.”

He cleared his throat and looked at her expectantly. She just blinked.

She didn’t have any information to make a choice! Did they just want her to take a leap of faith or…

“Do I have any alternatives besides this… flattering invitation?” she asked. Rerugen sighed.

He had known she never would have been satisfied with a deployment where she couldn’t fight and lead to her heart's content, and considering the retraining she’d likely have to go through…

He started to answer her question. “The army… will be downsizing. Rudersdorf and Zettour have been… convinced to retire, so I’m afraid you won’t have nearly as many advocates as you’re used to. It was always been quite controversial to keep a child in the army.”

She scowled. So, she was to lose her command despite the skill she’d shown. And…

‘Convinced?’ Obviously, they had been threatened. Was…

Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at Rerugen. Was he looking out for her?

Of course. It only made sense – they made a good team most of the time. It was only right for him to provide support to an asset like her.

“The bottom line is that if you don’t accept the navy’s proposal, it is likely you’ll be dismissed from the army.”

“Wha- for what?” she exclaimed. This was-

“Oh, any number of things.” She had done the Empire a great service through her work on and off the battlefield, so he honestly doubted they’d do something as rash as bringing up something distasteful from her past as Zettour and Rudersdorf feared… unless she became obstinate. No, they’d suggest a peaceful retirement and a chance to ‘live through her childhood.’

Tanya licked her lips. She truly was grateful to have someone like Rerugen around – who looked out for his subordinates who did well.

Still, if he was warning they were going to try and bring up her… technically legal actions to get her out of the military…

Well, she’d hate to have that black mark on her record, but could she finally get away from all the fighting?

“If I’m dismissed… then what?”

“The army won’t leave you nothing, but you won’t be able to access your bank account until you come of age in several years. In addition, civilian politicians are growing stronger every day. I don’t doubt that they’ve been looking over your record.” With everything she had accomplished, there wasn’t a group that wouldn’t want to use her as a poster child for any and every political project they could think of. If she really wanted out of the military, a relatively easy life awaited her. She’d just have to take a few deals until she could access her pension, at which point…

She gulped. So, the politicians were colluding with the navy? They’d keep her away from her resources and threaten to jail her for breaking the spirit of the law rather than its letter?

But… wasn’t she the only thing standing between…

Her eyes widened. Oh, they wanted to use her as a weapon! Lock her up in jail, take away all of her freedom, and only let her out to fight to protect their freedom.

What a rotten deal. “I suppose I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

Rerugen sighed. “I suppose not.” But when had she ever taken the easy road? How many dozens of times had she been offered an easy path and decided to take the harder one? He didn’t know of every time, but he knew of some, and if they were only a partial picture…

“What of the 203 rd ?” she asked, despondent.

“I… honestly don’t know,” he replied. She…

Was she actually showing them…

His shocked gaze softened. Even if she was the perfect soldier, she had shown herself, on rare occasions, to be painfully human – for her benefit and humanity’s detriment.

He gulped. If she would show them such concern even in the face of her own ejection from the army, he would do what he could to help her men. It even worked with the plan Zettour had concocted. Perhaps he’d even applaud his initiative?

“Chin up. The mage force is still being formed, and I can imagine no better spine for such an organization than the best mage battalion in the world.”

She… her…

She was clenching her jaw so much she could almost hear her jaw snapping. Her meatshields would be getting cushy jobs behind lines implementing the things she’d taught them as doctrine and she was being reassigned to the navy under threat of blackmail and imprisonment?

DAMN YOU BEING X!

She let out a low chuckle. “Those warhounds will probably…”

She shut her jaw in place. No, even if she was apoplectic about the situation, their ascension into the Mage Force was what was best for the Empire, so she couldn’t complain about it without being seen as treacherous, and in this climate with the army trying to shape up in line with the vision of the Kaiser.

She stood up. “Thank you, Rerugen, for looking out for them and for me.”

As she left, he couldn’t help but sigh tiredly. She may have tried to hide it, but he’d seen the way her jaw had set. She…

Had been forcing herself not to cry. It could have been out of sadness at her reassignment, but considering what she had said, was it possible she was glad she was getting her troops out of harm's way?

He never really was going to understand her, was he?

--OxOxO--

“I’m telling you, the collective unconsciousness is real!”

“Schugel, would you shut it? You overdosed on your goddamn opium again.”

“Do not use the lord’s name in vain! Vile sinner… oh look, a lead pipe. ‘Gas Main?’ That isn’t important.”

“Look, we know these cubes do… something. Those girls with the not-mage equipment wouldn’t be carrying them around otherwise. They’re giving off all kinds of energy now that we’ve put them into their cube shape, and not a single bit of it is magic.”

“I speak the truth! The collective unconsciousness is real! Do not ignore me simply because-”

“We’ve tried banging it, zapping it with electricity and every kind of electromagnetic energy under the sun. What else could it be besides magic?”

“Sit with me and imagine the kingdom of God. As long as we’re all thinking of the same thing, we’ll manifest it using this cube I made.”

“I’m telling you, it's gotta be nuclear. You saw what happened when we wheeled the completed thing around the building to show off. The readings all spiked when we took it past the chemistry lab where they keep all that shit.”

“My fellow man, trust me. It isn’t just the opium. Lick the cube and you too will see the truth!”

“Well… what if it explodes?”

“Nuclear stuff doesn’t explode.”

“You don’t know that. What if it does?”

“Well… someone woulda put it in a bomb and chucked it at the communists before we lost five million men to them, right?”

“I dunno…”

“Fine, first we confirm that it’ll react with the nuclear stuff, then we’ll propose we shuck the thing to the alps and-”

“No! We’ve got to take it up north! We can affect our odds of getting a super rare pull if we’re closer to some important ships instead of in the-”

“Christ, he’s really lost it this time. Yeah, we do it your w-”

WHAM!

“Wha- Schugel, don’t-”

WHACK!

“Now that they’re taken care of… it’s off to Wilhelmshyaven! Daddy’s feeling good about this latest drug-induced vision from God, and what better representative of the Empire to create than the flagship of the High Seas fleet itself! Of course, we’ll need more than just one sheship, so I think it’s time to pay a visit to those other teams who’ve been working with my precious wisdom cubes…”

“Hey, why didn’t Degurechaff tell me that violence in the name of God is even more fun than doing drugs in his name and in the name of science? She knew and didn’t tell me!”

“…Eh, I’ll just ask her when I inevitably make her touch one of these things to see what heights our love for God can really achieve!”

Chapter Text

The sounds and smell of the sea – crashing waves and seagulls calling in her ears some distance away and the unfamiliar sting of salt – had been gentle at first, when she was still a half-mile away from the ocean, but they were now becoming overpowering as she hopped out of the truck that had taken her to her newest assignment.

Tanya stared at the entrance to the High Sea Naval Station, feeling a kind of minor trepidation she had not felt in several years. Once again, she was starting her new life in the military… only this time, she had even more knowledge than she had when joining the army.

Considering the… history of the organization she was joining, she was glad to have even that advantage.

She paced towards the checkpoint guarding the entrance to the base, her papers in one hand and a suitcase carrying her belongings in the other. She had refused the assistance offered in the letter detailing an order for her to report to the base – she’d rather not be indebted to some faction because she didn’t feel like carrying around her luggage.

The guard was almost as nervous and jumpy as some civilians would get when they heard the ‘Great White Silver’ was in front of them, but she was allowed through quickly and professionally and given directions to the building she was ordered to report to – before even being allowed to set down her luggage. She hoped that his professionalism was a sign her worst fears were unfounded.

Those hopes were not high.

She stared across the vast network of roads between the various buildings of the base, idly wondering if she would catch sight of the Emerald Bay the city was built at the entrance of while going over the history of the Empire’s Navy she had been forced to accept as fact.

And she had tried, so very hard, to disprove the facts that the books she read laid out, because what they told her, over and over, couldn’t possibly be true-

She shook her head and suppressed a groan. But no.

She had known, before starting her research, that the Empire had formed in the flames of war – part of the common knowledge of the people around her, a basic history class during her initial training, and required reading for her classes during her time at military college. 

Norden had been annexed by the Kingdom of Prussy during the Brothers war between it and the Ostian Empire. It had formed the North Germanic Confederation soon afterwards, incorporating land she knew was independent in her own timeline. She assumed the area hadn’t become culturally distinct in this timeline, perhaps because the dykes and land reclamation projects the area was associated with in her own timeline weren’t started until after unification in this timeline.

A royal marriage had fused the faltering Ostian Empire and the Empire declared in the wake of the defeat of the Second Francois Empire. The state had to be reformed to ensure it didn’t collapse under the weight of its competing ethnic, religious, and economic groups, and the meritocratic Empire that had ensured she could rise through the ranks without having even hit puberty was born.

Her attempts to learn about the Empire’s navy gave her some more context for the events she knew had played out… but they had also painted a fantastical tale as to why, precisely, the Empire’s navy had actual, living, honest pirates in it.

She glanced around, paranoid that she’d see a Jolly Roger flying somewhere, and shook her head. How it was possible…

The Norden Royal family had not taken kindly to their country being invaded, but they had found little help. Their most powerful potential allies were distracted – the Albish and Francois were competing over territory in Afrika, while Imperial Russy was attempting to cement its control over newly gained territories in the Caucasus and Syberia. Meanwhile, the Legadonians refused to help them due to some ancient feud between their ruling families and the Ostians were barred from allowing them asylum in the peace negotiations. She assumed the Prussy had wanted them to swear fealty or marry in…

Only for the family to uproot itself and spirit away all those who didn’t wish to live under the Prussy, including their navy and mages, to their Caribbean colony. She didn’t have any idea how that had happened, but reading that little tidbit only made her more incensed that her attack on Brest had been denied all those years ago if there was historical precedent in this world too!

Of course, their colonial subjects hadn’t taken kindly to the increased taxes needed to keep the navy afloat and the royal family pampered. One revolution later, Norden’s colonies closer to the arctic were sold to Legadonia, the family got enough money to live comfortably in Albion, and the Caribbean islands declared a new republic…

She could have accepted all of that easily enough. What she had had such a hard time accepting was that the revolutionaries decided that the best thing to do with their newfound independence and navy was to turn to piracy.

She honestly didn’t have the foggiest idea of the why’s and how’s of the situation, and maybe, when she finally managed to secure a position in the rear, or maybe once she was retired, even, she would visit the place to figure out how in the world that had happened.

They’d terrorized the Caribbean for a few years until the Unified States had declared war on the Ispagna Collective to ‘liberate’ their Caribbean colonies. The Republic tried to offer their services, was denied, raided the American’s supply convoys, and subsequently found themselves at war with the Unified States as well.

The war for those islands had taken longer than the war against the Ispagnans, but they still lost. Rather than allowing themselves to be captured, the pirates had fled. And, when it looked like they might either starve or start trying to raid the shipping of other countries, the Empire offered them a safe haven.

While their skills, experience, and historical ties were the stated reason they were brought to the Empire, the Empire’s navy was neglected heavily so that every resource that could be spared was directed towards ensuring the Empire wouldn’t collapse. Getting a few dozen ships of varying quality and thousands of sailors for free was seen as a good deal.

Once more, she shook her head as she continued to trudge around the base, familiarizing herself with its layout. She had been sure she was reading some very weird kind of fiction book, the first time she’d read the words ‘the Empire’s navy was partially founded by pirates.’ The more she had read, the more she was forced to conclude that either a lot of people were in on this joke, or… it wasn’t a joke.

What Tanya was sure of was that there was more going on than met the eye. The meritocracy the Empire was known for was, in the words of one of the books she’d read, ‘unfortunately lacking’ in its navy. The Emperor held ‘massive influence’ according to a few.

She shook her head again. Pirates?

She was startled out of her musing about her current job by a gaggle of people rushing from one building towards the hospital. She might have let them pass without incident…

“I can’t believe that… insanity-driven idiot! No matter how groundbreaking his discoveries-”

“Sigmund, you and I both know he is driven by only two things: God and cocaine.”

…if they hadn’t said something that sounded so very familiar.

She stopped one of them. “Are you, by chance, speaking of a Doctor Schugel?”

They stopped as the group continued on, and he looked down at her imperiously, until his expression shifted to confusion, understanding, and then fear. “W- White Si-”

“I am Maj… Tanya von Degurechaff. Please refer to me as such.”

He nodded quickly. “Yes, the doctor did mention you’d be joining us. How he knew is a mystery-”

“Schugel is here?” she asked, cutting him off again.

He nodded. “Is he… important to you?” he asked.

Tanya scoffed. “Oh, in a sense.” It was important that she knew where he was, at least. “Why?”

He stuttered. “Well, he happens to be in critical care. He broke into the base yesterday with a bunch of alien technology he was apparently working on and-”

She resisted the urge to glower at the man – she still had one last question. Still, she couldn’t help but let her displeasure leak into her voice. “Where is he?”

He pointed at the hospital his coworkers were walking into in the distance. She nodded, thanked him for the information and turned on her heel.

Her inspection of the base could wait for later. She was putting as much distance between herself and that puppet as she could, immediately! Who knew what would happen to her when he started hooking her up to alien technology?

Well, he certainly wouldn’t know. Or if he did, he wouldn’t have determined the effect through any kind of rational, scientific method, but through Being X!

--OxOxO--

Captain Grän Glein held, as most nobles did, somewhat… complex feelings about the current affairs of the Empire.

Oh, not their transmigration across worlds, of course. That he felt was quite the shame, considering how well the Empire had been doing in the war. No, his feelings had much more to do with the structure of the Empire. It was wrong, for families of old, who had been held in the esteem of the Emperor, entrusted with power to protect its people, to be seen as equal with the hordes of uncultured, ambitionless men and women that made up their country.

That was not a complex feeling.

No, instead, his ideas had been forced to contend with… aberrations. He’d come into the navy happy that at least this branch ensured the aristocracy was given its due respect, only to find himself put out of sorts by the whining of the men in the boiler rooms and other officers…

And then the pirates had been allowed in and proven… contrary to his expectations.

They were loud, wouldn’t know good taste if it introduced itself to them firsthand, and eschewed almost all forms of propriety at the drop of a hat. In all these ways and so many more, they irked him and the rest of the nobility.

But.

He had been stationed in the North Sea Fleet – the one Pirates had the most influence in – which meant he had to learn to get along with them. He had learned to pinch his nose and had found himself confused, of all things, when they proved themselves his equal in skill. He never would have admitted that he was proud to call any of them his friends – the only faster way to ensure he was exiled from the aristocracy would be to insult the Emperor – but it was impossible not to respect their skill.

And then he’d met the next aberration.

A little girl, a patriot, who not only served as the tip of the Empire’s naval invasion of Norden, but had then managed to serve the Legadonian’s crumbling fleet to them on a platter – even if the North Sea Fleet bungled the execution. She had even demonstrated, on his Basel no less , the need for reform of the navy’s doctrines in the face of increasingly potent Aerial Mage forces.

So. Perhaps his father’s complaints about the ‘peasants getting uppity’ should be taken with the same grain of salt as he did about his mother’s complaints that he should get around to providing her with grandchildren when he still had plenty of time to live his life before settling down. If the so-called peasants could produce people like Degurechaff, perhaps the Empire was not on the wrong path after all.

He glanced around the opulent meeting room to gauge the four others in the room with him awaiting the arrival of the White Silver. He was not there as a representative of the aristocrats in the navy, but as a representative of the North Sea Fleet. His cordial relations with the Pirates, as well as his relations with the White Silver herself were probably the only reason he’d been chosen over one of their own pirates.

He wouldn’t dare ignore his own faction just because he was here on business, of course, and he’d met the Commander of the High Seas Naval Station a few times before – Admiral Harthy wasn’t yet Grand Admiral only because of his age and continued focus on turning the Inner Sea Navy into something comparable to the other two because of its proximity to his homeland in ‘Imperial Dacia.’ He was dressed more conservatively than usual. Perhaps he’d heard of the White Silver’s own disdain for superfluous displays of pride?

The Commander of the Wilhelmshyaven Naval Base was technically part of the aristocratic faction in the same way he was technically part of the navy. Everyone at the table knew Leopold Jackson was split between his aristocratic upbringing and the training he had received in the army before he was reassigned. His hair was cropped short to the army standard, and even his naval uniform was ever-so-slightly closer to the army’s standards than the navy’s.

Edward Wilhelm was dressed as shabbily as he expected someone representing the lower ranking officers to look, and though he didn’t know why he was here, he was at least being quiet.

Lucas Anker was managing to make enough conversation for all five of them, and even he was having a difficult time taking the man entirely seriously when he was wearing an eyepatch and an honest-to-goodness flintlock pistol. And the less said about the clothing that was two decades out of date, the better.

Mercifully, a knock on the door interrupted the man’s boisterous retelling of yet another stealth mission aboard his ‘pride and joy’ – some inglorious metal coffin no doubt – and the woman they were there to meet was soon shuffled in.

In the years since they’d last seen each other, she had managed to shoot up a whole foot, even with the rather dire situations faced due to supply shortages… or perhaps in spite of her rumored addiction to coffee.

As they introduced themselves, it was easy to gauge some of her reactions – resignation upon seeing Anker, recognition upon seeing himself, and a brief moment of confusion upon glancing at Harthy.

“Firstly, I must once again thank you on behalf of the North Sea Fleet for your support during the Norden invasion,” he began. They’d been thanking her – apologizing for failing to exploit the opportunity she’d gifted them – for years now, and she continued to accept their thanks every time it was offered.

This time was no different. “And I must once again tell you that it has been years since then. Please, at this point it’s liable to become a habit.”

He simply smiled as the main meeting got underway. She was asked if she knew of the history of the navy and told them yes – she’d been up all night studying. He only nodded to himself at that pronouncement. No doubt she’d been studying late in order to ensure a good impression. A good trait to have in a subordinate, but considering why the Navy had given up their demands for an additional two battleships for her, it wasn’t likely to be necessary.

Still, she was as thorough as ever, and her assessment of the navy as being the most important branch in their current situation was completely true. Not even the army could argue against that anymore.

Edward Wilhelm spoke up, and he remembered why the man was there – he was technically a scientific doctor. “We had initially planned to present you with a few options for you to decide where and how you desired to work – you would have been stationed in Kopenhyagen if most of the naval infrastructure weren’t currently in flames.”

He cleared his throat. “However… your file said you were familiar with Doctor Schugel?”

Her expression visibly soured and he hid a chuckle. It seemed that even the vaunted White Silver could have her hackles raised.

They all got abortive chuckles out of her expression and her attempt to course correct. “Don’t misunderstand me, I have no warm feelings for the man, but your repeated requests for transfer speak for themselves.”

“Still. He has, once again, managed something quite… miraculous. It is… possible your skills will be of use, though the specifics are top secret. Until such a time as you can be assigned more concretely, you’ll be given the rank of Lieutenant and transferred to-”

Harthy cleared his throat. “Murwik, where you will be put through an accelerated officer course-”

He braced himself. This was where it started.

“My apologies, Admiral, but the Kial School was rather insistent that-”

“I really do think that Amstreldam should be given more consideration-”

“The White Silver won’t be servin’ below the decks, ya coal-stained sod! Submarines-”

“Sneak attacks are hardly befitting of a woman of her renown-”

He stood without a word, hardly noticed by the bickering men. Degurechaff seemed to be on the verge of visibly panicking – did the men in the army not know how good they had it, to have a resource like her at their disposal, or was their control self-assured enough they didn’t feel the need to argue openly?

Still, as he passed, she did grab his attention. “Is this-”

“Always how it is? Sometimes… but I’ve been seeing a lot more of it whenever you are involved.”

She muttered something about blackmail under her breath, and he fought the urge to visibly react. Perhaps she was better prepared for the shenanigans the navy participated in than he gave her credit for?

Eventually she let out a sigh. “When am I going to get my retraining? While there will be some crossover between the branches, I do not believe being thrown into the deep end would be productive when we’re facing an alien threat to our nation.”

He nodded as the argument behind him continued. “The North Sea Fleet will provide you with an instructor in Naval Magecraft, at the very least. In fact…” he checked his watch and took note of the time.

He closed his pocket watch with a click and a nod of his head. “We actually have another meeting to attend soon. I’ll have you escorted to your room. Expect a decision soon.”

She glanced around his figure at the bickering figures and he looked back as well – Harthy and the army man had snuck in their parade sabers, the pirate had a cutlass he’d undoubtedly smuggled into the country from God-knew-where, while the scientist had snuck in an oversized wrench – and he cleared his throat. “Well… soon may mean within the week. The debate has been… fierce.”

Though her face looked unchanged, he got the feeling she was unimpressed.

Still, he got her squared away with the men standing outside the door in good time. After a short fifteen minute break, they returned to the room to find a few more representatives present – a few from the Imperial Naval Administration, and even someone from the Inner Sea fleet. They all sat down, took a moment to familiarize themselves with the papers sitting in front of them, the residents of the High Sea Naval Station fended off looks of incredulity, and another woman walked through the door.

If he were but a babe born yesterday and was asked, between the two women who had been in the room that day, which of them was the ‘White Silver,’ he’d probably guess this woman nine times out of ten based only on her silver hair and white clothing.

The senior most representative of the Imperial Naval Administration – the Vice-Admiral of the States department – looked between the papers on the table and the woman in front of him, took a deep breath, and then began to speak.

“Miss… you claim you are-”

“I am indeed Emden , at your service.”

There was a moment of silence.

“I kill him. I’ll kill that motherfucking scientist if it’s the last goddamn thing I do!”

--OxOxO--

As they walked through the park, her ears twitching at the sound of birdsong and the wind flowing through the trees that had been planted but a year ago despite the war ending almost four before that, Amagi could not help but feel melancholy. Despite being returned to life, she had been feeling that way since almost the moment her death had been reversed.

She had died. Her last moments were muddled, but she remembered how taxing it was to even breathe. For over a decade, she had been dead and gone.

And then, an instant later, she had been returned to life.

As she had expected, Kaga and Akagi were able to lead the Sakura Empire expertly, avoiding becoming entangled in the politics of the army and navy…

For a time, things had been… fine.

But Akagi’s goals extended beyond safeguarding her homeland. She could not bear to live without the hope of getting her back… and she could not find any way to do that. Kansen who were scientifically inclined could not produce the results she desired, no matter how much she yelled, and if the human military knew, they weren’t willing to tell her.

So.

Her sisters had led the Sakura Empire in the name of the Sirens. They’d begun actively participating in the army’s misadventure on the mainland and assisted in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, with the promise that if they managed to 'win' against the United States and the Eagle Union, she would be returned to life.

The pendulum seemed to swing in their direction as victory after victory was had, and ever-more resources could be poured into the war…

And then…

She sighed once more, her parasol shifting in her grip. Nagato glanced towards her, but Amagi merely shook her head and smiled sadly. “I was merely reminiscing.”

Nagato nodded, and they continued their stroll.

And then Midway happened, and her sisters died. All of their skills had not been enough to save them from the might of the United States.

And though she had often heard, both within the Sakura Empire and Japan as a whole, that the whole of the Eagle Union and United States’s forces could have been rolled up if only they had been given a chance to fight, no one with any sense thought a prolonged conflict could be won.

Not even those military men at the top thought that a prolonged conflict could have been won. That was part of the point of launching the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Amagi frowned, her tails and ears lashing about. Oh, even just thinking about the war…

It lit a fire within her, aimed squarely at her sisters. Sending dozens of their friends and fellow Kansen to their deaths, just to get her back? No matter the awesome power those two fools held, whether obtained through hard work or gifted to them by the Sirens, they were not invulnerable!

She took a deep breath and tried to calm down. Even five years later, she could not believe them!

She shook her head as the anger drifted away and the melancholy began to creep back in. In the end, she doubted the Sirens would have helped. Even if her sisters had managed to kill the Grey Ghost, at Midway or at Pearl Harbor, or even the entire ‘Eagle Union’ or the entire US Navy, would that mean they had 'won?' What did the Sirens consider 'victory?' How far would her sisters allow themselves to be strung along based on false promises?

Regardless of the Siren’s definition of victory, though, they could not have won without capitulating to the Sirens completely. The reports she had gone over claimed they might have been able to get some 30, maybe 40 Kansen carriers by 1945, and she found that very doubtful. The number of people who had reason to lie about such things was as disheartening as it was large. The quality of the designs for many of them she also found suspect, not helped by the fact that they weren’t allowed to incorporate their best technology into them for fear of having to give important information away to the public – and in turn, the enemy.

Not that they had much choice in the matter – if the navy was unwilling to share, then they could do little about it.

By contrast, the Americans had been much more willing to reveal and incorporate more advanced technology into their Kansen, to say nothing of the sheer number of hulls and Kansen they could put in the water. And, there was always the drastic notion of revealing the records and schematics of any number of the more advanced ships in use by the conventional navies to churn out Kansen en masse.

In the end, she felt her melancholy was justifiable, although perhaps less so after five years. The only reason her country had not been utterly destroyed for waking the giant was because the Sirens had betrayed all expectations by returning in force after decades of near-total silence. They had threatened every combatant of World War Two, and threatened the mainland of the United States in a way Japan could never hope.

To add insult to injury, all those who had died during the war had only been returned to life thanks to the efforts of the Eagle Union and their commander. She would not be enjoying life again if not for him, and neither would her sisters. The Kansen at Azur Lane often spoke of how he had gotten majorly chewed out for ‘giving away’ the secrets of the Type II rigging that had pulled her from beyond, despite the need for every ship that could stand against the Sirens.

She sighed once more. “Are you sure you are well, Amagi? I would not mind putting off this meeting until tomorrow.”

She smiled. “No, I feel fine, Lady Nagato, and it would be best if our superiors did not have the opportunity to leave us in the dark about their plans.”

If there was one thing she was happy about in regards to the war, it was that with the army humbled by the Chinese and the navy humbled by the Americans, the Emperor had begun casting a wider net for advisors, which included civilians not tied up in either branch and a Kansen or two.

They needed to settle on  the Sakura Empire’s official stance on the latest revelation – an entire continent seemingly copied out of Europe and placed in the southern Pacific. Information was scarce at the moment, and considering the delicate domestic political situation and the fact that she was only-

Their tranquil meeting in the park was interrupted with a crash as four Kansen piled up on the locked gate. She heard some violent swearing from an unusual source – these four were well known for their diverse personalities and camaraderie, but she had never known Takao to be one to swear.

She managed to undo the lock on the gate in no time and pushed two of her sisters forward while one of them kept the gate open. Amagi began to greet them and ask what was so urgent… until she saw the look in Atago’s eyes.

That look was never good.

Takao quickly bowed to them both. “Amagi, Lady Nagato. I have information on our mission that must be reported to you immediately.”

Amagi raised an eyebrow. “Mission?” she asked. She was too far up the chain of command to plan every patrol, reconnaissance, and escort mission, but she did authorize them and make sure she knew if any of their more skilled Kansen, which certainly included Takao and Atago, were absent from their homeland. She hadn’t seen any of them-

Takao stiffened. “Akagi ordered Atago and I to escort a ship to meet with the otherworlders.”

Amagi’s curious smile flattened immediately. Oh sister…

She sighed. “I understand." She really didn't. "Please, what was so important that you felt the need to barrel through the entrance? I doubt Kawakaze let you through without a fight.”

Indeed, the monochrome ship was standing to the side of the gate, next to… Maya, she thought her name was, looking… conflicted?

Takao glanced around, looking more nervous than Amagi had ever seen her. “It is… sensitive information. Very sensitive.”

Amagi looked between Atago – who hadn’t even bothered to bow and was standing stock still, staring into space with that look in her eyes, and the nervous energy pervading all three of the other Takao-class ships.

Amagi nodded slowly. “Well, we can take this to my private quarters, then. There shouldn’t be any prying eyes there.”

Takao breathed out a sigh of relief, and she and Choukai stepped forward, all but dragging Atago forward as Kawakaze and Maya ran ahead of them.

Amagi felt intensely curious… and also a budding sense of trepidation. There weren’t many things that made Atago look like that.

What had they found?

They navigated the base quickly and entered Amagi’s room. She assured the four of them that her room was indeed secure, and Takao began to speak.

“We found an… old ship. It seemed to be at least three decades old and resembled some German ships from that time, but we left rather quickly.”

“Why leave-”

“Their Kansen were flying.”

Amagi blinked. “Flying? Using… their rigging?”

“I presume so,” Takao said with an informal shrug, and Amagi’s puzzlement only grew. There was exactly one Kansen capable of flying that she knew of, and she did it using her own airplanes.

Did these people have something to do with the Sirens after all? They were capable of such feats.

“Amagi, it… if they were utilizing their rigging, they do not have much to speak of. All of them looked much more uniform than any Kansen I know of – although I didn’t get the best look at them, they all appeared to have rifles.”

“Oh, sister. Don’t you think Kansen is a bit of a misnomer?”

Amagi blinked as Atago’s gaze suddenly sharpened. What?

“They weren’t girls, after all.”

Amagi blinked rapidly and looked between both of them rapidly. “Truly?”

Takao nodded. “From the quick look we had at them, they did appear to be… men.”

Amagi chuckled nervously. Nagato whimpered.

Uh oh.

Kansen of every nation had quite a bit of leeway regarding their freedom – they formed their own navies within their countries, after all. Partially, it was because they appeared to be women and children in a few cases, and some of it had to do with a Kansen’s ability to run away with valuable military intelligence if their superiors tried to push things on them.

One of the few rules that their superiors were able to enforce was seen as a prudent one. It was completely sensible in almost all situations.

That did not mean everyone liked it.

There were longer names for the rule. There were euphemistic names for the rule. There were bureaucratic names for the rule. There were derogatory names for the rule.

The simplified, crass version of the rule was: “Don’t stick your dick in military property.”

Amagi could understand this, from a certain point of view. At the end of the day, Kansen were created by the military to be weapons. 

Despite being weapons created by the military, they were also part human, and their superiors acknowledged that fact by ensuring every Sakuran Kansen had a decent discretionary budget for ‘superfluous’ things during peacetime.

Akashi and Shiranui ran their shops, others participated in hobbies, like sports or clothing. All nice and above board.

However, that acknowledgement did not extend towards sex.

While there were times when the military hierarchy had been completely unable to exercise authority over the Kansen of their nation – during the war being the most recent example – they could still threaten any man brave enough to even contemplate breaking The Rule with a fate worse than death for engaging in an activity with a non zero chance to land a piece of ‘military hardware’ with maternity leave.

How they’d managed to keep it going for decades straight was anyone's guess, but the publicization of the rule and the recruitment of those that disdained their human part to speak against the idea of doing such a thing were large parts of it.

As far as she was aware, this situation was mirrored in other navies, even if the threats and consequences were only slightly less steep.

“Did anyone else find out?” Amagi asked after having a small meltdown. Who couldn’t be told?

Well, Atago was very high up on the list of people who shouldn’t know about this, but unless she wanted to give the girl brain damage, that was unfortunately unavoidable.

Takao shook her head and Amagi and Nagato let out twin sighs of relief. What…

What could they do with this information?

They discussed it quickly. They could try to stop the flow of information, they could do nothing, or they could, theoretically, speed up the spread of this fact. Stopping it completely…

She fought the urge to growl petulantly. The increasing proliferation of the internet was making military secrets harder and harder to keep. Atago and Takao had been the first, but now their sisters knew, as did Amagi, Nagato, and Kawakaze. That ship they had been escorting had to have seen them as well. She could try and stop them before they reached home, but what would she do with them?

And could she even trust the other factions to keep a lid on things? The Japanese, British, and American governments were currently debating on how this new continent should be treated, but she had information on the Russians and Chinese both trying to send envoys the other major and minor factions were undoubtedly doing the same.

Did these new nations even have The Rule, or did they have different policies? A ship… guy would hardly need to worry about maternity leave, though STDs were still a possible threat to-

Again, Atago seemed to come out of her fugue. “Our government certainly can’t extend their rules to try and force them not to,” she said. Clearly not, if The Rule was applied to the country’s men rather than its Kansen.

Amagi groaned. What to do, what to do. This information wouldn’t be secret for long, not from Kansen who would have to work with these otherworlders to fend off the Sirens. If they couldn’t keep it a secret anyway…

Amagi looked at Atago’s placid gaze again. Perhaps-

“Hello? Amagi? I’ve got news from the Admiralty!”

Her eyes widened.

Oh no.

Amagi felt her insides shriveling up as the door she had locked was unlocked from the other side. She had just changed her locks and she already-

Amagi felt a façade of warm cordiality rise over her face even as her frustration and panic grew. Nagato did the same, while Takao, Maya, and Kawakaze retreated into themselves. Choukai seemed visibly nervous, while Atago-

Was looking directly into Amagi’s façade, smiling expectantly.

She nodded her head imperceptibly as the one person she was absolutely certain was higher up on the list of Kansen not to tell about Atago’s discovery walked into the room.

Taihou wore a self-satisfied smirk on her face, only for it to fall as she realized Amagi was not alone. "Oh, I… is this a bad time, Amagi? I could always come back later-"

Takao shot up. "It's fine. My sisters and I were just leaving."

They all shot up and left, and Amagi hoped she was making the right decision, nodding to Atago like that.

They couldn't keep it a secret forever, or probably even for a few months. If something was going to happen, getting as much out of it as possible was important.

"What did you need, Taihou?"

She cleared her throat and began. "High command has seen fit to have me relay to you that they want me to have more experience leading the Sakura Empire. In line with that, they want me to lead the delegation to this new continent."

She felt Nagato stiffen next to her, but Amagi acted quickly. "How wonderful, Taihou."

Taihou preened while Nagato glanced at her, a quizzical eyebrow raised that likely belied how dumbstruck she really was. Amagi listened as Taihou began to go over the details of her journey as laid out by their superiors.

For as shocked as Nagato was… they couldn't avoid this. Someone needed to lead the Sakura Empire, and Amagi’s time had long passed. The fact that she was still the 'temporary' leader after five years spoke to the truth of the situation: there were few who could lead.

Akagi and Kaga would never be allowed to lead again after disgracing themselves and allying with the Sirens – though that wouldn't stop Akagi’s scheming if her order to Takao and Atago was anything to go by. Shoukaku and Zuikaku were uninterested in leadership after their time at the helm in the wake of Midway, while Nagato and Mikasa were seen as relics of another age, much like Amagi herself.

Considering Taihou had been born to act as the flagship in the wake of the losses at Midway, she was the favored candidate. She herself often lamented never getting a chance of leadership thanks to the Sirens.

There was just one slight, tiny problem.

Now, Amagi did not usually disparage her fellow Kansen. Even those that her superiors frowned upon – like the adorable Mutsuki class – she found reasons to champion them. All of them were her sisters in arms.

No one could deny Taihou's strengths. Her raw power was a match for Akagi or Kaga, and her potential for growth seemed just as immense. She was resourceful and, above all, driven.

All that being said, Taihou was a bit crazy. Her hull had only had a few months of active service before it had been turned into a Kansen, and the less said of the accidents her relatively inexperienced crew experienced prior to her awakening, the better. Those facts had translated into an… unstable personality which wasn't helped by the fact that her leadership role was usurped at the last possible moment by Amagi’s miraculous return to life.

And all of that raw power, potential, resourcefulness, and drive resulted in her doing things like lockpicking the door to Amagi’s room and meeting with their superiors behind her back and obtaining secret intelligence.

For five years, she had gained the experience denied to her before her awakening, and their superiors were ever more insistent that she be allowed to lead. That they found her much more easily controlled because of her instability was unmentioned even though everyone, even Taihou, knew it.

Amagi had her doubts. She feared that Taihou, seeking to prove to those around her and herself that she was worthy of her position, would attempt to restart the war.

However, with every other current candidate being unqualified, untrustworthy, or unwilling, the only possible leader other than her would be a ship that wasn't yet awakened, and Amagi felt Taihou's personality would grow yet more unstable if she were passed over for a battleship like Yamato or Musashi.

Taihou finished her rundown of their superior's plans, and Amagi clapped her hands together. Her superiors wanted a clear picture of the situation and wanted Taihou to prove herself one last time. Sending her would accomplish both – both in the sense that she would give them information Amagi might not, and in the sense that she was resourceful enough to steal information these otherworlders might not be willing to give up.

Of course, the elephant in the room was that Taihou wanted The Rule completely demolished, and although her exact reasoning often varied, there a wasn't a Kansen on the base who could claim to be ignorant of just how… 'frustrated' she was getting with the fact that there was at least one rule she hadn't managed to wiggle around yet.

Really, she had doubts even the innocent Mutsuki class hadn't cottoned on, with how loud that woman got…

Amagi glanced at Taihou's confident pose and smiling visage. Their superiors clearly weren't aware of what Takao had relayed, if Taihou was still this… placid.

She steeled herself internally, praying that she would be making the right decision.

"Everything sounds good, though I noticed you didn't mention who will be going with you from the Sakura Empire. We will move past that for now. Is there a reason they wanted you to tell me now?"

She nodded. "They've decided the civilian government is taking too long -"

"Then I am afraid I'll have to bar you from leaving yet."

Taihou seemed blindsided. "What? But why?"

"You do recall our governments have made an agreement? And that the Sakura Empire is beholden to the government?"

Taihou's confident mask cracked, and her mouth crept open to rebuke her.

"Please, Taihou, keep in mind that while I do not control whatever foolishness the navy and army engage in, I am still the leader of the Sakura Empire."

She saw as Taihou calmed herself and nodded stiffly, and Amagi could only sigh internally. She wished that she could snap her fingers and fix their relationship – bickering like this aided no one.

"Once the civilian leadership agrees, however, I have no qualms with the plan they've laid out. Gaining another member of the Crimson Axis would be welcome, and every ally we have against the Sirens is another nail in their coffin."

Taking a delegation of Kansen and protecting the human delegation from their nation, showing the flag to potential allies; it all made Amagi sigh wistfully. It had been quite a while before such efforts had been undertaken in earnest.

In the meantime…

"I'll go over who will be sent with you at a later date."

She saw a flash of indignation. "I won't be allowed to choose who I want?"

Amagi resisted the urge to sigh, only for her mind to flash back to how she forced her sisters to make up.

She shook her head. "Partially. There are three I feel you must take, but the others will be suggestions only. This is your opportunity for leadership at the highest level."

Taihou's crackling anger quickly cooled. "Oh. You have my thanks, Amagi."

With a farewell to Nagato, she left the room, and Amagi felt an ear twitch as she heard the door lock. Nagato rounded on her, panic in her eyes.

Amagi held up a hand and motioned towards the paper. If Taihou hadn't left a listening device or two behind, she’d eat her tails.

Nagato stewed in her panic and began writing, thrusting the paper towards her.

"Are you insane? She'll cause an international incident if she does what she's been wanting to do for five years!"

Amagi smiled widely and wrote her response back.

"Not if she wants her leadership position, she won't. Even she won't be blind to that possibility, so she'll have to keep things discrete, at least."

Nagato's eyes widened, and then her brows furrowed. 

"But… don't you want to continue leading?"

Amagi smiled at Nagato’s hopeful look. Though her perception was of an instant switch from her death to her rebirth, her sisters were not the only ones to miss her. Nagato had missed her dearly and had argued with Akagi and Kaga frequently.

"I cannot be the Sakura's leader forever. The flaws in my construction mean I cannot wield a Type II rigging to make up for how out of date I have become, and even fighting may cause me to become undone once more."

That it was Azur Lane's commander who told her that, rather than some flunky from the US or the Eagle Union, convinced her it was the truth rather than an attempt to limit the Sakura Empire's power. Even using her rigging in friendly gunnery practice winded her greatly.

Nagato read… and then she sighed. "Well… who are you sending with her?"

Amagi sighed back. "We'll have to send Atago…"

She trailed off and began to write again.

"Takao will be sent to ensure her sister doesn't cause an international incident as well. The other spot I will think on. Taihou has had a few years to learn how to lead, and I want to make certain she is ready. I will suggest that she take as many people who are opposed to The Rule as possible."

Nagato's eyebrows rose as they reached her final sentence.

"Do the words 'international incident' mean nothing to you?!"

Amagi grinned.

"Do you think the other factions are bereft of Kansen who despise The Rule? Hopefully, our Kansen will get it out of their system… or at least demonstrate the futility of trying to enforce The Rule in this day and age."

Eventually, Nagato spoke again. "Alright. I trust your judgment." Amagi smiled and began to think.

Who would be best to advise Taihou about leadership?

--OxOxO--

He was just starting to enjoy his coffee when Minneapolis barged into his office, a smirk on her lips as she brought out that giant knife that always gave him the heebie-jeebies. "Portland’s run off again!"

He sighed. "Why do you always have to be so happy about it?"

She chuckled nervously. "I mean… you wouldn't believe how good she's gotten pretty wily. She's keeping my skills sharp!"

He sighed once more. "Alright. Chase her down."

She smirked and ran off, and he shook his head. Portland's orders were to stay on base, as they had been for five years. Minneapolis was the latest in a line of ships assigned to Azur Lane's Caribbean outpost, but one of her orders was the same as all of the others:

Keep Portland on the base.

And, as much as he often wanted to change those orders, they weren't his. Despite them being representatives of the Eagle Union, they had a few standing orders he couldn't countermand.

He wondered, for a moment, if Minneapolis would ask any of the others for help. He had at least a few shipgirls from every faction on base – though many of them were far from the best anyone had to offer.

Especially since he'd let the secret of the Type II rigging loose.

He gulped down his bitter coffee, almost wishing the Sirens were a threat again. Everyone had worked together for the three years after the aborted end of the Second World War that it had taken to drive them back into the arctic circle.

He had held dominion over close to a thousand shipgirls. He wasn't being stonewalled by his own country in regards to everything, including supplies. Just about the only thing he ever got without a fight were orders.

And after being shipped back here, his superiors had decided to stop giving him even those. They told him to simply keep the lights on.

He took another drink. He was just… a seat warmer for the next person they found to run the operation.

The Sirens, too, were extremely quiet. They had been since an entire new continent had shown up… a move he still couldn't wrap his head around.

If they wanted to cause chaos, they had far easier ways of doing that… though if they ever did manage to beat them, adding a whole new continent to the map was one way to ensure chaos would persist long after they were gone.

"Well, aren't you just a sad sack of shit."

Jonathan Smithe curled his lips back as the man dressed in black entered his office – he was soaked in sweat from the Caribbean sun, which was one of Jonathan's few consolation prizes whenever Agent showed up.

He gave a different name every time he asked, so he'd simply resorted to calling the man 'Agent,' in his head. Despite his efforts over the years, he hadn't been able to find out which department he worked for – it was need to know, apparently.

"Well, turn that frown upside down, because today's your lucky day. Your bosses are worried about this new continent. It seems to be one unified country, based on satellite data."

Agent picked at one of his nails. "They're highly militaristic too, though everyone's envoys are supposed to be making contact in a few hours."

He lamented internally again about how he was being kept out of the loop.

Agent continued to speak, laying out how exactly that was supposed to go.

Everyone wanted a new ally, especially one so far south. The goods they could produce, relatively separated from the Sirens by thousands of miles of barren ocean, could help bolster anyone's economy. Learning why they had been transported here was equally important.

But most of all, Azur Lane and the Crimson Axis wanted to deny the other side access to the boons of having them as an ally.

"As for why they've decided to bother you," he said, "the major and minor countries have decided to send a set number of shipgirls. Ten for major powers and three for minor powers."

He sighed tiredly. From the giddy tone of his voice, he already knew what was coming.

“Let me guess,” he began, not even needing to count out on his fingers the things Agent was inevitably going to say. “The minor powers are upset as being characterized as minor, as usual. The Free French and the French State are both indignant, the Russians claimed they had better thing to do, the Italians made scathing remarks related to their inevitable ascendency, and the Chinese agreed they should be seen as equal while insulting each other repeatedly.”

Agent sighed happily. “So you do listen.”

Jonathan just rolled his eyes. “Well, you missed one thing. The Italians also managed to admit that the World Expo is taking longer to finish preparing than expected. But other than that…”

“Nothing new?”

“Nothing new.”

The room was quiet for a moment until the Commander sighed. “I assume the brass want me to release someone in particular?”

He shook his head. “No, actually. Azur Lane agreed that their joint command would be allowed to send their own delegation,” he said, smirking.

His brows furrowed, and he finally put down the cup of coffee and began to look over the reports on his desk. “And the Crimson Axis?”

“They were told that, as soon as they set up the joint command they’ve been claiming is nearing completion, they could pick their own to send. So, don’t expect anyone else anytime this century,” he said, taking a moment to glance at his watch. The Commander resisted the urge to twitch – far be it from him to impose on Agent’s oh-so-precious time.

Still, he began looking over the files, attempting to look like he was considering who to send.

Another unenviable choice for him to make. He could please his superiors and only shipgirls who’s home countries were actually in Azur Lane, or in the spirit of cooperation, he could send some of the few Iron Blood and Sakura Empire ships who were technically there as representatives of the Crimson Axis, pleasing those who favored cooperation.

Another way to look at it was that either his superiors would be cross with him or the Crimson Axis could use his choices to demand more from Azur Lane or to decry it.

Of course, he already knew who he was sending.

He nodded his head slowly. “Alright, I’ll put together the best team I have for representing us.”

Since the brass hadn’t technically specified having a preference, he could assume they didn’t care without worrying about more potential accusations of being a spy.

Agent smiled. “Of course you will,” he said, getting up to leave. He paused in front of the air conditioning unit, and the Commander’s eyes narrowed.

“Any word on Indianapolis’s schedule?”

As he was expecting, Agent shot him a wide, fake smile over his shoulder. “Not yet. She’s a very hard worker, I’m told.”

He tried, one last time. “Portland’s getting-”

“Jonathan, you know our superiors don’t care. You know what that means, right?” he asked, bored.

He kept his face blank. “Not at all.”

Agent shook his head, falsely pitying. “And I’d thought you were starting to listen to me. Well, if they don’t care, that means I sure don’t! You know your orders; since Portland simply ‘can’t help herself’ in trying to find her sister, she gets to stay here, and you get to keep her here.”

The Commander nodded, and Agent left. As soon as the door clicked closed, he shot up from his desk, closing the blinds and locking the door. If his superiors hadn’t expressed a preference, he could build the delegation however he wanted.

And if he could build it however he wanted, he could go himself.

He hurried around the room, filled with a new purpose, the ghost of a grin forming on his face as he began pulling out files. If there was one thing he always looked forward to, it was a good fight. With so many foreign shipgirls around each other, it was inevitable that someone would want to spar, and the relative simplicity of battle was something he longed for while wading through military politics.

Of course, he couldn’t just leave all his work behind. No, that would be a travesty! So, who could possibly be trusted to run the place?

Why, Portland, of course. She was certain to remain at their base if he allowed her access to all of their documents and gave her his credentials so she could pull files using his authority, for all the access he was still allowed.

Not that anyone was likely to notice. Agent would be sent after him the moment he showed up on this new continent, and his decision to include himself as part of the delegation would certainly distract his superiors from caring just who was in charge of Azur Lane’s headquarters.

He took a deep breath. Once upon a time, she had been flighty and absolutely obsessed with her sister. But as the days stretched into months and years, the chipper girl who couldn’t help but tell everyone just how great her sister was retreated into herself. Her memories of her sister were not of her softness or power, but of the time they had spent together.

He knew she cried herself to sleep at night.

He took in another deep breath. No, despite how much she had changed and how much she might have seemed like a ditzy airhead, she had never been an idiot. If she was in his position…

She might be able to do what he could not and find her sister. Maybe that would make up for the lies he’d been ordered to feed her.

Finally done collecting files, he laid them out across his desk. Of course, ensuring she could find her sister would require removing certain pieces from the board. 

Minneapolis and La Galissonnière were too good at what they did, so they had been shipgirls he knew he needed removed to give her a chance. Kinu and Hardy were too by the book to look the other way. Unfortunately, Leipzig couldn’t be relied on to keep a secret, and leaving her for Portland to entrust her secrets to would doom her venture. Ning Hai or Ping Hai were better confidants, but An Shan in particular reported on their activities to her faction of the Chinese Civil War, so she was coming with him. Émile Bertin might distract her for long enough for his superiors to catch on, Alfredo Oriani would report on her, not out of duty but in search of a good scoop…

And then, the last slot. Scowling, he rose and began to pace. He had to take a girl from the Northern Parliament with him to ensure everything was even, so who stood in her way from that faction? Arkhangelsk wouldn’t, she’d even assist Portland… but she’d also steal any secrets she found.

He sighed again. Even if she did make off with the few secrets Azur Lane kept from the factions that had formed it, he could just release them himself to ensure the Russians didn't get a leg up on everyone else.

There was one project he didn't want to leak… but considering his career was probably going to end up torched if he did have to leak sensitive information, it wasn't like that project's secrecy would matter anyway.

He nodded to himself as he began to plan on the human elements he would take while he considered Arkhangelsk . Portland would have a much better chance of succeeding with her help… he just had to put his career on the line.

He weighed his options. His career was already on a precipice. If he tried something this flagrant, he might be booted from the service entirely…

He blinked as he looked up from the files, at a picture on his desk.

Sam…

He grit his teeth. Enterprise, Hornet, and Yorktown. Amagi, Akagi, and Kaga. Hiryuu and Soryuu.

When he'd discovered the Type II rigging, he'd sworn he'd reunite everyone with their family. If he could turn back the clock, even for just a few people who had lost their loved ones…

He looked again at the picture of Portland on his desk. She was cuddling Indianapolis incessantly, and while the smaller girl was trying to push her off, they were both smiling and laughing.

Portland hadn’t been that happy in years.

Now that the war was over, there was still one family he had yet to fix.

He nodded to himself as he made a note – he needed an excuse to have her trained on the bureaucracy she would nominally be heading, and his latest human secretary had asked for reassignment upon realizing how much of a dead end this job really was, which meant she could do it while he trained her. 

If there was one thing he could take solace in, it was that he probably wouldn’t end up executed for all of this.

Chapter Text

Tanya did not hear all that much when she woke up. Nothing out of the ordinary, of course. Just the normal sounds she had slowly been growing used to. Even as early as she woke up, the constant hustle and bustle of one of the Empire’s larger naval bases was constant.

She knew for a fact that just because she did not hear them, did not mean that the moment she opened her door the presence of four ‘passersby’ would be played off as a coincidence, for the fifth day in a row, after which they would begin attempting to curry her favor for their faction… or, more honestly, bicker with each other while she tried her best to ignore or deflect them.

So, when Tanya woke up, she luxuriated in the normal, ordinary sounds of the base that would soon be drowned out as she prepared herself for the day – dressing herself, doing what little she could to tame her hair, ensuring her weapon was working well – and then she stood in front of her door and took in a deep breath.

Tanya was not one to gripe about the facts of her situation that she couldn’t change… but she did wish that she was being sought after for her abilities rather than her name.

Or that she was back in the army, sitting behind a desk now that the war was over.

With a shake of her head, she opened the door and began walking as quickly as she could without being accused of doing something as childish as running to breakfast.

“Lieutenant Degurechaff!”

She fixed her smile in place as they began. It had been a surprise on the first day, and she’d actually tried to converse with them and had the entirety of her breakfast wasted. She made no such mistake this time and continued striding forward.

As she asked what the others thought about the question asked by the representative of the aristocratic officers, beginning the first of what was bound to be many arguments, she wondered if maybe she should have been more cruel during her time in the army. Maybe her reputation would have terrified fools like these and convinced them not to waste her time?

--OxOxO--

If not for the four who would not leave her alone, her breakfast would have been absolutely wonderful – the army’s… edible food paled in comparison to the food the navy offered, and if she’d known just how much better it was, that might have made the decision to join the army harder.

But, she did have work to do while the navy fought over what, exactly, she was going to do, though if her presence was simply meant to drive up the prestige of the navy, it was already doing that despite her lack of work. She’d already seen a newspaper proclaiming her switch to the navy and drawing conclusions from that one fact that ranged from banal to completely ridiculous.

She looked out across the water. She had not been unused to being damp during her work. Hiding inside of clouds was a good way to break line of sight and send an enemy after a decoy, after all, and the less said of the snow and mud, the better.

“Lieutenant Degurechaff!”

She smiled cordially and wiped away any sign of her frustration with her mornings. “Captain Gunther.” She saluted as he arrived, and he gave her a lazy salute in return.

If the man in front of her had been part of the 203 rd , she would have had that laziness beaten out of him, especially considering the fact that he had been an Aerial Mage for well over a decade. She also would have disabused him of the notion that because his father was a bigwig within the navy he was immune to disciplinary action for fumbling the formalities.

However, he was not and was instead acting as her teacher in regards to everything a Marine Mage needed to know, from formulas to tactics. She ignored his laxness and he gestured out to the water of the Emerald Bay.

“Why don’t you get started with your drill and then we’ll get into the nitty gritty,” he said. She nodded, knowing he was probably going to use her time to finish the cigarette sticking out of the corner of his mouth. She almost wished he had remained starstruck like when he’d first arrived, but his instruction would have been sorely lacking when he was more focused on fawning over her abilities than picking out her mistakes.

She took up a stance facing the center of the Bay and began to spin up her Type 13 Maritime Operation Orb. This first drill was more of a warm-up than anything. It’s purpose had been to give her a chance to see how well she was adapting to using the variation of the Type 13 she was using, as well as the variations of formulas that Marine Mages used and to set a benchmark to compare against as the week went on.

Gunther let out a shrill whistle, and Tanya flew off of the dock, the wind whipping past her hair as she sped towards the first of her objectives – buoys in the water marking where the fleet fired their shells for gunnery training.

But, even with the salt stinging her nose and the push of the wind against her passive shell, she couldn’t help but lament just how slow she was going. She had been forced to hand in her Type 97 before leaving – the army owned it. The Type 95 was left in her possession, both because no one else could use it and because it was probably the only reason she hadn’t been destroyed by those aliens. She completed the sprint, mentally figuring that she could have finished twice as fast with the Type 97, before heading towards the center of the bay.

Aerial Mages and Marine Mages used plenty of the same formulas. Enchantment formulas, mage blades, and optical formulas all fell into that basket. Gunther had admitted he’d forgotten about the existence of the optical formulas, considering how rarely anyone used them.

A few formulas were different. As her fight with the aliens had shown, a flight spell could be used to allow for travel through water. However, a Marine Mage’s flight formula was more complex and allowed for travel through the water at close to the same speed as a regular flight spell… with the drawback that moving through the water at such speeds was very taxing magically.

A Marine Mage’s active barrier was also more taxing. It could act as an Aerial Mage’s would above the surface of the water, but below the surface the math changed a lot. Trying to keep up the entire barrier underneath the weight of the water drained mana faster than even fighting that bitch had, so the exact size and area that the spell covered had to be specified by the Marine Mage.

As Tanya reached the center of the bay and dove into the water, she resolved not to get into a fight underwater unless there was absolutely, positively, no other alternative. 

There were also, uniquely, formulas that did not involve magic in the slightest.

As she sped through the water towards the entrance to the bay, she recalled how frustrating Gunther’s surface level understanding of the situation had been. She’d done some research on her own and dove into the history of Marine Mages as a whole to find out more.

In times past, the rarity of mages and the lack of computation orbs had meant that most of them were employed in the army where they could do the most. A few – or in the case of the Commonwealth of Albion, the majority – made their way into the navy. Their ability to accurately spot the fall of shot far beyond the range of those on the masts of their ships meant they became spotters as Tanya had been during her first days on the Rhine.

A ship that could employ a Marine Mage could outrange a ship without one. It seemed that this had resulted in the Albish being even more proficient at sea than in her own timeline.

Spotting was not their only role, of course. Active barriers could protect people from shrapnel, sending a mage to sabotage an opponent's ship had been done more than a few times, leading boarding actions had been done more than once, and, of course, Marine Mages were used to disrupt or counter opposing Marine Mages.

Of course, the march of technology waited for no one. Anti-air fire was becoming harder for mages to penetrate, though she had proved it could still be done. Spotting mages trying to sneak towards a ship to sabotage it with mines was relatively easy high up in the air with the depths Marine Mages could operate.

They weren’t out of a job, of course, or she wouldn’t be there. A ship without Marine Mages could be harassed by enemy Mages, and while Tanya doubted even the Type 95 could put a hole through a battleship, there was a lot on the upper decks that could be bombed. Plus, the job of at least a few Marine Mages was to act as rangefinders when the ship they were assigned to did not have one of their own. Considering how expensive computation orbs were, giving mages more work to do to justify the expense of their equipment seemed prudent in Tanya’s eye… although, dumping more work on your workers to make up for shortfalls in your resources was hardly efficient in the long term.

The docks she’d taken off from were within sight, and she rocketed out of the water and landed where she’d taken off from, surprising Gunther. He blinked at her nonplussed look and then chuckled to himself. “You’ve beaten my best time by over half!” he exclaimed. “I suppose I should’ve expected as much from the White Silver, of course, but… still!”

Tanya preened under the praise, even if he was using that moniker. “Thank you again, Gunther. What will we be learning today?”

He took in a deep breath… and then let it out. “Honestly, there isn’t much else to teach… you know what? We’ll call off the rest of today’s training. No use in standing around going over things you could teach me better than I already know.”

Tanya blinked. “Are you sure?”

He shook his head. “Nah. I’ll even skip the political spiel today.”

She blinked in shock… but she bid him farewell and walked off, a spring in her step. What to do with the rest of the day…

As she wandered around, debating whether doing some research on the half-remembered pieces of future naval technology and tactics from her own time to put into a paper or proposal would be a better use of her time than getting to know the shakers and movers of the base so those four annoyances would leave, she noted that the base had been getting steadily busier throughout the week. It had been a few people from naval command at first, but today it seemed that every other car that drove past had a scientist or general in it – she was sure she’d even seen a member of the civilian government she vaguely recalled from the paper.

As she finally settled on doing research, she found her plans spoiled as a man ran up to her to convey she was needed in the infirmary…

“Is it Schugel?”

He said he had no idea, and she didn’t see any flinch or sign of lying, so she had to sigh and come along. She supposed there could be another reason she was being called there, but this was unfortunately the most likely one.

A handful of minutes later found herself staring at the Doctor through the window of his room, manically scrawling on whatever paper was around him – and the walls beside his bed, and his sheets.

She turned to the nurse standing nervously next to her. “Why is he in here, anyway?”

She let out a nervous chuckle as the doctor began to continue his calculations on his clothing. “He did too much cocaine.”

…Yeah, that tracked with his personality. Honestly, she didn’t know why drugs hadn’t crossed her mind up to this point to explain just why he seemed slightly insane to literally everyone who interacted with him.

She pushed open the door, and Schugel hissed at her, until he realized just who she was. “Finally! I’ve been trying to get them to release me since I woke up! You must tell them that I’m the perfect picture of health!”

She blinked at the man slowly, ignoring how he was still scribbling out equations on his clothing. “I’m afraid, Doctor Schugel, that I couldn’t possibly contradict the orders of medical personnel. I’m hardly a trained doctor, after all, and if they say bed rest is good for you, I simply can’t argue against it.”

He digested his words and then had the gall to stick out his tongue at her and blow a raspberry… and then begin writing on his tongue and wince at the taste of the ink.

…Could drugs have really driven him off the deep end this badly?

“Fine. I wanted you to know that I’ve got some tests that you will be participating in. BUT,” he said, cutting off her acidic retort that she would do no such thing, “you won’t be hurt. On God.”

She tilted her head at the odd turn of phrase… before shaking her head as he returned to his mad scribbling. She looked out of the room to where the nurse was staring nervously into the room with an eyebrow raised.

“Doctor Schugel has become… convinced by his work with the technology that… all of humanity's thoughts and opinions are connected through a shared collective unconsciousness that can be used to shape reality. He’s… trying to prove it exists,” she said helplessly and Tanya stepped out of the room.

She stared back in and found that Schugel was now writing on his arms and shook her head. She had better things to be doing than standing at the bedside of a complete lunatic… though she’d take his warning about having her do more tests by giving herself as much work as possible so she could honestly tell anyone that even tried to unknowingly rope her into getting some other cursed object foisted upon her that she was just too busy to even look at Schugel.

If Being X was involved, it probably wouldn’t matter, but she could dream, couldn’t she?

--OxOxO--

As Tanya looked at the written orders for her to report to the dock she’d trained with Gunther at for ‘testing’ under the watchful eye of Schugel, Tanya found herself missing those four idiots. For well over a week she had wished they found something better to do, and now that they clearly had, she wished they were back, because, as much as she really would rather not, she absolutely had to get involved in politics.

Tomorrow was the beginning of the ‘Unity’ celebration, where nations from around the world were sending representatives to the Empire. She was supposed to get an award at the opening of the celebration for her efforts in fighting the aliens. There had been a flood of newspapers about the world that the Empire now found itself in that Tanya was honestly having trouble keeping up with considering how much work she had managed to find for herself to do – though she still had no official position, despite all of that work.

The world the Empire had landed in was as advanced as her first life – apparently the Sirens liked to hand out technology to human nations if they worked for them… or even for no reason at all. Tanya was thankful for this fact, because she could now roll out quite a few ideas she had had rattling around in the back of her head that relied on too much technology that either wasn’t proven or didn’t even exist.

With that said, she could find absolutely nothing about nuclear weapons. Not even tests. Perhaps this world simply hadn’t seen the need for them? 

Additionally, while the aliens – dubbed Sirens by the humans of this world – had a technological edge over every other nation, they seemed to be much more limited in the quantity of weapons they could produce, and the various countries of the world were more concerned with each other than with the Siren threat.

Despite the advanced technology, the political situation was closer to the second world war from her first life. An organization called ‘Azur Lane’ had been formed during the final days of the first world war when the Sirens had invaded for the first time. The Russians had become the Soviet Union and totalitarianism rose throughout Europe. Despite those setbacks, the world had remained largely united until the 1930s, when a lack of Siren attacks, the Great Depression, and the territorial ambitions of the totalitarian states had caused Azur Lane to collapse. The second world war had kicked off, with the Axis powers accepting aid from the Sirens to overcome the Allies.

In 1943, the Sirens launched an attack against everyone, and the Allies and the Axis had met in Turkey to hash out a peace agreement. 

Most relevant to the Empire’s situation was that Japan and the USA had retreated to their prewar boundaries. Japan had surrendered the territory they’d seized in China to the nationalists and recognized them as the ‘real’ China, while the United States recognized Japanese control of Manchuria and guaranteed trade as compensation.

Meanwhile, the situation most relevant to her personally was the fate of Europe. Nazi Germany and their quasi-puppet in France had split the lowlands, while the Germans had retreated to their prewar borders with the Soviets… while taking anything and everything that wasn’t nailed down with them and destroying as much of what they couldn’t expropriate as possible. The border between the two was demilitarized to a degree. They had established puppet states in Denmark, Norway, and Yugoslavia.

She could find absolutely nothing about the presence of concentration camps. Hopefully with access to the internet, she might be able to discover whether that was a thing.

While the French State claimed all of the land their predecessor state had owned, the Free French ran everything not on the mainland of Europe. Italy lost its African colonies but had carved out pieces of the balkans.

The situation… was bad. Of course, in the sense of some sort of greater good, the Nazis still being around was absolutely terrible. Fascists were barely above Communists for their meddling in the free market and killing thousands or millions of people for asinine reasons.

More importantly, however, them being around was personally bad for her. Gender equality was not exactly normal in the Empire’s day and age, and the only reason she had expected any in this life was because the Empire was meritocratic.

Hopefully the prevalence of more advanced technology would ensure that destructive, useless biases against people were done away with sooner rather than later. 

She was… honestly a bit stumped as to what she should do. No matter how much the media made her out to be the darling of the Empire, that kind of fame hardly translated into the kind of influence that push the public away from electing some chauvinistic idiots who’d force her to become a homemaker and push out three children while singing the praises of traditional gender roles.

Of course, that kind of thinking didn’t need to come from within the Empire! Her country was apparently shopping around for allies – a logical move, considering how far behind they were from the rest of the world technologically – so perhaps the Kaiser would welcome the kind of thinking that gave him all the power in the country along with their technology?

As she trudged down to the dock and blinked at the people there, she couldn’t help but marvel at her desire to talk with those naval factions. Chaining the Empire to the fascists – who would inevitably lose if war were to break out again – seemed like the worst way for the Empire to fall considering it had gotten out of the losing situation of their last world.

Schugel was sitting in a wheelchair with a clipboard as thick as her arm, still scribbling notes. The person behind him, however, she had never seen.

It was a girl. Not the most unusual thing to see, of course, but the fact that she appeared to be younger than Tanya and wearing clothes she’d never seen before but that certainly weren’t regulation made her want to ask who, exactly, he’d stolen this child from…

And then she decided that she really wasn’t getting paid enough to ask those kinds of questions. Considering there was some kind of observation station on the dock whose residents were being hidden behind obviously magically created illusions, someone would have shot him if they’d seen him offering some five-year-old candy.

She saluted to Schugel and he smiled widely, while the girl stared at her openly. Was she someone else the propaganda department had swindled into thinking she was a hero?

“Lieutenant Degurechaff! Take off that unsightly thing immediately!”

She fought, for a moment, to keep her cool or decipher what, exactly he meant by that, but when he held out what had to be a computation orb, she just sighed in frustration and took off her modified Type 13.

“This is the Type 98. I’m sure you’ll notice the improvements?”

Improvements was certainly a word for how much more efficient and… capable this new orb felt. “How… did you make it with electronics?”

“Ha! I’m afraid not, though I do plan to make one. The computing power in a computation orb of that caliber… no, this is still a mechanically driven orb. But the metallurgical and material science of this new world we find ourselves in, by the grace of God, is far advanced compared to our own paltry offerings!”

He sighed happily while she glowered… and the child at the Doctor’s side hid behind the scientist at her look. Just as she was finally working up the energy to ask what this kid was doing on the dock, Schugel cleared his throat. “Now, you have ten minutes to get used to it before you enter a… test. Be sure not to let down our audience,” he said with a gesture towards the still unknown group.

She nodded slowly and took off without a glance back at them. If she really wanted, she had a few ideas about how to disrupt optical decoy formulas, and with this new Type 98, it would probably be easy.

She didn’t really have a reason to do anything like that, and maybe if she was lucky, this had something to do with her getting an official job.

A brisk ten minute flight later had her directed to a spot a few hundred meters from the docks and the Doctor’s lovely voice echoing from her radio. “Your assignment, Lieutenant, is to have a… practice match.”

Tanya merely raised an eyebrow as someone stepped out from the shadowed area. She spun up a few formulas to get a better picture of the person as she sped towards a point a dozen meters away from Tanya.

The first and most obvious thing about the woman was the fact that she was walking across the water, but Tanya could do what she was doing with a flight formula easily enough.

The second thing one could say about the woman was that she clearly wasn’t part of the Empire’s military, because that clothing broke just about every regulation Tanya cared to remember, and probably the few regulations she didn’t care to remember as well.

Tanya wasn’t sure exactly which part of the ridiculous, white outfit irked her most. The long train of cloth training behind her, the metal… crown… thing on her head, the heels, her bust, or the fact that what little cloth was on her torso looked more like lingerie than a shirt.

Honestly, the eyepatch was about par for the course, considering every other ‘pirate’ seemed to wear one, even if they still had both eyes.

The third thing that jumped out to Tanya about the woman as she stood at the ready across from Tanya was the fact that the woman did not have a gun.

Schugel’s voice smashed through Tanya’s incredulity. “Remember, this is a weapons test for the both of you.”

Tanya nodded automatically, as did the other woman, though Tanya saw no way for her to have received that transmission, and was Schugel blind, because the woman didn’t have a weapon! Not even a pistol! Maybe she could stab Tanya with her heels, but they didn’t look easy to take off-

“And Emden? Don’t rough up Lieutenant Degurechaff too much; remember that she is only human.”

What.

And, suddenly, the woman across from her pulled a giant mechanical dragon out of nowhere and charged towards her.

The fuck?!

Tanya tried to fly upwards to get some kind of handle on the thing charging towards her, but the woman pointed forward and the metallic beast followed, leaping above where Tanya would be. She darted downwards and fired off a few shots, only to snarl as the dragon shrugged all of them off-

She dodged backwards as the woman swung some kind of weapon towards her. Tanya ducked back and jerked herself to the side, outspeeding her.

She used the chance to catch her breath and spun up another observation formula…

She looked between her formula and the woman. She wasn’t using any mana.

Was… she a Siren, then? That seemed unlikely, to say the least, but-

And then the dragon-worm thing was bounding towards her, and Tanya caught a glimpse of the weapon the woman was swinging around-

Except they weren’t any kind of weapons Tanya might expect to be fighting against, because she was using miniaturized naval guns to beat her over the head wi-

BOOM!

She dove into the water in the nick of time as those weapons went off. The dragon swiped into the water, and Tanya tried, desperately, to figure out what they wanted her to do against that!

Okay, Schugel said it was a weapons test? Tanya was clearly testing out the Type 98, while this… Emden, Schugel had called it, was testing either the dragon or the guns.

She looked up to find the woman tilting her head while the dragon appeared to be preparing to dive into the water to get her. Tanya glared at the woman and shot out of the water.

She began to really push the Type 98 and sped around the woman, circling her and dodging the blasts from her guns. Tanya could see the carefully neutral facade she’d been wearing slowly forming into determination.

Tanya began to overpower an explosive formula and sent it towards the woman she-

Tanya blinked rapidly. She deflected it off of the guns next to her. Maybe an actual gun turret could have done that, but there was no way that tiny thing could-

“ROAR!”

Tanya swore and spun around, dodging around the dragon. She eyed Emden and noticed her reluctance to fire at the dragon, and Tanya got closer to the towering beast, narrowly avoiding its swiping claws as she powered up another explosive spell.

She continued dodging its attempts until she had a moment to smirk mockingly at it. The beast growled deeply and Tanya dodged under it into the water as it sailed overhead.

She shot out of the water once again and took aim at Emden once more, whose determination seemed to be turning into frustration. She fired-

WOOOSH!

-Into the water, and a great column of water flew into the air, obscuring Emden’s sight. As the water fell back down into the bay, Emden found herself facing three  copies of Tanya. She took aim at each one as they sailed through the air, becoming laughably predictable for just a momen-

“STOP!”

Emden blinked and turned towards the doctor who looked… unbelievably happy. Considering he’d expressed a desire for Degurechaff to win despite his faith in her abilities-

“That was a good fight! What, precisely, are you?”

Emden blinked and turned around to find Degurechaff behind her, lowering her gun from where it must have been aimed at her head. She looked back over her shoulder to find that all three of the Degurechaff’s she had been aiming at disappeared with a wink. “How…?”

“I went down with the water I sent up,” she explained as her mount returned to them. Emden could only sigh in defeat – she supposed it was a bit naive to think she could take on someone with so much experience, but…

“As I foretold!”

Emden and Tanya found their gazes dragged back to Schugel as the illusions around the other watching the match. Both began to walk towards them.

Tanya found herself somehow even more incredulous, because while a few of the faces among the crowd were those who’d introduced themselves that first day, as well as some she recognized as their superiors within the navy, quite a number of them were just as, if not more, ridiculously dressed than this Emden woman! At least two seemed to be the sister of the girl behind Schugel’s wheelchair.

“Despite their seemingly fantastical creation and identity, the memories a shipgirl inherits from their time as a ship do not extend into all areas! They have experience performing their naval duties, but not even the eldest among them can stand against an experienced mage! They cost far too much for us to just throw them into combat and hope they learn. Therefore…”

He threw his hands up and almost sent his wheelchair into the water, but the girl behind him kept it grounded… despite her size. “If we are going to catch up with the rest of the world, let alone the Sirens, they need training! Who better than Tanya von Degurechaff? If she can turn less than fifty men into one of the most potent fighting forces in the Empire, imagine what she can do with these shipgirls under her command!”

The people standing around that she recognized walked over and began to speak with Schugel, seemingly agreeing with him.

Meanwhile, Tanya had never wished to have learned how to assassinate someone. What the hell was a shipgirl?! Why did she have to train people, again! Why couldn’t she just get a nice posting in the rear!

Emden bowed her head to Tanya silently. “Congratulations on a battle well fought, Lady Degurechaff. Schugel asks that you report to him tomorrow so he can fill you in on some of the details before you head to the Unity celebration. It seems you’re to be in charge of training the shipgirls of Nemonia.”

“What?” Tanya asked, desperate for any kind of clarity. Emden tittered. “Ah, well, we wanted to call ourselves the Dragon Empire, but that name was taken. We thought the name apt considering the center of the Empire now overlaps with what was once point Nemo.”

Tanya nodded stiffly. At least she’d finally gotten a role within the navy?

Chapter Text

It hadn’t exactly been hard to set up a meeting with each other. With the war over, there was even a possibility their mail wasn’t being checked anymore – one of the unfortunate byproducts of wielding experimental technology that was leagues better than anything their enemies had to offer.

On the other hand, the one person they’d been hoping to be able to contact the most had been completely and utterly unreachable.

Still. The reunification of the parts of the 203 rd that weren’t yet dead had been a rambunctious affair, even if the officer they all owed their lives to hadn’t been available. Stories of their part in the bombing of Kopenhyagen and of what they’d been doing since – and considering everyone had been promoted, there was no shortage of stories – had made it happy, even.

Twelve had been kept in the battalion, promoted to fill empty roles. Teyanen was shaping up to be a fine Major with a batch of veteran mages from around the Empire to fill out the other thirty-six empty positions in the battalion.

Though he claimed he didn’t hold a candle to her.

Koenig, Neumann, and Grantz were given battalions of their own to bring up to the caliber of the 203 rd . Cross training between all four was common, and they’d flown, in a plane, down from the Alps to Berun for this meeting.

As much as they had hated being put through their initial training, no one could argue that her harsh training was the only reason they were alive.

Three others, older than everyone else, were acting as instructors for the freshest of recruits. They’d begged off anything resembling promotion and wanted a quieter life now that the war was over.

They had revealed that when they drank, they’d toast her at least once.

Weiss and five of the squad leaders had been shuffled into the highest echelons of the Mage Force and were acting as its designers. In time, they would help to lead the newest branch of the Empire’s military.

They swore it would have been easier with her around.

Viktoriya and two of the others… were on guard duty.

She and the other two worked in eight hour shifts and did nothing but stand around the Kaiser. In the event of an attack, and she was on duty, she was not there to fight, but to grab the man and fly away as fast as possible. If she wasn’t on duty and an attack occurred, her job was to make sure the Kaiser was fleeing with whoever was on duty, and then to go fight their attackers.

And probably die.

If it was her, she would have done the job happily! If she was the one giving orders, Viktoriya’d at least be content that it was the most logical way to achieve their-

“Enough! We get it, Viktoriya!”

She blinked, realizing she’d been saying at least some of that out loud. She smiled sheepishly at the other three as they nursed their drinks, shaking their heads at her rambling.

Now, with most everyone else besides the officers having left the bar, they could have something resembling a private conversation.

“Can’t believe people are rioting,” Neumann commented. His comment was met with noises of agreement from herself and the others. The government was strapped for cash – what else was new? It wasn’t like there had been much during the war…

Though, that was what was new. The war they’d been fighting for years was finally over.

“Well, with crops being ruined, I suppose it’s no wonder,” Koenig remarked. Another round of agreement. No one could ignore that despite the fact that it was the middle of winter, temperatures in the north were sweltering.

“You think we’ll get any assistance?” Weiss asked. The Empire’s existence was having an impact on the entire planet’s weather and climate, especially in the Pacific – something about ocean currents – though even Europe was experiencing odd weather.

At least, the newspapers claimed as much.

Viktoriya opened her mouth, ready to declare that the Kaiser was a paranoid old fogey who didn’t just look a gift horse in the mouth but stuck his whole head where the sun didn’t shine, only for what was left of her inebriated sense to tell her that was probably a bad idea and might get her locked up for treason, especially considering her physical proximity to the man most of the time.

The others were giving her an amused look, and she settled back into her seat – when had she stood? “The Kaiser’s working with the Conservatives to…” she struggled to remember the exact wording, for a moment, “‘keep our glorious Empire free from the influence of this new and alien world.’”

The others all rolled their eyes, but if they had any gripes with the Kaiser, they didn’t voice them. Viktoriya thought a bit of influence was a small price to pay to make sure people didn’t starve to death, but the Kaiser had asked for her opinion exactly once, so far.

“Well, he’s not doing the best job of it,” Neumann risked, “the printers must be running out of paper, considering how many specials and extras they’re running about this place.”

Viktoriya nodded absently, and it took a few moments, in her alcohol-tinted vision, for her to realize the other three were looking at her expectantly. She scowled at them. “What?”

“Well, I was just thinking. You’ve probably got a few juicy tidbits to share, right? Not all of us are so-”

She glared at Neumann and then looked at Weiss. “You’re gonna be the head of the Mage Force or Corps or whatever. You spill. I’d lose my job,” she groused. Weiss merely raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t realize you’d grown to care about the Kaiser so much.”

She opened her mouth to retort, only to close it as she began to think. Was she really that attached to this job?

The other three began to pale, and Viktoriya nodded to herself. No, she really wasn’t.

“If anyone knows why the hell we’re in this world, they aren’t giving answers the Kaiser’s content with. He’s been told that foreign representatives all agree that it was probably the Sirens, and he’s decided that’s the answer he’s believing for now.”

She gave them a toothy grin. “You’ve read about these… sheships, right?”

They all nodded to each other, and Viktoriya continued her explanation. “Well, all those ship schematics appearing in the papers? The more people who know about and believe in the capabilities and history of the ships they were, the more… consistent? More efficient…?”

She shook her head. “Regardless, they get better. But that isn’t the best part!” she said, slurring her words as she gulped down more alcohol.

“They think we’re sheships! Or… heships? Bah, the point is, they don’t have magic.”

Weiss raised an eyebrow. “Turning a ship into a woman isn’t magic?”

She shrugged. “Apparently not. But they don’t know Aerial Mages aren’t ‘kansen.’ They’ve asked for schematics of our stuff, and they wanted to know how we fly! That’s part of why the Kaiser agreed to this whole ‘Unity’ thing. That and keeping people from rioting,” she trailed off.

The other three looked at each other, though, if she were honest, Viktoriya was feeling sleepy. “A secret like that can’t be kept forever.”

Viktoriya nodded as her eyes began to droop. “Yeah. This… the Kaiser wants to get the best deal possible… before revealing that we’re human…”

She heard Weiss scoff as she closed her eyes – just for a moment. “Is allying with a version of our country that got rid of its Kaiser really a good idea?”

“Kaiser’s the Kaiser,” Koenig said, though he didn’t exactly sound enthusiastic. They continued to talk – especially about their place in opening the Unity celebration tomorrow and how they should probably turn in soon – but Viktoriya just felt so… tired.

She’d been beginning to think that they might never see Tanya except on the front page ever again, and though she’d been given an odd look by the Kaiser, she just had to say that Tanya wouldn’t mind giving a speech to open the celebration.

She prayed they’d get a few moments to catch up, even if part of her reminded her that they both had jobs to do.

--OxOxO--

As Tanya followed behind the nervous looking guards escorting her from her room, part of Tanya was finally happy that she had a job to do. She’d done what she could while waiting for her superiors to make their minds up about where to place her, but any amount of time wasted was time she hadn’t spent working towards hopefully getting a nice cushy job once the Empire found a way to take on this newest threat that didn’t involve throwing her at the problem and hoping it died and she survived.

The part of her that was happy was only looking at the silver lining.

Tanya glowered as she and the two guards exited the building and she stared up at a still-unfamiliar night sky. Most of Tanya hated that she was having to work with Schugel again, that her participation in the celebration later that day was going beyond standing still and getting a medal, and that she had to get up at four so that she could get a crash course in whatever the fuck was going on.

Not that she had no idea. She’d heard Schugel’s speech praising her abilities while battling Emden, after all, and her immediate dismissal from the testing area meant she had a lot of time to think about what he’d said, between dusting off her memories of training new recruits and the 203 rd and looking over some books and papers on naval tactics and strategy she’d been looking over during the past week.

She had fought a ‘shipgirl,’ whose creation and identity were ‘fantastical.’ That, at least, was the norm for Schugel, if one kept the Type 95 in mind, though he’d at least created the Type 95 before having to beg that bastard to make it work instead of whatever mechanism had created a living, breathing human out of nothing.

The fact that a shipgirl could inherit their memories from their time as a ship meant Schugel was somehow transforming naval ships into women. Tanya…

She shook her head as she was escorted towards the docks where a ship she hadn’t seen last night was now sitting. Tanya had absolutely no idea how to feel about this fact. It sure seemed completely illogical,though she supposed she would reserve any final judgements until Schugel explained how he’d managed to pull this off.

Tanya's eyebrows furrowed as she looked up at the ship sitting in dock. It seemed… familiar.

She shrugged and ignored the furious waving of Schugel from the dock, still sitting in a wheelchair. The bottom line she’d taken from that speech was that her superiors were, as it seemed they always wound up doing, demanding she turn lead into gold.

She saluted to Schugel while doing her best to keep her distaste for the man off of her face. He was not perturbed at all by her invisible disdain. “Lieutenant Degurechaff! It’s so wonderful to see you as ready as ever even at this early hour. Would you perhaps desire to engage in a prayer with-”

The only things she was ignoring more than Schugel were the guards who were now standing behind her and the child standing at Schugel’s side. “Wonderful to see you again, Captain Glein. I knew this ship felt familiar.” She greeted the man standing some distance away from Schugel’s wheelchair, and he shook her hand back.

Her brows furrowed as she saw the man’s expression become somewhat wistful. She started to ask what was wrong – besides the disgusting time they’d been required to wake up at-

“Now, Degurechaff. Just because I’ve interrupted your beauty sleep is no reason to get upset-”

“Schugel,” she ground out, “Let’s focus on our work. Miss Emden told me you would fill me in on some of the details regarding… my new assignment?” she asked.

She visibly flinched at the face-splitting smile breaking his face. “Cauberg, if you would signal the operators?”

The child to at his side nodded, and-

Tanya flinched a second time as metal popped into existence around the small girl, and she realized that this girl – and the one that had been pushing Schugel around yesterday – were also shipgirls.

She appraised the child in this new light as she tilted the various… implements she now had and began flashing a light located next to the… smokestack parallel to her spine towards the shore. Though this one’s armaments also seemed to be connected to her lower back, they weren’t nearly as robust. The pair of torpedoes at each of her hips were smaller, and the gun she did have was currently hanging unused, next to a spooled up anchor, from the mast poking up next to the smokestack.

Cauberg finished flashing her light at the ‘operators’ – a concrete bunker located on the shore, from what she could tell – and found Tanya’s gaze piercing her. She tried to put up a brave front, only to wilt slightly and look to Schugel for support when Tanya narrowed her eyes.

Another difference between Emden and the girl in front of her was their apparent age. While Emden couldn’t have been confused for anything besides an adult, considering her attire, this girl looked as young as Tanya had been when she’d joined the army, if not younger.

This one, at least, was dressed in clothing that approached sensibility, even if it wasn’t anywhere close to regulation. The hat atop her head seemed styled like a captain's hat, and her white hair was pulled back into a ponytail nearly identical to Tanya’s own. The jacket, too, was at least styled in the same way as the numerous jackets she’d seen the seamen coming and going about the base wearing, though she was mystified as to why it and the hat were dark red instead of black.

She was also mystified by the girl’s clothing choice – a shirt that went down half of her thigh at best and a tube top – until she realized that those clothes wouldn’t get nearly as wet as something more sensible… but if that was the case, why wear stockings?

The girl’s shoes were nondescript, at least, though the coloration reminded her of a ship’s, with the bright red on the bottom and the gray on top. 

And, now that she was thinking about this girl and comparing her to the others she’d seen, at least a few of the shipgirls who had been watching her training exercise with Emden had to have been of a similar age. She looked up from the girl and spoke. “Schugel, I am not-”

“I’ll be glad to entertain your questions in just a moment, Lieutenant. For now, pay attention to the Basel. I determined you wouldn’t believe me if I just told you how it was done,” he explained. Tanya raised an eyebrow at that pronouncement, and then just shook her head as he ordered her into the air. If whatever was going on was ‘miraculous’ enough, and especially if the word god made it into his explanation, then of course, she’d be doubtful, but-

“Are you reading me, Degurechaff?”

She scowled again. “Loud and clear… sir,” she added the last part, unwilling to give him many more opportunities to write her up for insubordination in an attempt to exert more control over her.

She’d gone through that song and dance once already, thank you very much.

She looked down at the deck of the Basel, and she immediately caught sight of something that hadn’t been there before. There seemed to be some kind of contraption set up right next to the forwardmost turret, with many different wires and tubes snaking out of it and off the deck, towards the concrete bunker.

The most prominent part of the contraption was the glowing blue cube sitting in its center. Though the rectangular box with the cords it was sitting on wasn’t exactly inconspicuous, there was just something… intriguing about the pulsing blue-

She shook her head with a snarl. She already had one cursed artifact foisted upon her due to Being X’s influence.

Schugel’s voice cut through her observations. “The blue cube you are seeing is a Wisdom Cube. At present, we don’t have the slightest idea how they work!” he said as various spotlights turned on around the ship, lighting up every inch.

Schugel sounded excited more than anything.

“However, through the grace of God, I determined their purpose! Once introduced to the proper reactant and catalyst, a Wisdom Cube can produce a shipgirl!” he said gleefully. She muttered darkly under her breath.

She continued to float in the sky, watching as the cube’s glow brightened with every passing moment. She became aware of the growing sound of electricity – was the cube being powered by those cords? – and began to squint her eyes until she could no longer stare at it directly.

“Once the shipgirl forms, Lieutenant, please do make sure to catch the device the Wisdom Cube is holstered in. It would be a waste to have to trawl for its remains, especially the polonium.”

She almost nodded automatically, and then that name rang an alarm bell in the back of her head. “Polonium?” she asked, her concern rising as the ship below her began to groan.

“Yes, polonium. It gives off the alpha-rays that act as a catalyst for the reaction. Frustratingly expensive stuff, not helped by its radioactivity-”

Her eyes widened and she swore as her suspicion was vindicated. No wonder everyone sane was sitting in that bunker! “Schugel,” she shouted over the growing noise from the Wisdom Cube, “I am not giving myself cancer to catch that-”

“Do away with your safety concerns, Lieutenant. You’ll find a modification of your active barrier formula specifically designed for this work in the Type 98-”

And if he said anything after that, she didn’t hear a word as the deafening droning grew too great for even the tortured rending of the ship the wisdom cube sat on to drown out. She threw up that shield Schugel had mentioned, heaping energy into the formula in a desperate attempt to survive-

Then, the light behind her eyelids faded, and Tanya dove forward as her cracked open eyes saw the device – sans wisdom cube – fall towards the water. Not even the lack of lighting from anywhere on the dock besides Cauberg’s pitiful light could obstruct her dive. She managed to reach the device and went through the migraine-inducing mathematics in fractions of a second required to warp the shape of her active barrier around it.

As a headache burst into existence, she noted the sound of splashes in the water and turned around. Her eyes widened.

The sound must have been the falling cords and wires, because floating gently down to the surface of the water, with no battleship in sight, was a figure obscured by a glowing blue light.

She saw Glein take a step forward. “Basel?”

The blue light suddenly expanded, for a moment, and then it faded into nothingness, leaving behind… 

“Ha! I am the Bayern -class dreadnought battleship Basel. Though I may be the youngest, that just means I’ve got upgrades Bayern and Baden don’t!  You’ll find my anti-aircraft complement has become much better than theirs. Lead me well and you might see it in action!”

Schugel was shouting and raving about something related to the creation of Basel. Glein stood, staring at the woman with an inscrutable expression, and Tanya just blinked slowly at the shipgirl standing on the water.

Cauberg was clapping.

She was, in a word, striking, and if it hadn’t been for her introduction, imposing. Her  height immediately jumped out to Tanya, because she was over six and a half feet tall at least. Did they have chairs and doors that big at the base?

…Wait, did they weigh as much as a normal person or as much as their ship?

She shook her head and continued to look at the shipgirl as she floated to the ground and deposited the wisdom cube-less device. Now that she was on the ground, she could see that Tanya was eye-level with the woman’s legs and that she was indeed well over six foot tall.

She could also see that the woman’s height was not her only ‘generous’ asset, because her chest was definitely bigger than either Emden or Viktoriya’s – the latter of whom was just about Tanya’s only ruler for that sort of thing – which wouldn’t have been a problem if her shirt was buttoned up all the way and not almost flashing her. The shipgirl’s pencil skirt was also scandalously short, compounding Tanya’s formula-induced headache with worried musing about how the hell regular people were going to react to her subordinate wearing clothing like this.

She wore no coat over her shirt, but a high-collared cape… which, when she looked between the woman towering over Captain Glein, seemed similar to his own. In fact, her blonde, flowing hair also seemed similar to his… barring the obvious difference of a pair of horns curling out of the sides of the woman’s head.

She kneeled before him, taking out her sword – why did she had a sword with the four miniaturized-but-still-hulking gun turrets that seemed to also bristle with anti-aircraft guns – giving Tanya a good at it’s pommel, which seemed to be modeled after the highest parts of her superstructure.

With her navy blue cape draped over her, she presented her sword to her former Captain. “Sir Glein, thank you. I have fond memories of being captained by others, but it was under your command that I first tasted battle. Every man who served aboard has a place in my heart, and I think… I will seek them out, in time. But you were my captain, so I feel-”

She’d begun to ramble, and Glein cut it off by kneeling down and closing her gloved hands around her blade and pushing it back to her. “I thank you, Basel. I… couldn’t ever forget what we accomplished together.”

He gestured towards Tanya. “But for now, you have a new commanding officer. Learn well under her as you did once before. Do me- do all of us proud.”

She sniffled once, and then stood abruptly, her boots grinding against the dock. She sheathed her sword and grinned combatively towards Tanya. “I will. I feel I’ve already got a leg up on you no one else would.”

Tanya didn’t respond at first, because her gaze was still glued to the top of the woman’s head, until it flicked down to see that she had a pointed, spear-like tail to match the horns. She blinked at it and then dragged her gaze up to the woman’s eyes – having to look up far enough that it became uncomfortable – and started to-

“Oh no you don’t! We’ve got tests to run first! Cauberg, onwards!” Schugel shouted. The small girl’s armaments disappeared in a pop of blue light, as did Basel’s. She and Glein continued onwards, leaving Tanya to stare at them while she contemplated what the actual fuck her life had become.

Then, with a shake of her head and a growing desire for alcohol – or coffee, at least – she trotted forward after them.

--OxOxO--

It was one, final indignity before she had left. For daring to follow Amagi’s order to wait for the civilian government to finalize the details of the Unity celebration over the order of the men in the navy. They’d smiled at her, of course, and given excuses about needing to show the flag.

But she knew what it really was.

Taihou looked out across the picturesque ocean and fumed to herself, railing against the fools she called her superiors. The delegation from Japan and the Sakura Empire were being transported to ‘The Empire’ in a convoy of ships – some civilian, many military.

And among the ships of the regular navy was the pride of their fleet.

Yamato.

Taihou stared forward unerringly, taking note of the four kansen currently skating ahead of the convoy. They knew just as well as she did that regular battleships were nothing more than glorified bombardment platforms.

But battleship kansen were a force to be reckoned with. And when Yamato was finally awakened?

Safe in the knowledge that no one was currently listening to her, she let out and angry breath. If she wouldn’t get them results, they could always awaken Yamato. Or Musashi. Or even Shinano, despite how accident prone that ship was.

She let the anger drain out of her for a moment. She… was almost there.

Physically, to the Empire, sure, but more importantly, to leadership. She had proven just how good she was at anything and everything it took to be a leader. 

She grit her teeth again. Even if it just… irked her that she had been passed over for leadership at all. But now, no one could argue against her ability. She twirled in place and sent forward a few ethereal fighters as her rigging opened, their flames dancing and bright despite the cloudless sky above them.

She watched the four ahead of their convoy dodged them playfully, and she smirked. There wasn’t another soul in the Sakura Empire that could hold a candle to her in battle.

Even when they took the battle seriously, neither Akagi nor Kaga could beat her even half the time anymore, not even when Kaga brought out that giant, lumbering shikigami she called a manifestation of her will.

And no one else had a win rate even close to that. Not the carriers, the destroyers, the cruisers, or even the battleships. No one could compete with her.

She took in another breath as her fury at her superiors smoldered. She had doubts as to whether she could take on both of those foxes at once. Perhaps she would win a fifth of the time. Few could expect more than that.

But Taihou did, because the Grey Ghost had managed it, and she would do the same, some day.

She sent off a few more planes towards the ships, grinning as the space between their dodges and her planes narrowed and narrowed. Of course, even in their ‘serious’ spars, they never went all out. Akagi would never show her hand like that.

Taihou didn’t hold it against that crafty fox. She kept a few cards close to her chest too.

She had led hundreds of missions, from the most mundane escort duties to having even been in charge of the Crimson Axis joint fleet exercises last year. Even her administrative abilities had been growing, despite how much she despised the work.

She was almost to her rightful position at the head of the Sakura Empire.

“Lady Taihou.”

She spun around, releasing another wave of planes. “Yes?” she responded to the messenger boy.

“We have spotted the American contingent on our radar.”

She nodded. “We wouldn’t want to be rude to our friends,” she said, loading the last word with venom, “match our speed and course with theirs. We will arrive at the same time, as agreed.”

He nodded and bowed, and she returned her attention to her game of cat and mouse. She smirked as she looked at the kansen she’d brought with her.

Oh, the look on Akagi’s face when Taihou had flat out refused to allow Akagi on the trip. That alone was almost enough to completely assuage the anger at having to ride in on the Yamato.

Taihou’s expression began to cloud. Indeed, many had asked her to come, and the ones Amagi had insisted she take along had been… unexpected.

Yuudachi was… not someone Taihou got along with well, but no one could deny her prowess in battle.

Suruga had been suggested, and though Taihou had wanted to flatly refuse because she was closely aligned with Amagi… her advice would be invaluable, and she was better than Taihou at the paperwork fueling their trip.

But lastly… Atago? Taihou had been planning to take her already and offered the slot back to Amagi, who picked Takao. Taihou had thought she would have been her first choice.

If she were honest, she would have expected Amagi to be much more… opposed to Taihou’s picks. Akashi was a no-brainer – if they did nothing else, getting a business set up so they could do some information gathering was the bare minimum the navy wanted out of this. But Hiyou, Junyou, Kumano, and Suzuya?

In fact, rather than disliking how Taihou had built their delegation, she’d been happy. Taihou was sure something else was going on, but she didn’t have-

“Lady Taihou?” asked a messenger. She turned, scowling, to find the same man who’d just spoken to her. “Now what?”

“We have received word that the contingent from Azur Lane will be arriving in tandem with us and the Americans.”

She bit back a snarl and nodded sharply, waving him away.

She HATED the commander of Azur Lane.

With a burning passion.

Oh, she could acknowledge, intellectually, that reviving so many of her fallen comrades was one of the two reasons the Sirens had been pushed back into the arctic as fast as they had.

But couldn’t he have waited to revive them until after she was in charge?

She did not have to wait much longer for their escort into the Empire’s waters to show up on their radar.

Petulantly, she decided she’d radio ahead herself – she might nominally be beholden to the orders of Japan’s delegation, but they hadn’t told her not to – “Vessel of the Empire, this is Taihou, leader of the Sakura Empire’s delegation. Do you copy?”

There was a moment of silence… and then a few moments more. Just when she started to get annoyed, they finally responded. “Could… you repeat yourself?”

She raised an eyebrow at just how bad their Japanese was, and responded in the German she’d picked up working with the Iron Blood. “Vessel of the Empire, this is Taihou, leader of the Sakura Empire’s delegation. Do you copy?” She ground out the last part.

They responded almost immediately. “Yes, we copy! Please follow us into port at Hamborg,” they rattled off, sounding… frankly, terrified.

She let out a deep sigh as the four kansen ahead of them began skating back to the Yamato. This had better not be a portent of things to come.

Chapter Text

Tanya could only smile and hide her mild annoyance as Glein said farewell to his former ship when she finished going through Schugel’s tests – a physical administered by what was hopefully a more sane doctor, followed a test of her physical capabilities by having her complete what she recognized as the Minimum Physical Fitness Test she recalled barely passing, a test of her martial capabilities through a demonstration of her primary and secondary batteries, along with some fancy swordwork, and finally a test of her mental facilities by having her recount a battle her hull had gone through.

She had stared at Tanya's impassive gaze while she recounted her crew's defense against the 203 rd with a cheeky grin, which she had lost when Tanya responded with a scowl.

As she bade Captain Glein goodbye, she really wished he stayed, because she wasn't sure how to interact with the two… sheships and she didn't want to interact with Schugel.

Of course, the madman didn't care what she wanted.

“I hope you were paying close attention, Lieutenant, because, as I am sure you remember from my declaration to the observers of your little bout with Emden, you are going to be training them!”

She managed to resist the urge to glare at him, but she couldn’t hide her scowl as she stared away from the newly built hospital. “Train them in what, Doctor Schugel?”

He grinned at her, though she refused to meet his gaze and was staring off towards the various construction sites around the newly built expansion to the High Seas Naval Station. ‘Nemonia’ was to be headquartered here until a more permanent location was chosen.

“Playing coy, are we, Lieutenant? No matter!” he declared. He gestured about wildly as words poured from his mouth and Tanya’s scowl deepened.

“They remember their time as ships, so there’s little need to ask you to teach them naval tactics that you have no knowledge of – perhaps they can teach you a thing or two, even! No, what they lack is experience with their new human forms, which you will provide to them.”

She continued to stare ahead as the sounds of construction faded and they walked through a less messy area of the base. Cauberg was telling Basel about the amenities, which Tanya was taking note of while privately hoping the girl would trip and send Schugel careening into the water where he would hopefully drown.

“Doctor,” she began while draining as much of the irritation she felt from her voice as she could, “these… ‘sheships’ are not Aerial Mages. I hardly know their capabilities, let alone whether the combat they will be entering resembles combat between Aerial Mages or even Marine Mages. Whatever training I give them may not even be applicable.”

She kept her protestations brief, as she didn’t expect them to do much. Schugel clearly wanted her for this job, if his presentation was anything to go by. If the week she had spent without an assignment was anything to go by, then the factions that made up the Navy clearly couldn’t agree on anything else for her to do.

As expected, her words do nothing.

“Now now, Lieutenant. Don’t sell yourself short!” he cried out, nearly tipping over his wheelchair as he propped himself up on his arms to lean towards her. “Doctor Schugel!” Cauberg cried. He sat himself back down, his gaze not drifting away from Tanya.

“My apologies, Cauberg. But she really shouldn’t! She built up her 203 rd into the most potent force of its kind in the world, and she devised the Kampfgruppe which were responsible for how efficiently the Empire was able to defeat the Federation,” he extolled.

Cauberg answered before Tanya had a chance to qualify his sweeping praise for her abilities. “Of course, Doctor Schugel. I- I read about some of it in the papers!”

Tanya resisted the urge to sigh at the fact that Schugel was feeding her soon-to-be subordinates propaganda. The naive ones would think she was a god among men and the cynical ones would think she was an overblown braggart who liked to pose for the camera without actually doing any work.

Instead of giving the doctor a heartfelt thank filled with as much venomous sarcasm as she could muster, she continued to look around…

Only to then notice just how many sheships – because no one else would wear such ridiculous or provocative outfits – were nearby. She counted at least twenty coming and going from the various amenities that had been built up, and more than a few were taking a moment to stop and stare at or give a friendly wave to them as they passed.

Quite a number of them were very… beautiful.

Tanya shook the errant thought away. “Just how many sheships have been made, Doctor?” she asked, a hint of trepidation leaking into her voice.

Schugel’s smile went from satisfied at Cauberg’s words to insane in a split second. “Thanks to your defense of the fatherland, Lieutenant, many. Not enough, never enough, but many.”

Muttering to himself, he stared off into the distance as she had been, though now that she looked around, it seemed they were being followed by some of the other sheships. If she was lucky, they wanted to investigate Basel or to speak with Schugel.

Tanya was rarely lucky.

His gaze snapped up. “Yes, not enough. Discoveries were recently made about the possibility of using Wisdom Cubes to generate electricity, but priority is currently being given to this project due to the threat the Sirens pose to the Empire. Of course, even if we got allocated every cube, as I asked, we wouldn’t have enough.”

Tanya nodded, but Schugel wasn’t done. “In light of the Navy handing over every pre-war ship to our program, and even a few completed during the war, I highly doubt we will run out of hulls to test on for quite some time!” he said jovially.

That almost stopped Tanya in her tracks. “Every…”

He waved away her incredulity as she caught up. “Of course, they’ve made sure to keep the most modern stuff for themselves, as well as enough destroyers and cruisers to protect their current battleships and battlecruisers and the ones they’ve planned to start in the wake of the Empire’s transmigration.”

“That would still have to be well over a hundred vessels.”

Schugel smirked. “I’ll ignore you’re stating the obvious, since you’re also wrong. When you include the submarines, Nemonia will have some 250 sheships to work with… assuming there aren’t any problems with their creation.”

Tanya stifled her desire to sigh tiredly and decided to ignore that very loaded end of that remark to instead focus on the task before her.

She felt that getting them used to using their human bodies would honestly be a breeze. A few of the training courses she’d put cadets through would certainly help, at least.

However, determining how best to use sheships? She had very little to go off of as far as what their role should or even could be, and her abilities as an Aerial Mage and leadership of the 203 rd would only go so far – she had had a bedrock of training and information from her first life to supplement it. There weren’t any easy comparisons for what a sheship could be from her first life. There was exactly one person who may or may not have ever existed that could walk on water, and Jesus didn’t have 14 inch cannons attached to his back.

Despite the testing that Schugel had done, she didn’t really understand the capabilities or limits of sheships, which was something else she needed to do if she was going to figure out how best to use them. It was a daunting task that she was sure someone more capable would have been found for if not for the machinations of Being X.

She’d figure something out. She had to, if she didn’t want to end up as the metaphorical gun the Empire only took out to fire at the Sirens.

Perhaps she could even try to observe the other nations’ sheships for tips?

Regardless of the solution she arrived at, though, she would have to start reaching out to her old Kampfgruppe, see if anyone could help her out with the mountains of work she would inevitably create. Perhaps Ugar had some colleagues in the Navy he could point her towards?

“Cauberg, you are aware I am a sixty-year-old man who is fully capable of-”

“B- But the doctors said you need to take it easy, and I don’t wa- want you to get hurt, and-”

Tanya snapped out of her ruminations to find Schugel trying to wheel away from a blubbering Cauberg. His indignancy was fading into guilt as he promised the girl he’d be careful. She beamed at him and he muttered about god’s creations being far too cute.

He slowly began to wheel himself away. “Now, scientists from around the globe are gathering to explain the basics of wisdom cube technology to me and my team – as if I haven’t figured it out myself! Regardless, it is very important I leave now and prepare to extract everything I can from them! Cauberg, continue giving them the tour!”

Tanya turned to Cauberg, only for Schugel to cry out once more. “Ah, one last thing!”

He wheeled back over to them, and Tanya hid a smirk as Schugel panted from the exertion. “Degurechaff. I was told to remind you that doing your job and earning their loyalty will, of course, result in rewards.”

She wasn’t particularly enthused by the promise of rewards – the last time she designed a new doctrine for fighting war, she got shipped away from France to go fight the Federation to employ her doctrine. She wasn’t naive enough to think this would end differently, considering her lack of experience with all other naval matters and the bickering between the factions of the Empire’s navy.

Of course, a promotion was a promotion, which at least meant more money… which she would be able to access when she turned eighteen. In five years.

When she might not be alive.

“Earn their loyalty?” she asked, much more interested in the second part of his reminder. Schugel scoffed and waved his hand. “I am certain they are perfectly loyal to the Empire,” he began, speaking as if Cauberg and Basel weren’t right next to them and a dozen other – incredibly beautiful – sheships weren’t within audible range of their conversation.

“They are the physical manifestations of not only the soul of hulls they were, but the beliefs and ideas of every single person who lives in the Empire. The notion that their incidental origin from a piece of alien technology that not even I understand is something that only lesser men and women think will affect their loyalty,” he sniffed.

He took off, wheeling his way around a corner, as Tanya rolled her eyes-

And that was the last moment of peace she had for the next two hours.

“CAUBERG!”

“G- Gah! Zugspitze, Rainerhorn, s- stop it! I can’t help it if mine aren’t as big as yours, bu- but doing that isn’t going to help! Brocken, Møllehøj, help me!”

“You know I can’t stop them, Cauberg.”

“Better you than me, sis.”

Cauberg got felt up by what were apparently her sisters – somewhat similar in appearance and dress and very different as far as their personality went – and absolutely no one found it objectionable.

Basel was surrounded by a dozen other girls of similar or greater height who took turns inspecting her on various metrics, some of which were brazenly sexual in nature. Thankfully, she did not get felt up.

Tanya, on the other hand, got assaulted by dozens upon dozens of introductions, most of which she hardly remembered because they were all so fucking rediculous.

She barely had the presence of mind to try and apply some kind of organization to the madness. Emden was among the ‘Six Elders’ who had been awakened first, even though none of the hulls they had once been were anywhere near the oldest in Nemonia.

Some ships had animalistic features like Basel – horns or animals ears and tails – while most did not. Some of them introduced themselves as royalty or members of the aristocracy, others were more down to earth and named after officers. Some came in groups with their sisters, others were alone and aloof. The engineers and mechanics baffled her with the minutiae of their work, and the nuns grated on her with their words about faith and god. The submarines either left no impression because their name was a letter and some numbers, made up for their name with their personality, or owned the fact that they were named after legendary pirates who were born somewhere in the Empire, or even just in the Baltic or Mediterranean.

Tanya had been patted on the head more in the last hour than she had in the rest of her life. A few destroyers had called her big sister. A few cruisers had called her little sister. Two battleships dared to pick her up and coddle her like she was a doll and their fucking daughter.

Her reputation would have been fucking shredded if the Kampfgruppe could see her now.

Actually, no. She was sure they would have been jealous beyond belief, because Tanya could confidently say the number of women who wore an outfit that didn’t break the Empire’s dress code on one fucking hand. She’d seen more titties in the past two hours than in her previous thirty-year first life.

Throughout the two hours, the distracting thoughts in her head commenting on just how revealing their clothes had been had grown more common, and Tanya had felt the entire area getting hotter and hotter as the sun rose and her head had begun to spin as she was surrounded by more and more sheships-

“Fufufu~ I am the Monarch-class Monarch. You stand in the presence of royalty… but fret not, I shant make you kneel. You too are nobility, after all. I place myself under your service, assuming you can… satisfy me.”

It wasn’t that the six-foot-tall woman was flashing her that did her in. In fact, she was dressed in a crisp white dress uniform Tanya had seen some members of the General Staff wear once or twice, though she was glad none of them had worn anything as form fitting as Monarch’s dress shirt because it left very little to the imagination.

Nor was it that her matching white skirt was hilariously – and perhaps illegally – short. Nor even was it the way that she rubbed the pommel of her sword.

No, what caused a fountain of blood to erupt from Tanya’s face was the way the woman leaned down and purred into her ear while simultaneously loosening the collar of her shirt.

As the two columns of blood gushed out of her nose with enough force to propel Tanya back, she was absolutely certain this was the closest Being X had gotten and would ever get to extracting a sincere prayer from her.

SMACK

As her consciousness faded and Monarch was berated by those around her, Tanya felt vindicated that Being X wouldn’t ever get to use her clearly delayed puberty against her again, because as long as she was prepared for seeing her subordinates dressed skimpily and making passes at her despite her apparent age – it had better be because they thought she was mature enough despite her age and not because of it – that meant it wouldn’t happen again!

Right?

--OxOxO--

Hamburg was supposed to be extremely cold, with the new year coming up, and he knew that from experience. He’d been there, at the tail end of 1944, to help plan and lead the effort to drive the Sirens out of the North Sea and into the Arctic.

Thankfully, Hamborg, being located in the southern hemisphere, was not.

The part of the city they were in seemed oddly deserted, for a port town, but it had been explained away as a precautionary measure in the event that they were attacked again. He wasn’t sure if he believed it was happening everywhere, but considering the number of times a multinational gathering of shipgirls attracted Siren or META attention, he just saw it as prudent.

As the delegations arrived and met each other, the populace of the town was the farthest thing from Jonathan Smithe’s mind as he smiled and watched the reunions play out between the shipgirls he’d brought and the representatives from around the world.

True, only An Shan and Chang Chun were sisters, but those that went to Azur Lane often lamented the time spent away from their homeland and their friends and family. He didn’t fault them at all, of course. He understood.

He’d touched base with those he knew. Seeing Enterprise attempt to apologize yet again for that misunderstanding was amusing – something Belfast reminded her close friend which had devolved into a much more casual conversation. Prince of Wales was as cordial as ever, lamenting how long it had been since they’d met, and Prinz Eugen playfully suggested he should simply switch sides if he felt he was under-appreciated in his current role, as always.

He hated how she read him, but she hated that he could tell her offer was made at least partially because she cared.

Of course, he’d received a similar offer from Kronshtadt not five seconds after he met the woman, and his polite refusal was met with a shake of her head that he matched what her friends had said about him.

He’d repressed a shudder at the look he was sure Chapayev was boring into the back of his neck and made an excuse to get away. Of course, that had led to him meeting with various dignitaries and representatives from around the globe – some he recognized, but even the many he didn’t did know of him, at least. Most were shocked that he had shown up in person, and he’d given the excuse that, since he was sending a representative of everyone from Azur Lane, he felt humanity should get a representative.

He got a few chuckles when it was pointed out that it also conveniently ensured no faction was over-represented and he professed his ignorance.

Well, he got chuckles from everyone except the representatives from the United States, who were not happy he had sent a more balanced assortment of ships.

Now, he had one last person to meet. Still, his gaze lingered on the animated conversation taking place between Minneapolis, La Galissonnière, Sims, and Foch. At the way Belfast and Enterprise  metaphorically danced around each other while Brooklyn and Sheffield rolled their eyes. At the staring contest going on between Gneisenau and Scharnhorst, and South Dakota and Massachusetts. At the hungry looks coming from Atago, Hiyou, Junyou, Kumano, and Suzuya…

Their eyes widened as they caught his gaze, and he felt his soul collapsing. Not again-

“Hello there. I don’t believe we’ve met before.”

He spun around, studiously ignoring those five, and began drifting towards the table of refreshments. His eyes narrowed as he took stock of their offerings. If the Empire was hurting as badly for food as their satellites said they were and not as vaguely as implied by their foreign dignitaries, then they certainly weren’t showing it with the assortment of food on display. He looked towards the voice and smiled widely at the woman. “I don’t believe we have, though your name precedes you, Lady Taihou.”

“Likewise, Commander Jonathan Smithe,” she replied. Her gaze too drifted towards the food. “If you wouldn’t mind,” she began, her gaze scouring the table and finding everything but a pastry of some kind wanting, “I have always been… curious about something.”

He also wasn’t particularly enthused by the food – he got enough sausage in his rations, and caviar wasn’t his thing – and picked up an identical pastry to her own. “Shoot,” he replied as he leaned back on the table and looked out at the people.

Chang Chun and An Shan were chasing each other around Yat Sen, who scolded them lightly as Hai Tien watched on impassively. He knew all four were being watched like hawks by representatives from the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China, but they played without acknowledging it.

“Why did you decide it was more important to revive fallen Kansen rather than keep your technological advantage over the rest of the world?”

Jonathan blinked, his wistful gaze across the crowd sharply shifting towards her eyes. He didn’t get anything from her – the perfect picture of polite curiosity. He gazed back out at the crowd.

“Usually,” he chuckled, “Usually, people ask why I did it at all. I guess you wanted to skip that?”

She smiled patiently. “I see no need to tread ground I myself have already worked over.”

He nodded, more to himself than anything. “You wouldn’t have given it out, I take it?”

He flicked his eyes towards her and saw her stifle… something. Probably derision or a scoff. “Of course not,” she answered plainly, sounding just the slightest bit condescending. “Type II rigging allows for the wholesale reconstitution of a kansen into a more powerful, modern form. The ability to constantly revive your fallen meant there was no battle you could fight that you could lose anything important.”

He couldn’t hide the slightest flinch at that, and then he let out a long sigh. “I don’t suppose you have any sisters?”

“I do not. I stand alone.”

He smiled sadly. “There are any number of reasons. Just because the United States could stand against the Siren threat with that technology didn’t mean the rest of the world could be protected was one of the first I gave.”

He gave her a knowing look. “Another I’ve given is that the US doesn’t have any designs on ruling the world, and the idea that we’d utilize our technological advantage to destroy every other fleet before they got the technology and then conquer everything is completely ludicrous.”

He stared back out. An Shan and Chang Chun had bowed their heads in front of Yat Sen and were apologizing. “My real reason… is a matter of public record, so I’m sorry to disappoint you if you thought you were stealing some secret from me.”

His gaze flicked back to her and found her quietly waiting for his answer. He shrugged. “I asked if you had a sister because… I lost my whole family to the war.”

Taihou’s eyes narrowed. He deliberately hadn’t said the Sirens.

“Dear old Dad died at the Battle of the Coral Sea. Not on a fighting ship, too old for that, but on a support ship. Mom died in the Siren attack on New York City. Peter, my brother, died in the aleutians.”

He licked his lips. “My… closest friend got hit in a raid on Iceland.”

He shook his head to get rid of the pain he was sure was showing on his face. “If I could end the sadness that Enterprise felt, that Saratoga felt, that dozens in the Eagle Union and hundreds across the world felt,” he said, staring into her eyes, “Then I had to help.”

“And when your enemies invent a way to ensure ships cannot be revived, rip away the ships of the Eagle Union one by one, and scatter their remains to the winds because of the opportunity your weakness provided, what then? Will you regret your foolishness?”

Taihou had stepped closer, until they were almost touching, and was leaning forward slightly to whisper into his ear. With her so close to him, he could feel the fury burning under her skin.

He leaned away from her so she could look into his eyes. “No.”

His answer hung in the air for a full five seconds, her expression of rage and vindication slowly twisting into a scowl as he stepped away from her and leaned on the table behind him once more. “Besides. It would never come to that?”

She raised an unimpressed eyebrow.  “Well, another reason I’ve given for doing what I did is that I wanted the world to come together. From what I’ve heard, Akagi would sooner fight you on my behalf than battle Azur Lane,” he smirked.

Her scowl deepened… and then smoothed out. “How fortunate it is, then, that a whole new nation has come into existence that feels no debt towards you.”

He shrugged. “Perhaps, one day, you will know what it is like.” She smiled, keeping her venomous reply that either she or Shinano, assuming they ever created her, would be the last oil-fueled carriers of the Sakura Empire once the new cube-powered ones were fit for service.

He finished off his pastry and continued to speak in her silence. “Though, I suppose your seeking allies is the secondary reason you’ve come here?”

Taihou’s expression clouded. What? “What other purpose would I have for coming here?” she doubted he knew of her aspirations for leadership, or if he did, that it was conditional on her performance here.

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow. “I cannot think of literally any reason for you to bring those five with you other than-”

Taihou’s mind raced, discarding how very well informed he seemed about the inner workings of the Sakura Empire for someone based in the Caribbean. The link between her and those five was well known at home, but how could that possibly tie into their visit-

“Attention! If everyone could make their way to the stage, the opening speeches for the Unity Celebration are to begin post haste with some kind words from the Kaiser, Ruler of the Empire, Heir to the Habsburgs…”

She tuned out the droning of the human and ignored the Commander’s farewell. Dwelling on the comments of that fool would do her no good in the days to come.

Though, imagining his bloody, charred, broken corpse laying at her feet as she did what no one else in the Sakura Empire could do – defeat the Grey Ghost, who even now was flaunting her continued existence at this meeting – certainly made her feel invigorated.

--OxOxO--

From within a well furnished room, he stood waiting for the signal for his arrival. The guards in the room looked out of place, but he had learned to ignored the guards that often surrounded him. The fears that assassins sent from their enemies would attempt to kill him to throw the Empire into turmoil was a widely held one among his retinue, but he had never felt safer than he did at that moment.

There were plenty of guards present, of course. Most were regular soldiers, a few close to the stage were Mages, and he knew there were at least two sheships behind the curtain, as well as a few dozen closer to the waterfront just in case there was an attack.

More than that, the remnants of the mythical 203 rd were on standby for his speech. If anyone could be relied on to destroy the enemies of the Empire and protect him during the Unity Celebration, it was them.

He scowled at the thought. He’d wanted it called the Victory Celebration – framing the Empire’s transmigration after having beaten its enemies in their old world as a victory might add one more reason for the people to avoid throwing him out.

He had been overruled on the matter of naming the event. ‘Unity’ was eventually decided upon because no one could agree on anything more specific.

Of course, ‘Unity’ within the Empire was far more aspirational these days than the Kaiser had hoped.

Like the name of the celebration, the only thing the government was working together on without argument was the reduction of the army. Thanks to a recommendation originating from within the Navy, a good number of those soldiers were being put to work constructing infrastructure or getting training to assist in the construction of new ships – the Conservatives had hated the meddling in the economy, but because he had supported the idea, they hadn’t tried to block or alter it.

Fortunately, the economy was looking shaky, which was an improvement over how unstable it had been during the war.

Unfortunately, the real problem was the food.

The climate of the Empire had been completely changed. The south, from Pola to the very tip of the Dalmatian coast, was no longer sunny and wonderful year round, as was instead getting colder and colder due to how close it was to the South Pole. Most crops and animals there were either in the process of dying or were already dead. The northeast was getting far too hot. Imperial Dacia’s crops were mostly safe due to their elevation, though the hundreds of meters of sheer cliff was understandably having varied and deleterious effects. The northwest was also doing relatively fine, but the changing weather was negatively impacting the crops that had been planted in autumn to survive the winter.

Food had already been scarce, and the damnable weather was sending the price of food higher and higher. The Chancellor had informed him that if people panicked, the economy might crash and fighting over the limited food might break out.

The lack of food was impacting everything.

The coalition spent a good majority of its time bickering about food. The Conservatives didn’t want to sell out the country to foreigners, even in return for food, the Center was paranoid about people hoarding what little was available, and the Social Democrats were fracturing internally over whether they should sell their foreign policy for aid or whether the communists were right all along.

He and the Chancellor were managing to hold everything together – the Conservatives and Social Democrats were afraid that leaving would see them ganged up on by the remaining parties like the army, and everyone still agreed that the Army remained a threat to their power – but he doubted that he could do it forever, especially without food.

That problem should be solved relatively soon – some American named Hoover with experience in the area was organizing for aid to be sent, free of charge. Everyone was pitching in, but it seemed they would be sending the most by far.

A point in their favor in the upcoming negotiations.

Of course, the celebration was apparently giving the government conniptions – hiding evidence that Mages were human was apparently much more difficult than he had anticipated when the diplomats lied through their teeth.

Not that he had to deal with it. He technically wasn’t part of the government.

oon, the negotiators would wring promises of technology and trade and food and… protection, as much as it irked him to admit, from both sides. In the end, he and the Chancellor would go over both treaties and pick the best deal for the Empire.

There were those that favored one side or the other, and he had biases against both – their former enemies were part of one group while their counterpart in this world had thrown out their Kaiser and had allied with the Sirens in the past.

Allying with their former enemies would leave a bad taste in his mouth, but the thought of allying with these fascists made him nervous.

There was a knock on the door, and the Kaiser schooled his features as the door was checked by one of the guards.

Over a dozen people would be giving short speeches today, and every day after today for the entire week. There were parties to be had, meetings to attend, and demonstrations of both sides' technology and weaponry to watch.

The Kaiser couldn’t help but grin, just the smallest bit, at being back in the thick of things.

--OxOxO--

What had once been the 203 rd were not, in fact, perched in the air, waiting for just the right moment to speed down towards the stage and land. Doing so would give the foreigners a chance to study them – many of the ships parked up and down the Elbe river had radar and who knew what else.

No, they had been sitting around, making small talk and playing cards while waiting for the Kaiser’s speech to start. Now that it had, they were getting suited up…

And Tanya would have loathed every second she was put into the same fucking red dress, again, except her mind kept getting dragged back to thoughts of the sheships of Nemonia.

At least this time everyone else was also wearing unorthodox outfits – a few were wearing their dress uniforms, some wore their actual flight suits, and Weiss had the honor of dressing in his civilian clothing. Tanya was staring at the unadorned back of the building the stage was in that had been constructed for the event.

She had caught up with everyone, of course, and they lamented that she hadn’t been able to attend their reunion party yesterday. Hopefully they’d all get a chance to talk more in depth later.

“Ma- Major-”

She suppressed the urge to sigh. Finally. Talking with her old adjunct would at least distract her from her spiraling thoughts about-

Or not.

Tanya’s eyes barely flicked down before they snapped back up to Viktoriya’s blushing face. “They’re making you wear that?!”

It wasn’t that outrageous, honestly, especially when compared to some of the incredibly risqué stuff the sheships wore, but a low-cut black dress couldn’t not look good even with the close cut dress jacket thrown on top. Although, how the designers had managed to get the boots and its accompanying equipment to work with the dress instead of tearing it apart was anyone’s guess.

The light above them flashed red, and whatever Viktoriya had wanted to say was cut off as they all took off immediately, arcing over the building and the stage and coming down to rest on the stage in a line. “Yes, the finest soldiers of the Empire, who, even in the face of overwhelming odds, managed to throw back the Siren menace threatening to destroy our great Empire.”

A functionary stepped out from behind the curtain and presented a case. Opening it, the Kaiser took out from a velvet pillow-

Tanya’s eyes widened. Silver Wings Assault Medals for all of them?

Down the line the Kaiser went, saying a few words to them as he went while the achievements of their ‘group’ – the name of the 203 rd not being said so that the guests would think he was referring to Nemonia – in relation to naval battles was read out by a different functionary.

As she stared out into the distance, waiting for her turn, Tanya couldn’t help but let her gaze shift onto the crowd.

Only to sincerely regret it.

What the fuck?

Everyone from the Empire looked relatively normal. They clapped politely as the Kaiser read out the name and rank of each of the men he pinned a medal.

Almost none of the visitors from abroad looked normal. Some were still gaping, other’s eyes were wide, but the vast majority of them seemed to be practically salivating with the hunger pervading their bodies.

She could almost understand the looks on the various humans present – she recognized it in the expression Schugel had been wearing while in the hospital. Their eyes told them that the sheships of the Empire could fly while their own could not. Securing a relationship with the Empire would result in the expansion of the capabilities of their nation and result in hefty bonuses.

The sheships, though? Why did they look so… ravenous-

Dread pooled in her stomach. Oh no.

Were they… also battlemaniacs? If it could be assumed that they had the same skill and power as Emden, and the Sirens she had fought were the baseline, and with the peace ushered in by the defeat of the Sirens, did they view the 203 rd as possible opponents?

“Tanya von Degurechaff.”

Cameras began to go off, and Tanya blinked, realizing the Kaiser had reached her. She dragged her gaze back into the middle distance as the functionary went over her accomplishments.

“Despite being outnumbered ten to one, she gained her first Silver Wings Assault Medal at the opening of the Great War by defeating the living ships who faced her down. She handpicked the living ships who, under her training, became the most skilled and powerful group in the Empire. Her name and face are known nationwide, and none can speak of the victory of the Empire without mentioning her in the same breath!”

The cameras increased their flashing as the functionary holding the medals retreated, only to bring out a second case and open it-

Tanya kept her face carefully blank. It was a different medal, somehow even more ostentatious and gaudy than her Silver Wings Assault Medal, with a copy of her Type 95 sitting in the center of the thing.

“And having already earned that medal, it was decided that a living ship, a soldier, a hero, such as she deserved an even higher award. Presenting the Mithril Medal of Heroism!”

The flashing of the cameras somehow became even more frenzied as the Kaiser picked up the medal and pinned it next to her Silver Wings Assault Medal.

“My apologies for having to put you through this song and dance, Lieutenant,” the Kaiser said. She scrambled to come up with a response to the perfunctory apology. “It isn’t any worse that fighting in battle, my Kaiser.”

He nodded thoughtfully. “Still. While you all will be getting generous bonuses for your bravery and excellence,” and putting up with the circus about to unfold around them went unsaid, “In light of just how central you have been, do you have any special requests?”

Tanya opened her mouth, only to snap it shut when her mind supplied that she ask for permission to do whatever she wanted to the sheships of Nemonia.

She cleared her throat and dismissed a dozen other hormone-fueled suggestions… and then her mind supplied other, less horny, suggestions.

She wanted to work behind the frontline, back in the army. She wanted to be older so she could get her money.

She obviously couldn’t ask for that, either, and she doubted he was going to go to bat for her against the Navy or change the Empire’s laws for a simple favor.

“Assuming she agrees, could I have some of my former subordinates assigned to me for my work with Nemonia?”

“Which subordinates?” he asked. “My former adjunct, as well as some of the paperpushers from the Salamander Kampfgruppe.”

His gaze drifted towards where Viktoriya was standing next to her, and he nodded in an instant with a smile. “Is that all?”

Tanya blinked. Maybe she should have asked for him to change the law. “Could I borrow some mages to assist in the training of the living ships?”

He nodded again. “Of course. Now,” he said with aplomb, “I believe you have a speech to give?”

She nodded, at least one worry for the future laid partially to rest, and stepped forward. She’d had her speech cleared with the organizers already, so she wasn’t expecting much to happen.

Of course, her expectations never met, because the moment she opened her mouth, the entire delegation from Japan – the sheships and the delegates – were surprised. There were even a few people from outside the delegation who were surprised.

Tanya was one of them, because all she had said was “Ladies and gentlemen.”

Then, subtly or overtly, they had all at least cast a glance towards one of the sheships within the delegation from the Sakura Empire, who herself was staring at Tanya with bright red eyes – and not in the way that eyes were usually red. Her irises were literally bright red.

Tanya stared back for a few seconds. As with every other piece of clothing she’d seen the more developed sheships wearing, the thing clung to her body that probably shouldn’t have been comfortable. The obi knot that completed her red kimono was more ornate than the Kaiser’s clothing, and the sleeves of it were detailed to the extreme – though Tanya wasn’t sure if it was actually a kimono because there were odd, long, colorful feathers attached to the sleeves and the woman’s shoulders were barred and her breasts were near spilling out of the damn thing.

The fact that her black hair wasn’t dragging on the ground was only possible because it was floating in the air, which Tanya refused to contemplate the logistics of. She assumed it was because of the weird hair ornament on her head and decided to ignore it.

Despite that enormous hiccup, her speech went smoothly – she thanked them all for coming, was looking forward to forging a better future through the exchange of words, ideas, and technology, claimed that anyone from the Empire would have done the same in her position, wished them all well and expressed a desire to speak with them at a later date. They all took off and landed at the back of the crowd watch the remaining speeches before they’d be ushered somewhere no one could see them take off their ‘rigging’ instead of vanishing them into thin air.

And through the entire speech, the woman in red stared at her.

--OxOxO--

Taihou walked up the stairs to the podium in lockstep with the diplomat from Japan. She hardly paid attention to him, instead spending her time alternating between staring at Tanya von Degurechaff and trying to decipher this newest… oddity.

Her conclusions weren’t promising.

What the fuck?

The diplomat quickly finished, and Taihou couldn’t help but flick her gaze towards the Commander for the third time since Degurechaff had spoken, only to find a smug smirk still adorning his face.

She felt confusion fueled-rage boil up for a moment and immediately quashed it as she took her place on the podium.

When she opened her mouth and gave a short speech – a far cry from the fiery and provocative statement she had wanted to make following whatever milquetoast drivel the diplomat served – she did not stop or even pause when it was the Empire’s turn to turn in their seats and stare between Taihou and Degurechaff.

They sounded the same, and not in the way where you meet someone who sounds somewhat similar but not really because your own voice sounds different in your own head.

No, that was her voice.

And as she stepped down from the stage, taking a moment to glare at the hand Enterprise offered her before brushing past her, she marveled at the feeling in her chest.

Of curiosity, not backed by an ulterior motive, at what could possibly have caused this.

Chapter Text

Tanya sipped happily, grinning widely. It had been far too long since she’d been separated from this drink. It made the long day of watching speeches and standing guard worth it, even if it had taken them at least ten minutes to find a good bar far away from the part of Hamborg that had been cordoned off for the Unity Celebration.

“I know you said you don’t care, but I really do think you’re going to regret drinking that, Lieutenant.”

“Weiss, I’m not your superior anymore, so there’s no need to call me by rank,” she chided, “Regardless, you’ve drank too much beer if you think a little thing like the time of day can separate me from Visha’s coffee.”

Weiss grumbled as he had his back slapped in the well-lit interior of the higher-end bar the five of them had decided to drink in. The staff had been flummoxed at Tanya’s insistence that Viktoriya make her ordered coffee – or even that she was drinking coffee at eight in the evening – but they’d nearly fallen over themselves when they’d recognized her face from the newspapers and her voice from the radio.

At least there was some upside to wearing that fucking dress.

Neumann and Koenig were just as deep in their cups as Weiss, though Koenig held his alcohol better than them. Viktoriya hadn’t touched her glass yet, staring down at it with a slightly sullen look on her face.

Tanya took another swing of Visha’s coffee – she had to figure out what she did to make it taste as good as it did, just in case they got separated again – and cast an inquiring look at the young woman. “So. What have you been up to lately?”

The other three answered Tanya’s question.

She was least envious of Neumann and Koenig. They, along with Grantz, were training up reinforced Aerial Mage Battalions of their own, all styled after the 203rd, which was now being led by Teyanen.

Least envious did not mean she didn’t wish she was still in command of the 203rd. Sure, it would represent a step down from her leadership of the Salamander Kampfgruppe, but at least she had a better idea of what she was doing.

“Well, tell him that I hope being a higher ranked officer will help with his recurring food poisoning problems,” she said with a smile. They laughed at her dry request – she had eaten the same food they’d had to, barring the occasional coffee from Viktoriya.

Tanya was more envious of Viktoriya. Oh, it wasn’t the most stimulating job in the world, being the guard of the Emperor, but the pay had to be good to ensure his bodyguards wouldn’t kill him for a bribe.

Viktoriya seemed to hate the job, and she mused that the lack of a war to fight didn’t mean the 203rd wasn’t made up of warhounds.

But most of all, Tanya was truly jealous of Weiss. He was one of the highest ranking members of the newly created Mage Force, which meant a large paycheck and absolutely no chance he would ever have to see the frontline again. She should have his job, or at least be working with him. 

Instead, she’s got to manage a port full of walking dress-code violations and sexual-harassment cases in the making.

As Weiss finished up regaling her with how he’d begun to convince the others assigned to the mage force of the validity of Tanya’s ideas about mage force structure, she glanced forlornly at Viktoriya’s untouched wine.

“Visha, if you wouldn’t mind, could I please have a sip of your-”

“No.”

She looked up from her drink and gave Tanya the stink eye while finally taking a sip of it. The other three gave her similar looks, and she sighed. She should have ordered them to let her have a drink when she was still their superior, damn the consequences.

The conversation was muted for only a moment – the atmosphere of the officer’s bar they were in wasn’t even close to the rowdiness of the bar’s they’d hopped through in the east, but spirits were both relatively high and infectious – and then Koenig glanced around conspiratorially. “Well, we were all at the celebration. What do you think of the other nations? They seem… different. Especially their names.”

Once again, Tanya felt a flutter of relief in her chest that they went by the names she was familiar with in her first life – she didn’t have any desire to memorize a third set of appellations for identical countries.

She’d been given enough odd looks for her turns of phrase and ‘misspeaking’ to last her a lifetime.

“Bah, you know I’m not one for stuff like that,” Neumann replied with a shake of his head. “What does it matter that they’re names are different? We’re soldiers; we shoot where we’re told to shoot. Who cares-”

“With an attitude like that, you aren’t likely to rise about being a Major,” Tanya snapped. Neumann winced, as if she had any power to actually enforce whatever threats she implied.

“Well, then what about you, Lieutenant?”

“Firstly, you don’t need to call me by my rank, especially since we’re off the clock at the moment. Secondly, you asked the question, so what do you think?” Tanya replied.

All four gave her a deadpan stare. “Referring to you as anything besides your rank would feel…”

“Yeah, that would be…”

“I don’t think…”

They all trailed off with a shudder, and Tanya rolled her eyes and gave Koenig a pointed look. His smile was nervous as he answered. “Well, the Allies are filled with mirrors of our enemies, while Germany at least seems familiar.”

The other three nodded hesitantly, and Tanya didn’t manage to stop herself from frowning. The others all stared at her in surprise, and Tanya was caught for a moment, between her knowledge of the Empire’s eventual defeat and the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis, and her need to keep herself in the good graces of her carefully cultivated human resources. 

She would need to navigate this carefully.

“Well, it’s obvious that the Empire should align with Azur Lane broadly, but with the Americans specifically.”

They were stunned into silence, and Tanya fought the urge to lick her lips. Had the rest of the bar gone quiet, or was that just her?

It was probably just her, and Viktoriya spoke first. “Tanya? Aren’t they our-”

Tanya narrowed her eyes dangerously, and none of them spoke, giving Tanya moments to gather her thoughts.

“Regardless of whether they resemble the countries we are more familiar with, they are not them. This world has a similar, but distinctly different history, judging by what the papers say. The Empire has a unique opportunity to forge alliances and make connections unburdened by any history of conflict. It would be foolish for the Empire to use its perceptions and preconceived notions to blind itself to the truth of its situation.”

“More than that…”

She whispered, something she rarely did.

“We were not going to win the war.”

They all flinched, shocked into silence. They remained that way-

"Lieutenant, how could-”

Weiss spoke back first. She retorted.

“Weiss. The Empire was garrisoning huge swaths of land, fighting a land war in Africa and Russy, and utterly failing to hurt the Commonwealth. The Kampfgruppe didn’t get new soldiers and supplies for a month when we made it to the Don.”

“The national governments would have picked up the slack! If we’d just beaten the Albish and cut off their-”

“How? How could the Empire have possibly managed that while doing everything else it did? Without dragging in the Americans?”

“They wouldn’t have-”

“They would. We know they would, because they did here. They were bankrolling and trading with the Albish – regardless of whether it was sinking their ships or a hamfisted attempt to weaken them closer to home or twisted moral justifications or just their bottom line, they would have found a reason to intervene eventually.”

Weiss stopped, his head slumped. “Then what was the point?”

Tanya shrugged. “I always said that war was a waste of resources.”

The point for her would have been achieving a position where she couldn’t be shot at anymore, but Being X had ensured she never got that except for a few brief interludes.

The conversation remained nonexistent for a few moments, and Tanya took the liberty to finish off her coffee – she wouldn’t be getting much sleep, but she hadn’t planned on getting much anyway.

“Well, what about the other members of the Crimson Axis?” Viktoriya said. Tanya shrugged again. “America has the most industrial might on the planet, and they aren’t in bombing distance of their enemies, barring the aliens. The Americans have allies close by who can help bomb and invade their enemies. Also, there’s something… off about the Germans,” she finished.

The others looked between themselves at that pronouncement, but she didn’t say anything else. She did not know, for a fact, whether the Nazis had set up their death camps yet, but it went without saying that they’d probably done some very horrific things, even if the war had ended early.

Should she be in the position to, using her knowledge of those atrocities to ensure the Empire didn’t go anywhere near a state so idiotic and sure to destroy itself would be wonderful, as long as no one questioned how she’d learned about things that weren’t widely known.

The Federation in the Empire’s world certainly hadn’t broadcasted the many crimes they’d committed the Empire had uncovered in their march east.

The conversation remained dead for a few minutes until, when a commotion was raised at the bar and a newspaper was waved about, Neumann got a gleeful, conniving look in his eyes as he looked towards Tanya. “Tanya. I was wondering.”

“I’m sure about something good.”

“You’re a Lieutenant now, and we heard some very interesting information while you were talking with the Kaiser. I was wondering if your new job that you need us for has anything at all to do with sheships?”

Tanya raised an eyebrow. “What on Earth gave you that idea?”

His poker face was excellent as he replied. “Nothing at all. Certainly not rumors and hearsay. Or the fact that the newspapers have been publishing schematics of our own ships like the foreigners.”

Tanya resisted the urge to sigh tiredly – she was stuck talking about work even during her time off when she’d like a moment to relax – but she did straighten up. “I don’t know precisely how secret all this is supposed to be kept, so treat it like the Type 97 – never mention it to anyone you don’t know is in the know… or, actually, don’t mention it to anyone until I get told how secret it's supposed to be. Wouldn’t want me getting in trouble, right?” she asked rhetorically, a hint of a threat in her voice.

They all nodded rapidly as Tanya continued. “Well, officially, I’m training the sheships on how to use their new bodies. Unofficially, I’ve got to figure out how the hell they’re supposed to operate, at the tactical level at the very least, and train them for that. I’m hoping we get to see a demonstration of the capabilities of the other sheships so I can try to infer what I need to train them on.”

“Really?” Koenig asked. “You don’t have any ideas?”

Tanya scoffed. “Of course I have ideas. But… plenty of them have melee weapons. Are they just for show, or do they actually need to get that close to the Sirens? What does ‘fighting the Sirens’ really entail? Should I even train them to fight the Sirens, considering how lightly the rest of the world seems to be taking the threat of alien invaders?”

She let her head fall into her hands – a tad dramatic, maybe, but after so many years of war, she’d been hoping it might be ending sometime soon-

Viktoriya piped up before Tanya could finish the pessimistic thought. “It’s not like they’ll be expected to do everything, and no one would expect you to know everything. If there’s something you think they’ll need to be able to do, find someone else who does. Specialization and all that, right?”

Tanya almost lashed out – the General Staff had certainly seemed to expect her to be able to accomplish any task they set before her during the war – but then Viktoriya’s words sparked another idea.

She began to grin. “Perhaps you’re correct,” she said, her troubles fading slightly. Yes, perhaps she was right, though not in the way she thought she was.

The sheship representing the ‘Eagle Union,’ Enterprise, had talked about a lot during her frankly long winded speech, but one of the things she had mentioned was something called ‘Type II rigging,’ which allowed for the upgrading of older ships. Upgrading old equipment and advancing technology were always important.

The fact that a derivative of that technology allowed for sheships that were killed to come back to life completely blew an upgrade with a few extra bells and whistles out of the water. Nemonia would not lose any ships, once it got the technology – and considering both sides had it, the Empire would get it.

Tanya’s dilemma about training the ships and potentially being singled out and blamed for their loss was much reduced, then. Still, if the sheships were unable to complete the objectives assigned to them for a prolonged period, Tanya might wind up in the same situation all over again, which meant she was still stuck in square one wondering what she was supposed to train them in.

Unless, like Viktoriya suggested, Tanya wasn’t the only one who trained them.

Some submarines failed to hit a convoy with their torpedoes? Clearly, it was a failure of the naval personnel who trained them.

A battleship lost a sword duel with a Siren? Whoever trained them in fighting with their sword was at fault.

The cruisers had bad etiquette and had ruined a diplomatic visit? Tanya certainly wouldn’t be training them in that field, so Tanya couldn’t be blamed for it!

“Yes, a perfect idea! Thank you, Visha-”

“And maybe, since Nemonia is its own part of the Empire’s military, you can write the rules for their training instead of being limited by the regular rules?”

Tanya’s grin only grew. That would certainly satisfy her criteria of ensuring that she was as blameless for whatever failures Nemonia eventually encountered.

“You’re right,” she said, “with a freer hand… I certainly would have been able to make you all quit,” she mused to herself.

As Tanya continued to identify skills that the sheships of Nemonia could be trained in – first aid and disaster relief, logistics, engineering – the other four seated at the table sent out a prayer to the sheships Tanya would help train. They felt bad for them…

Only a little bit. Because it could have been them that were-

“Oh, and while I’m at it, I’ll write up some papers for you three on how mages should be trained and standards for them. I never did get you all fully trained. If you have any trouble understanding what I write, just come ask for some refresher training.”

They chuckled nervously. Dammit.

--OxOxO--

Come six o’clock the next morning, Tanya was still bright eyed despite only getting a few hours of sleep, thanks to Visha’s coffee – it would hit her hard in the evening, but she’d spent her time up last night well. She strolled towards the large warehouse on the border between the old navy base and the new constructions. She wasn’t exactly energetic – four hours of sleep did that to you – but she showed no outward signs of her lingering lethargy.

The Kaiser had delivered on his promises and Tanya had gotten what she’d wanted – and then some! Viktoriya, along with the other two mages from the 203rd on his security detail, Ernest Young and Paul Baumer, were now assigned to work for her during her tenure as the ‘Chief Instructor’ of Nemonia. 

The rest of the former 203rd had also been assigned to her for the remained of the Unity Celebration – she supposed the logic was that they wouldn’t be getting much of their actual work done while they had to be on hand to play at being ‘heships,’ so they’d be better served staying close to her anyway.

Most importantly, however, were the numerous paperpushers she’d acquired. The nameless and thankless men and women, whether from the Salamander Kampfgruppe who she knew personally of, the ones Ugar had recommended she request that she’d managed to snag, and the ones she didn’t know that the various navy factions had assigned to Nemonia when they’d discovered she needed the help.

She still needed more people – the exhaustive list of things the sheships would need to be trained to do couldn’t be completed by Tanya alone, after all – but it was a good start.

Hoping to capitalize on that good start, the meeting she’d had with Schugel and then with Basel an hour later had given her a much better grasp of the structure of Nemonia and where exactly she fit into it.

There was no structure.

Well, that was a bit harsh. There was no leadership, which was concerning for any number of reasons, the most pressing of which she felt was that she might end up with another fucking job she didn’t want.

Tanya was the Chief Instructor – she’d received the paperwork two hours ago. She currently had thirty five people working under her for the duration of the training along with an extra twenty-four mages from the decimated 203rd to help for the remainder of the Unity Celebration.

While the sheships she was trained were subordinate to her, they were not her subordinates.

And that was it. No one was leading Nemonia. The base they were getting their supplies from was owned by the navy. Considering it served as the main port for the High Seas Fleet, Nemonia wasn’t likely to take it over anytime soon. 

Schugel was probably the closest thing to a leader considering he was Nemonia’s ‘Head Researcher,’ but he was currently focused on turning the ships they had into sheships, despite the stress it was causing to logistics…

Though, considering the cost of keeping the ships as they were, his work was actually helping keep costs down.

She was certain it was the first time any of his work had managed that.

Of course, she had no fucking idea where he’d gotten the 250 number he’d quoted to her yesterday, because Nemonia had been given 193 ships to start with. It was, technically, the largest Imperial fleet ever assembled, with ships from all three of the Empire’s fleets.

It had earned that title only by technicality because the vast majority were not crewed.

Again, it kept down the cost.

Regardless, Tanya had gone over the specifics of what and who she would need to train. In total, there were forty capital ship hulls, a mix of battleships and battlecruisers, thirty-seven cruiser hulls of varying capability, seventy-four destroyer hulls, and forty-two submarine hulls.

A little over half of each group had been awakened, besides the submarines, which were lagging behind. Tanya didn’t blame Schugel for prioritizing the surface fleet at this point – the Empire’s submarines were mostly designed for targeting shipping, something the Sirens did not appear to have much of.

Schugel had helpfully explained the lack of leadership when she’d met him: it was, predictably, a problem with the factions of the navy who all wanted someone else in control, with the added twist that the sheships wanted one of their own to lead them… and that they also suffered from infighting.

Among the fifteen or so ships with names relating to royalty, three or four ships named after monarchs thought they should lead due to their ‘royal peerage,’ while another two – Kaiserreich and Deutschland – thought they should lead because they ‘embodied the nation.’ Considering the number of ships named after old leaders, it was expected that the problem would only grow as more were awakened.

That wasn’t the only facet of the infighting, because some of the ships still had lingering loyalty towards the fleets they had been assigned to or to the naval faction who held the most sway on them during their time as a hull.

Tanya had no doubt the division would be reflected during her training in the form of squabbling and headaches. First, however…

Tanya waved and smiled to the crowd gathered in the warehouse. A few waved back, while others relaxed, waiting for her to arrive already.

Only the 203rd stood at attention. She had expected as much.

She understood the consternation in the gazes of some of those who were relaxing. They’d been forced to get up early so she could give them a speech, after which they'd have to start working. It was a disruption to their sleep and their schedules. She wasn’t ever happy when she had to do the same with her superiors, so of course they weren’t.

She managed to appear happy when that had happened. Regardless, and unfortunately for them, she really needed to have this talk, specifically before they got anywhere near the sheships.

She arrived and greeted those she recognized and introduced herself to the newer faces again as she walked to the front of the room – Viktoriya was standing at the ready and smiled at her. Tanya smiled and nodded back as the assembled people directed their attention to her and cut off their conversations.

“I do apologize for getting you all up this early, but I felt there was no better way to ensure you internalized the message I’m going to give you before we get to work,” she said without preamble, the earlier joviality of her voice gone.

“Some of you have seen the foreign sheships, the shipgirls. Some of you have not. I am making myself perfectly clear to you, here and now, so there is no chance of misunderstanding.”

“Broadly, the Empire is a meritocracy. If you are skilled, you keep your job or are promoted. Though the sheships have not yet had a chance to prove themselves, their crews kept them alive and fighting until now, and they deserve respect for that.”

That last point was a bit of a lie. The Empire’s navy hadn’t done much during the war. There certainly hadn’t been any large naval battles with the Commonwealth to justify its existence… but the crews of the ships had kept them running so far, so it was only a partial lie.

“Therefore, you will treat them with the respect they are due as part of the Empire. If there is any… misconduct-”

Tanya frowned. “No, that is too vague.  The clothing that many of them wear is undeniably… sexually provocative. I have little doubt that you all can be trusted despite that. I’ll see about… changing their clothing to something closer to the regulation, but if any of you take what they wear as an invitation, well,” she trailed off, smiling broadly again.

“I’ll make sure to personally cremate whatever miserable scraps they see fit to leave splattered across the ground so your families don’t have to see the state they left you in,” she finished with a bright smile.

Imperial rules on the matter were very clear in this matter – they had to be, because ability with magic did not discriminate based on gender, which meant the military hadn’t been able to either.

The newer faces were aghast at her declaration, but most of the people there were aware of her style of command if they hadn’t worked under her personally. She meant every word to – whatever fool tried it deserved whatever they got.

With a shrug, she took off from the ground. “I vaguely recall hearing rumors about being careful courting mages because of their power. It goes without saying that a woman that can conjure a naval gun into existence is that much more powerful, no?”

She let her threats hang in the air with her for a few moments. “Now, I have a speech to give the sheships. I suggest that you all get to work – I want to get as much training done in the next week while we’ve got so many mages on hand!”

With that, she took off over their heads towards the sheship portion of the base. Tanya was still somewhat unsure of what she’d do to whoever decided they had better things to do than show up for training – she might be writing the book on how to train them, but there was no way she could get away with killing any of them as an example…

Although, with the Type II rigging, maybe she could get away with it?

She landed outside of the ‘barracks’ for the sheships – the building took up more than twice the room a standard barracks was supposed to for a group over four times their size, so Tanya had the distinct feeling that it would be highly irregular. Just like their clothing.

Tanya let out a shaky sigh. Figuring out how to get them into regular uniforms would be her first item on today’s agenda, after some combat trials with the mages she had.

Tanya pushed through the front doors, setting her face into an impassive mask of-

“Fools! You may have ruled some bit of territory at one point or another, but only I embody the-”

“Rainerhorn, you’re the eldest sister! Help me reign in the hellions-”

“De Ruyter quit taunting Huginn just because she’s shorter-”

“Yoho, yoho, a pirate’s life for-”

“G90, you are not a pirate just because-”

Tanya felt almost felt her mask slip. Why was this her-

“Sorry I couldn’t get them to calm down, Tanya,” she heard to her right. She did not sigh as she appraised Basel, seemingly nervous and getting more so with Tanya’s critical gaze.

“Did you manage to get everyone here?” she asked. Basel nodded rapidly, smiling sunnily. “Course I-”

“Good.” With that, she spun away from Basel and marched through the bedlam, towards the front of the room – it seemed more like a hotel’s lobby than anything she’d seen in a barracks.

An upscale hotel.

As she walked, a ball of paper flew towards her, which she deflected with the activation of her active barrier formula. It also deflected the wrench that flew through the air that she hadn’t noticed, and kept her from being bumped into by the roughhousing girls.

By the time she’d reached the front desk, a good half of the room was staring at her in silence, and the shrill whistle she let off when the rest failed to notice her presence ensured they became silent quickly…

She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the gathered crowd. The varied faces looked at her in confusion or curiosity or… delight?

The bottom line was that she did not see very much respect.

Tanya smiled broadly. She would change that, one way or another.

“Thank you again, Basel, for rounding everyone up for this meeting. Couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Aw, no problem, Tanya.”

Tanya’s eyes narrowed again at the sunny disposition of the woman. “Hmm. Well, I figured I should announce it to you all that I am officially the Head Instructor of Nemonia now. I and those working under me will be training you all in a variety of fields to combat the Siren threat facing the Empire.”

“In line with that,” she continued, “I wanted to know if you all had any preferences for the training schedule? I-”

She didn’t get another word out.

“Oh, it can’t be too early! Me and my sisters are going to the bottom of the bay to-”

“-got football practice later in the day-”

“-tea time-”

“-science project-”

“-art-”

“And don’t put me with Habsburg, she’s a-”

“Excuse me? Why don’t you say it to-”

“METTERNICH! Get her-”

“G90, I swear-”

“No one likes you Barbarossa! Go fall in a-”

“Van Oranje, please get your sister off of my-”

Tanya watched the chaos reemerge, absorbing what pieces of the conversation she could. It seemed that Schugel’s assessment had been correct, this time – they were just as split as the regular navy. If some of them were able to participate in their hobbies together, then clearly some commonality existed, but-

Tanya let out another shrill whistle, enhanced using her voice amplification formula this time, and held it for twenty seconds, not stopping until the final fight had stopped – Basel had gotten entangled with… Monarch, if she wasn’t mistaken.

“Somehow, you all have the honor of being some of the worst recruits I have ever trained – even the worst of the worst that I managed to train before was able to conduct themselves well enough to stand at attention, after I drove home just how serious I was about being their instructor despite my appearance.”

She glowered as a few began to look bashful. “I am sure, considering the stature of some of your compatriots, that none of you have that particular problem.”

She let the silence persist for a moment. She’d cowed about half of the room, but the other half was hiding their defiance, poorly or with skill.

“I hope that you all rectify your behavior soon – because if you don’t I’ll do it for you.”

She smiled as more heads fell. “Since you all clearly cannot agree on your own schedule,” and how odd it felt even entertaining the idea that they had input on such a thing, “I will be designing-”

“And if we don’t dance to your tune, missy?”

Tanya fought the urge to blink rapidly. She hadn’t been called that before.

It was novel, at least.

She turned her head and found herself staring at a young woman with her arms crossed and staring Tanya down defiantly. She wore black leather boots that came up to her knees with a few inches of heel, and was one of the few people who were actually wearing pants that seemed similar to Tanya’s flight suit.

She made up for that ‘modesty’ by wearing a well-tailored leather jacket with nothing beneath it, as well as a black collar. A pair of aviator glasses hung by a string around her neck. Her eyes were a bright blue and contrasted with her deep black hair.

What was most curious was the bird motif. The side profile of a bird’s head was stenciled into the collar of her jacket, while feathers falling in the air were embroidered into the front of her jacket. She even wore a bracelet with a pair of actual feathers tied into it.

“And you are…?”

Her scowl deepened. “Falke, of the Falke class.”

Tanya blinked. Right, that name explained the bird motif, at least. As for the answer to the woman’s question…

That was one of the problems Tanya knew she would encounter. How was she to discipline unruly subordinates when they weren’t human?

Seeing as they were military property – probably? – she couldn’t just kick them out of the army. Wounding or killing assets as valuable as them was also out of the question, especially because if they failed to protect the Empire from the Sirens, Tanya was back on the chopping block.

Thankfully, Tanya had come up with a few ideas.

“Well, Falke, if I remember correctly, your sisters are Schwalbe, Sperber, and Seeadler, correct?”

Falke scoffed. “They aren’t awakened-”

“And I’m sure I could convince Schugel to push one of them ahead in the queue, at which point, they would be doing your training along with their own.”

Falke’s bravado broke for a moment. “T- Then we’ll all refuse-”

“At which point I’ll hand out your duties to the ships you served with in the… Inner Sea Fleet, if I recall?”

Falke bravado wavered and then rebounded once more. How annoying. “And if we all refuse?”

Tanya’s eyes narrowed again. “Then when the Sirens come to conquer the Empire, we’ll lose, and the whole of the Empire will curse your names.” They were, after all, supposed to be some esoteric ‘representation’ of the beliefs of the people of the Empire. Perhaps then…

That finally broke her spirit, and Tanya could only smile as she muttered an agreement to participate under her breath. “Wonderful. And, if that isn’t enough of a threat, then it goes without saying that if you aren’t doing any of your work, you won’t get paid-”

“We’re getting paid!?”

At least half of the room – including, judging from their clothing, the pirates – were shocked at that, causing Tanya to quirk an eyebrow at them, honestly baffled. “Of course? What did you-”

“But we heard,” a destroyer that looking passingly similar to Cauberg said as she jumped forward, “that we were just weapons and that we should be thankful to have-”

Tanya shook her head. “Every person who enlists or gets conscripted into the army is a weapon. That doesn’t mean they don’t get paid for putting their lives on the line. Who on Earth told you you wouldn’t be getting paid?”

A voice from in the back of the crowd shouted “Schugel!” and Tanya could only sigh again. “Schugel is… he may be skilled in certain areas, but he is certifiably insane.”

Falke spoke again, her harsh expression gone. “Don’t badmouth that man. He may be eccentric, but he’s the reason we’re alive.”

Tanya raised a disbelieving eyebrow and sneered. “That man would defile a baby if God told him it was a good idea.”

That shut them all up, and Tanya smiled chipperly. “You all have thirty minutes to get prepared. Don’t be worried if you see a few new faces around here or in your part of the base – they’re working for Nemonia as well.”

With that, she paced out of their barracks. Considering how quickly their tune had changed once she’d mentioned their pay, she would have to open with that next time.

If there was a next time. She almost wanted to say that it wouldn’t happen again, but she knew that with Being X arrayed against her, the chance would never be zero.

--OxOxO--

Taihou watched her countrymen scurry over Japan’s offering during this small exhibition. She had been occasionally barking out ‘suggestions’ to them – she wasn’t technically their superior, but she’d ensured that the few rank and file from Japan that had been sent to the Empire that hadn’t bent the knee before her knew the consequences of ignoring her suggestions – but overall she was satisfied.

With them. For the moment.

She scowled. Her frustration was back, and taking it out on them wasn’t going to help long term.

Each faction was displaying something, partly to showcase the progress of technology between the time the Empire had been in and the modern day. More pressingly, the technology on display from each country couldn’t be accessed if the Empire decided to join the other faction.

The politicians and diplomats had arranged it before the beginning of the Unity Celebration. The Sakura Empire had been asked to participate fairly late in the planning process.

Taihou rolled her eyes as she watched one of the sailors nearly trip and drop the various cell phones on display from Japan’s top tech companies. Another large part of the reason this was going on was because the Italian’s World Expo was behind schedule, to many people’s disappointment.

Taihou hardly cared about the entire thing – the lack of civilians, or even low ranking members of the military meant that it wasn’t like there was anyone to be interrogated for information. 

Of course, that had been her view that morning. Now that she’d heard the Empire’s Kaiser was attending, not being there would be a slight against him, a possible point of failure in the negotiations, and a reason she could be denied leadership of the Sakura Empire. So here she was, standing around and watching unimportant people doing unimportant things while wishing she didn’t have to be there.

Preliminary intelligence that she’d managed to obtain had suggested that he wasn’t an absolute monarch or a dictator – though even that much had needed to be inferred because the entire area surrounding the Unity Celebration had been completely emptied of civilians.

She would have liked to figure out what the hell was going on with that kansen from yesterday – Tanya von Degurechaff. Who she’d been named after, what her service history was like, how she flew, why the hell they sounded exactly like each other…

But she couldn’t, and the lack of civilians was just one of the suspicious facts surrounding this whole charade. Designs for the kansen – she was not going to change what she called them, even if they weren’t women – hadn’t yet been provided, with no excuse beyond ‘bureaucratic and legal limitations,’ on the release of military secrets.

That didn’t stop them from publishing other designs that apparently weren’t limited by such things, of course.

Suruga had been frustrated by the stonewalling her formal requests had received, while Akashi had been annoyed that her attempts to create some ‘economic ties’ with the locals hadn’t borne fruit. Takao…

Taihou’s scowl deepened. Takao had had her hands full with the other five. She usually only had to keep her sister from jumping whichever ‘hot stud’ she saw, but now she had to contend with Hiyou, Junyou, Kumano, and Suzuya as well…

And Taihou was helping Takao.

It felt like torture. Her heart – among the various parts of her body – was telling her that she should go find the group of kansen from yesterday and finally do what she’d been wanting to do for literally years.

Her mind and her desire for a higher station was restraining her. She would become the Sakura Empire’s leader, even if it meant ignoring what her body wanted for now.

It would be worth it. It had to be.

“Taihou, Taihou! We’ve got a purroblem!” 

Speaking of Akashi. Taihou’s gaze snapped to the green-haired girl. “What is it?”

She flinched back, and Taihou sighed and dialed down her scowl – there was no need to take out her frustration on the money-obsessed kansen. If she made the girl think she was mad at her, then she’d fall back on her more formal speaking, which Taihou really did despise. She wanted nothing to do with useless niceties if she didn’t have to use them.

“Sorry. What’s the problem?” she asked, her tone more level.

“The Kaiser’s here with an entourage!”

Taihou waited for the girl to continue. When she didn’t for several seconds, Taihou resisted the urge to sigh – this was going to become a production, then. “And why is that a bad thing?” she asked, already exasperated.

Akashi continued. “Well, he’s visiting us and the Americans last, but he visited the Germans and British first. He was nyat impressed.”

“With both?”

“Nyat really, mostly the Germans.”

She frowned. Prinz Eugen had been fairly confident in her country’s presentation, according to their communications with each other. Perhaps, as Taihou had assumed, they thought that because this place was similar to their own country, they would have an easy time convincing them to join them.

“Alright, walk me through what happened. I assume you were watching the whole thing?”

Akashi nodded. “It’s nyo use to man my stand, because there’s nyo way I can sell any of my stuff to a bunch of old fogies. I’ll wait till they let us nyat the civvies-”

Taihou raised an eyebrow and Akashi continued. “Eh, the Germans made mockups of their newest ICBMs and space vehicles and talked about how they’re going to beat the Americans and Soviets to the moon. Get this: they already have rocket technology!”

Taihou tilted her head. “They do? But aren’t they-”

Akashi scowled petulantly. “The technology they have is all out of whack. They put kansen in their rockets, had them pilot them towards their version of France, flew out, and then attacked to sow confusion and ensure the success of the maneuver that ended the conventional war with France.”

Taihou blinked owlishly. “That sounds…” 

Insane. That sounded insane.

Honestly, though, it wasn’t that much different from Enterprise’s trick with riding her planes, she supposed.

“Alright. What else?”

“The British showed off mockups of their last generation of jet fighters and tanks, as well as their civilian airliner. He was much more interested in that.”

Taihou nodded along. If he was the kind of person who was impressed by lots of metal, then the Japanese would blow anything Azur Lane had out of the water with their own offering.

“The British and German Kansen then did a… runway show of sorts?”

“They weren’t-”

Akashi shook her head. “Nyo, nyot an actual one. That wouldprobably give them heart palpitations,” she snickered. “They just showed off their rigging and clothes, and they said their introduction lines. However…”

Taihou raised an eyebrow as Akashi scowled again. “They had good poker faces, but nothing gets by me. They seemed… unused to seeing them. I’m not sure if it was how much skin some of them showed off or if it was their rigging but… I think it might have been both?”

Taihou scowled, just as confused as Akashi appeared to be. Both? How could that be?

“Alright,” Taihou said. She’d set aside yet another suspicious going on in this Empire for her to think about for now. “Did anything else happen during the show? I know they both brought Blueprint ships – anything embarrassing?”

Akashi shook her head. “Nyo. Cheshire, Roon, and Mainz held it together.”

It was unfortunate that Cheshire hadn’t done something odd or crass to get egg on the Royal Navy’s face, but it was good that Mainz and Roon had held it together – Prinz Eugen had almost been outwardly nervous about having Roon around, and had communicated to her that Mainz had been acting more odd that usual.

“What next?” she asked. The problem with the Kaiser not being impressed by the rockets wasn’t great, but Akashi wouldn’t sound as worried as she did without something relatively major. The only exhibit left after showing off the technology and kansen was-

“It was the average family exhibit,” Akashi said. Taihou scowled. How in the world-

“He was fine with the British – even made a little speech lamenting the losses of the war and the Empire’s conflict with the ‘Commonwealth of Albion’ – but with the Nazis, they decided to make it a platform for talking about their political ideology.”

Taihou’s frown deepened. “I take it, then, that he wasn’t happy?”

Akashi rapidly shook her head. “At first, they didn’t really notice – who’d notice all the dummies have blonde hair and blue eyes and think something’s wrong? – but one of their SS goons started going on about Jews and Aryans and the superiority of the Germanic race, and then the others all agreed.” Akashi’s frustration bled into her voice.

“One of his entourage is Jewish,” Akashi continued, “and three others are from non-German parts of the Empire. They were not pleased. He was not pleased. He has aristocratic family from all over the Empire, and said that kind of discrimination was outlawed in the Empire and that he’d ban the party if that was what they believed.”

Taihou’s scowl deepened. Her mission would not end in failure because of them. She would not let it.

“Stupid idiotic humans!” Akashi said, sulking, causing Taihou to roll her eyes.

Taihou knew she cared more about her bottom line than anything else, which was the only reason she cared in this instance. Her stores discriminated against Koreans and Chinese in the homeland and its colonies, against blacks in the USA’s south, and against Jews in Germany.

Taihou didn’t say anything about it because she also knew Akashi only did it because her shops might get shut down or attacked by the idiots who believed in that kind of thing otherwise, and that she traded with those minorities under the table anyway.

Not that the green catgirl knew that Taihou had learned that last part.

“That just means,” Taihou said, cutting off Akashi’s lambasting of humanity’s foibles, “that we need to work harder to ensure he isn’t soured completely on the Crimson Axis. Right?”

Akashi nodded rapidly, and Taihou smiled sweetly. It was time to get to work.

She turned towards the rank and file Japanese, who’d stopped their work. “And who gave you all permission to rest? I assume you all are aware of what an honor it is to be here, which means you know you should be working.”

They picked up their pace immediately, and Taihou nodded as they continued their work. Everything would be perfect.

Taihou would become the Sakura Empire’s leader.

--OxOxO--

Enterprise stood at the ready, nervously adjusting the medals and tags pinned to her jacket – which she had reluctantly buttoned up for now. It wasn’t every day you met the head of state of a foreign country, after all! Even she, for all of her fame, had only met the last president once. She’d had a bit more contact with the new one, but her point remained true.

Enterprise found her gaze being dragged away from some point in the distance above everyone’s heads and towards her left. The entire show was arranged in a giant circle, and the Royal Navy’s exhibition was to their left. She could see that, even now, when no one was around to see, that Belfast was standing at the ready, her eyes closed and a patient smile on her face.

The sound of a throat clearing ripped her gaze back towards the middle distance out of reflex – she was under no illusions that it would save her.

Still, she tried to smile confidently at the short woman before her.

Langley’s return gaze was as unimpressed as Enterprise had thought it would be.

“Enterprise.”

“I know-”

“If you’re not going to focus on our exhibition, at least focus on the Japanese one.” She chidded her, and Enterprise hung her head.

Maybe she wouldn’t have been as nervous if she knew more of what was going on, which she should know, as the leader of the Eagle Union, but… 

Dammit, it had been so long since she’d seen Belfast! They’d met by happenstance in the interwar period, when Azur Lane had remained whole, when Enterprise had been doubting her self-worth and value as anything other than a weapon. She’d talked her down, and they’d been fast friends and maybe…

Enterprise shifted her gaze to the Japanese exhibition. Nope. She wouldn’t think about that. Distracting herself with the Japanese exhibition was a much better idea than entertaining impossible ideas.

The Empire’s Kaiser – not that anyone was sure if he was in charge or if he even had any power or if he was just a screen for someone in his retinue – had just arrived after finishing at the Soviet’s exhibition.

He would have visited the French Republic and the French State after the British and Germans. She foggily remembered that they were doing something with art while staring daggers at each other. The Republic of China and the Chinese People’s Republic had brought historical artifacts and were doing much the same as the French.

No one had expected much from the group, considering they were all in the midst of civil wars gone cold with each other, as well as having trouble with internal conflict. She didn’t know too much about what was going on in China besides lots of internal strife, but she had some relatively detailed reports about the French Republic’s trouble in Madagascar and Indochina, and she knew that the British were keeping an eye on the trouble going on in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The Italians, on the other hand, had presented incredibly accurate models of the Nemi twins’s hulls, some artifacts that had been found on the ships, as well as models of the two shipgirls that had been awakened from the hulls.

Her gaze lingered on the diplomats of the Empire and Japan gesturing towards the display of Japan’s latest advancements concerning the internet, cell phones, and computers. She was glad that the Italians had kept to the treaty and hadn’t shared information on the Tempesta project with the rest of the Crimson Axis… yet. Most everyone she talked to about it was sure they would share it sooner rather than later, but Constitution had faith in the treaty.

The Soviets had shown off their latest ‘advancements’ with their rigging – more of the monstrous, hulking creatures that seemed closer to Siren or Iron Blood technology than Azur Lane.

She watched them closely. Everyone was all smiles, and it didn’t seem like the Kaiser was anywhere near as upset as he had been at Germany’s exhibition. Maybe it was a bluff though?

She really should have paid more attention during the briefings she’d been given instead of thinking about Belfast…

Belfast-

“Enterprise.”

She looked up suddenly and found that the other group was gone, heading down a side path she hadn’t seen towards…

“They’re showing him the Yamato?” She asked the open air-

“Yes,” Langley bit out next to her. “I caught a few snippets of their conversation. They didn’t seem overly shocked about the cell phones. One of them said something about radios, but unless they don’t really understand what they’re seeing, the comparison isn’t very good.”

Enterprise nodded rapidly as Langley’s eyes narrowed. “Speaking of speaking. You’ve kept up your studies of Japanese and German, right?”

She nodded rapidly. “Yes, of course.”

She sighed in exasperation. “Alright. They’re letting Taihou tag along with them, perhaps to talk shop about their shipgirls. Are you up for doing the same if necessary?”

She nodded sharply. “Of course, Langley. Aren’t I the leader here?”

Langley raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know, how much of your time are you going to spend staring at Belfast?”

Enterprise gibbered, and Langley sighed, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I know, I get it. You like her. You can’t get distracted by that right now. You’re the leader of the Eagle Union – I can’t pick up the slack for you and do my own duties at the same time.”

Enterprise nodded once, and Langley smiled chipperly. “Thank you. And who knows: if you wait until tonight to talk with her, there’s no way for anyone to interrupt, right?”

She brightened, and the two of them discussed their administrative duties for the half an hour it took for the Kaiser to get back. When he did, things were still all smiles, but special focus seemed to be on Taihou.

Enterprise didn’t scowl, of course. She honestly had no idea why Taihou seemed so hostile towards her – they’d never even come close to fighting each other during the war!

Would she ever get along with Japanese aircraft carriers?

She shook her head and kept her face blank as Langley faded into the background as the Kaiser and his entourage walked towards their exhibit. She was sure their technology would blow him away, but-

The diplomat greeted the Kaiser in German, bowing his head slightly. The Kaiser, in turn, gripped the man’s hand and shook it. “No need for so much pageantry, Mr…?” he replied in accented English. The diplomat introduced himself, and more introductions were made in the group, until-

“And who is this fine young woman?” The Kaiser asked. Enterprise smiled and shook the offered hand. “I am the Yorktown-class aircraft carrier, Enterprise. I’ve been given more nicknames than I can remember, but ‘Gray Ghost’ is one of them. I was victorious throughout the Second World War, and I’ll continue to be victorious until the Siren threat is vanquished.” 

“Your German is excellent,” he replied, and she thanked him. “Another aircraft carrier… Lady Taihou has offered to give a demonstration to prove that the captain of the Yamato was incorrect to claim that battleships can still stand up to carriers. Would you care to throw your hat into the ring?”

She opened her mouth to respond-

SCREE!

She jerked her arm out without thinking and nearly hit the American ambassador. Before she could apologize, Grim landed on her arm and began to stare everyone down.

“Grim, I told you to stay back at the ship.”

It gave her an unimpressed look and she sighed. “My apologies for the impetuousness of my pet eagle. He has a mind of his own.”

She threw her arm up and he took off with a beat of his wings, and she returned her attention to the Kaiser. “As for your proposition… of course! What better way to show our Unity than through some friendly competition?” she asked rhetorically and smiled, towards both the Kaiser and the more distant Taihou.

The Kaiser thanked her for indulging in his wishes.

Taihou’s pleasant mask fractured for an instant.

She trailed along with some of the others as they began to walk around the exhibition – there were some side shows, as with every faction, but they only stopped for brief moments and never stopped their conversation.

The Kaiser spoke at length about food – he wouldn’t say just how much was needed, and the only people who made more direct inquiries were within his entourage.

Speaking of the Kaiser’s entourage, it was an eclectic mix. Some were clearly military officers or civilians that she assumed were part of the civilian government, while others, despite clearly being aristocrats of some kind, hadn’t given out their exact role.

As far as food went, Enterprise was fairly sure that no one had much to spare besides the US – and even they didn’t have a lot. The Germans and Soviets had a bit, but most of Europe and Asia was still cleaning up in the wake of the destruction caused by the Second World War.

The next topic was aircraft carriers – the Empire had only just started to convert a luxury liner into an experimental ship, much like the efforts of Germany at the tail end of the first world war. They could, of course, take a look at the schematics that the various powers had published thus far, but that would still put whatever they made a few decades behind the manned ships everyone currently operated.

As they wound towards the end of the exhibition, where a modern American family stood – surrounded by appliances and living well – the Kaiser smiled broadly at the diplomat. “I’ve sensed a pattern with the exhibitions by the naval powers of this world. What wondrous technology do you have to show me at the end of our tour?”

The American diplomat smiled and gestured to the large curtain, while Enterprise smiled. She’d been looking forward to this.

“Presenting your highness with the fruits of American wartime research: the first wisdom cube reactor ever created!”

The curtain dropped, and the gathered crowd – from the American and Imperial camps, as well as from the onlookers from the other exhibits – gasped as one of the scientists that had gotten it up and running again began to read the fact sheet.

“First turned on in 1944, the Roosevelt Wisdom Cube Generator, renamed from the Hanford Wisdom Cube Generator after the passing of the thirty-second president of the United States, provides a modest but continuous amount of power fueled by the Wisdom Cube at its core. The process that takes place within is the basis for the risk-free energy that is sweeping the world, making coal obsolete, and even giving oil a run for its money!”

It was an immense machine, nearly two stories tall and cylindrical, but the blue glow radiating out of the small windows into its interior showed that it was working.

The diplomat turned to the Kaiser. “And it's yours to keep and tinker with as you wish. Whether you join us or not.”

The Kaiser’s gaze whipped towards the diplomat, his face showing happy surprise while his eyes drilled into the diplomat. “You would give up something so valuable, and are already providing some food to us thanks to your Commision for Relief in the Empire. What have we done to engender such magnanimity?”

The diplomat smiled. “You can’t help us beat the Sirens if you’ve got troubles at home, can you? Besides, it’s easy to sell it back home as an extension to the Allied Recovery Program, even if you aren’t an ally.”

The Kaiser nodded along reluctantly. Enterprise felt the difficulty of keeping her face a mask of geniality – she was well aware that the aid could and would be blocked if they sided with the Crimson Axis. She also knew that the reactor had become outdated in the extreme, even after only four years, and that the name of the reactor in particular had been giving the government in Washington state headaches ever since…

Enterprise rubbed her chest as a feeling burned her heart. Vestal had told her humans had any number of conditions that could affect them in a similar way, but they both knew that this feeling was different from something biological-

“Enterprise. We should not keep the Kaiser waiting, yes? Let us give our demonstration. To show our unity.”

Her attention snapped to Taihou as the guards lurking around the area moved towards the scientists and diplomatic personnel at the woman’s tone, but Enterprise just smiled through the pain in her chest and focused on her mission.

“Of course,” she replied as the feeling subsided, “I assume you had something in mind? We aren’t supposed to be having any joint exercises until the last day, after all.”

“I propose… a race, then.”

…When Enterprise tried to think of any reasons that might be a bad idea, she couldn’t find any. Honestly, this was the most sane competition she’d been challenged to yet.

Fighting next to the Sakura Empire during the conflict with the Sirens had been odd, but having to fend off Akagi’s demands for a rematch, Kaga, Hiryuu, and Souryuu’s passive aggressive barbs, Essex’s constant desire for validation, and Zuikaku’s demands for a sword duel, a race sounded positively benign.

Of course, it was also the most brazen attempt at challenging her in a field she had a disadvantage in she’d seen yet.

“No problem,” she replied, pretending not to see the malicious glint in Taihou’s eyes.

It took a bit of wrangling, but they both eventually agreed to race from end to end of the section of the Elbe that Hamborg sat atop. The Imperials had set up markers for them, and Enterprise was doing some stretching as she stood atop the placid waters of the Elbe, taking care not to get tangled with her rigging.

Enterprise smiled at Taihou as someone on the shoreline held up a starting pistol. She wanted to gauge the woman.

“May the best shipgirl win!”

Taihou’s neutral stare shifted into a cheshire grin. “Oh, I plan to.”

Enterprise felt her expression shift. Damn, she really hoped this could be a more constructive relationship – why weren’t there more ships like Shoukaku and Nagato and Amagi in the Sakura Empire?

When the pistol sounded, they both took off skating down the Elbe, quickly building up speed. Wind rushing past her face, water spraying her skin, it felt like she was right back in the war.

They were both neck and neck for the first few moments, and then, as they started to pull apart-

Enterprise could only grin as she looked back at Taihou, who was staring at her in shock and fury. “But- I’m faster! I’m over half a knot faster-”

Enterprise grinned and tapped her rack of medals. “What’s auxiliary equipment do you have equipped?” she shouted as they both sped forward.

She’d managed to convince Charles Ausburne to give her the Little Beaver Squadron Tag to increase her speed by 20% before she’d left port in Hawaii, just in case.

The number of times the Sirens had crashed parties, get-togethers, and joint training exercises told Enterprise that there was at least a small possibility that they’d show up this time as well.

The scream Taihou let out as Enterprise kept skating forward was the only warning she had to dive to the side as a column of water went up behind her. She quickly regained her footing and looked back to see-

Solid-red fire dripped from the woman’s palms and shot out in great gouts from the tips of the giant fan that made up her rigging, each and every flame spiraling into the air to form planes. “Just a small obstruction! Nothing the gray ghost can’t handle right?”

She sent a wave of them towards her, and Enterprise jumped back as they landed in the water – at least she was trying not to hit any civilians.

As fast as ever, she nocked two arrows and let them fly, not bothering to watch where they landed as she continued to skate forwards.

As she knew they would, one headed straight for Taihou. She deflected the glowing airplane with a flame and glared backwards.

Only barely able to see her other arrow, traveling faster, shoot right about her head.

And it continued traveling upwards, until the glowing plane began to expand and complete its loop.

Enterprise smiled widely as Taihou growled and pushed herself forward. From the sound of the plane, it had just reached the apex of its loop, which meant-

She lunged forward and upward, clearing thirty feet but losing ground as Taihou sped along. She hung in the air, weightless for a fraction of a moment.

Then, just as she began to fall-

THUMP.

She gripped the wing of the plane, wind rushing through her hair and a grin on her face. As weary as she had grown of war, she loved pulling off that trick.

Enterprise passed the finish line well ahead of Taihou, and as she watched her reach the finish line, she could only lament that Taihou had tried to do a race.

Enterprise wasn’t stupid. She’d done something as basic as memorizing the more important paper statistics of the ships around her. If she was their ally, how else was she supposed to fight with them without knowing their capabilities?

If she was her enemy… 

Taihou didn’t brush off Enterprise’s offer of a handshake, but she definitely would have rendered a normal human hand a bloody pulp with how hard her grip was. “Well played, Gray Ghost,” she dropped her hand and began walking towards the docks. “Know this, I will not stop until-”

Enterprise glanced towards the shore – there was plenty of room and they were likely to go unheard – and then she scoffed at Taihou. “Taihou, get in line.”

“…What.”

“You heard me. Most Sakura ships want to have a go at me, half the Eagle Union fleet wants to spar constantly, at least a dozen ships from the other factions want to test their mettle against me, and I know of one META shipgirl and one Siren that do too. You aren’t special for wanting to beat me.”

She shook her head at Taihou’s confused, baffled, and above all angry expression. “What you did was stupid. I would have been happy to have a friendly competition, but you put people’s lives at risk.”

“I wouldn’t have hit them… which is what you wanted me to do. You goaded-”

Enterprise’s already strained expression dipped into cold anger. “Don’t try to delude yourself. You thought you could get one up on me in a footrace and assumed I was an idiot for accepting it. You got mad your plan didn’t work. It all reflects very poorly on you and the Sakura.”

With that, she turned-

“DON’T DISMISS ME! You can’t-”

The people on the shore had heard that, from how those at the front had flinched. “I can and will. And even though your actions reflect poorly on the Sakura, I still wish you the best in courting the Empire, because regardless of whether they choose the Crimson Axis or Azur Lane, we’re all on the same side in the end,” she finished. With that, she jetted towards the docks and put a smile back on her face.

Enterprise was getting tired of this. The night couldn’t come soon enough – she needed to talk with Belfast.

And if Taihou really wanted to try her hand at ‘getting one up on the Gray Ghost,’ they had the joint exercises in five days, where Enterprise would win, as she always did.

--OxOxO--

KASPLOOSH!

“She’s… nothing like she looks like…”

“Why didn’t the newspapers mention this part of her?”

“I’ll… I’ll win this! You hear me? I’ll prove-”

Tanya did not hear the groans and grumbling of those below her. What she did hear was the sound of explosions echoing across the water. It wasn’t quite the same as listening to artillery – it lacked the meaty punch of earth being blown to pieces.

The upside of using the navy in her newest live fire exercises was that the explosions were bigger and there was nowhere for the meat- err, those she was training, to hide.

She looked down on the mass of destroyers and submarines and a single cruiser – Falke, of course – who were being put through the exercise. The high seas fleet had been more than happy to get training on trying to hit human-sized targets – it wasn’t likely that they’d ever be sent against the Sirens, but in the chaos of war, anything was possible.

Of course, the goal for those being shot at was to not get shot, and to make the scores for the gunners as bad as possible. No one had been hit yet, of course. The idea that any of them would get hit was almost ludicrous.

On the other hand, if any of them were hit with a weapon whose efficacy against human-sized targets had never even been tested, she would be punishing them severely…

Although, now that she thought about it, she didn’t remember the exact percentage by which the guns’ accuracy was increased thanks to the marine mages hovering above the distant ships…

She shrugged and moved her attention onto the next group. Oh well. They’d better not let her down, because the number of degrading jobs someone could be assigned to as a punishment was not any less in the navy compared to the army.

Whether they would abide by her punishments was another question, but…

Another group – mostly capital ships and cruisers – was split in half, with some training with each other using their melee weapons while another group was listening to one of the 203rd who’d been shuffled into a teaching position within the army give a lecture on close-quarters combat.

A third group – the smallest – was doing their best to take down the bulk of the 203rd Tanya had been allocated. Above it all, Tanya hung, along with Serebyrakov, taking notes and making observations.

Tanya was figuring out the limits of the sheships in combat. She’d already tried to force the lot of them to change their outfit, and they’d refused. Apparently, the clothing they had been born with was ‘intrinsically linked’ to their being and couldn’t be changed.

The fact that more than a few of them had been talking about fashion when she’d first walked into the foyer of their barracks was completely ignored.

The next thing she’d done was discuss their needs – caloric intake, toiletries, ‘feminine hygiene products,’ and more. Technically, none of them even needed to eat!

However, they did grow tired. They could either sleep to regain energy or they could eat. Their diet was… varied, as they could eat regular food or consume the fuel they’d run on as ships – which meant drinking ship fuel for the newer ones and biting into lumps of coal for the older ones.

She would be doing more testing, along with liaising with Schugel… or his department, so that she could figure out more about the sheships. She might not have been responsible for Nemonia as a whole, but someone had to submit reports to Naval Logistics on what they needed or they’d begin to grow discontent.

As for how they fought…

It wasn’t comfortable to admit, but Tanya’s victory against Emden had been a coin toss. Only Emden’s lack of familiarity with aerial mages had allowed her to win.

Sheships were several times stronger than mages without even trying, had access to far more firepower, as well as shields in a few cases, depending on the ‘skills.' They could withstand hits that would blow away a mage’s active barrier formula and the mage all at once.

Mages could only hold their own in some cases due to their maneuverability in the air as well as their optical decoys – though most of the newer ships were equipped with the radar-like machines that allowed for mana emissions to be detected, the lack of which allowed them to single out real mages and fake decoys.

Tanya was fairly certain that six regular Imperial mages might beat a Destroyer or a Submarine – their guns couldn’t be everywhere at once. One of the 203rd could probably win against a single Destroyer or Submarine.

The problem being that none of the naval doctrine she’d spent her time without an official post reading up on said that sending ships out alone was a good idea, which meant it was unlikely any mage would get a fight so even.

Tanya’s unique skill gave her advantages – she was very efficient with her usage of her mana, and the way that she moved through the air, informed by a lifetime of popular media depicting people flying around without a care in the world for physics, was unpredictable – but even she only had fifty-fifty odds to beat a single cruiser or capital ship, and merely good odds against three destroyers or submarines working in tandem…

Unless she used the Type 97. But even with that, Tanya had her doubts that anything less than praying to Being X and meaning it would let her do something as ridiculous as win against an entire fleet of sheships.

Thankfully, considering the Empire had sheships of its own, the chances that she would be expected to do something so preposterous, especially when she eventually included just how easily sheships could beat even the 203 rd , was next to nil.

Tanya licked her lips. Still, if they all died, she’d be next on the chopping block, which meant training them as hard as possible.

With that in mind…

“Viktoriya, signal the high seas fleet to stop firing. Now that we’ve got a good baseline, it’s time for the real training to start.”

She grinned. It had been far too long since she’d been allowed to turn fresh meat into effective, efficient meat shields.

Although…

She frowned as she looked down. She needed to train them to fight all manner of enemy, which meant she had to figure out the strategies of the enemy and how best they could be countered.

She doubted she needed to do much thinking about the Soviet and Chinese navies – they hadn’t had navies worth the name around the middle of the century, if she was remembering correctly. The Italians and French had navies, but she didn’t recall them doing much of note during the wars from her first world. In her second world, the only thing the Francois navy had been good for was running away with the fools who couldn’t face the facts to fight another day.

The German and Japanese navies had their peculiarities, though she recalled from her history class that the easiest way to destroy the Japanese Navy would be to ally against them with the Japanese Army. Besides that one German battleship, the German navy hadn’t done much but attack civilians and then die during the war.

The British and American navies, especially the American navy, should not be fucked with. She didn’t know the specific numbers, of course, but she knew the number of ships the Americans had made during the war had been ridiculous.

That really only left one more enemy. The Sirens.

Tanya’s brow furrowed as the training beneath her came to an end. “Lieutenant?”

Tanya snapped her gaze to Viktoriya. “Yes?”

“What… are you thinking about?”

Tanya sighed heavily. “We’ve been told multiple times that the Sirens are aliens from outer space, correct?”

The woman nodded. “Then tell me. If they had the ability to travel through the stars, why go through this song and dance on the ground? They could wipe out human civilization with a few well-placed asteroids. What do they need humanity for? Their weapons should be far and above anything humanity can produce, not… a few decades ahead of it. If the humanoid Sirens we fought are anywhere close to the strength of the sheships, then they could kill whoever didn’t bow down to them with that platform alone. Why… give humanity a weapon to fight them with?”

Viktoriya’s curious frown shifted into a deeply worried one. “I… don’t know. I doubt anyone does, except for them.”

“Maybe,” Tanya said. “But I doubt they’re less logical than humans, if they can travel through space. Which means we should be able to puzzle it out.”

Regardless of the answer, Tanya was sure something wasn’t as it seemed. Something was up.

--OxOxO--

She couldn’t tear away her gaze from the picture. It stood front and center, in front of the pictures of the Commander’s dead family and friends.

The first time she’d seen it, she’d been frozen for a full five minutes. The Commander hadn’t been rude and tried to snap her out of it, or pitied her and stared at her like everyone else did.

He’d simply waited for her to finish on her own, patted her on the shoulder, and continued the conversation.

This time, she only froze for five seconds before she began to look over the latest reports one last time before she locked the office up for the night.

Maddox was making slow but steady progress on the Commander’s most recent project – not as fast as Ingraham had been, but it was being done all the same. Alfredo Oriani was nearly finished with her documentary about the life of shipgirls at their Caribbean base – at Azur Lane’s last base.

She looked around the office one last time, thinking back to her first time there. She’d been amazed that the Commander wanted her to run things while he was gone. She’d wondered how… she would have reacted to hearing that.

She wondered about Indy. Constantly. Was her sister dead? Dying? Was it her fault? She had to know if it was her fault.

She sighed tiredly. But a shipgirl didn’t earn as many battlestars and awards as she had by being an idiot. He’d talked at length about not abusing the credentials he was leaving in her care, about oil requisition papers, and mail shipping addresses, about personnel files, and about keeping family together.

She felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

She had wanted to apologize. She still wanted to. He hadn’t been keeping her there. It wasn’t his fault. All the times she cried into her pillow cursing his name had been a mistake.

So she’d been working quietly for the past few days, going through the things he’d told her to do without actually telling her, as well as other things in order to ‘familiarize herself’ with the system.

That’s what she’d told the Commander’s secretary, the one chance she had had to ask before her reassignment yesterday.

There had been no replacement yet, of course – she hadn’t requested one, so if she didn’t need one, why force someone to go to a tiny island in the Caribbean without any chance for advancement when they didn’t have to?

That hadn’t been the only question she’d received. A few of the other shipgirls had asked about her changing their patrol patterns so suddenly, and her answer had been an easy lie – she’d worked those patterns and thought these new ones were better.

When she’d received calls from the mainland about why she wanted access to certain files on the Commander’s computer, conveniently left behind in his rush to leave, she had blustered and bluffed and rubbed her newfound credentials in the metaphorical nose of whoever questioned her until she got what she wanted.

Now it all came together.

A small part of her rebelled.

Her orders were clear.

The Eagle Union and the United States’s orders were indeed clear: she was one of the most decorated ships in the Eagle Union, so someone with her skill needed to stick around Azur Lane, just in case. She was to remain at the base until she was relieved of duty.

Portland glared around the office, at the invisible bugs the Commander was sure were there. She’d tried to leave before, despite those orders, but the fact that she’d never managed to get too far meant the Commander never bothered to officially report her.

She’d hoped she’d be reassigned somewhere due to her bad behavior. She knew better, after so many years.

Her orders from the Commander? Officially, she was to head Azur Lane while he was gone.

But they both knew he never would have taken away Minneapolis and La Galissonnière if he really wanted her to stay. He’d never have given her this position and the power and access that came with it if he really wanted her to stay put.

She’d finally been losing hope. Maybe she had been too overbearing and her sister really did HATE HATE HATE HATE her-

She took in a shaky breath as she began to walk towards the exit to the office. No, she would succeed. 

She had to.

If she got caught doing this, she’d be disobeying orders, and she had no idea what would happen after that.

She checked her bag, wincing at how odd and weird it felt to wear and carry clothing that wasn’t really hers, and confirmed her paltry savings and the Commander’s extensive cash stash were in place.

Who was this ring for, that he’d asked her to sell if she had to? He’d always been perfectly polite and had turned down polite requests for dates and more direct questions all throughout the war, from shipgirls and secretaries and native women alike.

She knew precisely where and how to steal the supplies she needed before she left. There would be no time to sleep while she traveled, which meant taking along food and oil to keep from getting tired.

She had memorized the new patrol pattern – knew it better than anyone at the base who was enforcing it knew it, at any rate. It was just as effective at keeping things out, but much less effective at keeping things, her, in.

If she made it to Jamaica without being spotted, she could bribe her way onto a ship headed for the US. After that…

She suppressed the urge to laugh nervously – when had she become so nervous? Indy wouldn’t like that – and steadied herself. After she got to the US, she’d have to search the whole country for her sister… but she had a fairly good idea of where to start. Her sister’s last letter had been sent from Virginia, and her letters were always rejected in the same place – New York City. That was where she’d start.

She cast one last look at the office. Quincy, Aylwin, and Arkhangelsk would keep the place running while she was gone. She hoped they’d decide to keep her disappearance quiet for as long as possible like her letter asked, but…

She sniffed loudly once. It felt… terrifying, to look around and know, for a fact, that she was throwing away everything for the slimmest chance to see her sister again.

The slimmest chance to see Indy? That was enough for her!

Portland opened the door and closed it as she stepped through, her barely contained excitement radiating through her body.

I’m coming for you Indy!

Chapter Text

As the door closed behind the worker from the International Liaison Bureau, Tanya took a sip from her cup of coffee – prepared, as always, by the ever present Viktoriya – and only savored the flavor for a moment.

Moments were all she had today – catching up with her sleep after yesterday meant she’d only woken up half an hour ago. Now, she waited in a well-lit, well-furnished, but unfamiliar office in Hamborg, the interior of the desk she was to sit at littered with papers she’d barely had time to even glance over. The woman had been cordial and had done her best to prepare Tanya, but now it would fall to Tanya to play her part.

She glanced at the blinds covering the window to her right, searching for the imperfections. The light that streamed through the cracks seemed to be behaving normally.

She narrowed her eyes. There. “Neumann. You’ve mixed up the angle of incidence again. Check your calculations.”

The light streaming in from the blinds bent slightly, and Tanya smirked, turned to the closed door, and assumed a neutral expression – slightly downturned lips, open eyes, squared shoulders, and a steady, even pace of breathing.

Neumann didn’t have to keep up an illusion for the entire time, but considering he wasn’t even under enemy fire, she thought of it as ‘prolonged endurance training.’ She wouldn’t ruin his determination not to show how much her order had rankled by giving him approval now.

Viktoriya was with Neumann behind the false window, and later, when Tanya was meeting with representatives from Azur Lane and the Crimson Axis’s major factions, Sophia would come back to brief her on who exactly she was meeting. For the next twelve hours, she would be having meetings and interviews.

If nothing else, it was at least a good justification for having Viktoriya accompany her as well so that she could ‘assist’ her in her interviews – which really just meant she could bring Tanya a new cup of coffee every few hours.

It was undeniably frivolous, considering she could be helping with the benchmarking and training of Nemonia instead, but Tanya needed to be absolutely focused for some of these meetings, which meant having access to her adjutant’s coffee.

A knock sounded on the door, briefly startling Tanya out of her thoughts. She resisted the phantom urge to straighten a tie she hadn’t worn in over a decade as she set her half-emptied mug down, and put on a small smile.

“Welcome, Admiral Harthy. You wanted to ask some questions about Nemonia?”

--OxOxO--

Tanya sipped from her now-cold coffee and suppressed the urge to glower at the retreating back of the pirate. Part of her looked down on her base instinct to think less of the woman leaving her office for how she dressed. To not embody the meritocratic spirit of the Empire would be unbecoming of the perfect soldier, after all. 

On the other hand, the other part of her reminded the first part that uniform exceptions like carrying around flintlock pistols and cosplaying as a 17 th century pirate should disqualify even the most savvy sailors from rising to the rank of Captain as the woman leaving had.

However, even as she left, with an over-exaggerated bow to the man coming into her office, Tanya couldn’t help but wish that the pirate woman would come back and sing the praises of submarine primacy and swashbuckling to her some more.

Still, she managed to put on a look of feigned neutrality rather than a desire to murder. “Doctor Schugel.”

He nearly leapt into the room, his grin somehow wider than usual and he jumped over the chair and landed in it with his legs crossed. “Lieutenant Degurechaff! Wonderful to meet you once again. How has your assignment been going thus far?” he asked.

She didn’t let her eye twitch at his antics. She’d anticipated it when she’d seen that second floor office she was in didn’t have ramp access. “Fairly well, Doctor, though the lack of a commander and their associated command staff has been-”

He cut her off. “Yes, too bad the Committee of Appointments and Ranks hasn’t yet decided,” he mused loudly, “though I did give my agreement with your recommended acting appointments for collateral and training duties for you former staff in your Kampfgruppe and among the sheships, as well as your requests for more specialized training personnel,” he continued, stroking his face.

“You were quite correct that they should be preparing to fill more roles than simply something to throw at the Sirens, and the fact that so many of the foreign sheships have melee weapons seems to indicate that they do have some use in the fight against the Sirens,” he said. Suddenly, he frowned. “Though I do wonder how on Earth-”

“Doctor. This meeting is specifically to discuss the performance of the various sheships. We can-”

“Now now,” he cut her off again, “If you hadn’t anticipated that I wanted to discuss some things outside the scope of the meeting, you would have already had the relevant papers out, you wouldn’t have allocated an extra fifteen minutes to the meeting on top of the hour I requested, and you wouldn’t know me, a fellow member of the faith, nearly as well as I know you do.”

He smiled down at her, his frame towering over her even when seated and with a desk between them, not saying a word. Tanya blinked once and sighed. “Continue.”

His expectant look gained a toothy-grin. “Wonderful. Speaking of the faith, I couldn’t help but notice that there were a few omissions from your duty appointments. Why submit this half first without adding in the welfare and recreation appointments?”

“I-”

“It’s preposterous! You haven’t even bothered to indicate who will be serving as the chaplains! Many of the ships have professed a desire to go to Church with me, and even those who belong to faiths practiced on the fringes of the Empire expressed an admiration for my devotion. I hope the sheships who display their devotion to God openly weren’t intimidated by your reputation?” he inquired.

She almost didn’t want to give the man an answer for continually cutting her off. “I was hoping to leave such things… up in the air. The amount of leeway they have been extended outside of regulations with their clothing, attitude, free time, and dormitory is already extreme.”

Schugel glared at her, comically angry, and Tanya wondered briefly if she preferred the version of Schugel that hadn’t overdosed on drugs. “Now Degurechaff, they can’t help what they wear-”

“No,” she cut in, “They can definitely wear other clothes. I have proof.”

Schugel blinked owlishly. “You do?”

“Yes, I’ll show you when we get into our actual meeting. This is a military, not a beauty pageant or a-”

She cut herself off with a sigh. She’d been about to say brothel, because the pictures she’d gotten ahold of from abroad were, to put it bluntly, scandalous.

Scandalous in that the moment they’d hit the Empire’s shores yesterday, they had been banned for moral indecency for the amount of skin the images showed, even without showing any genitalia. Naturally, that hadn’t stopped them from spreading very much, and she’d been given the copy in her desk by Monarch when she’d stopped by the woman’s dormitory to order her to this office for a meeting later in the day.

Again, Tanya’s internal love of the rules, and of standards, went to war with her logic that dressing like hookers didn’t really say anything about their skill.

“I had a thought,” Schugel said, cutting off Tanya’s internal rant, “that only God knows what activities they will want to participate in, and in light of such, that having someone coordinate their activities might prevent trouble later on?”

She almost snapped at him, and then, mortifyingly, she realized that he was definitely right.

Not that all of Nemonia’s ships would debase themselves by wearing a ‘race queen’ outfit or posing lewdly while wearing risqué swimsuits. No, more likely, if any of them got caught in anything even remotely resembling a scandal while pursuing their interests autonomously, she might be held to blame if there existed no outlet for them to pursue their interests within the Navy.

Now, if others were assigned to the relevant jobs, then she wouldn’t ever get held accountable for the whims of the ships given life. Whoever she had assigned to be in charge of procurement could also handle frivolous requests. Someone else could manage public relations.

“I suppose,” she mused aloud, “that they aren't in active combat anyway.” She almost thanked him, but their ledger definitely wasn’t even.

“Regarding the problem of Nemonia not having a leader,” he said, completely blitzing past the previous conversation, “the Committee of Appointments and Ranks is accepting recommendations.”

Tanya raised an eyebrow. “You think I would recommend myself?”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “Maybe. But just in case you haven’t yet, I also took the opportunity to recommend you myself.”

She fought desperately not to glare murderously. No, their ledger was definitely not square.

“Wouldn’t that mean I rank above you?” she asked, unable to mask not just a hint, but an entire bucketload of malice in her voice.

Schugel had the fucking gall to smile. “Yes!”

“Well,” she managed to say, unable to even relish the idea of having the power to dismiss Schugel, because for how much he’d done, there was no way she could logically argue for his dismissal beside her personal distaste, “I am already meeting with some sheships later to discuss who will be leading Nemonia.”

He nodded, either not noticing or uncaring of the poorly-hidden rage in her voice. “Wonderful! I’m sure you’ll convince them of your suitability. I’ll be meeting with some of the brightest minds of Azur Lane and the Crimson Axis later today to discuss some of the finer minutiae of sheships. Quite honestly, the amount of information that is exchanged, even between enemies, is quite astounding. I have truly been blessed.”

“Regardless,” he continued, “we are both clearly busy. Shall we move onto the review of the capabilities of the sheships in their trials?”

“Very well. However, I do have a few questions.”

Schugel’s smile grew again. “Ask away, dear child of God.”

“Why have you awoken so few submarines?” she asked. They’d proven very useful for training, with how many torpedoes they could manifest at once compared to any other ship.

Schugel shrugged. “There’s been an order from on high, though I agree with the logic,” he stated, his tone lackadaisical. “Most of the submarines – no, not just the submarines, but most of the ships that Nemonia currently has were all in operation for between five years to over two decades. However, the submarines in particular are out of date. The V80-class were never meant for combat outside of the Baltic, while the Doppelköpfiger Drache-class and the U-100-class lack many of the advancements incorporated into the Geusen-class.”

“It’s been ruled that none of them are suited for operations in the Pacific… or, even more unsuited than the rest of the fleet, as it were. Additionally…”

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the wooden table. “Submarines are, chiefly, for disrupting commerce or for sneak attacks. The Sirens have superior technology in regards to breaking stealth, and since they’ve largely been confined to the Arctic and don’t ship anything out of their containment zone, the only use for a massive fleet of submarines would be to attack another nation.” He said it all in a false-whisper, and shrugged at the end.

Tanya raised an eyebrow. Sure, they weren’t suited for operations, but could the Empire really afford to be picky? Even if the torpedoes weren’t the most modern, she doubted they wouldn’t at least distract the ships the Sirens operated, though if the amount of ‘Wisdom Cubes’ the Empire had access to was limited, she supposed which ship was summoned mattered more.

Regardless, if the order had come from ‘on high,’ then it was clear that the decision probably had political considerations. If a large submarine fleet got the Americans or British or Japanese jumpy, then not having them to smooth over relations made the most logical sense to secure aid and an alliance, even if it might not make the most military sense.

“Understood. I request you wake up at least a few more. The data will show just how useful they are for training. My other major question is that… you aren’t going to strap a Wisdom Cube to a Computation Jewel, strap both to me, and hope God figures it out, right?”

Schugel scoffed.

Tanya felt her right eye twitch.

“Of course not! What a ridiculous question. Computation Jewels do not have their own power… though, with how energy dense they are…” Schugel began to mutter incoherently to himself, and right as Tanya resolved to break him out of his stupor, he bolted up.

“Probably not. I don’t believe Wisdom Cubes as currently understood could be shrunk down enough to make whatever extra power or capabilities they provided an efficient decision to implement. The few papers I’ve read about this world’s attempts at doing the same also seem to have failed for inexplicable reasons.”

He shrugged. “I’m sure the problem lies in the collective unconscious.”

“I have no more questions,” she said quickly, unwilling to get pulled into an argument about something so seemingly illogical. She ducked down and grabbed the first few documents, as well as the magazine.

“…That illusion isn’t yours, is it?”

She placed the documents on the table and ducked back down. “If you’re referring to the one on the window, no. Why?”

“I thought not. It’s far too primitive for your handiwork.”

Tanya fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Here’s the last of it.”

The magazine immediately caught Schugel’s attention. “Fascinating. What could possibly… do you mind if I take this?” he asked.

If it were any other man, she might think he wanted it for its intended purpose. With Schugel, she was sure he just wanted to study it. “Go ahead. I recorded what I needed with the Type 98…”

“Speaking of, have you made any progress with a Computation Jewel based on electronics rather than mechanical parts?”

He grinned as he stashed the magazine in a pocket. “Some, but other things have occupied my attention. Interested in testing what I create? Have the long days on the front made your heart grow fond of the time we spent pursuing God’s vision?”

Tanya bit back an insult and instead looked through the false window. “Not in the slightest. I’m merely interested in a new piece of weaponry… though if you need test subjects, I can personally attest to the ability of the 203 rd .”

Schugel barked out a laugh. “We’ll have to see about that.”

With that, they dove into the reams of paperwork that had already been generated by Nemonia. Civilization truly did run on paper.

--OxOxO--

“Thank you again for volunteering for this, Basel,” Tanya said, an actually genuine smile placed on her face.

Schugel was exhausting to work with, even when all they were doing was going over paperwork and the training she’d put the sheships through. Just about the only thing that wouldn’t have brought some relief to her would be Being X showing up.

The woman, who also towered over her despite being seated, beamed. “Of course, Lieutenant! Getting to teach you a thing or two is just payback for what you taught the Navy.”

Tanya nodded. “Before you begin, I wanted to know how you were doing,” she asked. It was almost perfunctory, but she was hoping to get advanced intelligence regarding how the sheships were feeling after being introduced to their training.

“I,” she began, “actually… hmm, could you give me a moment?” she asked. Tanya nodded, and she closed her eyes. Tanya raised an eyebrow at the look of concentration on her face – if she closed her eyes when concentrating, Tanya would have to drill that out of her.

“It’s such a rush,” she began. “I remember my time as just a hull. I look back on it fondly, but being able to do more…”

“I guess,” she said, “It was like when you learned magic. Suddenly, the world was so much more open.”

Tanya nodded, lamenting that while her world may have physically opened after being trained to fly, discovering she had magical aptitude had considerably limited her outlook on life.

“Um, may I ask a question?” she asked. Tanya again raised an eyebrow, this time at the timidity in her tone – where had the fire from her first words gone? – and nodded. “Of course.”

“Will we be meeting the sheships from the other factions? I understand the need to keep things hush-hush, but I did want to talk with them.”

“You’re in luck, then,” Tanya replied. “While the particulars are being worked over, Azur Lane, the Crimson Axis, and the Empire will be conducting a joint exercise on the last day of the celebration. At least ten, maybe eleven sheships will be participating. I’m sure some time will be allocated for everyone to get accustomed to each other.”

Basel grinned. “Great! Now, you need some coaching on how sheships feel so that the sheships you meet with don’t catch on, right?”

Tanya nodded, and the lesson began. The way she described her existence, the sharpness of her vision when she activated ‘Lessons of the 203 rd ,’ the easing of her aches and pains when Stheno activated ‘Marvels of Legend,’ the reverberation of force echoing through her wisdom cubes as she called her rigging into being, was not too hard to grasp for Tanya, especially with magic in the mix.

Outside of battle, however…

“You really can’t be more specific than ‘a connection?’” Tanya asked. The woman’s confidence was faltering now. “It’s… no, I don’t think so,” she admitted, seemingly defeated. “It would be like… you trying to explain how your heart is connected with the tissue surrounding it, but by looking at your chest instead of the cells,” she said, trying to explain despite her seeming inability.

Tanya shrugged. “Well, that’s fine. Good, even. If I had tried to explain the feeling of having my being connected with the ideas of humanity, then they might suspect something. Even your inability to explain is valuable information for me.”

Basel’s miserable expression brightened and became sunny once again. “Right!”

The conversation continued. What did the ‘Oxy-cola’ the Americans had brought taste like? What did it feel like trying to wear clothing other than the clothing she’d materialized with? What were her memories of her time as a hull like? Why had she and everyone else been so sure they wouldn’t be paid for their service?

Eventually, Tanya ran dry on questions, and Basel ran dry on things to add that Tanya hadn’t thought of.

“Um, could I ask another question?”

Tanya mentally rolled her eyes. She would instill a sense of hierarchy within the week and get them to call her by her rank. “Yes, Basel.”

Her face lit up again. “Will you be participating in the joint exercise?”

Tanya kept her disdain from her face. “The roster hasn’t yet been decided,” she stated dutifully. “I anticipate being chosen in order to keep up the ruse.” Keeping up with the sheships would be grueling, but that would, hopefully, be the last time Tanya had to play the part.

“Hmm. Any clue who else will be chosen?” she asked. Tanya sighed. “I imagine at least one other member of the 203 rd . Beyond that… the Empire is a meritocracy. Excellent performance during training will likely equate to a higher chance to be selected.”

Basel’s disposition somehow became even brighter, and Tanya could only mentally roll her eyes once more. Was she fated to be surrounded by battle maniacs?

She missed Rerugen.

Tanya glanced towards the clock on her desk. “Well, time is growing short. Before you left, I wanted to ask if you wouldn’t mind conducting a survey of the sheships. What sort of things they want to learn or do. Skills, activities for the military and for training.”

Basel nodded rapidly. “Of course, Lieutenant. Uh, are there any limits?”

Tanya sighed. “No. Anything and everything,” she said. The point of it was to make sure no one did anything that might compromise Tanya’s position, which meant being involved with whatever activities they demanded, no matter how frivolous.

Basel nodded and rose, heading quickly for the door.

Then she stopped, her tail flicking about as she grabbed her cape off of the coat stand. “Lieutenant Degurechaff. I had… one more question.”

Tanya nodded slowly, resisting the urge to flick her gaze towards the illusory window. Her tone suggested this was more personal than her other questions.

She stepped slowly back towards the chair, wringing her hands. “How do you… live up to expectations?”

Tanya raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

Basel’s conflicted expression twisted, and she ducked her head down. “It’s… nevermind-”

“Wait.”

She stopped, and Tanya continued speaking to the woman’s back. “It’s no problem that you don’t wish to share the information.”

She paused, for a moment, thinking. “Meeting people’s expectations is not always easy.” Tanya began with an understatement, because the things the General Staff expected of her had ranged from difficult to nearly impossible.

“Managing what people think you are capable of is important, but the bottom line is that if you think you might fail, work harder.”

Basel nodded jerkily-

“Miss Basel,” came a voice from her side. Tanya’s gaze snapped to the window – instead of closed blinds, it was Viktoriya speaking into the grate in the window while Neumann looked on nervously.

“What Tanya said is correct, but you should always seek out the assistance of others if you need it! If the General Staff asks you to do something impossible, demand concessions and help from those around you! If they want more than you can give, rely on those around you to make up the difference!”

Tanya’s withering gaze softened slightly. She was just trying to contribute an important point, then. “Yes. Useful subordinates, understanding superiors, and connections to coworkers are all important as well,” she said. Basel looked between the window and Tanya several times, her gaze incredulous for only a moment.

Then, with a start, she beamed at them both again. “I think I get it! Thank you, both of you!”

Tanya watched the woman leave, frozen, and then she spun and glared at Viktoriya. “Viktoriya, your input was useful in this case, but please keep in mind that pulling something like that around someone who isn’t as understanding about being directly monitored might not go well. Don’t interrupt us again or I’ll make you regret it. Neumann, if you listen to her I will drag you with me to the joint exercise and you can help fight the foreigners.”

Both of them cringed, and Tanya sat back at her desk. “As it is, you can get the chairs for the next meeting on your own while I go over what Basel told me.”

“Yes ma’am,” Viktoriya snapped, any dejection she might have been feeling absent from her snappy reply. Tanya smiled in response and looked down at her notes, sipping on her coffee.

--OxOxO--

Tanya had not been afforded even silence when the first few members of this meeting had shown up, and the cacophony of voices debating and shouting and insulting each other had only grown. Tanya was staring off into space, desperately trying not to allow her headaches to become a full blown migraine through sheer force of will alone.

“Yer’ nothin’ but a overblown braggart, with yer stewpid red hair-”

“Speaking to one august personage as myself, the heir to a thousand years of unbroken rule, is as uncouth as it is predictable-”

“HA! Of course you’d think little miss pirate was talkin’ to you, you inbred-”

“Would both of you please just-”

“If you don’t quit disparagin’ my honor and duty, Derfflinger, I’ll cleave your head from your shoulders.”

“And there you go, proving my point. You’re nothing but a berserker, unfit to do anything but charge at the enemy.”

“At least I had an enemy to fight. You were about to be decommissioned without having done a damn thing besides parade around and waste everyone’s time-”

“You’re all unfocused idiots only in this for pride. Every moment we spend bickering is another opportunity for the Sirens to attack.”

“Silence, Zealand. Thou art nothing more than a shivering whelp, a horse struck on the flank and chomping at the bit, a child without a thing to her name, whose only recourse is to ally with those beneath our station in a desperate attempt to seem strong-”

“A little harsh, Links, but-”

“You are no different, Kaiserin. You are nought but a title, unfit to-”

“And you are a symbol of the old world, of the world before the modern. I am the embodiment of the Empire-”

“Would you all cease your endless nattering? Your mere presence grates on my being, so why do you insist on making your idiotic-”

“You couldn’ get a tadpole to bow before you, much less yer sisters.”

The conversation picked up pace again as everyone broke out into their own arguments, the vitriol growing more acidic. No one had drawn their rigging or, in the case of several of the contenders for leadership of Nemonia, their bladed weapons.

Tanya did not need to stare at the clock on her desk to keep track of time, thanks to her Type 98, and it wasn’t like this wasn’t at least a little entertaining. If nothing else, trying to figure out what the hell was the deal with the ship that had been referred to as ‘Links’ had occupied her time – every time Tanya looked away or even blinked, the girl transformed between a short, naked half-dragon girl and an even shorter girl dressed in a bathing suit.

Tanya was no closer to figuring out the mystery when ten minutes passed as she had been after she’d first noticed it, so she put the conundrum to the side and let out a shrill whistle that had even her ears ringing.

One of them – the one wearing a mockery of a Napoleonic-era uniform – managed to either not hear it or ignore it, but she did stop when he realized everyone else had gone silent and was now staring at her.

Tanya detected very little respect for her in their gazes. They were curious at best, but most of them were annoyed or even slightly angry. Only one, who Tanya was fairly sure was named Kaiserin, seemed even the least bit apologetic.

Tanya smiled threateningly. “Now. I let your… discussion carry on for over ten minutes. It seems obvious to me that there is little chance we will come to an agreement over who should be the leader of Nemonia today. Even so, I think having a slightly more structured conversation would be more helpful, yes?”

A handful of insults were thrown at her, and Tanya only frowned and made note of those that had. “Well, that’s definitely worth a demotion and a pay cut.”

That got all of them quiet, and Tanya allowed her wide smile to appear again. “Yes, and in case you think you will be immune to punishment once I have demoted you and docked your pay to the minimum required, let me assure you that recording you cleaning the bathrooms of the entire base with toothbrushes will be the beginning of what I will do to you.”

They all remained quiet, though Tanya was receiving acerbic looks from the majority of them. Yet another reminder that she would have to install some discipline in them as soon as possible.

“Now. I recognize a few faces from my first few days, and I know the names of everyone put forward by the various sheships of Nemonia, but with how many of you I am training, I would appreciate a reminder of who you are.”

One of them jumped forward, and Tanya held up a hand. “Without your… introductions, please. Just your name, class, and rating.”

The sheship deflated slightly, but she introduced herself all the same. “I be Ivan Dirkie de Veenboer, a John Pro-class Armored Cruiser. As me instructor, I’d prefer ye call me Sulayman Reis, if ye’d please.” She bowed her head, and Tanya gave her a shallow nod in return as she sat back down at the table Viktoriya had dragged in.

Most of her clothing wasn’t even that outrageous – though it was, of course, wildly out of regulation. She wore a white blouse and a blue corset skirt whose bodice seemed to be woven from a high quality blue cloth. Her heels – because none of them wore regular shoes, obviously  – were made of a relatively tame brown leather that also wove up her legs past her knees, while her hands and arms clad in a similar looking brown leather.

Neither was her hair especially outrageous – mostly blonde with black locks interspersed, though most of it was hidden underneath some kind of cloth covering, which made her stick out like a sore thumb. It looked vaguely like a nun’s habit. Tanya had grown up around nuns, however, and this one didn’t quite match. Based on her preferred name, Tanya was tentatively assuming the head covering was related to the Islamic faith.

She would ask later. If it ever came up.

Another of the more eye-catching women among the bunch stood, gripping her winged military cap in her hands as she towered over her peers. If she wasn’t over seven feet tall, Tanya would hear her hat. “I am Nassau, Lieutenant. Of the Helgoland-class battleships.”

As with the last sheship, she seemed to be struggling not to say more, though she seemed to be trying to give off the feeling of a kicked puppy with her expression, which felt bizarre.

Somehow, Tanya had made the hulking woman a tad abashed, which was probably giving Viktoriya and Neumann a hard time not laughing at the ridiculousness of a thirteen-year-old girl making a seven-foot-tall woman straight out of Die Walkyrie, plus a leather and fur leotard, a bear-skin cape, and a battleax.

Again, Tanya nodded, and the very… ripped woman, because her bare, muscled thighs were larger than Tanya’s head, sat, setting her hat atop her head once more and fiddling with the end of her long braid of hair that somehow reached the floor.

And that was how the introductions for the subsequent seven sheships.

“I am Derfflinger, a Derfflinger-class Battlecruiser,” said the tall woman clad in medieval knight armor as black as coal with golden inlays, a white coat with similar golden decorations hanging from her shoulders, and a sword at her hip hung from a red cloth sash.

She had been the one to call Nassau a berserker after having the threat of beheading leveled at her.

“Zealand of the Zealand-class Destroyers, Lieutenant,” reported the second-shortest member of the group. She was white, from her skin to her eyes to her hair to her clothes, besides the red of her gloves, the brown highlights of her white dress, and the black of her heeled boots.

She had been one of the few trying to keep things orderly, until one too many insults had dragged her into the scuffle.

And on it went.

Hannover. Light cruiser. She dressed more like an engineer, with jeans and a cotton undershirt and a toolbelt on her hip. 

Kaiserin. Sister of Monarch and similarly dressed. She had also been trying to keep the peace, especially with the other royals and aristocrats.

Metternich. Another aging battlecruiser. She dressed like a Napoleonic-era politician, except the white tights she wore were very tight and were complemented by equally white heels. She was one of the sheships Tanya would be demoting.

Habsburg, a catgirl with a red mane brighter than Tanya had ever naturally seen red hair. She had a blue crown floating above her head constantly, like a halo, and scars that raked over her pronounced facial features.

Kaiser Barbarossa also wore knight armor, though hers was a more tame silver. Her red hair seemed to be a more… realistic color, though with how curly and… poofy it was, it was a miracle it hadn’t sent the golden crown on her head flying, or at least askew.

The girl who kept… switching stood, but Tanya held up her hand. “You’re last.”

She turned her gaze without waiting for an answer. “You two. I know for a fact that I invited the ten sheships put forward by Nemonia for this. Who are you?”

Both smiled threateningly. “Yes, and what a travesty. I am Kaiserreich, lead ship of the Kaiserreich-class battleships,” said the first woman. She wore a gray uniform and a red sash, with plenty of room for medals and awards. Her hair was a darker red than Barbarossa’s, though her’s also had streaks of gold – not blonde or even yellow, but gold – and black hair in the braid behind her back. She had a scepter resting on her lap, while a sword rested at her side…

Tanya’s thoughts trailed off. “Your teeth…”

The woman smiled again, wider this time, displaying her shark-like smile.

Literally.

Her teeth were not just human teeth sharpened into points, but actual animal teeth. Probably shark!

Tanya refused to verbally or even mentally acknowledge whatever the fuck was going on there and moved on.

“Deutschland. Same class as my sister.”

Though her smile was the same, everything else was not. She seemed to have grabbed inspiration from American biker culture, somehow, because she was dressed in a lot of black leather with metal hooks and rings, had biking boots on, and wore a pair of goggles around her neck. Her jacket wasn’t quite a match for a biker jacket, seeming much more militarily inclined, while her hair was mostly black with streaks of white and red.

Tanya did not sigh at the questions her appearance created, like why she looked like this when she was fairly sure that biker culture wasn’t even a thing yet…

Her thoughts trailed off again as the woman shifted. “Is that a mondragón rifle?” Tanya asked, incredulous. The woman smiled, showing off her weird animal teeth again.

“Indeed, Chief Instructor!”

“Why,” Tanya began to ask, choosing not to question why she had that when the rifle was issued to Aerial Mages, “are you two here?”

Kaiserreich scoffed. “I am the embodiment of-”

“I don’t believe everyone has introduced themselves. If we are going to do things in a more orderly fashion, we should do that before we make our cases,” Metternich chimed.

Tanya raised a hand before either of the women before her could interrupt. “Good point. I asked for representatives of Nemonia, and you both decided to come without securing endorsements from other sheships. You’ll both be docked pay for that.”

Tanya turned to the last sheship and ignored how they were probably glaring holes into her back. “Now. Considering everyone else has introduced themselves, I assume you are Doppelköpfiger Drache?”

The demure girl before her, wearing a black swimsuit that Tanya would have used to garotte its creator before allowing a girl of this physical age anywhere near it, nodded once. “Yes. I am half of the existence of Doppelköpfiger Drache, the right head, Rechts.”

Ah. “Which makes Links-”

Tanya blinked, and the demure girl was gone in an instant, replaced by another girl. Though her face, hair, and size seemed similar, nothing else was.

For starters, she was naked.

Despite that fact, nothing private was on display, because she was also partially covered in black scales. She had an oversized tail that was as long as she was tall, with scales covering where her vagina was supposed to be, as well as most of her legs. Two oversized horns on her head complemented her oversized, clawed hands, with scales covering most of her forearms and snaking up the back of the rest of her arms to meet scales trailing down from the sides of her head to meet in a ring around her neck, with some scales trailing down her collarbone and swirling around where her nipples were supposed to be.

Beneath all of the scales, a fiery glow poked out, giving off the impression of burning fire.

She grinned and Tanya saw more fucking animal teeth, except there weren’t shark teeth, and were probably supposed to be some approximation of dragon teeth.

“Indeed. I am Links, the left head of the existence of Doppelköpfiger Dr-”

“Alright!” Tanya said – yes, said, and definitely not shouted – as she sat back in her chair. “Alright.”

As Tanya had outlined, she wasn’t about to solve a problem that had produced twelve figures competing for leadership. Moreover, she wasn’t sure she wanted to get anywhere near such a problem.

However, she was the Chief Istructor, and if whatever had caused this spiraled out of control before someone else was in charge and could take the blame, she would catch some of it.

“Alright. Why can’t you all agree on a leader?”

The room exploded into a cacophony once more.

Tanya did not manage to accomplish much with the meeting, besides establishing that the Pirates, the Lower Officers, those who wanted to follow the Army’s meritocratic example who Tanya was now mentally labeling the Modernists, and the aristocrats and royalty all wanted to be in charge of Nemonia.

It seemed there was some disagreement over how much they would or wouldn’t interact with the normal navy, but it was assumed they would use Nemonia as a springboard for their faction to gain influence over the entire navy.

Furthermore, Kaiserreich and Deutschland were supposedly there to represent the more modern ships that the navy hadn’t yet given to Nemonia. Considering they weren’t likely to be awakened anytime soon, they were pretty much just there for themselves.

At the very least, Tanya would be slotting in some lessons on the structure of the navy and the Empire’s government, because all of them seemed to think they would be fighting the Sirens alone, which was just about the stupidest idea Tanya could conceptualize.

By the end of the meeting, she did manage to get everyone to agree that they needed to decide on a candidate – or, at the very least, a more limited list of candidates – before the end of the joint exercises, and that martial prowess would not be how it was decided, because such a thing would encourage a focus on fighting ability that neglected other very important aspects of leadership.

“Please, we are all on the same side, right? And who's to say that just because someone with different ideas from you is in charge means that none of your own plans can be implemented? Cooperation and collaboration are key in any organization, after all.”

Her plea seemed to have mollified some of the higher tempers, and Tanya breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at the time – she’d managed to lose track and only had a few minutes left.

She looked down at the docket and verbally sighed this time. They still had one more item.

“Before we adjourn the meeting, we need to come up with some believable history for the Empire before coming to this world. Most of the particulars of the story have been dreamed up by someone in the propaganda department, if I’m not mistaken, but who should we say was the previous leader of-”

“Clearly, the aristocrats and royalty fell from power after abusing their position-”

“Everyone realized what a bad idea it was to concede such an important position to a bunch of pirates with a higher costume budget than-”

“Moles placed by the army in the navy were torn out like the burs in the calf of the magnificent beast of the-”

“The non-aristocratic officers finally realized who their betters were and graciously gave up the position while offering to lick the rust off of my a-”

Tanya’s groan went unheard by everyone in the room as the bickering continued.

--OxOxO--

Getting them out of the office was by far the easiest part of the experience the meeting had been, though not even that had been without complications – when she'd finally ordered everyone to leave besides Kaiserin, everyone else had assumed Tanya was trying to offer her advice in her attempt to become leader.

Another five minutes of arguing had followed, which had allowed Kaiserin’s sisters, Monarch and Kronprinz, to arrive and explain that this was a disciplinary meeting.

That had gotten them all out of her office, and though Tanya did want a few minutes to rest, she would not get it.

She sent two bursts of interference out and then began to study the three ships who were now in her office.

Monarch was as she had been during their first meeting, white uniform, a towering figure, and a sly grin on her face, even as her two sisters spoke in hushed tones.

Kaiserin looked much the same as her sister, though her sleeve lace marked her as a lower rank – Tanya hadn’t yet memorized all of the symbols associated with different ranks, but she was fairly sure one of them was at least an admiral based on the sleeve lace – and the details of her uniform were slightly altered. Her skirt was longer, thankfully, because if Monarch’s was any shorter, it would be better served as a dishrag.

The most striking difference was Kaiserin’s hair, which was red compared to Monarch’s black. She was taking the lead in talking to her sister.

Kronprinz’s clothes were far different – her uniform was identical to her sisters in cut, but the entire thing was done in black. The sword at her side was not held in a scabbard, though it wasn’t likely to cause any safety problems because most of it had been broken off. Her hair was also different, a blonde color only a touch darker than Tanya’s hair.

She didn’t contribute much to what was being said to Monarch, only occasionally chiming in and instead frowning and pouting at her white-haired sister.

After a minute more, Viktoriya, having received the agreed upon message, brought in a fresh pot of coffee. Tanya smiled widely as she served some to her and the sheships.

“Now, Monarch. Have your sisters made it abundantly clear the problem with your conduct?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure. Why don’t you explain it to me?” she asked, her sly smile still in place. Her sisters groaned, but Tanya held up a hand.

“That’s fine. I don’t appreciate what you said to me.”

Monarch held up a finger to her lips and then, after a moment, shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t quite recall what it was that I said. Could you repeat it?”

Now Tanya raised an eyebrow. “In front of your sisters?”

Her smile gained teeth. “Oh, I share everything with my sisters,” she said, clasping her hands together low so that her arms squeezed her-

Tanya whipped out her Type 98, a single eyebrow still raised, as it replayed Monarch’s words. ‘Fufufu~ I am the Monarch-class Monarch. You stand in the presence of royalty… but fret not, I shant make you kneel. You too are nobility, after all. I place myself under your service, assuming you can… satisfy me.’

“W- Wh- W-” Viktoriya stammered, looking between Tanya and the Type 98 and Monarch.

“Right!” Monarch said, cutting off Tanya’s adjutant. “My introduction line. What’s wrong with it? Specifically.” Her smile was still sly and knowing, and Tanya could feel that her earlier efforts to keep her headache manageable were for nought.

“Monarch!” Kaiserin cried, “Don’t ignore everything we just told you! That sort of behavior is totally unbecoming of one of the longest serving members of the High Seas Fleet. Apologize!”

Tanya put away the Type 98 as Monarch finally seemed to be getting what Tanya was so concerned about.

“Truly,” Kronprinz agreed. “A member of the nobility shouldn’t be so forward with their courtship. More subtle methods are becoming of a woman of our stations, not crass innuendo.”

…Huh?

Monarch took a step towards Tanya, the sly curl of her lips becoming slightly frantic with the widening of her eyes. “Oh, but such things take far too long. We are soldiers too, and there is no telling what tomorrow may bring, so why not spend the ni-”

“I am. Thirteen. This is. Inappropriate. Indecent. And. Illegal.”

“But,” Kaiserin chirpped, voice somewhat at a loss, “you’ve killed people. You’re serving in the military. Clearly, you have the maturity of an ad-”

Oh fuck that. She’d been hoping Monarch somehow just… hadn’t known that propositioning Tanya, no matter how oblique the terms, was wrong and illegal, but no! She had known!

Tanya closed her eyes and smiled at where Kaiserin had been. “Supporting such an argument that flouts the rule of law clearly makes you an unsuitable choice of leadership, so keep in mind that you will be at the bottom of my recommendations to the Committee of Appointments and Ranks.”

Tanya opened her eyes to find that Monarch had backed off, remorse marring her face as she looked towards a pouting Kaiserin. “As for you,” Tanya said, “you will be demoted and have your pay cut, to teach you a lesson.”

The remorse lingered on her face, and Tanya almost breathed a sigh of relief.

The moment quickly ended and the sly looked returned. “I understand. Could you just confirm one thing for me?”

Before Tanya could respond, she had rushed towards the desk, sending Tanya’s hair – and paperwork – flying as she pressed her breasts onto the wood. “You don’t find this attractive?”

Tanya stared at the woman. The incredibly attractive, clearly horny woman, and took a breath that was definitely too shaky for a superior to have around a subordinate that was attempting to proposition them.

“Regardless of how I feel about it, the law is the law,” Tanya ground out.

Somehow, that didn’t phase the woman as she stood back up, mischief still shining in her eyes. “I didn’t hear no.”

“Latrine duty and artillery training! For all three of you,” Tanya declared.

The woman only pouted for a second before her smile returned. “I’ll accept any punishment you give me. May I be dismissed?”

Tanya fought the urge to visibly respond, but her lack of response was still probably a win in Monarch’s book. She hadn’t inflected any of those words to sound even the least bit like she was implying something, but the innuendo was still there.

Tanya glared at Monarch, and then at Kaiserin and Kronprinz. “Dismissed, all three of you.”

They filed out, and Tanya wasn’t sure if it was anger at insubordination or desire, but she left scratch marks on the table as Monarch swayed her hips as she left.

“Viktoriya.”

Tanya looked at her…

“Are you alright?” Tanya asked. She had been gaping, like a fish, at the women leaving the office. Tanya’s words snapped her out of it, and she saluted Tanya in a flash. “Yes. Of course. Never better.”

Tanya resisted the urge to scowl. Hopefully her opinion of Tanya hadn’t gone down at how openly insubordinate Monarch had been, but just in case it had…

“It goes without saying that the sheships need more education about the laws that govern the Empire,” she said. “Furthermore… I’m not sure that I could trust any of the men with the job of making sure they complete their duty. You wouldn’t mind making sure they actually complete their punishment, would you?”

Viktoriya seemed panicked, for a moment, but it passed after only a second. “Not- not at all, sir!”

Tanya nodded, more to herself than anything, as she began to sit back down. “It goes without saying that such behavior is not what the Empire expects of its servicemembers, so if any of that ends up in the papers, you’ll both,” she said, loudly to make sure Neumann didn’t think she’d forgotten he was there, “ wish you were as valuable to the Empire as the sheships.”

She heard a muffled ‘Yes sir’ from behind the wall and a loud one from Viktoriya, and Tanya sighed again. The day was barely half done.

“More coffee,” she said aloud, causing Viktoriya to flee in a hurry. Yes, more coffee would soothe the irritations of the world.

--OxOxO--

Tanya had taken a wonderfully quiet fifteen minutes to eat lunch, followed by a five minute refresher with Sophia, and then two back-to-back meetings that were relatively quiet and uneventful with Brooklyn, representing the Eagle Union, and Duke of York, representing the Royal Navy. Having to talk with a translator had been taxing, but Tanya wasn’t about to reveal that the few years of ‘Anglish’ she’d taken at the War College was far more in-depth than her grades suggested.

Both had apologized for the inability of the heads of the missions from their sheship factions to attend, but Tanya had been more than understanding – if anything, the fact that they were too busy to meet with her was a good sign that perhaps the Empire was trying to court Azur Lane.

She did have to appear at least nominally neutral according to the writ of the International Liaison Bureau, at least for now, but she’d done everything she could to indicate that she thought the Empire should ally with Azur Lane and that that would be her preferred outcome. She was fairly sure she’d indicated at least that much to them.

The conversation had been relatively light, overall. Tanya had told them both the same false story the propaganda department had cooked up – Tanya was a relatively modern destroyer that had led various charges against the enemies of the Empire, from the opening invasion of Legadonia, to a covert mission in the waters of Dacia, from skirmishes with the Francois, to the invasion of the Orse Fjord, from the few naval actions against the Free Francois around the Southern Continent, to a preemptive strike against the Russy Federation, and even to the ongoing conflict that they had left behind, her false history was vast, storied, and close enough to Tanya’s actual military career that it wasn’t too difficult to recount the broad strokes with the tone of familiarity those around her would expect.

Her partners had recounted their own. Duke of York’s hull had patrolled the ocean to facilitate sending supplies to the Soviets and helped in the Allied landings in North Africa before she’d been awakened in preparation for the Allied landings in Sicily, only for the operation to be called off with the Sirens attacking both the allies and the axis powers. From there, she’d helped liberate much of Norway, Iceland, and the North Sea from Siren control.

Brooklyn’s hull had mostly been on convoy escort duty for the early parts of the United States’s entry into the war, with her also assisting in the invasion of North Africa. She was one of the many hulls that had been awakened in the wake of the Siren’s attack, and had helped to liberate Bermuda, as well as engaging in fighting off of the East coast of the United States, Canada, and Greenland.

Beyond that, she had also gotten some… interesting perspective on the other factions. Apparently, none of them were getting paid by their navies, which boggled Tanya’s mind. She was aware that they were apparently the physical manifestation of people’s collective ideas about ships, and would thus be indebted to the nation that had created them, but not paying them sounded like a great way to spark a mutiny.

A knock sounded on Tanya’s door, and Tanya called out for Sophia, posing as a secretary, to open the door. Tanya thanked her, as did the striking woman who strode through the door.

Her boots, despite being partially made of metal, were somehow not the most ridiculous Tanya had seen, and her shirt was almost decent, except for the fact that it was cut open on the sides allowing anyone who took more than a passing glance at her to catch an eyeful of sideboob.

Of course, any and all professionalism, which the woman seemed to exude from her confident gait, squared shoulders, and smile, was almost entirely burned away by the fact that she did not appear to be wearing any pants. Only the fact that her shirt stretched fairly low covered up her panties.

“Prinz Eugen, I presume?”

The woman smiled. “You presume correctly. And you are Tanya von Degurechaff?”

“Yes,” Tanya replied. “How has the Empire been treating you?” she inquired as Sophia stepped into the room and served them both a fresh cup of coffee.

“Coffee, this late in the day? You remind me of Mainz,” she commented. Tanya shrugged. “Things have been understandably busy,” she said as she took a sip and sighed. “Do you think Mainz will appreciate some coffee?”

Eugen took a sip of her own, and her eyes widened considerably. “Hmm. Not a hint of sugar or cream. I’m sure she’ll love it.”

They talked for a few moments more about inanities – coffee, her stay at a local hotel, Mainz’s personality – and Tanya mentally confirmed that, although they weren’t speaking the exact same version of German, it was close enough. If there were any hang ups, they could definitely work through them.

Her German wasn’t the same as Tanya’s, especially considering

Soon, the pleasant talk ended and they got down to business. “The German Reich always appreciates new allies in the fight against the Sirens,” she said. Tanya smiled. “Oh, I’m sure. We’re glad to be of help, even if they’re an unfamiliar enemy.”

That was one of the major changes the propaganda department had cooked up – they could fake a lot, but knowledge of the Sirens wasn’t one of them, so they were simply to claim they hadn’t existed in their old world, as far as anyone could tell.

“Indeed. And with how similar our peoples are, our cooperation is sure to be all the smoother.”

Tanya’s smile didn’t change in the slightest – she was far too experienced with these kinds of conversations to show her acknowledgement that they were speaking seriously now. “Yes, well, we are all humans – or sheships, in our case – fighting for a single cause.”

A delicate eyebrow raised. “And with all of humanity working towards one goal, our victory is assured.”

Tanya inclined her head slightly. “Over the Sirens, of course.”

“Of course,” Prinz Eugen agreed. 

Tanya shrugged. “Well, I am a soldier doing a soldier’s job, and will fight regardless of the conflict, but I would prefer my country win. From what I’ve seen, the enemies of the Empire don’t stand a chance.”

Eugen crossed her arms. “Are you so sure? The Sirens are incredibly advanced.”

“If they had the capacity, or, I suppose, the desire to win by dint of their technological advantages alone, they would have already done so,” Tanya began. “Consequently, if they can’t win through technological advantage, then they will have to try to win through numbers, which is something they can’t do.”

“Really? From the numbers I’ve seen, the Siren’s technology allows them to construct new weapons at an incredibly fast pace,” Eugen countered.

“It does, but the fact of the matter is that the stuff the mass produce can be sunk relatively easily by sheships. Furthermore, I don’t have to see the production reports to know that the United States can outproduce them,” Tanya said. Finally, Prinz Eugen’s smile twitched. “You don’t?”

“Of course not,” Tanya said. “The history of American ships, published in every one of their newspapers, allows even me to catch a glimpse at their production capacity. Take, for example, the Essex, Fletcher, and Casablanca-class ships,” she outlined, shuffling some papers she’d written notes onto. Prinz Eugen’s eyes roved over them.

“They churned out hundreds of Fletcher-class destroyers and its more advanced derivatives over the course of the war. If the Sirens did not attack with a concentrated force, then they could take on whatever pawns and mass produced ships were sent at them, and if the Sirens did attack in force, the value of the raid was much more expensive than the value of the cargo they sank.” Tanya went from one point to the next, outlining the breadth of their ability to produce ships.

“Furthermore,” she continued, ignoring the twitch of Prinz Eugen’s lip, “is the Casablanca-class escort carrier. The United States produced fifty of them throughout the war. Though their small size might have limited their overall capability, they allowed the full-size fleet carriers to focus on more offensive missions while they provided defense against Siren counterattack or helped to escort convoys.”

“Finally, sixteen Essex-class carriers were produced by the time the Sirens were pushed into the Arctic circle in June of 1945. They made another fourteen before they started constructing solely Midway-class carriers instead. All of them were hulls for at least one year, with all of the later built ones remaining hulls for the standard three.”

“Additionally, they created Essex-class Type II rigging for Yorktown, Hornet, Lexington, and Wasp. If the American’s capability to produce naval ships is so prodigious, what does that say about the rest of their industry, which was also making equipment to help invade mainland Europe before the Sirens attacked?”

“My my,” Prinz Eugen said, a slight strain in her voice, “you have so many nice things to say about them but nothing about the Crimson Axis?”

Tanya made a point not to flick her gaze to where she was sure Sophia was giving her a withering look out of Prinz Eugen’s line of sight. “Of course not. I simply want to outline that if the Sirens were capable of producing enough ships to outcompete humanity, they have not shown that capability with how many dozens of pawns and dumb ships that sheships can sink on their own.”

“It is a good thing we are all on the same side, then. If the Sirens had not betrayed us, we would all still be divided,” she commented.

Tanya nodded emphatically. “Indeed. One can only imagine the horror of sending off dozens of paper ships invented from wholesale cloth to fight fully realized ships, or cutting down training times in a desperate attempt to match American output, only to watch them all die anyway.”

Sophia was now openly glaring at Tanya, but she didn’t care at the moment. “Is that what you think?” Prinz Eugen said, her tone now decidedly frosty.

Again, Tanya responded emphatically. “Yes. Anyone who thinks they can fight against Azur Lane is a fool.”

“Do you think so little,” she said, acid now dripping from her tone, “of the strength of will? Of the power of iron and blood?”

Tanya barked out a laugh once. “On the contrary! I wholeheartedly believe in the supremacy of both!” she declared. Prinz Eugen was shocked, for a moment.

Then Tanya continued. “With that in mind, the Americans have access to the most iron in the world, and while they may be squeamish about losing too much blood, the Soviets have buckets to spare. The Sirens can’t beat them in a conventional fight.”

“I think,” Prinz Eugen said flatly, “that we are no longer talking about the same thing.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

Frosty silence reigned for a few moments.

“If I recall correctly, didn’t the Empire get engaged in a fight with the ‘Commonwealth of Albion’ and the ‘Russy Federation’?” Prinz Eugen asked contemplatively.

“You are correct.”

“And you don’t find it paradoxical, to say that Azur Lane can beat any foe, when America was on the cusp of joining the war against the Empire? You had just started unrestricted submarine warfare, as Germany did in this world.” She was starting to sound increasingly bitter.

Tanya turned up her nose. “In all likelihood. However, I stand by my words.”

Silence again, except Sophia looked like she was at a loss for words. Tanya wasn’t sure how – surely someone in the diplomatic core would see just how hopeless the Empire’s situation was?

“You said a conventional fight?” Prinz Eugen said, sounding more curious than her earlier frustration. Tanya nodded, frowning deeply. “Yes. It is clear to me that something is… up with the Sirens. If they were aliens bent on taking the resources of the planet, surely they would have just bombarded the planet from orbit with asteroids until human society collapsed.”

Eugen shrugged. “Do you have any theories on why they are here? An outsider's perspective may have some use, after all.”

Tanya held herself back from rolling her eyes at the barb – only an idiot thought the Axis powers could have won the second world war with the Americans involved. “I read up on the theory about their names having some correlation to their purpose. Tester, Observer, Compiler, and Omitter are good matches, and Purifier might be a good match as well, but if they are testing humanity, what are they testing for?”

“It has been a mystery what they really want for decades. I made my peace with never truly knowing years ago,” she said, half disgusted and half resigned.

Silence, again, much less frosty than the last time. 

“Although, speaking of mysteries, I think I have run into one of my own,” Eugen began, most of the acidity gone and replaced with the more conversational tone from earlier.

Tanya got a faint impression of Monarch, shook away the feeling, and nodded to Eugen’s question.

“I wonder why there are no civilians in Hamborg. I wonder why the Empire has demanded so much knowledge of our technology and world, including things that should probably be common knowledge. I wonder why the propaganda I have seen is very… specific.”

Tanya feigned ignorance with a raised eyebrow. “Really? Do you suspect some kind of conspiracy?”

“Some do,” she said, not answering Tanya’s question, “some have wondered if the Empire is really just that far behind in terms of technology and doesn’t want to admit it for fear of being picked on… except the Empire has already admitted to being decades behind the rest of the world. It is…” she said, “confusing.”

“Indeed. I’ll have to beg off your questions – I’m simply not qualified to answer them, as merely the Chief Instructor of Nemonia,” she said. That, finally, got Sophia to breathe a sigh of relief. “I do have some questions of my own, however.”

“You won’t answer my questions?” she asked. Tanya shook her head. “I have my orders.”

“And you’ll follow them?”

“Of course,” she responded, “as would any good soldier.”

Sophia’s left eye twitched, because Tanya’s entire discussion on the failures of the Crimson Axis compared to the Allies was definitely not within the parameters of her orders.

Prinz Eugen smiled. “Well, ask away. Like you, however, I may not be able to answer them.”

Tanya smiled dangerously. Sophia got a feeling of intense danger, and-

“American and British satellites have photographed quite a few concerning locations across Germany, Poland, and in the European Axis in general,” she began. “Buildings where people go in and don’t come out. I was intrigued when I saw those reports in their newspapers. Do you know anything about those locations?” she asked, her tone the perfect picture of faux-innocence.

Prinz Eugen’s eyes widened fractionally, and she remained stunned into silence. Sophia almost got in a word, to try to stop Tanya, but Prinz Eugen spoke first. “I’m afraid that I don’t recall any kind of-”

Tanya’s eyes narrowed. That wasn’t enough of a reaction.

“My apologies, I just had the same problem with one of my subordinates. I’ll try to be more specific,” her tone growning colder and colder. “How many millions of civilians have the death camps at Auschwitz, Treblinka, and a dozen other locations, murdered on the basis of their ‘Jewery’?”

Silence, for several seconds.

“What?”

Tanya blinked and looked to Sophia, who was staring openly at Prinz Eugen. “Their… Jewery?”

Tanya looked back at Prinz Eugen, expectantly, who was now staring at the wall behind Tanya, stiff as a board.

“Will you be questioning the Northern Parliament with the same vehemence?”

Tanya wasn’t asking to get answers on that specific point. She wouldn’t. The allies had asked many of the same questions when the truce with the Axis had been signed, and they’d gotten much the same answer.

Besides, it wasn’t like she didn’t already know the answer.

“I want to know how you, a supposed embodiment of your people’s collective imagination and will and belief surrounding the hull of Prinz Eugen, could allow such a fate to befall your people,” she asked. This was what she wanted to know – what happened when something supposedly embodying a nation acted in ways that were not in accordance with their being? How did they cope with that?

She said nothing, for a moment, remaining still. 

Tanya pushed. “Do you not hear their voices calling out for justice against the criminals-”

“I am uninvolved. I couldn’t help them if I tried,” she whispered under her breath. Her gaze jerked down to meet Tanya’s. “I’m just a soldier following orders.”

Tanya nodded. Then, they coped like any other human being.

“And history will judge you as one.”

She bolted from her seat, running from the office. Tanya took a deep breath.

Well, she’d acquired the information she’d been after. Asking sheships to act against the people whose imagination and ideas they embodied would be a very poor idea. Additionally, the Nazis were clearly at least as bad here as they had been in her first world, if she had recognized what Tanya was asking instead of being confused. 

Tanya had been briefly worried the allies had invented it all for propaganda.

Tanya stood and began to stretch. It was best to keep her circulation up with all of the sitting around she was doing.

“Is… how?”

Tanya glanced to her side, and Sophia. “How did you learn all that?”

Tanya didn’t show any of the frustration she felt on her face. That was why she’d been unhappy Sophia was involved – her help and reminders about what she could and couldn’t say were helpful, but the woman was not solely responsible to Tanya, which meant convincing her to be silent would be harder than with Neumann and Viktoriya.

“I’m afraid I am not at liberty to discuss that,” she said simply. With all that said, Sophia wasn’t Tanya’s superior and couldn’t demand answers from her – she was a civilian, even, which meant if they wanted to order her to talk, she would have to file plenty of paperwork.

“I trust that you can keep quiet about this?” she asked the woman. Implying that it was top secret would ensure she would be disincentivized to even think about looking into it – though, even if she did, hopefully the bureaucratic lag would give Tanya time to think of something.

Sophia nodded, the earlier frustration she’d seemed to show at having to liaise with Tanya completely gone. Tanya spun to sit back down.

Though the most strenuous task of the day was done, that didn’t mean the day was over.

--OxOxO--

Mainz stepped towards the door in trepidation.

Prinz Eugen, the unflappable sheship, who always seemed to have a glib smile for anyone trying to match wits with her, had just run down the corridor of the building Mainz was to meet with Tanya von Degurechaff.

Not only had she been running, not only had her expression been tormented, she had been crying.

Mainz could not remember even rumors of that woman ever crying, and that the small, relatively unassuming girl whose voice matched the leader of the Sakrua’s contingent to an eerie degree had made Prinz Eugen cry was shocking in the extreme.

She knocked on the door, fist filled with trepidation and no small amount of desire to figure out what had just happened, and was called in.

Tanya von Degurechaff sat behind her desk like the perfect model of a bureaucrat, while another woman – her secretary, perhaps? – apologized for not opening the door.

“It’s no matter,” she commented.

“Ah, first, would you care for any coffee?”

YES.

Mainz clamped down on the urge to shout the first word that had rushed to her mind. Instead, she nodded as she took a seat. “Yes, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” she said as another woman – hair brunette, long, and silky where the first woman had curly, black hair – brought in a fresh pot of coffee. Mainz’s eyes dilated.

She knew it was an obsession. How couldn’t it be?

She was a blueprint ship. Conjured out of thin air with relatively little history besides broken plans and hollow dreams, it was inevitable that she would latch onto something.

All of their obsessions, their faults, were intrinsic to their being. An anchor for them to grip onto where the yawning, gapping chasm of their past was supposed to be.

Whether it was God, or tactics, or orchestral music, or pirates, or robotic compliance with orders, or cosplaying as a catgirl, or just pure destruction of everything around them, they all filled that void with something, because leaving it empty hurt.

That Mainz had latched onto coffee in a country that did not grow coffee and could not import much once the war started had not passed her notice.

It did not matter. She loved coffee. No matter the blend, no matter what was in it. Cream or sugar or milk or honey or whipped cream or air bubbles. Somehow, she even derived enjoyment from drinking the absolute swill ersatz stuff. Even when her tastebuds informed her that it tasted more like burnt wood than a liquid, she derived pleasure from it.

The aroma of the coffee hit her first, and Mainz’s eyes dilated again. She felt saliva building up in her mouth. Staring into the dark, inky depths of the liquid swirling in the ceramic mug she was clasping onto, the perfectly calm surface winking invitingly in the light of the room’s eclectic lights, she felt the power in the coffee gripped in her hands.

Was her hair beginning to stand on end?

This was…

Tanya von Degurechaff sipped her own coffee, and before Mainz could contemplate if maybe, for once, she should refuse this cup, social niceties commanded her to drink.

The liquid was probed, every last tastebud enveloped by the hot, scalding embrace of the freshly made drink. Deeper and deeper, the feeling traveled, making itself known to every iota of her being.

Not a single superfluous addition intruded upon the purity encapsulated in the darkness now filling her soul. Deeper and deeper, she drank, until at last it was all gone from the cup, instead resting, warm and happy, within her stomach, her mind, her cubes, her being, her soul.

It was the best cup of coffee she’d ever tasted, drank, felt. It was the most divine drink she’d had the honor of sharing the same continent with. It was…

Perfection.

She breathed out, her breath visible for only a moment.

No wonder Eugen had been crying.

“Er… Miss Mainz?”

She shook her head, briefly confused why she’d been thinking of someone else.

She had coffee to drink.

“Um, yes? Sorry, I just… really like coffee.”

Tanya chuckled. “Another believer in black coffee. You wouldn’t believe how many people have thought I would prefer sugar or cream just because I’m a little girl.”

Mainz hummed in acquiescence. “Indeed. Nothing is better than a black coffee.” No black coffee would ever again compare to this platonic ideal of coffee.

“May I have another cup before we begin?” Mainz asked. Tanya nodded, and the brunette brought over the pot.

“I’m glad to see you like it so much. Viktoriya’s coffee has always tasted better to me than anyone else’s.”

“M- Major-”

Mainz’s eyes snapped to the woman serving the coffee. Viktoriya.

Blue eyes like a calm day in the pacific, stretching into eternity. Straight brown hair with a slight curl at the end. A round face. Ever-so-slightly pouty lips.

Now she knew what God looked like.

They talked about a lot of inconsequential things. Why Prinz Eugen had been crying. The theory behind blueprint ships. The practical aspects of how the Weimar Republic and the German Reich had created its experimental blueprint ships and its more conventional paper ships. State secrets regarding technology meant to carry man to the moon and sheships into parallel worlds.

Through it all, between the baffled looks she received for some of the small things she said, Mainz drank. She drank the ichor of perfection, and she drank in the identity of its progenitor.

Mainz left that day with a promise that she could visit again soon. She hadn’t taken no for an answer. They had been surprised but happy to oblige.

Mainz left the building in Hamborg and headed for the hotel where the Iron Blood had been assigned. She would study and learn at the feet of the throne of her new patron saint, until she could encapsulate some small echo of her prowess within her own creations.

Was that not why God, why she, had made humans and sheships? So that they could learn how to make perfection with her?

If it meant abducting the woman, the human, the godlike human – she had been on stage with the sheship Mainz had gone to meet with today, but her clothes were too different, too civilian for her to be a sheship – she would do that.

If it meant defecting, abandoning one Germany for a different, better one, she would do that.

There was no price too small to pay to have even just one drop of perfection grace her soul again.

--OxOxO--

Taihou had been cursing Prinz Eugen for the better part of an hour now.

Well, partly, anyway. It was useful to know that the Empire had intelligence capabilities that advanced, that they had barely been around for a few weeks and were already capable of learning some of the most secret information the German Reich had.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t reschedule? She’s been in meetings all day, which likely means that she’d welcome the respite-”

“We can’t,” Taihou ground out, “everyone else has shown up. We have to at least try to fix things. Make yourself useful and try thinking of some ways we could do that.”

Suruga did not respond, but Taihou was sure that she was insulting her in her mind. Taihou didn’t care what the flighty woman thought – they needed to do some damage control.

Luckily, they had been making inroads of their own. Akashi’s business was finally starting to pick up.

Additionally, Taihou had finally broken. Keeping five kansen from locating the base of Nemonia, assaulting it, and trying their best to have their way with the men they found would have been a full time job for Akashi, Takao, Taihou, Suruga, and Yuudachi.

They did not have time for an additional full time job with the diplomatic functions they needed to perform, so Taihou had broken down and promised to look into ‘setting up’ something for them if they assisted Akashi in obtaining information.

They walked into the building, having to wait for the functionary assigned to them to introduce them and speak for them and get in the way of getting to Degurechaff as fast as possible.

They needed to soften her opinion of the Crimson Axis before she, and the Empire at large, started talking openly about what the Germans were doing.

“Yes, welcome in.”

They did need the translator for the first few parts, but Taihou grasped the minor differences between the Empire’s German and the German Reich’s German fairly quickly.

Talking to her was… odd.

“Do you… have any idea why we sound so similar?” Taihou asked Tanya von Degurechaff. A brief flash of… something appeared on her face, but then she shrugged. “No clue. Perhaps god is playing a cruel trick on us.”

A few weak chuckles at that, and then Taihou began to try to win her back, because this sheship was very influential.

Every common man and woman – the ones who changed their sheets and made their food and drove their cars – knew of her, lauded her, and praised her for what she’d done during the war, though people seemed reluctant to say exactly what she had done.

Even those at the top spoke fondly of her exploits, though her seeming ability to appear on every front of their war seemed to boggle the mind.

Regardless, she had plenty of influence, and her message to Prinz Eugen had been clear: she thought the Americans would win any war with the Crimson Axis or with the Sirens, and she didn’t like the crimes against humanity the Germans had committed.

“Prinz Eugen recounted some of her meeting with you to me,” Taihou began, “and though your opinion of the German Reich was made clear, does that necessarily forestall an alliance with the Crimson Axis?”

She raised an eyebrow. “As one of the alliance’s two major powers, how could it not?”

“Well, allying with the Americans would mean having to turn a blind eye to the actions committed by the Soveits in the pursuit of victory. Could alliance with Japan simply mean turning a blind eye to the actions of the Germans?” she posited.

The Empire would eventually let the news of what was being done break, if they had as much hard evidence as Degurechaff knew. Making sure it was cast as a wholly German phenomenon and distancing the Crimson Axis from the entire debacle would be paramount to securing the alliance with the Empire-

Oh, that look wasn’t good. “Allying with Japan would mean tolerating Japan. Despite ostensibly being an organization fostering the betterment of all of East Asia, the so-called Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere is hardly innocent of committing crimes in the name of the Empire of Japan. Hundreds of thousands civilians were killed in the Rape of Nanking, goods were taken from conquered areas to feed the troops, causing starvation, and that’s without going into the exploits of Unit 731.”

The first two, Taihou had been expecting. She had even rehearsed a spiel to feed people when she was asked about such things when she became the leader of the Sakura Empire.

Unit 731 was top secret. The vast majority of people involved were dead, with the remainder retired and sworn to secrecy.

How did she know?

“Unit 731?”

Taihou’s gaze jumped to Suruga, but Tanya von Degurechaff continued. “Yes. The biological and chemical warfare unit of the IJA. It committed lots of crimes against humanity and killed hundreds of thousands to learn information that was either already known, matched extant projections, or was done just because it could be done.”

How? How did she know all that? Taihou wasn’t even supposed to know about it-

“Such as?”

“That is getting off track.”

Silence, for a beat.

“You will tell me later.”

“Fine.”

Silence, again for a beat.

“You also mentioned the production the Americans were capable of-”

“If you try to tell me Japan can match it, I will very politely hold in my laughter until you leave.”

That caused Suruga to jump up slightly, but Taihou pushed her back down, even though the girl’s voice, Taihou’s voice, rang in her own ears as well. “The Americans may be able to outproduce us, but our finest would destroy their fleets.”

Again, Tanya raised an eyebrow. “Would they? In a one for one battle, I’m sure the ship you’ve parked outside Hamborg would outperform anything the allies have made yet, but why in the world do you think they’d fight one on one, instead of sending ten carriers at it and torpedoing it until it went down.”

She shrugged. “You revealed your trump cards to fight the Sirens. You can be sure the Americans have already planned how to take it down.”

Taihou licked her lips. Did she know?

Taihou knew of other secret weapons being developed by the IJN, the IJA, and even the Sakura Empire.

Yamato, Musashi, and Shinano were well documented, but they had secret sisters.

A ship, even more immense than the Yamato-class, built from the ground up to be the largest aircraft carrier in existence.

A dozen of the largest submarines in the world, capable of carrying airplanes.

Watatsumi.

But did she know?

Had even their most well-guarded secrets been discovered?

“Besides, why even contemplate fighting the Americans? It isn’t like there’s any conflict anymore, right?”

Taihou blinked. Once. Twice.

What?

“How so?” Suruga asked, equally professional and curious.

Tanya nodded to herself. “Well, correct me if I am wrong, but the war involved Japan not getting the oil it needed, the war in China, and the attack against the allies in general and Pearl Harbor in particular, yes?”

They both nodded, and Tanya shrugged. “Well, that’s all gone. The Treaty of Istanbul ensured you got oil from the Americans and had your Manchurian puppet recognized. Japan is at relative peace for as long as the Chinese Civil War rages and doesn’t face an outside threat. You didn’t even have to pay the Americans for blowing up their boats and killing their soldiers since they sank so many of your ships.”

Taihou snapped. Her voice. It was her own voice.

Her own self doubts. She could never beat the Americans. She would fail, like all of her fellow kansen.

“And when they decide the Treaty is no longer to their liking? In a decade, when the Sirens have remained quiet, what stops them from tearing it up?”

Tanya tilted her head. “And this competition between the Crimson Axis and Azur Lane is helping keep tensions low?”

“I-”

“The fact of the matter is,” Tanya said, “that humanity is at relative peace with itself. Competing for an alliance with the Empire on military terms, when people are starving, when we have a threat that has the potential to wipe us all out, when we are presently at peace, is not the way to go about things.”

She shrugged. “I would hope, after how the last war started over an escalating border incursion, that the Empire will not be the one to tear up the peace of this world. What could you possibly hope to gain from victory that you can't have in peace?”

Taihou’s voice rang in her head.

What could she possibly hope to gain from victory that she can't have in peace?

What did she want?

“I…”

Taihou trailed off, and then she did something she rarely did, even in the privacy of her own room.

She slumped, her shoulders and head no longer held high. She remained silent, even at the looks sent to her from Suruga and their busybody, staring at the ground and off into space.

“Taihou…?” Suruga asked.

“You’ve given me a lot to think about,” Taihou said as she rose, speaking quietly. “I… would like to speak with you again at a later date, if you would be amenable.”

Tanya shrugged. “Sure. We can have our governments set up a specific time, but I don’t think that would be a problem.”

They just about started their goodbyes when Suruga cleared her throat. “Er… there was, ah, that, matter?”

Taihou blinked, dazed, and then her mind snapped into focus. “Yes. Some of the other representatives from the Sakura Empire were curious about liaisons as well.”

“Huh,” Tanya said. “Well, I suggest you tell them what I’ve told those I am training: to wait until the joint exercise. After that, further exercises can be-”

Taihou and Suruga looked at each other, for a moment, and then snickered. Tanya von Degurechaff looked between them, briefly confused. “What’s so fun-”

“Not that kind of liaison.”

The confusion died immediately. “Oh.”

Then, the girl shivered slightly. “Tell them to wait until the exercise. Further exercises can be set up later. Beyond that, I suppose they can pursue whoever they are interested in ‘liaising’ with at their own leisure.”

Suruga and Taihou looked at each other once more. How surprising. “Really?”

Tanya’s expression grew slightly curious once more. “Yes? The Empire’s education system is thorough. Even for its shipeople.”

Taihou blurted it out. “You don’t have the rule?”

Tanya blinked a few times. “‘The rule?’”

They explained the rule, Tanya’s expression growing more incredulous as time went on.

“Assuming,” she eventually said, “that what you described is an actual rule, I find such an idea an affront to human liberty.”

“Er, ma’am-”

Tanya rolled her eyes. “Human, sheship, whatever. You all know what I mean.”

She cleared her throat. “Regardless, the leadership shakeup is still ongoing, and I won’t use my position as Chief Instructor to restrict liberties like that, as long as everyone is following the rules of propriety, isn’t doing it in the middle of a battle, or doing anything that will affect their ability to fight, it isn’t anyone else’s business.”

They parted ways soon afterwards, with Taihou wondering if she could influence who ended up in charge of Nemonia in any way.

It would be a shame if someone ended up in charge who would restrict the liberties of sheships, unlike Tanya.

 --OxOxO--

“Thank you again for this meeting, Commander Smithe. It was very enlightening, to know how one of the premier organizations promoting peace and international trade functions internally and how it interacts with others. The amount of power that an organization so international in scope has been afforded is amazing.”

“It was no problem, Tanya von Degurechaff. I appreciate the compliments. If you wouldn’t mind, I would like to return to my quarters. It’s been a long day.”

“Of course. I just had one final question.”

The man, relatively clean shaven with a weariness that hung off of him in a manner Tanya would have found unsightly in a military officer of her own, stopped in the doorway.

“Could you please explain to me the level of… freedom that sheships have been extended here?”

He tilted his head and leaned on the closed door. “How so?”

“Well, I wanted to know why military personnel were allowed to dress up as ‘race queens,’ first of all. After that, why they can pose as swimsuit models in softcore porn magazines is next. Their ‘social media’ pages show a distinct lack of professionalism and a disregard for military secrecy. I find it all frankly astounding that the whole lot of them haven’t been court martialed for sullying the name of their home countries.”

“Ah, that.”

“Yes. Oh, and it goes without saying that the ones that hosted a ‘bunny bar’ are the worst offenders for dressing up in stripper outfits.”

He cleared his throat. “Part of it has to do with the fact of how they are… treated.”

Tanya raised an eyebrow. “Like not being given pay or rank within their own militaries?”

He nodded once. “You’ve done your research, then.”

Tanya was silent again, stewing. “So… they do these things to earn money? Because their governments won’t pay them?”

“The way they justified it to me was that it was to cut costs, and that they’re too loyal to complain,” he said, a faint air of disbelief and frustration sounding in his voice.

Tanya’s eyebrows raised higher. “Complain a lot, anyway.”

“And they decided that letting them ‘show off’ their assets was a better way of resolving the situation?”

“…They’ve got their own semi-autonomous branches for a reason?”

Tanya remained quiet for a few moments. What a shitshow.

“Well. As the leader of Azur Lane, you arranged a few of them, right?”

“We- Well… Yes.”

Tanya was silent once more, thinking of how precisely she would answer him. 

“I am not in charge of Nemonia,” she began, “but please convey to them that if they try to approach any of Nemonia’s sheships or heships, especially the younger ones, I will not guarantee their bodily safety.”

Especially herself.

“…You know they aren’t actually that young, right? They’ve all had sailors aboard them for at least a few years, so it isn’t like they don’t know about that stuff.”

“What? Actually, I don’t care. What I said stands.”

He shrugged. “If you say so. Have a good evening, Tanya von Degurechaff.”

She nodded her own ascent, and the Commander walked away wondering how in the hell she’d forced herself to wear such drab clothing all day – he knew for a fact that stuff that plain usually itched itself off of them.

With a shrug, he walked off. He was quite enjoying his pseudo-vacation, and as long as he kept avoiding the American contingent – less of a chance of word getting back to Agent, that way.

--OxOxO--

Schugel tapped his fingers together. “This is quite amazing, but you must be correct.”

The scientist from abroad whose name Schugel hadn’t bothered to remember nodded. “But of course. All ships are at least partially informed by their people’s beliefs in their form and function. It is simplicity itself to rely on that function to a greater degree.”

“Yes, but the instability of the method is detrimental! Everyone remembers how badly Roosevelt went.”

“Bah, that was because of the name change.”

“Incorrect! It is clear that news of the Japanese-American internment camps overturned people’s beliefs in the namesake of the ship overnight, greatly destabilizing-”

“The General Electric turbines were the cause of the flaw in her-”

Schugel filed away the information they were all spouting off, of course, but his mind was on higher matters.

The navy was likely to hand over most of their current fleet within the next few years as the technology from this world was incorporated into the latest and greatest ship designs. That was all well and good, but that meant Nemonia was unlikely to get an Aircraft Carrier for a decade.

Unless.

Unless Schugel used this latest innovation, to summon a ship that had never existed into being. A lot of delicate factors would need to be balanced to ensure it didn’t go awry, but…

“Oh yeah, that’s the fucking funniest shit- I mean, uh, forget that last part.”

Schugel, hearing the voice of his creator, did just that.

“Ahem. Continue on the path, My child, and this invention shall outclass even the instrument of My will that we hath created together.”

Schugel nodded to himself.  Yes, of course! If God said it was so, then it would be so!

Perhaps he could take inspiration from those words? Degurechaff had been being facetious, as she so often was, but if he threw his Type 95 into the mix, the very picture of stability thanks to God’s help, there was no telling the heights his latest invention would soar to!

“Yeah, that’s the ticket buddy. I’ve got to go talk with the Sirens now. Keep it up! And forget that sentence too.”

Schugel did as he was commanded, shook his head, and kept the second sentence God had said to him in mind as he began to plan the culmination of his career.

Chapter Text

NEW SHIP DESIGNS PROPOSED BY THE NAVY! CREWED, NOT SHESHIPS!

An official spokesperson for the navy has announced that, in accordance with the EMPIRE’S unprecedented need for SHIPS in greater QUANTITY and QUALITY than ever before, the latest naval buildout plan will be revised to include the Empire’s first ever AIRCRAFT CARRIER!

While various ships have been CONVERTED to carry a small number of planes before and during THE WAR, the spokesperson has said those designs are hopelessly outdated compared to the MODERN TECHNOLOGY the Empire finds itself surrounded and challenged by in the new world, and will be building these from the GROUND UP.

As always, we URGE our readers to LOOK at the detailed schematics and explanations for the EMPIRE’S newly created SHESHIPS, located in the BACK HALF of this paper. Remember, it is your DUTY to study them and hold in your mind the stories of these SHIPS and the BRAVE MEN AND WOMEN that served aboard them.

Note: Some possible designs and names for the abortive attempt at a carrier conversion will be included before them as well.

WARNING! THIS NEWSPAPER IS FOR THE CONSUMPTION OF IMPERIAL EYES-ONLY. DO NOT PROVIDE THIS INFORMATION TO NON-IMPERIAL CITIZENS UNDER THE CHARGE OF TREASON.

--OxOxO--

Johan Schmidtson was having one of the worst days of his career as an up-and-coming switchboard operator. Everything had been smooth sailing after getting this job midway into the war, especially considering his situation.

He flinched at the ringing that rattled through his head. Ordinarily, such a sound was far from a bad thing, and had even become something of a comfortable reminder of how much better things were now. There weren’t many jobs for someone with a club foot, but this one was the best he’d had by far. No need to run around or lift anything or fight in the war.

He wrung his hands for a moment as the ringing dragged on. He’d been doing his part, of course, and had even been assigned to higher security work that came with better pay and a rank, even if he only had it by technicality.

He picked up the phone and tried his best to smile. He’d long since learned others could definitely hear that sort of thing. “Hello, I am Johan Schmidtson. What question do you have for the Empire?”

Now, however, he’d been asked to do something that was not in his job description. Before that thought could make him frown, he remembered exactly why he’d taken the job and kept his smile intact even as the question came over the line. “Er, yes. What beer is, eh, good here?”

He gave the same answer he had the first few times he’d heard the question, and wondered if all sailors were the same, asking about what beer was decent. That was the third one this hour!

As he ended the mercifully short conversation, he couldn’t help the relieved sigh that escaped his soul. At least it wasn’t one of those questions.

He glanced at the copy of the papers he and everyone else in the room had been given. He’d done his best to memorize it in the singular hour he’d been given after this new task had been sprung on him, but he referred back to it often. He wasn’t interested in saying anything he shouldn’t, especially with the affable but intimidating soldier standing at the entrance to their room making small talk with those on break.

His well-polished rifle shone in the light of the sun streaming into the crowded room.

If they were asked about major differences between their last world and this one, they were to mention the unification of the North Germanic Confederation and the Ostian Empire in whatever detail they could remember, the lack of Sirens, and nothing else and especially not magic.

If they were asked why they were all being confined to one port and couldn’t leave it, or why there were so few people in the city, they were to be told that the authorities were making sure that a plague would not escape from one side to devastate the population of the other, and nothing else.

There were others concerning the propaganda pageant going on in Hamburg, and the last war, and-

RIIIIIING!

Johan flinched as the phone went off again. Oh, but those weren’t all the questions. No, he was asked what food or beer or places were interesting, why the Empire still had an Emperor, why the Empire still had democracy, why the Empire was one country, why the Empire had started their war, why everyone seemed so scarred by the food of the army, why the Empire had pirates in the military, why the Empire’s borders were the way they were, why Tanya von Degurechaff sounded like that woman from Japan, why the so-called ‘shipgirls’ in the picture with the Kaiser’s naval review from yesterday had all been wearing uniforms instead of their normal clothing, and a million other, tinier, seemingly insignificant things he hadn’t had the smallest idea of before today!

But, if nothing else, the military was efficient and realized that giving their switchboard operators a whole new job without some help would turn out horribly, which meant they had been provided with several boxes filled with all kinds of books and a few students from the local university to help them…

Which meant Johan had to walk to look through those books.

The woman on the phone was familiar, and he resisted the urge to groan. Not again.

He asked the same question in the same tone, as he already had dozens of times that day, and felt his psyche get blasted apart as the woman on the other end recognized his voice and began shouting.

Ignoring the tirade ordering him to explain where ‘god’s gifts to kansen kind’ were hiding their base, he repeated what he’d told her hours ago. “I’m sorry ma’am, but you exceeded your time limit last time and we are not allowing repeat-”

There was a tirade of words he didn’t understand but assumed were insults in another language as he disconnected the call and sighed again. He was all for cultural exchange. Who hadn’t been hooked on every image flooding every newspaper every minute of every day since they’d come to this place?

When it resulted in getting shouted at and having to answer a bunch of questions he didn’t know the answer to, the whole idea didn’t feel nearly as enticing a thing to participate in.

The phone rang again, and he prayed it wasn’t that woman or any of the others he’d heard complaints leveled at already. Even…

He picked up the phone and anxiously wiped his face. Actually, no, the Soviet bastards weren’t quite as bad. The two times he’d gotten a call from their housing, the caller and a bunch of miscreants had just recited propaganda at him.

Honestly, he wouldn’t have even considered signing up for this if it weren’t for the bonus…

He gulped as the voice on the other line asked about his job as a switchboard operator, apparently fascinated that people were still doing the job.

This world had figured out a way to get rid of switchboard operators. He was hoping and praying that if he did everything right, there might be a job somewhere, anywhere, in the army for him.

He put on a plaster grin and went on about how grateful he was to have his job. He really was.

He didn’t know what he’d do without it.

--OxOxO--

As the sound of drilling sheships echoed below her, dodging fire or doing speed trials or damage control or close-quarters combat or projectile calculations, a small part of Viktoriya reveled in her position. Once, Lieutenant Degurechaff had been the one flying high above the 203 rd , constantly observing them while they trained to become the very best soldier the Empire could possibly offer. Now, she occupied that place.

Most of Viktoriya didn’t particularly care about that. The 203 rd had already undertaken a few training exercises with the Salamander Kampfgruppe before they’d begun fighting the Federation, so there was little novelty in the situation for her.

No, what most of her was concerned with was what had happened yesterday. The Kaiser’s naval review hadn’t been too bad, though helping Tanya wrangle those that would be presented to the Kaiser into actual uniforms Tanya had ordered procured from the navy, and then getting them to stop changing those clothes into copies of the clothes they’d been created with had been surprisingly laborious.

After the review, however, she’d supervised the latrine duty of the three Monarch-class battleships. There two sisters of the lead ship of the class had tried to argue that they weren’t really at fault and that Monarch was the only one who should be punished, and then, when Viktoriya had not proven amenable to that line of reasoning, all three had tried to argue that such work was below them.

Viktoriya had simply replied that Tanya hadn’t specified exactly how long they should be on duty, and that while two hours sounded like a decent amount of time, she could always add on more.

Things had been much smoother after that… at first, at least. Viktoriya had gotten a bit of clerical work Tanya had assigned to her while they worked and made some quiet conversation. She hadn’t paid much mind to it.

Viktoriya’s already red face brightened as she licked her wind-chapped lips.

At first, she hadn’t paid much mind to the talking. She had better things to do, after all!

Naturally, when she’d heard Monarch mention Tanya, she had tuned back into the conversation.

“Monarch, you cannot be saying stuff like-”

“Like me wanting to pin that morsel against a wall and having my way with her?”

Viktoriya had almost choked on the air at that and had sent an incredulous look through the open bathroom door, only to look directly up Monarch’s skirt as she bent down to wipe the floor.

Viktoriya’s face grew even more red. Why in the hell wasn’t she wearing any undergarments!?

“Perhaps our jailor would like to join the pair of us?” was all Viktoriya had heard before studiously focusing all of her being on the paperwork she’d brought with her in a desperate and futile effort to block out the conversation going on in front of her.

It hadn’t worked well, especially when Monarch’s sisters had instead turned to fantasizing about members of Nemonia’s human staff.

She licked her lips again as she looked down at everyone training. It was more difficult than one might have assumed to pick out the three of them, considering just how varied the clothing of the Empire’s sheships was, but she did eventually pick out Monarch and her sisters. As she did, visions of the things Monarch had proposed breached her mind’s eye, and Viktoriya couldn’t help her involuntary shudder.

In one way, it wasn’t just Monarch that was interested. She’d already heard rumors from the other members of the 203 rd about whispered conversations held between the sheships about various men and women working on the base. The 203 rd was a bit nervous about them because of just how thorough Tanya had been in reteaching that particular section of the rulebook into their heads…

Though Viktoriya and Neumann’s reveal that Tanya didn’t particularly care as long as they didn’t break the rules she had drilled into them had allayed a lot of that nervousness.

In another way, it wasn’t just Monarch that caught Viktoriya’s eye. It wasn’t like she was even trying, it was just…

She sighed forlornly. So, so many of them were hot. Perhaps even outrageously so.

Her mind flashed to the aristocratic lines of Monarch’s face, to the appraising look in Nassau’s eyes, to the way that Gazelle’s hips had swayed as she walked back to her room, to a dozen other moments and seconds, and to the veritable, cumulative miles worth of Nemonia’s bared skin without even the slightest imperfection.

And now, she was flying between the various training exercises going on, critiquing it all from on high over the Emerald Bay. Most were unhappy with the exacting demands she patterned after what she remembered of the 203 rd ’s training, but what really made her heart beat erratically were the ones that seemed excited by her orders, and not because they were enthused with the material they were learning.

Viktoriya wasn’t sure if she should dread or look forward to teaching the newly created games club how to play all the card games she knew, but she knew she’d have to survive, even if her heart gave out.

She’d survived a lot; the punishment Tanya might mete out would surely dwarf whatever trials she faced from the sheships.

--OxOxO--

As the last candidate left the room, the eight men and women that made up the current Special Committee of Appointments and Ranks looked down at the papers strewn across their table.

“They are…”

Zoe merely frowned in agreement with the man from the navy. Indeed. The candidates they’d all interviewed indeed were.

They were beautiful and powerful, undeniably so. Zoe would be lying if she said she weren’t jealous of all of them, and she wasn’t exactly bad looking. Their beauty was only compounded by the clothing they wore; anyone even slightly less confident would have ended up looking ridiculous in addition to scandalous, but somehow they all seemed capable of making it work.

Something else they were was horrible candidates for a leadership position. She was sure they would all excel in a battlefield leadership position, but that didn’t have half a mind for logistics, paperwork, or hierarchy between them.

Zoe grimaced. Well, a hierarchy that didn’t place themselves above everyone else, anyway.

And the rare few that did possess those qualities deferred to the ones who didn’t, were generally anxious, and seemed mystified as to why they were even there, which all were not good for their potential.

Another voice to her right spoke up. “Forget about who will lead them, who could get them to work together?”

Who else besides their last candidate went unsaid.

Her grimace deepened. The lists of candidates, sourced from the lead researcher at Nemonia, one Doctor Schugel, some of the many instructors at the burgeoning organization, as well as, of course, Tanya von Degurechaff, the Chief Instructor. All of them had been interviewed, and all of them were… lacking.

They all had differing views as to what exactly Nemonia should do and how it should be structured,  beyond the highest-level ideas of protecting the Empire and fighting the Sirens. It was beyond frustrating!

The nominal leader of the group, the navy’s appointee to the committee, sighed in resignation. “Alright. Let us then discuss the… prudence of the last candidate.”

There was no interview for her, naturally. Her capabilities and ideas on Nemonia were well documented and served as part of the basis by which they were judging the candidates for the role, even.

Two of the members of the committee, the Mage Force and the Army’s appointees, quickly got back to what they’d been doing at the start of the rushed meeting. “The fact that we even considered anyone else is ludicrous, but even I didn’t expect them to be that bad.”

“Everyone looks bad compared to her.”

More conversation carried on tepidly. Zoe didn’t contribute much, more interested in listening to the ideas of those around her.

The only other member of the committee to advocate wholeheartedly for the appointment of Degurechaff to being the leader of Nemonia was the theoretical political appointee of the Chancellor, though his long list of aristocratic titles singled him out as the Emperor’s man.

The only member of the committee that didn't have a particular opinion one way or the other was the one from the nascent Air Force. He’d actually advocated for interviewing her and ascertaining if she wanted the job, considering she hadn’t included herself in her own list and the other member of Nemonia’s upper staff, Schugel, had specifically refused the idea that he was to be in charge.

Everyone else, including herself, were somewhat reluctant about the appointment.

Not because she wasn’t suitable for the job, of course. Degurechaff was leagues above anyone else that had been suggested so far, obviously in the experience category but also in every other category. Zoe assumed that the navy’s internal quarreling was the reason the vaguely aristocratic naval appointee was reluctant about placing her in such an important position.

Zoe and the other two doubters, as the appointees of their respective parties, would much rather Degurechaff be dismissed from the military and recruited to help them boost their numbers. Elections probably wouldn’t be held for at most another two years, and certainly not before the memories of the ongoing food shortage were out of everyone’s minds, but that didn’t matter.

She was the darling of the Empire. With every publication of her seemingly miraculous but undeniably pivotal role in the entire war, her popularity grew, and if a party managed to snag her, they could secure an outright majority in the next election.

Zoe steepled her hands. Probably, anyway. She wasn’t exactly high up enough in the party to know such things concretely, but what she did know was that whoever secured her would see their career soar.

The representatives of the Social Democratic Party and the Imperial Conservative Party knew as much as well. It had been an unpleasant thought to find herself in the same boat with them.

Unfortunately, the problem was there was no way in hell any of them could secure that here.

Zoe finally leaned back in her chair, unhappy as the navy man began to bicker with the SDP’s appointee. If they had a bit more time, they might be able to delay things and find some reason to deny her the promotion. A bit more and perhaps a law establishing a concrete lower bound for the age of military service members, and they could even get her ushered out of the military and into a more useful position for them.

The Kaiser’s decree after the naval review yesterday had thrown a wrench in even the formation of such a plan. The story that had been cooked up was that the previous leader of their sheship force had died in a battle right before they crossed over, along with all of the ships made before and right after the turn of the decade.

She rolled her eyes as the navy and the army man began verbally sparring again. She almost couldn’t believe just how much the papers had been going on about the ‘Flight of Brandenburg,’ along with a history of their sheships that read more like a soap opera than anything resembling factuality. Unfortunately, she was well aware just how heavy-handed the propaganda department could be when they wanted to be.

For a moment, her greed went to war with her professionalism. The three of them could work together with the dissenting military appointees…

She sighed. Unfortunately, they could get ordered to choose her if they stalled too long. She wasn’t going to assume that wouldn’t happen eventually, especially with the Kaiser publicly decreeing he couldn’t wait for the announcement to be made after the joint exercises .

Zoe leaned forward. “Let’s not waste anymore time. Degurechaff is clearly the best candidate we have on short notice. While I would like just as much time to consider other, more… normal candidates,” she said, taking care not to say the word ‘human,’ “the post has been vacant for too long already.”

The appointee of the Air Force concurred with her after a moment and a sigh. She turned to her right and looked at the other appointees of the other two major parties.

After a moment, the SDP representative agreed, followed by the ICP representative. It only took a bit of needling for the representative of the navy to cave. He signed the papers for her promotion, effective exactly an hour after the joint exercises ended, and they moved on.

As the Air Force appointment passed around dossiers on the people from other branches and the civilian sector the Air Force wanted to procure as well as recommended ranks and positions, she only hoped that having helped promote Degurechaff would help her down the line. If she were honest with herself, it probably wouldn’t, but a girl could dream.

--OxOxO--

Tanya had been surprised by Schugel’s latest summons. For one, it wasn't anywhere in the base Nemonia was occupying. For another, it wasn't anywhere on the Emerald Bay. Instead, she was summoned to Hamborg.

Unfortunately, her lack of familiarity with the address, along with Schugel’s insistence during the call, required that she be driven over rather than fly, necessitating an early end to her participation in the latest round of training. They were improving rapidly, which Tanya really was thankful for. Every bit of training they received worked doubly to protect her from frontline duty – proving their capability to fight the Sirens also proved her efficacy as an instructor suited to duties other than almost getting shot.

Tanya surveyed the port as they were waved through after a cursory check of their papers. She had done a bit of paperwork in the early part of the drive, but she’d decided to stow it away and instead focus on her coming test. Schugel’s call had been suspiciously light on details.

Unfortunately, she was at a loss as to what it could be. His position within Nemonia might suggest that it was something related to wisdom cubes or the sheships, but considering the fact that he was still developing computation jewels like the Type 98, she doubted his title was anything but a formality to justify his erratic desire to branch out.

Neither of those facts explained why he wanted to come to this place, specifically. None of the various navy ships being serviced in the docks were Nemonia’s after all… unless he’d somehow managed to convince the navy to give them the more modern ships early?

Before the car they were in pulled up to the appropriate warehouse, Tanya caught sight of an ocean liner of all things in one of the docks, and she rolled her eyes. She stepped out of the car and wondered how much whatever aristocrat that owned it had had to pay to get it serviced in a military yard.

Schugel stood at the entrance to the warehouse, the interior abnormally dark, a wide grin splitting his face. She frowned as she marched closer. The windows had all been closed, which meant they wanted secrecy. What on Earth was he working on now?

And, more importantly, why was she there?

“Lieutenant Degurechaff!”

“Doctor Schugel,” she replied to his bombastic pronouncement. “You were very circumspect about exactly why you needed me here. Would you mind explaining now?”

He nodded and gestured inside, which, despite being five feet away from, she couldn’t see into. It was undoubtedly an illusion. “Of course! Just step inside. I’ve even taken the liberty of procuring some refreshments for you.”

Tanya’s eyebrows shot up, her paranoia spiking with them. He was trying to butter her up with food?

She grumbled as she stepped inside. That certainly didn’t bode well for her approval of this particular escapade, considering he hadn’t ever done that before.

She stepped inside and blinked as the interior came into view. Off to the side, a man dressed in a lab coat much like Schugel’s nodded once as the Doctor stepped in, the door was shut, and the illusion he’d been keeping in place to block outside observance of the interior faded. She nodded approvingly at that and then began making her way through the stuffed warehouse.

There was barely enough room for her to maneuver around, in the tight hallways of various metals, barrels of the ingredients for concrete, crates of ammunition, stacks of tires, and what looked to be imported naval equipment. That meant that for the fully grown adults in the room, there wasn’t enough room to walk.

Most were making do with the help of some naval mages that were ferrying around various doctors and scientists in the room through the air.  They were all headed towards the same part of the room Schugel was leading her towards.

Schugel made due by pushing past the pain of squeezing through the corridors of immovable metal with a smile on his face and without a care for his own comfort.

If he’d asked nicely enough, she might have considered carrying him, just to inflict the indignity on him.

Still, they soon made their way to the back corner of the place, which seemed to be the only relatively open area. There was a small office space that seemed to have been reinforced by a few of the steel plates she’d seen elsewhere, a pair of rubber gloves sticking out of one of the walls, and a small pedestal for a wisdom cube.

Tanya’s immediate paranoia was proven wonderfully prescient. “Schugel. What am I looking at?”

He grinned widely and gestured to the open door, through which the smell of coffee wafted. “All in good time. Wouldn’t you care for refreshments first, Lieutenant?”

She sighed, and they wasted a few minutes eating an admittedly delicious array of chocolate snacks from abroad and semi-decent coffee. She firmly rejected his offer of wasting even more time going over Nemonia’s progress, which she had already or would soon be putting into writing. “Schugel. Why have you requested my presence here?”

He grinned, and the other personnel in the room all took a few steps back. “You haven’t guessed yet?”

She sighed as those around them recovered from the terrifying sight of Schugel somehow becoming happier than he normally was and busied themselves with preparations for whatever was going on. In the end, only one thing sprang to mind that only she could do that other mages couldn’t. “My only guess is that you need me to use the Type 95-”

“Bingo!” he said and nodded. “What a wonderful term I picked up from the Americans.” He cleared his throat. “Yes, that is why. It has the power throughput to handle a new formula I’ve configured to assist in the creation of sheships.”

“Then why,” she asked, “Are we in a warehouse instead of on the Emerald Bay?”

His grin widened somehow. “Ah, that is another test we are performing.” He took a deep breath.

“What is a sheship?” he asked.

Tanya’s brow furrowed. “The product of alien technology we don’t really know a lot about. A manifestation of a people’s beliefs about a certain ship.” A bulwark between her and frontline service.

He nodded. “Correct, on both counts. What fascinated me, when we were awakening sheships, was that it was specifically people’s beliefs that their awakening relied on.”

He began gesticulating wildly. “Indeed, the propaganda department has placed a few pieces of misinformation in a number of sheships’s histories when they were released to the public. In every case, the power required to manifest those ships was greater when less factual information was publicly available, the mental state of the manifested ships was lesser than their peers, or their personalities were aberrant.”

Tanya blinked. “You purposefully damaged them?” she asked, her voice low. If she wound up dying because Schugel had worked with the propaganda department to undermine their viability as a test, she would try and take him down with her, wasteful and spiteful or not.

He let out a loud bark of laughter. “I hadn’t expected you to care for them so quickly,” he replied. Before she could add a caveat to his statement, that of course she cared about the things keeping her from facing down technologically advanced aliens, he continued. “Yes, though the papers printed corrections and retractions, which correlated with them rising to become almost on par with other ships in their class.”

Before she could rip into him, he continued. “So, then the line of reasoning continues, if people’s beliefs can alter how a sheship manifests, could a sheship be manifested based on beliefs alone?”

Tanya blinked. “And that is what we are here to test?”

Schugel shook his head once. “Not even a little! That phenomenon is already well understood in this world, and the answer is no; a ship must have a bare minimum of material available as a foundation, though the degree to which one can brush past the details is astounding.”

He nodded to himself. “I’ve even discussed the subject with men of science from the other major nations.”

He grinned as he looked out of the open door at the warehouse. It certainly didn’t give a very good view of the place, but he didn’t seem to care. “No, this world has already explored a large extent of manifesting a ship with no history and found benefits and drawbacks of the process. The Empire is simply playing catch up with their blueprint ships.”

“With that in mind,” he finished as he gestured to one of the walls of the small, overstuffed office, “your presence here is simply to test the true capabilities of the formula I’ve developed. Hopefully, I’ll be able to streamline it at a later date, but being able to activate them without using any actual radioactive substance would be a godsend.”

Tanya almost nodded in immediate agreement at the efficiencies present in his words, but then their exact meaning caught up to her. “You’re… eliminating radioactivity from the equation?” she asked, skeptically. She’d thought-

“No, no, no,” he said, “Here, take a look at the formula,” he said as he gestured to the whiteboard behind her that dominated one wall of the room. She scanned it briefly, feeding it into her Type 98 to get a feel for it.

Then, as she did so, her eyes widened in shock and surprise. This…

“Schugel.”

“Yes, Lieutenant?”

“Did you create a cancer formula?”

He scoffed. “Of course not!” he shouted, sniffing. “I like to think of it as a mobile x-ray formula-”

“Schugel. I may not be a nuclear physicist, but even I know that there is a difference between x-rays and alpha particles!”

“Nevermind that. Can you handle the mana requirements?”

She pushed the fact that she literally had a cancer formula to the side and instead ran the calculation. “Yes.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Really? I thought-”

“I won’t even need the Type 95,” she said. It was taxing, but certainly not impossible for her… or for others, which begged the question as to why she was there.

For the first time since arriving, Schugel frowned. “Are you certain you aren’t-”

“Schugel,” she said, cutting him off, “I am very busy, and this will be very taxing, as you said. If you wouldn’t mind, could we please begin?” If he was going to insist she participate, she wanted it over and done with so she could get back to doing something more productive with her time.

He was silent as the grave for a moment, but then he shrugged. “Alright, fine. Let’s get this started!”

He took her Type 98 and placed it in the rubber hand on the outside of the small office while Tanya stepped up to the two gloves, thrusting her arms into them and staring through the slit as a pair of marine mages loaded a wisdom cube into the pedestal two dozen feet away from the slit. He stepped forward and placed the Type 98 in one hand-

And she felt the Type 95 swiped off of her shirt. “What the h-”

“Relax,” he said as an aide handed him the Type 95 and he placed it in the other. “This is just in case the Type 98 isn’t enough.”

Her frown worsened, her trepidation increasing exponentially. “Schugel,” she hissed into the small speaker by her mouth, “why am I here? I know a dozen other A-ranked mages that could do this.”

Schugel narrowed his eyes at her and then, after slipping back in and ordering the heavy door shut behind him, he slid right next to her. “Well, while I could say that it’s because we’re witnessing the birth of the Empire’s first aircraft carrier sheship, converted from an ocean liner or not…” he began, “ the real reason you’re here is that God told me that if I continued on this path, I would produce a weapon to outclass the Type 95. I want everything to go right, and you’re the most reliable mage I know.”

With another smile and a wink, he stepped back and began to run through the safety procedures with everyone else. Outside, she heard the heavy doors of the warehouse moving backwards, exposing the interior to the outside world.

Tanya was thinking furiously. A weapon to outclass the Type 95? It was a preposterous thought, given just how powerful and deadly it already was, and she doubted it was even true.

Though her immediate thought had been that maybe that would mean she wouldn’t ever have to fight the sirens, she doubted Being X would ever do something that helpful. She was certain that she couldn’t back out of this with that pronouncement, especially since there weren’t many reasons to refuse.

There was her personal distaste, of course, but absolutely none of her superiors would care if it gave them a shipgirl on par with the Type 95, whatever that was supposed to mean for a shipgirl. There even seemed to be a decent amount of safety equipment, if the hulking doors that she presumed were lead lined were any indication.

“Countdown!”

The numbers ticked by from ten. Tanya crushed a brief flare of anxiety – there was nothing to do but follow Schugel’s ‘suggestions’ that carried with them the inevitable ire of her superiors should she refuse to help create a new, game changing weapon.

One of the men sitting at a station in front of an array of sensory equipment reached five. The room around them began to thrum with the movement of electricity.

He reached three, and Active Barriers burst to life, undoubtedly with the modification Schugel had made to the one in her Type 98 to block radiation, courtesy of the marine mages.

He reached one. Cursing Being X and Schugel under her breath, she spun up the formula in her Type 98. Though there was a slight eminence of light from it, there was no other visible indication that it was working.

Tanya grit her teeth as her mana was pulled and pulled and pulled by the formula. The glowing light of the blue cube steadily grew brighter and brighter and brighter. Around her, a cacophony of voices began to chatter.

“I thought I’d let you know,” Schugel said, “That the designs for this specific ship vary quite differently from the ones that were originally dreamed up.”

She tried to block out his ramblings and the clattering and clanging of every item in the warehouse to focus on the formula. Every loose piece of metal, technology, and material in the warehouse seemed to be groaning through the speakers in the room, synchronizing with the droning of flowing electricity and the wisdom cube.

“After all, we have so much technology at our fingertips! Why limit the design?”

A headache burst into existence, pounding and pounding and pounding on the inside of her skull. Outside of the warehouse, something was making the same, droning vibration as everything around her was. The ocean liner, perhaps?

“Just as I wasn’t with the Type 95, the designers were not limited in the slightest. They looked at every attempt to convert ships into aircraft carriers. The ship One, in this world and the version you are converting, the Bearn, the Aquila, the Lexington-class and Independence-class carriers, the Akagi, and more.”

“After all!” He was shouting to be heard over the droning of the cube. The ground was shaking like there was an earthquake, “Why limit ourselves! Why not take examples from everyone, the major factions and the minor factions and the Sirens! Why not amalgamate the best the world has to offer! Why not add circuitry and technology from around the world! Why not throw in a few Computation Jewels and some busted Sirens riggings for good measure!”

Her reserves bottoming out, she cut off the formula. The noise and the light kept growing brighter. Metal was slamming together, being shorn and twisted and rent and poured into the glowing white singularity only barely visible through the slit in the wall. The ground was still shaking – no, it wasn’t simply shaking. She could hear it being broken and molded and drawn right into the singularity as well.

She closed her eyes, unable to pull away from the wall without dropping the computation jewels grasped in the gloves, but the light shone through her eyelids.

“After all,” Schugel shouted, his nose pressed into the side of her head, “whatever instability mars my perfect creation will be just a prayer to God away from being solved.”

She spun towards him, barely able to make out his face through the light pouring into the room. “Schugel, what the hell-”

“And the most wonderful thing of all,”  he said, “is that while your Type 95 is the only one that works, that does not preclude me from making another, given the higher purpose of this mission!”

The light and sound became all encompassing, and before dread could even pool appreciably in her stomach, the front wall that she was partially inside of collapsed, closing the slit of light.

Then, the rumbling and incessant droning stopped.

There were several crashes above them, and the Active Barriers the marine mages had put up began to flicker erratically as the roof sagged.

As the roof settled, everyone in the room held their collective breath.

Just as Tanya was about to speak a voice rang out from a crackling speaker sitting on one of the tables.

"Ohayo, guten tag, and good evening to you all! Though I was never completed, I am happy to stand before you as the Empire’s first aircraft carrier, ready to serve the fatherland! My name? Eh, it’s a bit embarrassing how long it took for it to be decided on, but I guess…”

That voice. Even muffled and distorted by the speaker, that voice was unmistakable.

“You can call me Tanya von Degurechaff!”

Oh no.

--OxOxO--

SPECIAL MIDDAY RELEASE:

We would like to APOLOGIZE PROFUSELY to our readers for having MISLABELED a few of the plans in the latest batch. The designs for the AIRCRAFT CARRIER conversion were not, in fact, for that specific conversion, but instead the CULMINATION of the plans of the TEAM led by the brilliant DOCTOR SCHUGEL for the EMPIRE’S first sheship aircraft carrier, the SMS Tanya von Degurechaff.

WARNING! THIS LEAFLET IS FOR THE CONSUMPTION OF IMPERIAL EYES-ONLY. DO NOT PROVIDE THIS INFORMATION TO NON-IMPERIAL CITIZENS UNDER THE CHARGE OF TREASON.

Chapter Text

“Eh? Where is everyone? And what’s with all this… oh, did I cause all this? I’m- I’m sorry!”

Schugel belted out platitudes to the girl outside their bunker in miniature. Other students and scientists rushed around the partially collapsed room, pouring over sheet after sheet of data that had been gathered or trying to reorganize the papers that had been sent to the floor or shouting to each other, trying to have their voice heard by their compatriots over the din of excitement. The marine mages scattered around the room, broad shouldered and clad in black, went about tidying up the place and speaking with a few scientists about their experience with their presumably new orbs.

Over the ever-crackling speaker, the sounds of the outside world filtered in. There were the usual sounds of seagulls echoing in the distance, quite a lot of shouting in panic, and the collapsing of… something. Presumably the warehouse.

It was all background noise.

Tanya’s brain writhed.

What the fuck.

Her mind had gotten stuck on that phrase several times. Once more, she laboriously rebuilt her train of thought, forging the engine and mining the coal and constructing the train cars and hammering down the rails and collecting the scattered luggage before shakily restarting for the fourth time.

It was just a name. That didn’t mean anything! It couldn’t. It wasn’t likely to, and what were the chances that Being X had bent the fucking rules-

What the fuck.

Tanya took in a deep breath as two of the marine mages began to twist open the door of their would-be bunker, struggling with the mechanism that seemed to have been stuck shut. The discussion and impatience and talking swirled into a tempest.

Tanya continued to think, realizing while staring off into space that she had backed away from the wall. She was saying something about dropping Computation Jewels, but Tanya tuned it out, along with the rest of the conversation burning around her.

Names were not everything, for sheships. She knew as much from her interview with Basel. Names were simply a shorthand for the cumulative feats and histories of a ship.

Tanya hadn’t been convinced of that in the slightest, because after making that statement confidently, Basel had guiltily described a daydream of hers which sounded an awful lot like a picturesque snapshot of an alpine village much like the actual Basel, which Basel had obviously never had the chance to visit. Tanya’s questions about how she’d dreamed it up were only met with a helpless shrug.

Besides, what few papers she’d read from abroad about the sheships were split over exactly how important names were. Certainly, none of them argued against the fact that a ship’s name could have an impact on how they were treated before being awakened, thus affecting their history. Beyond that, there were islands of half-guessed consensus that could only be partially proven.

The door creaked open. Schugel and a dozen other scientists and students poured out while Tanya lingered in the room like the scent of mildew.

Regardless, every ship that had been asked adamantly claimed not to have memories of the people they were named after, which meant Tanya had nothing to fear from the sheship!

Except the first word out of her mouth had been ‘good morning’ in Japanese, a language which no one, besides Being X, knew she could speak.

Tanya licked her lips as the daylight beckoned. That was the real problem. Had Being X bent and broken the supposedly immutable laws of this world to manifest this sheship? The limited documentation she’d read had also adamantly agreed that no sheship named after a currently living person had ever been successfully manifested until they were renamed, so he’d certainly had some role in this.

And, if she did have Tanya’s memories… was that a bad thing?

Maybe. Maybe not.

The scientists outside were all marveling at the sheship outside, and Tanya moved forward, step by agonizing step, stride by agonizing stride, her mind furiously working, trying to puzzle out the truth. Would it be bad if she knew?

Tanya supposed that it all depended on exactly how deeply her connection to the beliefs and ideas of the Empire or perhaps, to Being X, went. There was little incentive for her to reveal such knowledge under ordinary circumstances, though blind patriotism or fanatical religiosity certainly would be two. Such incentives were even more diminished by how unlikely it was that anyone would believe her…

Although, considering the Empire’s current miraculous situation, Tanya supposed it was not nearly as unlikely as it might have been.

While it was unlikely for her to even have the knowledge and it was unlikely for her to also choose to reveal it, the fact that she even existed when such a thing was apparently supposed to be impossible told Tanya that the possibility, regardless of its remoteness, could not be dismissed out of hand.

More pressingly, however, was the question of who had a part in the usage of her name for this project, and the idea to involve her directly.

Schugel and Being X were obviously the chief culprits, though the degree to which one was more at fault than the other would likely forever remain unknown to her. The real question was whether he had the support of their superiors? It made sense that if they thought they could get a second Tanya von Degurechaff they would want one considering just how effective she’d been, though considering just how conclusive most in this world seemed to think what had just happened could not happen that someone would have thought of it as a huge waste of resources.

Tanya frowned, unconsciously wringing her hands. Perhaps, if nothing went wrong, if her secrets remained secret and unused as blackmail, and they worked together, the Empire’s military would be all the stronger with two of her working to improve it. If things didn’t, then Tanya might find herself replaced or passed over for her new counterpart.

She shivered. Tanya was just a gear in the machine of the Empire’s military, to be moved and used wherever it was determined she would be best served according to the whims of her superiors, her attempts to steer her own fate, and the insidious influence of Being X. The thought that she’d be replaced, not because someone worked hard to become better than her, but because some parasitic entity created a facsimile with her name to be better left her feeling slightly… empty.

Alternatively, if she was a puppet of Being X, chances were she would wind up dead and would not need to be worried about being passed over for promotions.

As she stepped out of the room, she took another steadying breath and smoothed the scowl that had been ingrained in her face. In the end, she actually needed to talk to this sheship if she was going to figure out anything.

She cast a look around her, eyes roving over the destroyed infrastructure. The warehouse they’d been in was gone, consumed by her and leaving only the bits and pieces that were already damaged to a degree. The ground, too, had been churned into a mixture of broken concrete and the earth beneath it.

Farther afield, the ocean liner that had been sitting in the drydock was completely gone, as was that which had sat between it and the warehouse – forklifts, crates, cranes and all else having been consumed. It seemed much of the drydock outside of what had once been the entrance of the warehouse had also been stripped at least partially, though the great walls holding out the water didn’t seem to have been damaged enough to fail.

Her gaze continued to rove over the destruction until they finally landed on the gaggle of scientists. She supposed that behind them was-

“Thank you, thank you all! I have to say, it is quite wonderful to meet you, and I’m glad you all seem to be happy to see me!”

Tanya’s scowl returned in force. The girl’s voice sounded similar to her’s, but now that she was saying more than a few words and that Tanya wasn’t freaking out, she could tell it was slightly… different. She put more energy into her voice, making an effort to sound louder and more cheery. Additionally, she sounded different. 

It wasn’t exactly pep in her voice, but something incredibly close to it.

“Ah, yes, they’re real. Thank you, your, uh, lab coat is nice too. Very clean! I- Hey, is that-?”

She cut herself off and then began to push through the group of scientists, apologizing and sounding genuinely guilty that she was barely poking them to the side. Tanya’s fear that she might know faded further.

It did not dissipate. She would not let it dissipate. It could be an elaborate ruse, after all, and until she had a good reason as to why she’d spoken Japanese, and further proof besides, Tanya would keep her guard raised.

Her gaze flicked towards the gloves embedded in the wall of the office, but she didn’t have a good enough angle to see around the corner. She’d have to roll around the corner to grab them if the girl-

Then she pushed out of the crowd.

At first glance, it was almost like looking into the past.

Her face was a mirror of her own, were it a year or two ago. Her skin was a shade paler and contrasted even more with the reflective, golden hair spilling below her shoulders. She was wearing that damn red dress.

After that first assessment, though, the multitude of differences became readily apparent.

While the girl’s eyes were only a shade off from Tanya’s own, the pupil was not a circle. Or even black. Instead, a white cross in each eye stared into Tanya’s own eyes as they tore up and down the girl’s form.

Her dress was much more intricate than Tanya’s had been. Instead of a blank, plain red dress, the sheship’s was richly decorated, the shining black bullets leaving a rippling wake that twisted and morphed into golden leaves and vines all along the hem of the dress and its sleeves.

The white collar she wore also seemed embroidered, though Tanya couldn’t make out the finer details of the white-on-white embroidery at a distance. A similar bow to the one she’d worn was placed at her neck, though on top of its center was what she assumed was a Type 95.

Unlike her own serviceable, rugged design, this one was incredibly ostentatious, with three wings surrounding the red sphere she was more familiar with. If she wasn’t mistaken, the wings and body seemed to be made of actual gold rather than polished brass.

That was not her only computation orb. Along the two shiny black leather belts crisscrossing her chest, eight Type 98 computation orbs were inlaid into the leather, while a copy of Tanya’s own medals and awards were pinned to the tops of both belts just below her collarbone.

Two knives, looking more like pieces of art and unlike any that Tanya had ever even touched, hung from the third belt tied around her waist, while another knife was strapped to the side of her helmet, held loosely between her hip and right hand, by an elastic band that was otherwise empty. On the front of the astonishingly modern helmet that looked more like it had come from the 21st century rather than the 20th sat the emblem of the empire, shining in the afternoon light.

Both legs were clad in white stocking and a pair of open toed black shoes that looked like they were made out of metal instead of cloth and leather.

Astonishingly, poking out of the sides of the top of her head, were a second pair of ears, covered in short golden fur that matched her hair color. Nervousness bloomed on the girl’s face, and Tanya caught a flash of something darting behind her back. 

Tanya felt an eye twitch. She supposed that was a tail.

Somehow, the animal features weren’t the most outrageous thing about the girl.

The hem of her skirt was at least a foot shorter than Tanya’s had been. Her shoes had a few inches of heel. Below the girl’s bow and Type 95 and above the top of the ‘X’ made by the belts crossing her chest, was a fucking boob window.

It was not nearly as bad as some of the other sheships. Emden, Monarch, Doppelköpfiger Drache, and Nassau all came to mind as wearing infinitely more risque clothing than this girl.

It still irked her that even those sheships that appeared to be children, young children, wore clothing that any adult would find embarrassing or even scandalous to wear outside of very specific, private circumstances far away from the prying eyes of the public. She knew that it was even partially illogical, to think the way she was thinking, since how a sheship looked often had little to do with how long they had been in service.

Seeing such clothing on someone that looked so young, right in front of her, evoked a deep sense of wrongness.

In the infinitesimally small chance that Schugel’s drug-induced ramblings about the collective human unconsciousness were in any way indicative of the truth, she highly doubted that such a thing conceptualized children like that. Being X was a possible suspect, but she had the uncomfortable feeling that if he was to blame for dressing children up like this, her life would have gone in a much, much worse direction than it had.

For the moment, she would lay the blame at the feet of the theoretical whoever or whatever had created wisdom cubes and, if given the opportunity, she would ask them several pointed questions, preferably at gunpoint.

“Um… Do you like my dress? I’m sure, if we asked nicely, we could have yours changed to match.”

Tanya was brought violently out of her musings of beating Being X or some other indistinct reprobate to death with the butt of her rifle by that question and was unable to suppress her sneer. As if she-

Her opposite wilted, and Tanya schooled her expression.

No need to get off on the wrong foot, whether this girl held secrets that could be used to compromise her position or not. Logically, it stood to reason that she needed to get off on the right foot all the more because of it.

Tanya held out a hand. “Tanya von Degurechaff.”

“Y- Yes?”

She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at her meek tone. “I am introducing myself. It is only polite, after all.”

The girl blinked rapidly, and then almost lunged forward to shake Tanya’s hand, a bright, wide, genuine smile on her face. “Right! I am… Tanya von Degurechaff. Huh.” She stopped trying to shake Tanya’s arm off of her body and put a finger to her chin. “This is going to get confusing quickly, isn’t it.”

Tanya sighed in response. “I imagine it will, though that is a problem for the future.”

The other girl nodded, and then, after a moment, she reached into the folds of her dress and presented two computation jewels. “Uhm, you dropped these! Here you go.”

Tanya smiled thinly and picked them up, only then noticing just how… shiny the Type 95 was. “Schugel,” she demanded.

He melted out of the gaggle of scientists that had gone back to discussing the new Tanya von Degurechaff. “Yes, model one?”

Tanya’s eye twitched repeatedly. Was that meant to refer to her? The slightly shorter girl giggled cutely.

“Don’t call me that,” she replied flatly. “Why does my Type 95 look new?”

“Because it is,” he replied, his tone implying that that fact was self-evident and all but stating that Schugel felt unbelievably smug.

Tanya glanced towards the one above her opposite’s chest again. The red orb in the center of the three overdesigned wings did have a few scuff marks on it that were worryingly familiar.

“Don’t worry,” Schugel said in a failing attempt to assuage her mounting frustration, “this one works the same as the last.” Unstated was that she wasn’t getting the old one back now that it was the girl’s.

Tanya failed to completely ignore the smugness of the ever-frustrating doctor and turned her attention back to the girl. She still couldn’t tell if the girl had Tanya’s knowledge. She seemed… dainty, was the best way she knew to put it. Dainty and nervous, neither of which described Tanya in the least and might describe a ship with no concrete history named after a figment of the propaganda department’s imagination.

On the other hand, what if it was a ploy to trick her? Tanya was Tanya von Degurechaff, after all, but she’d been a Japanese salaryman before that. Did they have the same memories up until the moment this girl had spawned into existence? Did she have memories from either of her lives? Did she have some other unfortunate atheist’s memories?

With a mental shrug, Tanya asked, “By the way, your introduction might need some work. What was the first thing you said? I recognized the English you spoke, but not that.”

The girl blinked owlishly at her and tilted her head. “Uh… you mean ‘ohayo?’ It means hello in Japanese.”

Tanya raised an eyebrow. That… had been easy. She pushed further. “Why do you know that language?”

She shrugged. “I dunno. Perhaps it has something to do with the materials and designs used in my own design and awakening?” she said, suddenly verbose and tone ringing with confidence. She glanced curiously towards Schugel. He nodded in response. “Most likely. What other languages do you know?”

She rattled them off. It was undeniable that she and Tanya spoke the same languages, though the girl seemed much less familiar with them. It was suspicious. It was also undeniable that Tanya’s suspicion was less justifiable with the excuse that she’d absorbed parts, materials, designs, and instructions written in the myriad languages of the Empire and the world.

This line of questioning would not allay her worry about her secrets, then.

Schugel grinned widely as she demonstrated her command of American-tinted English. “Excellent. Come now, the both of you! We’ve got a few tests to run, after which you’ll both be headed back to Nemonia.”

Tanya sighed and then followed along dutifully towards another warehouse. Well, if this other her did have all of her memories, then she would know Tanya couldn’t know, and would communicate it to her as soon as possible so that they could begin working together for their collective benefit…

If she had decided that that was the path that would lead to the best outcome for-

“Hey, mom-”

The girl said some other things that might or might not be important, but Tanya didn’t hear any of that, her hearing almost cutting off after she’d heard the second word.

The whole of her mental train of thought, baggage and coal and engine and rail and even the beautiful, rolling plains that that train was built on, were all thrown into the air in a spectacular heaving gout by the singular, monolithic, unbearable word that had just been used to refer to her.

“What,” Tanya bit out dangerously, “did you just call me?”

“Um… I…”

Tanya did not let her respond. Could not let her respond. Would not let herself be referred to as that. “Do not,” she said slowly and lowly, “call me that, or any variant of that, ever.”

She whirled around to pierce the girl with a glare, only to find her staring meekly down at her shoes and nodding, a wobbling frown on her face. Without another word, Tanya spun back around and continued after Schugel. She would have to coach this newest addition to Nemonia on proper forms of address for her superiors.

She wouldn’t be the only one, of course. It seemed some sheship were simply incapable of learning their lesson, and the only petty thing she dreaded more than the cute nicknames she was sure would spring up among her subordinates and those she was teaching were the ones used by people she could not order be fired upon by naval ships until they stopped.

--OxOxO--

Having finally reached the end of the hallway of the barracks, Basel did an about face and began striding the other direction, smiling to herself all the while. It was a bit of an arduous task, working as a neutral party in Nemonia and surveying everyone as Tanya had requested, especially considering there wasn’t really any one time that everyone was together. Even at night, when almost everyone was asleep, some were up working on their night fighting or on patrolling.

Despite how surprisingly difficult it had been, it had also been surprisingly fun, and she was almost finished! She just had the third floor to go through and then she’d be done. Her mind turned to those answers she’d received. A lot of it she had expected, but some of it seemed a bit much.

Before she could complete her thoughts, an unexpected sound began to waft down the hall. Basel tilted her head. Almost everyone was down training with the 203 rd , with those that were still in the barracks being those who would have night duty and were wisely sleeping or relaxing before they had to report to the Emerald Bay. Who would be out at this time?

Spurred by her curiosity, she followed the voice towards the atrium. As she drew closer, she realized that it was the anthem of the Empire. Finally, after almost breaking out into a sprint, Basel burst into the well lit, wealth-coated interior of the atrium of Nemonia’s barracks. After only a moment, Basel found the perpetrator. 

A little girl, who’d stopped singing the song, was standing on the landing of the second floor. Her face and clothes did not bear anything more than a passing resemblance to the many sheships of Nemonia.

Despite that, she did recognize her. “Tanya?” she asked, confused.

The girl twirled in place and then rushed towards Basel, fast as the crack of a whip. She said, her face lit up and figurative stars in her eyes, “Hello! I’m Tanya von Degurechaff, the Empire’s first aircraft carrier! Who are you?”

Basel took a step back, gaping like a fish. What? She… how? Wasn’t that supposed to be impossible?

The girl’s uncautious advance slowed to a crawl as her expression fell. “Oh- Oh. I guess, if you don’t want to-”

Basel shook her head vehemently. “No! It’s fine, I’m just… shocked. I know your…” she trailed off, not exactly sure about what the relationship between the actual Tanya and this little sheship could be categorized as.

The girl’s expression began to wobble again, and Basel quickly picked a word. “Your namesake. She’s my, or, our superior,” she explained hastily. Did Tanya know that there was a slightly smaller version of her wandering around the barracks?

The sheship lit up brilliantly, and, as with well over two dozen of the sheships that had been awakened, Basel couldn’t help but think that she was absolutely adorable. Additionally, her joy was infectious, and Basel found herself smiling in response to the little girl.

Basel sat down on the stairs of the large, open stairway that led up to the three floors and two wings of their barracks, and Tanya sat down next to her. “Was that the anthem of the Empire you were singing?”

The girl nodded emphatically. “Yep! Tanya taught it to me on the way here from Hamborg!”

The girl continued to gush about her namesake. How cool and collected she was, how funny she could be, and how good she was at filling out paperwork too. On and on she went about Tanya, who had been ordered by Schugel to supply the nuclear push needed to begin her awakening.

She went on about others, too. About the scientists who’d been so interested in her, about the dock workers who’d been shocked to see her in the back seat with Tanya, about the men and women who’d had a hand in designing her theoretical hull, and about Schugel.

“And what about you?” Basel asked suddenly, cutting off the girl having come back around to talking about her namesake. “You’re doing well, yes?”

Her emphatic nod was aborted in the middle as a concerned look crossed her face. “Um, yes! I am!”

Basel might have only been awakened for a month, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t see through a facade that flimsy.“Are you sure?”

The girl nodded once, and then, she sat back down with a sigh. “I… um, I’m worried that I made Tanya really mad…”

Basel blinked. “What happened?”

Haltingly, she explained that she’d accidentally called her mom. Basel scowled at the crestfallen look on the girl’s face. “I’m sure she wasn’t that upset by it,” Basel said consolingly. The girl sniffled, the water around her eyes receding. “You’re sure?”

Basel nodded. “Of course. Tanya might expect a lot from those around her, but that’s just because she cares,” she said. Indeed, her exacting standards in training everyone and desire for everyone to work as hard as they could was obviously a facet of her care and desire for everyone to survive.

“Indeed,” she continued, “I’m conducting a survey of everyone to see what kind of extracurricular activities everyone would like to do, at her request.” She blinked. “Actually, would you like to answer them?”

The girl’s gloomy mood evaporated, and the sunny smile was back as she nodded. “Sure!”

So Basel went through the questions, asking what kind of extracurricular activities and skills little Tanya already knew about and wanted to learn.

Basel was unsurprised by the girl’s love of battle, the Empire, and God. The first was a near-universal trait among sheships, while the second was present in every ship to some degree. The third wasn’t uncommon, but plenty of the ships she’d met with indicated very little desire to express their piety any more than they had to.

The form of the girl’s love was a… bit odd, in Basel’s estimation. The way she recited them sounded more like she was reading off of a script rather than expressing actual admiration. Maybe it was because her hull didn’t have any history?

Regardless, her claims of good marksmanship were also unsurprising.

She was surprised that the girl wanted to learn about baking and cooking and biology, of all things.

“Oh, and dresses and fashion! Tanya said I’m going to a class about forms of address tomorrow!” she exclaimed, her excitement palpable. Basel wasn’t sure she would have the heart to correct her assumption tomorrow, but she definitely didn’t have the heart to do it now.

Nor did she have the heart to tell the young girl that while the real Tanya von Degurechaff could fly because she was an aerial mage, the sheship obviously couldn’t do that… although, considering that trick that the leader of the Eagle Union had pulled off, perhaps she actually could if she put her mind to it?

Their conversation reached a lull, and the small girl thought something over. Basel looked out one of the great windows towards the Emerald Bay while trying not to stare at the intensely cute look of concentration on her face. “Uhm, Miss Basel,” she began. Basel turned her attention to the girl.

“Thank you for telling me that Tanya probably isn’t that mad. It made me feel better!”

Basel smiled back in what she hoped was a charming way. “No problem!”

The silence once again became companionable, for a moment. “Um, could you help me come up with something else to call her?”

Basel shrugged. “I don’t think she’ll have a problem with namesake.”

“But then what does she call me?”

Basel opened her mouth to reply, and then she found she wasn’t actually sure what the opposite of namesake was… or was it the inverse? “I think it’s the same both ways?” she replied uncertainly.

The girl scowled, and Basel felt, in that moment, that the girl truly did seem to be the mirror image of Tanya von Degurechaff, despite the differences between them. “That’s stupid.”

Basel stroked her chin for a moment. “How about…” she snapped her fingers. “Name take?”

Little Tanya’s eyes lit up and she nodded emphatically once more. “That sounds great!”

While Basel slipped back into companionable silence as the girl went on and on about mending her ‘broken’ relationship with Tanya, she marveled at just how impressionable she was.

“Hmm,” she said as the girl finished fantasizing about being able to fly through the air with her namesake, “After I’m done with my survey, I’ll be heading down to join the exercises. Did you want to come with me?”

At that, the girl shot up from her seated position and shook her head vigorously. “Nope! Tanya said she’d spar with me tomorrow during the mini-tournament!”

Basel blinked as the girl once more began to ramble about Tanya’s plans, apparently devised at her superior’s behest, for determining who should represent the Empire in the joint exercises in two days.

“How about,” Basel said as she stood, “you tell me about what’s going on tomorrow while I walk around and interview the last people I need.”

Tanya nodded once and smiled again as she continued to speak a mile a minute. The pair ascended the stairs to the third floor and the last of the interviewees.

--OxOxO--

“It’s not as good as the ones we made,” Prinz Eugen commented. Such a thing might have been seen as insulting, if she’d said the words in a language the servers could understand, but she made her observation in Japanese to avoid any such scrutiny.

Taihou rolled her eyes in response. “First of all, we,” she said, referring not to herself and Prinz Eugen but to Azur Lane and the Crimson Axis, “had access to all of the world’s resources and funding when those cafes went up,” Taihou said. She didn’t dispute Prinz Eugen’s assertion that this place served worse coffee and worse sweets, because it was true.

Those cafes, even though they’d been constructed at the old Azur Lane Joint Naval Base on Samoa, where everything conducive to a cafe was hundreds if not thousands of miles away, had been modern and up to date at the time, compared to the building that they were currently snacking in that looked like it had seen better days a decade ago. The food back then had been much better and hadn’t even been much more expensive. It seemed this version of Germany might yet repeat the mistakes of the one in this world with inflationary policies following the end of the war.

“Second of all,” she continued, “You know just as well as I do that there is probably at least one spy or informant at every place we go to. I doubt they’d assign someone who couldn’t speak Japanese to watch a carrier from the Sakura Empire.”

Eugen scowled, and Taihou resisted the urge to glower at her by biting into the bland sweets they’d ordered. The cause for Eugen’s bad mood was the interview from three days before. Taihou understood that.

She gulped down her bite. Taihou definitely understood being preoccupied with that interview. She herself had, undeniably, been doing a lot of thinking about what she’d been told, and about what Enterprise had told her.

She looked up from her plate to see that Eugen was still scowling, quite unlike her usual unflappable self. As much as she understood, they had a job to do. 

“Well,” Taihou continued as Eugen continued to stew in her own mind, “since you are so intently focused on thinking about work, why don’t we talk about it instead?” That was why she’d asked they meet, after all.

Suddenly snapped out of her gloomy reverie, the only sign that she found Taihou’s idea unpleasant was the slightest flash of a frown before she was all smiles once more. “But of course,” she replied.

“My superiors,” Taihou said, the venom dripping from every syllable clearly communicating just how much she respected the authority of those nominally in control of her, “have concluded that the Empire is lying.” They were trying to hide as much as they could, desperately trying to keep the truth hidden, but they couldn’t.

There were innumerable inconsistencies in every story. The politicians told a different story compared to the Kaiser, compared to the bureaucrats, compared to the soldiers, compared to the service workers, compared to the men and women on the telephones, compared to the stories told days or even hours earlier. Such might be expected, if the government knew more than the citizenry about something secret or it was some inane opinion being asked about, but it was true about virtually everything.

“They are trying to keep something hidden is the conclusion that they have reached,” Taihou said. Prinz Eugen scoffed derisively. “Their attempt at counterespionage is clunky and amateurish.”

Taihou raised an eyebrow at yet another insult heaped upon their hosts. “Perhaps. But that they persist in the charade means that we haven’t discovered whatever they wish to hide,” Taihou began, “and if they were actually so bad, she wouldn’t know about some of the closest held secrets of our nations, would she?”

Prinz Eugen visibly flinched at Taihou’s pronouncement and said nothing more. 

They continued to peck at the meager pastries while moldering in their thoughts. Taihou was sure that Prinz Eugen was still stuck on what Tanya von Degurechaff had told her, and though she’d tried to keep the fact that she’d actually cried quite among the Iron Blood, Mainz had apparently mentioned it offhandedly, which had forced her to recount said meeting, which led to a very loud debate among the sheships… and their fellow countrymen.

Taihou faced no such moral conniptions, as Japan had no such internal quarrels… besides the incredibly caustic intraservice and interservice rivalry. And the political incidents in the lead up to the war. And the smoldering rebellions in Korea. And Manchuria. And Taiwan.

Taihou ignored the brief twinge of pain in her chest. “Regardless of whatever they are hiding,” Taihou said, continuing as if they hadn’t just sat there in angry silence for over a full minute, “Japan will not be calling their bluff.”

Eugen raised an eyebrow. “Really? My own superiors are split at the moment, though I find such a state dubious considering how… obvious it is.”

Taihou shrugged her shoulders. “Even with that.” She scowled cupping her chin in her hand. “With the kind of questions they’ve apparently asked our scientists, it almost seems like they don’t know anything about how kansen work, besides the very same educated guesses made when kansen technology was first being developed.”

Prinz Eugen raised an eyebrow. “With how much propaganda of Tanya von Degurechaff they’ve got everywhere?”

Taihou sighed testily. “Exactly! The sheer amount surrounding her and those she apparently trained rules something that ludicrous out.” Of course the more blatant stuff – the posters, the speeches, the quotes, and the reporting on battles – was all well and good, but she’d even seen some of the more kitschy stuff like statuettes and figurines.

They remained quiet for another minute and then, finally, Taihou sighed and folded her arms. “I don't think we'll be able to convince them to join the Crimson Axis.” It was a harsh pill to swallow, but there was no use in deluding herself over this. 

She had been doing a surprising amount of introspection since her conversation with that kansen.

Prinz Eugen’s face looked pained. “I take it you’ve managed to get a look at the terms everyone is offering?”

Taihou rolled her eyes. “Of course.” There was no misunderstanding that Prinz Eugen wasn’t talking about the public promises of aid against and protection from the Sirens, and instead about aid offered behind closed doors.

It was, simply, a matter of who had resources to spare. While every nation had suffered majorly after the Siren betrayal, none had suffered more than their former allies, and a lot of the gains they’d won through hundreds of thousands of deaths had been undone with the wave of a few pens thousands of miles from the battlefield.

The only nations that might have been able to offer any alternatives to the damnable American juggernaut were their equally damnable allies who were unable to due to looming financial problems in the United Kingdom and an excruciatingly painful rebuilding process in the Soviet Union.

The Crimson Axis could not match what Azur Lane could offer.Technologically, they were mostly on par. Perhaps, if they were willing to starve their conquered territories even more than they already were, they might be able to match the American’s pledged food aid, but the rebellions that were already going on would certainly worsen if there was even a hint of any such plan.

But the money. Hundreds of millions in various forms of aid flowed out of America to their close allies and to the nations that had remained truly neutral during the war under the Allied Recovery Program. They had even offered the aid to their ‘ostensible’ enemies, though few had thought either would accept the aid. That the Soviets had also rejected the aid was a very thin silver lining to the looming, dark cloud of American financial capital.

It almost made her want to bitch about the unfairness of it all.

She didn’t, though. She’d already proposed a plan to her superiors and had it accepted.

“If we could just convince their Kaiser-”

Taihou cut that line of reasoning off in an instant. “That isn’t how things work here, Prinz Eugen.” If they did somehow manage to convince him after how horribly his meetings with the Germans had gone thus far, that would probably just embolden opposition to him rather than majorly help their cause. “Besides, if our goal is impossible to achieve, then we must set a new goal to focus on.”

She raised a delicate eyebrow. “Oh, really?” she asked, skeptical.

Taihou smiled back. “But of course. Getting the Empire into the Crimson Axis would be undeniably helpful, but if that is impossible, then we must make sure they don’t join Azur Lane. I believe we still have a chance at that.”

Eugen tapped a perpetually manicured nail on the wooden table. After a moment more, she said, “Go on.”

Taihou did. “From what I and the members of the diplomatic corps have been able to deduce,” she said, “they are intent on playing both sides at the moment to try and extract the best deal they can. If we offer them the benefits of being an ally, or even a member of the Crimson Axis, with no restrictions or drawbacks, could Azur Lane offer a better deal without either alienating them or doing the same?”

“We attempt to steer them into neutrality,” Eugen summed up. Taihou nodded. “They are already getting quite a lot. While the total aid that Azur Lane will provide eclipses that of the Crimson Axis, the contributions they’ve pledged to provide the Empire, regardless of their decision, is significant enough that trying to out bid that and us will be a much tougher bargain.”

Prinz Eugen tapped a finger to her lips thoughtfully. “And if they take what we have to offer and then join Azur Lane anyway?”

“We don’t allow that to happen by setting up continuous agreements for the provision of aid over a long period and threaten to cut them off if they do.” None of that even mentioned the more adventurous moves they could make to attempt to coerce the Empire to see things their way.

“And at the very least,” she continued, “if Azur Lane does muster the support to outbid us that badly, then those resources will be working to build up a relative backwater rather than be used directly against us.”

Prinz Eugen hummed a discordant tone. “The Crimson Axis doesn’t get a lot out of it.”

“Compared to if they were an ally? Of course not. If they do stay out of Azur Lane, then we have someone to trade with rather than fight against if the war heats back up. Besides, think of the deal as buying the opportunity to continue trying to convince them to join us instead of them.”

Prinz Eugen let out a hum of contemplation and then a long sigh. “I’ll bring up your idea at the next meeting, but I’m making it clear it’s not my idea,” she conceded. Taihou grinned. Good.

She knew that a few were already thinking they should reassess their options. Prinz Eugen bringing it up would give them the courage to voice their own ideas.

Taihou wanted to bring back as much good news as possible. Keeping them out of Azur Lane, when faced with the brunt of their enemy’s soft power, would be seen as a diplomatic coup. Having contributed to that, Taihou will have proven herself for the last time.

Then her leadership of the Sakura Empire would be assured, and the country where the heships had come from would remain open to her and the rest of the Sakura Empire.

“What’s going on with everyone else in the Sakura Empire’s delegation, anyway,” Prinz Eugen asked. Taihou raised an eyebrow. Eugen wasn’t one who displayed outward displays of emotion often. Or, at least, not outside the supposed privacy of her and her sister’s quarters, anyway.

This line of questioning had a purpose, then.

Taihou kept her answer relatively short, her mind already elsewhere now that she’d accomplished what she’d wanted this meeting for. She told her Akashi was slowly making inroads, Suruga and Takao were doing administrative work well, and the others were being well behaved enough when they were training.

Prinz Eugen’s response was much longer. U-37 had been mapping out the coastline of the new continent, especially close to the gargantuan cliffs that hadn’t formerly been beachside property. Supposedly, they were hoping to find some evidence of how or why the Sirens had moved their country here, but Taihou wouldn’t be surprised if the Empire complained about an Iron Blood base appearing in one of those cliffs in the next few months or years.

Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Brünhilde were all getting restless and had begun to badger her to train with them, which would have amounted to Prinz Eugen having to dodge the fire from the three battlecruisers. 

Deutschland, Admiral Graf Spee, Roon were all complaining about head-splitting migraines. What was odd was that none of the usual medicine was working. What was more odd was that there were reports of the same reaching them from back home. Prinz Eugen had a theory about them, but she was waiting until there were fewer secrets before she put anything to paper.

Something was also wrong with Mainz. “Since you didn’t mention her earlier, I assume she’s bemoaning the state of the coffee here?” Taihou said with a gesture to Prinz Eugen’s own cup. Taihou was partaking in some tea, but she’d already heard complaints that, like most of the food not being served to the politicians or the Kaiser, it was substandard if not outright bad.

“No, actually,” she said, as if she couldn’t believe her own words, “it’s the opposite. Somehow, she’s found a new ‘best brew’ here.” Her voice was tinged with skepticism.

Taihou couldn’t resist allowing her eyebrows to rise. “She hasn’t gotten cocaine mixed into her coffee again, has she?”

Prinz Eugen shuddered. “No, probably not. No one wants a repeat of that.”

Taihou outwardly nodded and inwardly agreed vehemently. She couldn’t agree more with the kansen.

Prinz Eugen concluded, “And, thankfully, Elbe has stopped trying to make thinly-veiled passes at any half-decent man she lays her eyes on. I might just be able to take the battlecruisers up on their offer if she keeps quiet.”

Taihou nodded and soon, after a few pleasantries, they stood to leave after paying with some of the money provided by their superiors. As they turned away from each other at the door, Taihou got the faintest suspicion that there was something more Prinz Eugen wanted to say.

Then, she just smiled enigmatically and turned away, and Taihou put the moment after all. She had more pressing matters to occupy her thoughts.

She almost smiled, but managed to keep a look of passive interest on her face as she scrolled through her phone. She knew, after all, why Elbe had stopped annoying Prinz Eugen. The two of them were going to a meeting with others. Only one of the minor factions was represented, but each major faction had at least two kansen who were attending.

Taihou couldn’t help it and smiled as she continued to think. Yes, they would meet later that day to discuss… things. They would obviously wait to enact whatever plans they had for those things until after the joint exercise, as Degurechaff had asked. She seemed to be a shoe-in for leadership, if her sheer presence in the propaganda and the relative lack of any other major kansen figure was anything to go by, and if she did wind up becoming the leader of Nemonia, then there was absolutely no way Taihou was going to upset someone so potentially important without good cause.

Mentally lamenting the fact that the lack of contact with Nemonia meant no one with their proclivities would be represented in the meeting, Taihou continued to plan and scheme, for the meeting and beyond.

--OxOxO--

The training for that day, their last opportunity to do so, was progressing with full vigor. At the start, not a single one had been able to stand at attention properly, and though their abilities were impressive, they hadn’t had any experience in using them.

Now, they were doing all that and even more. Their ability to best the marine mages and even the 203 rd was increasing greatly, and all of them were excited to put their abilities to the test tomorrow.

Of course, there was still much work to do, Viktoriya observed. Sure, the most improvement could be seen at the beginning, but for them to become good, they would need months more training. Building all the physical and bureaucratic infrastructure to train over a hundred people in so many different disciplines at once had been arduous, and advisors from whichever faction the Empire joined was one of the many requests Viktoriya had submitted, at Tanya’s behest.

Another one was for more specialized sheships. Apparently, sheships could suffer from problems that only a repair ship would be capable of fixing in a timely manner. Vestal and Akashi were the two most famous internationally, but there were over half a dozen in each of the major factions. Munitions ships were also apparently helpful in larger fleets.

As Viktoriya continued to survey the good work, she sudden;y spotted someone sitting on one of the docks jutting out of the Emerald Bay. She clicked her tongue in exasperation. She understood that it was grueling work, especially for the ships that appeared to be younger like this one, but that didn’t mean someone could just sneak off and take a break whenever they liked.

She radioed it in. “I’ve spotted a delinquent sitting on the docks. Whoever lost her, you’re staying out late for not calling it in.”

She waited, and then, one by one, the other members of the 203 rd , either training the sheships directly or simply observing when the training wasn’t something they knew how to teach, like dueling, called in that they weren’t missing anyone. By the end, Viktoriya was fully annoyed and started drifting down.

She switched channels. “Weiss,” she asked, the man being her partner for the day on overwatch and management, “did we get a new sheship and no one told us?”

“Er,” he haltingly started, “I think I overheard a rumor about something like that, but we haven’t gotten anything officially. Schugel’s not making anymore until after the joint exercises.”

Viktoriya’s scowl deepened. “Alright, let’s go check it out,” she said with a shrug. Had Schugel done this off the books, or had Tanya just forgotten to tell them? That wasn’t like her-

Then, as Viktoriya flew closer, she felt her scowl fade into a blank mask of numb, ice-cold confusion. It felt like she’d just tripped and gotten stuck in a snowbank, or like the feeling of pins and needles that afflicted her limbs when they fell asleep had encompassed her whole body.

What? She… this couldn’t possibly be-

“No fucking way,” she heard Weiss mutter over the radio. Viktoriya almost parroted the same thing he had uttered, but all she could do was nod dumbly as she finally flew within talking distance of he figure.

Undeniably, it was Tanya.

Wearing that dress.

Surrounded by… creatures.

Cute, fluffy creatures.

Viktoriya continued to drift closer, not sure what she could say.

Weiss had, at some point, arrived at her side, and they drifted down together, just watching as Tanya, dressed in red, played with… the things.

They seemed to be divided into three groups, physiologically. The first looked similar to chicks, except they were overgrown to a monstrous degree. Overall, they were more uniform in their pastel yellowness and their tubby-cuteness than the others.

The second group was less uniform in color, seemingly made up of many whites, blues, blacks, and mottled blacks, browns, and oranges. Viktoriya had first thought they were just particularly stout cats that someone had put hats on, but the few that weren’t lounging around Tanya or being pet by her were running around on two legs, chasing the chicks or the members of the third group.

The last group appeared to be tiny humans wearing tiny naval uniforms with oversized heads, multicolored hair, and animal ears poking out of the top of their heads.

“Am… I dreaming?” Viktoriya asked. It seemed a very pertinent question to ask.

“Careful,” Weiss cautioned, “if you had a dream about the Lieutenant acting this cute, she’d probably find out and turn your life into a nightmare.” It might have been phrased as a joke, but neither was sure she wouldn’t do that if it did happen.

Tanya looked up at them and blinked owlishly. Before either could respond, make themselves scarce, or beg for mercy for having witnessed an act so cute being perpetrated by their once-and-former superior, the girl glared.

Oh, so they were DEAD dead.

They didn’t know why she was wearing that dress when there wasn’t a camera around. They didn’t know why she was playing with some very odd chickens and cats and what had to be children – because, surely, they couldn’t be anything else. They didn’t know why she had a second pair of ears on the top of her head…

Viktoriya blinked twice. “Tanya?” she asked, sounding much less terrified than she probably should.

Her scowl held for another three seconds, during which Viktoriya contemplated her life extensively, after which it broke into a pout that was just as adorable as her rocking one of the yellow chicks in a helmet while rubbing the cat-things. “Aw, I thought I could trick you.”

Viktoriya felt the intense need to request, to demand some answers, but she didn’t voice that need for fear of blubbering incoherently. Luckily, Weiss managed to do enough blubbering for the both of them.

She stood up, to the sadness of the assembled chicks and cat-things and hopefully-children around her who began walking off. “Good morning to you both! Though my conversion was never completed, I am happy to stand before you as the Empire’s first aircraft carrier, ready to serve the fatherland! If you haven’t already guessed,” she said, a sly smile growing on her face, “then my namesake probably didn’t train you that well, did she?”

She cleared her throat. “Ahem. Now, as Lieutenant, I order you to tell me sto- I mean,” she said, correcting herself, “to recount our most crushing victories to me. In detail.”

Weiss turned his head away from her and began muttering rapidly, probably telling the rest of the 203 rd to come see before Tanya ordered them not to associate with her other self, while the both of them drifted closer to the dock.

“Uh,” Viktoriya said eloquently. “…Sure.”

The girl, Tanya, below them blinked, apparently stupefied. “Wait, re- I mean, of course!” she declared in a voice that hadn’t sounded so sure they’d indulge her. 

Just about the only thought that was running through Viktoriya’s mind was: 

God, she was cute.

They both landed, and Viktoriya couldn’t help but point at the top of the girl’s head. “If you don’t mind me asking while we wait for the others to arrive, sir,” Viktoriya said, “Are those ears…”

She blinked and then looked up at the top of her head with a saccharine grin. “Oh, there? Yeah, uh, I got this too,” she said, spinning around to show them her tail, covered in fleece as gold as her hair. She spun back towards them and struck a pose, and Viktoriya was certain that if Tanya ever found out Viktoriya had the video she was recording, she’d intimidate anyone who even knew of its existence into silence via threats of imminent and continuous bodily harm over the span of the rest of their vastly shortened lives.

“I talked to some of the others last night, and they think I’m part sheep!” she declared excitedly before flopping back onto the ground. They joined her and watched as numerous spots in the distance began to fly closer.

“Also,” Weiss said, “are you here to participate in training?”

She shook her head emphatically, her grin widening. “Well, my namesake said that I don’t officially exist yet,” she said, “and that the good Doctor Schugel said we’re keeping it a secret until after the Empire reveals you guys aren’t actual shippeople!”

She sat up just a tad straighter and held a balled fist to her chest. “Can’t have two Tanya von Degurechaffs running around, now can we?” she intoned, her voice a spot-on recreation of their superior’s actual voice.

She cleared her throat. “Any- Anyway, to answer your question, not really? Oh, but Tanya promised me she’d spar with me around noon! I’m super excited!” she shouted, her eyes sparkling.

In that moment, Viktoriya was certain that this was the happiest anyone had ever been in the history of the entire Great War to fight against the White Silver.

“Hey,” she whispered conspiratorially and unheeding of the collective internal meltdown Weiss and Viktoriya were having, “have you guys got any tips?”

They both tensed at that, the very thought of betraying Tanya, even in this small, inconsequential way, sending their minds back to months of training in the alps.

The girl giggled like a babbling brook. “Oh, nevermind! It’ll be more fun if I don’t know anything,” she continued.

Viktoriya and Weiss’s eyes met above the head of the girl kicking her feet into the air above the water. “Fun?” Viktoriya asked.

The girl nodded, still grinning as she looked at the oncoming aerial mages. “Yeah. Fun. I mean, it’s a foregone conclusion that I’m going to win,” she said.

Both Viktoriya and Weiss were stupefied into silence yet again. “It is?” Weiss asked after a moment of recovery. She nodded. “Yep.”

She sniffed once. “God is on the side of the Empire, and on our side as well,” she said. Her phrasing seemed odd, in Viktoriya’s mind. Why distinguish between the Empire and ‘them?’ Did that include the 203 rd , or just-

Viktoriya’s thought was cut off. “It’s just a simple fact that I am… better.”

Viktoriya involuntarily gulped.

For all that she had sounded unsure and anxious about pretending to be Tanya, for all the cuteness she had earlier displayed, there was not a drop of unsurety or a hint of indecision in that declaration. She thought, in this, that she could beat Tanya without a doubt.

Still, Viktoriya felt obligated to go to bat for Tanya. “Your namesake has performed miracles before,” Viktoriya replied. The girl’s head snapped up to Viktoriya, her eyes depthless and hungry. “Can you tell me?”

Viktoriya could only answer with a nod, and, as the rest of the 203 rd came to surround the girl, and she showed off her dress and talked about how excited she was to serve the Empire, Viktoriya was convinced that few would ever mistake this girl for Tanya after more than a cursory glance.

Mostly convinced.

She blinked as they began to tell her of their exploits in crushing the Francois Republic, a steely resolve rising up within her.

Their normal Tanya might be able to handle herself around some of the more… promiscuous sheships like Monarch, but this Tanya seemed completely innocent.

Viktoriya’s gaze hardened to mirror the steel in her soul. She’d not let that innocence, no matter how minimal it might be in something whose existence was informed by someone like Tanya von Degurechaff, be unduly harmed.

Chapter Text

“We shouldn’t be doing this…” the third of their group muttered under her breath. Allen M. Sumner, the first of the group, didn’t have to look back at the third to know that she was probably scowling at her and the second. She was sure that the third’s ears certainly would have flicked the air and her tail would have thrashed to mirror the annoyance in her voice if said appendages weren’t being constrained by a spare foul weather jacket that had been pilfered from the USS Coral Sea. 

“I hope you’re not asking us to back out of this,” the second of their group replied, good humor in her voice. Her outfit was a mirror of what the first and second were wearing, though unlike the third, who was slouched down and casting her hatted head about nervously, or Allen M. Sumner, who was walking around like a normal person, the second was strutting. The first was sure that the second would have been capable of making even the brown, well-used jacket she had on look enticing if given the opportunity.

Of course, all of them were feeling the itchy discomfort that always came with wearing clothing that wasn’t theirs, which probably had more to do with the third’s annoyance than any actual hesitation about what they were doing.

Their ugly, bulky brown-gray jackets were matched by equally bulky and misshapen hats as well as graying dirty coveralls, sourced locally to avoid suspicion. If it weren’t for their relative lack of height, they might have fit in, were there any crowds around.

Or maybe they wouldn’t have, even with crowds. Allen M. Sumner was not a shipgirl built or even the slightest bit inclined towards stealth and sneaking. She much preferred glitz and glam, stickers and shopping, having fun and being free!

For all that she preferred those things to sneaking around, however, that didn’t mean she wasn’t willing to do those things if she was ordered to or she needed to. At the moment, she certainly felt it was warranted.

And sure, she was technically heading to a meeting where she would help to plan to break the law, but that didn’t mean she was doing something like acting as a spy!  If anything, this mission was meant to further cooperation between everyone. It was Azur Lane in miniature!

Even if it did break some rules.

“Of course not,” their third said, a scowl present on her face. Allen M. Sumner couldn’t help but grin back at the shipgirl. She’d been told, time and time again, that if she kept scowling and glaring like she did, her face would get stuck with that expression. There was only one person who could tell her that and actually get her to listen for any appreciable time, and neither of her current companions were that person. “I just think that we shouldn’t have agreed in the first place. If our superiors knew-”

“The Commander couldn’t care less. He’d probably encourage us,” their second replied, her teasing smile infections to Allen M. Sumner. Their third hissed. “The Commander isn’t our superior! We should’ve burned that letter the moment-”

“Shush,” Allen M. Sumner said. They’d been walking through the nearly abandoned streets of the section of Hamborg the shipgirls had been asked to remain in for nearly ten minutes, following the instructions written on the letter. There was technically a possibility this was some kind of convoluted trap, but their second had explained all the reasons it wasn’t likely to be one.

Besides, she’d told Ingraham that if they weren’t back in four hours after leaving to ‘explore’ the city, she could activate the tracking beacon Allen M. Sumner assumed she had been tagged with at some point so she could come find her. Her sister had looked only the slightest bit embarrassed about her having discovered her bit of espionage, and Allen M. Sumner got the feeling it was more that she’d been discovered rather than having done it in the first place.

Allen M. Sumner shook her head ruefully as the second and third looked up at the brick-and-mortar brewery that had been abandoned years before the city had been evacuated to host the celebration. The broken, boarded windows and weathered façade of the building certainly helped with her perception that that was the case.

This was where the directions of the letter Akashi had given their second told them to come to discuss potentially treasonous things. Not that she was committing treason!

She nodded to her own internal assertion as their second knocked on the door. The hinges squeaking loudly, it cracked open and gave the three travelers a peek into the interior, which remained inscrutable and dark in spite of the light of the waning morning that seemed to be streaming through the broken glass. Their second just grinned and flashed the letter. The door opened wider, and Allen M. Sumner stopped shaking her head as they headed inside.

She supposed that if she’d wanted her sister to maybe feel guilty about doing something like that rather than getting caught for it, she shouldn’t have been as hands off with her and all the others as she had been.

The door closed behind them, plunging them into darkness. Then, it was illuminated.

A pale yellow light paved their way around upturned chairs and dusty tables. Allen could make out that the light was attached to the rigging of the shipgirl leading them forwards, and though her features were inscrutable, her words revealed her identity after a single sentence.

“I am pleased to see you accepted the invitation, nya. You are sure they won’t say anything?”

Their second shook her head. “They won’t. Though, we have taken precautions for the case that we are missing for more than four hours. I trust that is acceptable?”

“Nya, but of course!” the person, undoubtedly Akashi based on her voice, said. “You are the last, so the meeting can begin as soon as we arrive.”

They made their way through the darkened interior of the building, filled with worn-down machinery for creating and bottling alcohol. Their shoes and boots crunched as they walked across the shards and specks of shattered bottles, the light glinting off of what little rustless metal remained. They turned a corner of the brickwork, and a light shone down the hallway to meet the one emanating from Akashi’s rigging.

As cliché as it was to say, her smile was catlike. “Purrfect,” she said. She pushed open the door, and the soft, indistinct conversation beyond stopped.

Allen M. Sumner’s eyes flicked around. She wouldn’t have recognized everyone in the room before the trip, but they’d all been asked to familiarize themselves with their allies in Azur Lane and their ‘allies’ in the Crimson Axis before they’d come to the Empire. There were only two faces present that she didn’t know the names of off the top of her head, but she did recognize them as being part of the representatives of Azur Lane that the Commander had brought with him.

Two chairs stood empty – one clearly intended for a member of the Sakura Empire based on its placement between the navy’s representatives, and another clearly intended for the direct invitee from the Eagle Union – their second – with room to its right and left for whoever she brought with her.

Before she could assess any more than that, Akashi slinked out of their way and into a rickety wooden chair probably sourced from the room they’d just come through. She began typing away on a laptop, while Allen M. Sumner and their third pulled up additional chairs and hung their disguises off of the backs of the chairs. Their second sat down, as did they.

“I welcome all of you to this clandestine meeting to facilitate the expansion of the capabilities and rights of all kansen via the disassembly of The Rule and all mechanisms devised to enforce it,” said a voice from the shadows. From them, the leader of the Sakura Empire’s delegation emerged.

Allen M. Sumner looked to her right, to the other two. Now that they were there, their hats removed and their faces visible, she felt no need to refer to them as her second and third anymore.

The ears on top of Sims’s head flattened. “I hope you don’t expect us to repeat that,” she groused.

“Now now,” Chicago said, sitting between Allen M. Sumner and Sims, “Let’s not antagonize our guests, Sims.”

The woman ignored them, for the moment. “Am I right in assuming that we all can broadly speak for those who think similarly to us within our navies?” she began, looking around the table.

The representatives of the major navy of the Crimson Axis spoke first. “You can count on it,” Elbe responded with a grin. Roon barely seemed to have heard her, an unsteady hand held to her forehead, but she did growl affirmatively.

Belfast spoke next. “Indeed. Though the Queen sees the current state of affairs as important for maintaining stability, she is hardly dead set on the idea, and we can speak for those not present,” she responded politely.

She glanced in their direction. “Enterprise was not interested?” she asked, after a moment of unsure staring. Allen M. Sumner and Chicago glanced at each other, twin grins of amusement breaking out, while Sims snorted derisively. Vampire and Sirius, sitting at Belfast’s sides, tittered. Somehow, the maid managed not to blush.

“We didn’t dare tell her,” Chicago said. “We thought she wouldn’t be able to keep her mouth shut or disappear for a few hours without raising people’s suspicions,” Allen M. Sumner said in continuation.

The briefest flash of disappointment crossed her face. “Really?”

They nodded, and Sims said, “She thinks she can get away with hooking up with you because you aren’t a human. As if you being part of the Royal Navy and a woman wouldn’t be a problem with our superiors.” This time, the lightest dusting of red graced the woman’s cheeks.

For all of her ability to help Enterprise view herself as more than a weapon, Enterprise remained a stickler for the rules. Allen M. Sumner was sure that if relations suddenly turned sour and Enterprise was forbidden from speaking with Belfast, she would abide by it while going through official channels to get things changed instead of ignoring the order.

“Regardless,” Chicago said, “I can certainly speak for the elements of the Eagle Union who find the rule restrictive.”

They turned to the gray-haired Pamiat Merkuria and the blue-haired woman next to her. The former grinned smugly, while the other’s crueler grin was laced with desire. “Same for me,” she said, though her smile quickly smoldered into a frustrated frown, “though I doubt some kind of international effort will convince people to change the rules – or The Rule, as it were.”

Taihou turned to the blonde haired woman wearing a blue tutu sitting off by herself. She nodded once. “While I cannot say that I speak for the Vichya Dominion,” she lamented, “There are few French ships who don’t take umbrage with The Rule. I can spread the word within the Iris Libre.”

Taihou’s smile grew. “And I can certainly speak for the Sakura Empire,” she continued. “It is lamentable we cannot include the other factions in this discussion, but I think we will suffice.”

“Well,” Elbe interjected, “we’ll hardly have to convince the Italians.”

There was a brief wave of snickering or laughter, though the five that Taihou had brought with her seemed reluctant to join in. Taihou showed no such reservations, a coy smile worming onto her face. “Indeed. As the name of this meeting may suggest, I have a plan for how to disassemble The Rule, once and for all.”

The laughter trailed off, and everyone began paying close attention. Even Roon and Elbe, who seemed uncomfortable for some reason, were doing their level best. “Is it the heships?” Sirius asked.

Taihou nodded. “It is the heships.”

They lapsed into silence as everyone digested the idea. “I doubt that is the extent of your plan,” Belfast said. “Their existence certainly isn’t going to change minds on its own-”

“Leave the mechanics to us,” Kumano said, gesturing to herself, Suzuya, and Atago. Both had a particular gleam in their eyes that promised results… among other things.

Chicago uncrossed her legs and raised an eyebrow, Sirius narrowed her eyes, and Elbe ruefully shook her head, and Chapayev chuckled dangerously.

Taihou raised a hand. “The mechanics,” she said, rushing to cut off either an argument or a tangent, “and particulars can be sorted out soon. The heships are not the only part of the plan.”

She sniffed. “The Rule,” she hissed scornfully, “is built upon fear. One fear it is built upon is that a shipgirl could not ‘control herself’ and hurt or kill any man she laid with. Simultaneously, another fear is that a shipgirl could be taken advantage of by a man.”

“Primarily, however, it is meant to ensure that the capabilities and judgment of a kansen are not encumbered or compromised, physically or mentally. I propose,” she said, finally, “that in order to disassemble the rule, it must first be broken. Utterly.”

Everyone continued staring at her with rapt attention. “As long as The Rule takes the same form in the Empire, then it is only the human men who will be ordered not to fraternize with shipgirls,” she continued. “Under that justification, we may first make inroads with the heships of Nemonia. We will spread word of what has been done as covertly as possible and begin breaking each part of the rule thoroughly.”

“Whether our partners are few or many,” she all but shouted.

“Whether our partners are men or women,” she continued.

“Whether our partners are human or kansen,” she said.

She took a deep breath and then shrugged. “I understand the reservations of our superiors, but when they eventually discover what we have been doing and that we have been operating normally despite our activities, they will have no choice but to do away with it,” she finished. Her grin was just a shade away from maniacal.

The five she’d brought with her all cheered, which was soon mirrored by the rest of them, including Akashi.

“Now,” she added, “it must be done so much and in all navies so that no one can be singled out for punishment and no one can be held up on a pedestal as a ‘shining example,’ for everyone else to follow,” she growled. Allen M. Sumner scowled.

Every navy had at least one. If she recalled correctly, Mikasa was one in the Sakura Empire, while in the Eagle Union, Colorado, Maryland, and West Virginia all spoke in favor of the rule.

“In order to facilitate as wide a dispersal of ‘blame’ as possible,” she continued, “every faction needs as much access to the Empire for as long as is feasible. Necessarily, the Empire joining a faction would limit such a situation,” she said.

“If the Empire joins one faction or another,” she said, “then access will be strictly limited for the faction they do not join. With this in mind, if they join the Crimson Axis, will you do as much to break The Rule before you leave?” she asked, looking towards the representatives of the three navies that were part of Azur Lane.

Pamiat Merkuria was teasing Sims, while the Royal Navy was discussing internally. The Iris Libre ship was blushing as Chapayev whispered something into her ear. Allen M. Sumner merely raised an eyebrow.

Chicago asked the question on Allen M. Sumner’s mind. “ If they join one faction or another?” she asked. “Is there another option?”

Taihou’s face and body adopted a thoughtful posture, but something about her eyes seemed… disingenuous. “Hmm. Well, I suppose they could choose not to join a faction.”

All conversation ceased, but Taihou shrugged before she could be asked any more questions. “Well, with my piece said, I suppose we should begin devising the particulars of the mechanics and particulars?” she asked innocently.

Allen M. Sumner opened her own mouth, intent on continuing the conversation, but any attempt was aborted by the raucous cheer of the two Crimson Axis navies, the Northern Parliament, and Sirius, and a wave of noise exploded after that as the conversation burst to life.

“Those ships that were given those medals for defending against the Sirens… who wants who?”

“That won’t be all of them… hopefully.”

“If anything, they’ll have to rescind it because they’d prefer we were keeping things ‘in house’ and not spending time fraternizing with members of a foreign navy, no matter how closely allied.”

“I know it isn’t. I saw a few when we first discovered their ships that don’t look the same.”

The conversation wound on. They made an attempt to include her, but Allen M. Sumner held up her hands and shook her head. “I’ve got someone in mind… back home.”

Atago nodded, smiling genially. “And you, Sims?”

Her blush reached all the way up to the roots of her hair. “M- Me too,” she muttered. The conversation continued around the table. The idea that the regular kansen of Nemonia might be included with the navies not currently present was also brought up.

While half of Allen M. Sumner’s mind wrestled with the idea of why in the world the Empire would choose neutrality and the other half imagined the rugged dock worker in Brooklyn that just wouldn’t get out of her mind, the rest of the table discussed the confirmed heships and the possible division of any that might not have been shown. Arguments almost boiled over, but Taihou kept the conversation focused through presence and reminders that there wouldn’t need to be a ‘division’ once The Rule was gone for good.

Allen M. Sumner had thought herself well acquainted with the rough talk of seamen from her time as a hull, but her face soon mirrored Sims' at just how debauched the Sakura Empire girls could be…

Especially with the face and arms and voice of that man in Brooklyn flashing in her mind's eye.

--OxOxO--

Well, that certainly could have gone better.

Tanya had arrived at the training area to find her copy silently standing at attention while watching the 203 rd and the other instructors that had been hired do their jobs. That was the first thing that had tipped her off.

The second thing to tip Tanya off had been just how non-talkative the girl had been, because she hadn’t shut up the entire drive from Hamborg back to the base. That she purported not to have a single question for her or the 203 rd all but spelled out that something had happened.

Her awed expression and the panicked ones of her subordinates after she’d asked if they’d enjoyed telling the girl all about the war had confirmed her suspicion.

Still, it wasn’t like she hadn’t expected it, and, of course, Tanya still had no way of knowing whether the girl had Tanya’s memories or not. It was vexing. Was she merely playing the part of the overawed child with a fascination with her namesake, or was that truly what she was?

Tanya’s gut feeling was that this was truly her, but she’d long ago discarded any thought of trusting something as primal as a gut feeling without copious amounts of proof to go with it, and Tanya simply didn’t have any proof one way or the other yet.

The tournament held to determine who would be filling the nine available slots for the joint exercises tomorrow had gone poorly. With a small cash prize drawn from the pay of those who lost, most had tried their hardest to win.

Not everyone had.

Viktoriya, obviously, had. The tournament consisting of the marine mages and the mages of the 203 rd had been run parallel to the one for the sheships, and Viktoriya had distinguished herself in her battle against the expected runner-up, Weiss.

In what she assumed were agreements made beforehand, Sulayman Reis won much more easily against Nassau than either of their three previous rounds might have suggested she would. The same happened with the fight between Zealand and Hannover.

Considering all four had been competing for leadership of Nemonia, and the former two were part of the Pirate faction while the latter two were part of the Lower Officer faction, it appeared that those factions, at least, had decided who they would support as a whole.

Basel, at least, had won fair and square against Thuringen.

Most vexing was the bout of health trouble. A large portion of the fleet was complaining about near-constant headaches. The degree to which everyone was afflicted was quite variable, but almost half of those who had signed up for the tournament had bowed out because of the headaches, and plenty of those who had participated still had them to a degree. Medicine and magic only worked to blunt the effects.

If it were up to her, she would have had the Empire abstain from the joint exercise altogether. It wasn’t, of course, but she'd submitted a report about the possibility of degraded performance all the same.

Tanya cast one last look over the nine who would be accompanying her to the joint exercise. She, of course, hadn’t had a choice, since she’d been told that she had to attend as the lynchpin of the Empire’s currently revealed sheships.

She turned to her right, to look at her nametake and raised an eyebrow. “Are you certain you still want to duel me?” she asked. She had no desire to call it off and was actually intent on gauging the girl’s abilities herself before she had the opportunity to learn more.

The girl’s grin widened into a mirror of Tanya’s own at its broadest. “Oh, yes sir! I very much do.”

“Alright,” she said. In short order, everyone else was cleared from the waters of the central part of the Emerald Bay.

They stood across from each other, separated by a few feet, just atop the water. Tanya did so with the aid of her Flight Formulas, her nametake did so via the mystery of her existence. “Considering you know a lot more about my capabilities than I do yours, I think it only fair,” Tanya began, “that you tell me a little about how you fight. You refused point blank to divulge anything to Schugel and his cronies yesterday. They’re over there now,” she said, gesturing vaguely to the base, “with all their equipment trained on us. Does that sound fair to you?” she posited.

The girl pouted. “My namesake, you shouldn’t refer to them like that,” she admonished. Tanya’s expression didn’t change in the slightest, and the girl sighed. “On the one hand, I don’t think your enemies would be so kind…” she trailed off. Tanya knew she was right, of course, but simulating a fight against enemies she didn’t know wasn’t the point of this fight.

Her nametake’s grin widened, and her nostrils flared. “But I am kinder.”

She handed Tanya a piece of paper, and Tanya arched an eyebrow. She’d prepared for Tanya to ask ahead of time? Was she going to offer as much to make the fight more ‘fair,’ or did she anticipate Tanya’s question because she knew?

Scowling slightly at the paper, she snatched it and looked down at the writing.

Ability 1: If I order it, my rigging can act independently.

Ability 2: If I pray for it, I can use magic.

Ability 3: If I lead them, I can passively improve the abilities of sheships under my command.

“A bit vague,” Tanya began, “and that second one seems… ludicrous. Humanity is the only thing that can utilize magic.” She resisted the urge to sigh, for the moment.

Her nametake’s smile hadn’t lessened in the slightest. “But?” she asked.

It must have hurt keeping it so wide for so long. Was it an attempt at intimidation, an attempt to meet Tanya’s preconceptions, or… was she that much of a battle junkie?

“But,” Tanya sighed, unable to contain her exasperation any longer, her expression smoldering and her eyes cast skyward, “I suppose that that thing that calls itself God has granted ‘miracles’ before.”

“What?”

Tanya looked back at her nametake, to find that her expression had changed slightly. The smile wasn’t quite as wide, with confusion gathering in the corners of her eyes and smile.

Tanya shook her head. “Nevermind. I propose that we fight until one of us surrenders or until first blood. Is that amenable to you?” she asked. Her copy nodded as the confusion faded from her face, and Tanya nodded back. “Are you ready?”

The lingering confusion disappeared completely, her expression pulled taut once more. “Almost. To make things even…”

She giggled. “I’ll only be using my second ability to activate a single one of my Type 98s.”

Tanya opened her mouth to respond, to caution the girl against such a self-limiting action, but she didn’t get the chance.

Her nametake was praying.

“Worthy is the Lamb to receive the power, and riches, and wisdom, and might and honor, and glory, and BLESSING of the Lord!”

Before she’d started the second word, Tanya had started speeding towards the girl, her rifle extended, memories of fighting the Bloody Valkyrie swirling through her head. If the girl wasn’t lying, and she could use magic, then this was an opportunity to test if she had Tanya’s memories.

Before the girl reached the tenth word, Tanya had fired a shot. By the thirteenth, a second shot.

Even the Bloody Valkyrie had some training, for how little she used it. This girl hadn’t been alive for twenty-four hours. Tanya could beat her.

CLANG! CLANG!

Tanya continued forward, aghast as both of her formula-enhanced bullets pinged off of something, new clothes, that had materialized around the girl. Tanya sped forward, traveling faster and faster and-

KRRRRSH!

Her bayonet met an iridescent globe of blue, at speed, and it too glanced off. Tanya sped past and glanced over her shoulder at her opposite.

That glance told Tanya that the girl had changed. She was wearing more than she had, and-

Blocking the light of the noonday sun, she was upon her near instantly, and Tanya threw up an Active Barrier as the girl slashed at her, a knife in one hand and a rifle in the other.

The thrust of the knife cracked the barrier. The slash of the rifle shattered it completely.

Shit.

She twisted in the air, angling her flight up as two illusory copies of herself took different trajectories. Tanya was trying to bank right around her. They all aimed their rifles-

But her nametake’s gaze remained unerringly trained on Tanya, and before she could fire, three shots bolted for Tanya.

Two went wide without Tanya having to move in the slightest, while Tanya nudged herself to the left to easily dodge the third. Tanya fired her own salvo back, aiming for the girl’s unarmored face and torso. Both glanced off of her shield, and she grinned wolfishly as she adjusted her rifle. Tanya sped higher into the air, away from the surface of the water.

After a brief pause in firing, her nametake followed, firing rapidly and missing almost every shot. The glancing blows that impacted Tanya’s barrier shot lightning bolts of cracks through its surface, but she hadn’t managed to land more than that at range yet.