3rd Person POV
Azur Lane Base
Sunlight gleamed above the large naval base as two women walked down a dock parallel to several battleships and cruisers.
"Things are pretty exciting around here, aren't they, Wales?" The first, a young girl with blond hair, red eyes, and a red, white, and blue outfit, asked with her hands behind her head.
"I'ddescribe it as overcrowded, Cleveland," Wales, a tall woman with blond hair anda red naval uniform replied, glancing at multiple girls around them.
"Look around. Eagle Union and Royal Navy are both gathering at this base, and things don't appear to be slowing down anytime soon."
"I bet you can't guess who else is coming from my side," Cleveland said, spinning around to face Wales and walking backward. "Your hint is it's our greatest warrior with the most battle stars ever received."
"You must mean the famous Grey Ghost," Wales acknowledged with a smile before glancing out at the dozens of battleships, cruisers, carriers, and destroyers docked in the port. "The main forces of our Royal Navy will also be arriving soon. Looks like this base is becoming central to all of our activities."
Cleveland nodded. "Come on!" she said excitedly. "We should at least say hello! It'd be rude to keep them waiting. Let's go, hurry!" She ran off, and Wales shook her head with a smile and followed the energetic cruiser, passing by a black-cloaked figure.
The wind blew, casting down the figure's hood and revealing a young girl with white hair, orange eyes, and a pair of red metallic horns on her head.
Blinking, Ayanami tugged her cloak around her as the destroyer glanced over at one of the newly arrived carriers.
Stepping off the plank, a woman wearing a white dress and a large-brimmed hat stepped onto the stone pavement of the dock and looked up at the sky, shielding her eyes.
"Illustrious," Wales called, walking over, Cleveland at her side.
"Her highness has emerged from on high to greet me," Illustrious said with a small smile. "To what do I owe this honor?"
"Don't be silly; it's not like that," Wales chided. "I'm glad to see you. It's been a long time."
"Indeed, it has," Illustrious agreed. "Good day, old friend. Who is here with you?"
"I'm Cleveland from Eagle Union," the girl introduced proudly. "Glad you made it; sounds like a long journey." Looking down, she saw a little girl with purplish hair, clutching a small Unicorn plushie and peeking out from behind Illustrious. "Hi there," she greeted with a small smile.
"Unicorn is a bit shy," Illustrious explained as the small girl hid behind her. "Sorry. She doesn't mean to be anti-social. Please don't take her behavior personally."
"Nice to meet ya," Cleveland said with a smile.
Timeskip brought to you by Unicorn
"Hood and the others should be joining us here shortly," Illustrious said, taking a sip from a cup of tea as she sat on a couch diagonal to Cleveland while Wales stood at the window of a large room.
"Is someone keeping an eye on the Iron Blood?" Wales asked, turning to her. "Where are they currently?"
"There's a temporary lull, for lack of a better description," Illustrious replied. "But the more pressing matter..."
"Sakura Empire, right?" Wales asked.
Illustrious nodded.
"If Sakura Empire is making a move, this base will become one of the hottest fronts," Wales said. "Reinforcing it now would be a logical defense."
"True," Illustrious mused. "But why wage such a meaningless conflict?"
Wales sighed and turned back to the window, looking out toward the sea. "Warfare stays the same no matter the era. It's the reason we were even brought into existence."
Main Courtyard
Footfalls treading lightly, Unicorn looked around curiously as she walked across the smooth pavement of the courtyard outside the academy.
"Hi there!"
Unicorn yelped and spun around to face another girl, this one with violet hair, blue eyes, a strange half-crown in her hair, and a white dress lined in blue.
"You must be... um..."
"I'm Javelin," the girl introduced. "Aren't you from the Royal Navy camp, too? Why are you shaking like that?"
"I... I lost my U-Chan," Unicorn said, a small tear in her eye.
"What's a U-Chan?" Javelin asked.
"My friend," Unicorn replied. "She's gone, and I don't know what to do."
"Hmm..." Javelin thought for a second. "I have a great idea; let me help you," she suggested. "We'll find U-Chan together."
Unicorn smiled gratefully.
"Let's start over there," Javelin said, pointing over at where a girl in a pink jacket, with white hair and bunny ears was reclining on a bench. "Hello!" she said, walking over.
The girl didn't answer.
"Are you okay?" Javelin asked.
"Just... sleepy," the girl replied drowsily.
"Have you seen a U-Chan anywhere?" Unicorn asked hopefully.
"..."
"I was confused, too, but it's the name of her missing friend," Javelin explained. "Show her what U-Chan looks like."
Unicorn nodded and held up a surprisingly detailed sketch of a unicorn.
"Pretty drawing," the girl on the bench commented.
"Yeah, but does it look familiar?" Javelin asked.
The girl seemed to think for a second before slumping over. "I'm sleepy..."
"I'm so sorry; I didn't mean to interrupt your napping time," Javelin said hurriedly before turning to Unicorn. "She doesn't know; let's keep moving," she said hurriedly.
Before they could walk off, the girl asked, "Are you in trouble?"
They turned to face her.
"I'd like to help you out," the girl said. "I'm Laffey."
Timeskip brought to you by U-Chan
Running around the academy, Javelin, Unicorn, and Laffey searched for the U-Chan, stopping random girls and asking if they'd seen it. After checking the academy, the dining hall, and the docks, one girl said that she'd seen the toy in question and pointed up at one of the mountain cliffs.
Quickly thanking her, the threesome set off.
Up on the Cliffside
The Unicorn toy was chasing after a small butterfly, leaping after it, but it stumbled and fell, rolling across the grass until it came to a stop at a girl's boot.
"Huh?" Ayanami looked down and saw the Unicorn toy at her feet. Picking it up, she examined it. "Cute plushie."
Seeing the butterfly fly above it, it started struggling, trying to get it.
"Never mind, it's alive. Weird."
"Look!"
Turning, Ayanami saw Javelin, Unicorn, and Laffey running toward her.
"There you are, U-Chan," Unicorn said with a smile, taking the plushie from Ayanami and hugging it tightly.
"U-Chan?" Ayanami asked in confusion.
"Thank you so much," Unicorn said gratefully.
"Who, me?" Ayanami asked in surprise. "I didn't do anything. Nothing worthy of thanks."
"Wow, I didn't know such a pretty place was out here," Javelin commented, scanning the area around them.
Turning, Ayanami looked out at the sea with the sun gleaming off the waves.
"How did you discover such a perfect spot?" Javelin asked curiously. "You must have a special skill."
"...Thanks."
"Oh, by the way, I'm Javelin," the girl introduced.
"I'm Laffey."
"I'm Unicorn."
"We've been looking all over for our friend; we're so thankful that you helped us," Javelin said gratefully. "Would you mind telling us your name?"
"Um... I..."
Something blue shot past them, a gust of wind temporarily blinding the group.
"A bird?" Laffey asked in confusion.
"That thing really scared me," Javelin said. "Wait, hold on." Everyone looked around.
Ayanami was gone.
Unknown Location
Sunlight beamed down across the ocean as wind blew over the calm water. High in the sky above, an eagle screeched, its call echoing across the peaceful waves.
Suddenly, the surface of the water began to tremble, and a rumbling sound filled the air. A flash of light lit up the sea, and the rumbling grew louder. With a loud roar, a massive ship burst from the waves in an explosion of water.
Temporarily suspended in midair, the shipcrashed back down, sending up a spray of mist. Water poured off the deck as sunlightgleamed off the metal armor of the battleship.
Lying on the main deck of the ship, a boy groaned, his black hair soaked in the salty water. "Crikey. Anyone get the number of that carrier?"
His blue eyes opened, and an eerie light shone within them before fading away. Shaking his head, he rose unsteadily to his feet. "What happened?" He froze. "Wait a minute..." Looking down, his eyes widened in shock. "I'm human?"
Stumbling over to the railing, he looked down at his reflection, his blue eyes gleaming eerily back at him beneath black hair, unkempt at the front with the back partially slicked back. "How the bloody Hell did this happen?" he wondered aloud, stepping back and examining himself.
Wearing a black shirt beneath a leather jacket, his navy pants waved slightly in the sea breeze as his boots reflected the sunlight. "What happened to me?" he wondered. I need to remember. Closing his eyes, he thought back to the last memory he had.
Flashback Start
Thunder cracked across the sky as waves crashed against his hull. Laserfire burning against his sides, flames scorching his deck, Striker sensed the emergence of the Empress and the other Sirens as they closed in.
As he tried his best to stay afloat, he sensed his captain moving to detonate his reactor and bring the Sirens down with him.
So, this is how it ends, he thought as his captain gave the final words of goodbye to the crew.
I'll see you on the other side, he thought as the Sirens closed in. A searing heat burned inside him, and with an eruption of pain and a flash of light, he felt the explosion tear through him, incinerating the Sirens around him as his vison faded away.
Flashback End
Striker's eyes snapped open, and he staggered back against the base of his turret. "The reactor," he murmured. His face saddened. "My crew." A stab of pain seared in his chest before he shook his head. "No, I can't think like that," he berated himself. "What happened next?"
The last thing he remembered was the searing pain of the reactor exploding and a flash of light... like a portal.
"That's what brought me here," he murmured. "But why? And what caused it?"
Nothing came to mind, so he shoved that thought to the side for later. "First things first, I need to figure out where I am."
Steeling himself, he examined his ship... or was it himself? Whatever. All three turrets were fully repaired, as were the secondaries. It was like he was never destroyed in the first place.
"How's that possible?" he wondered. "That portal must have done this. But how?"
Shaking his head, he looked up to where his flag was snapping in the wind and gave a small salute. "I'll avenge ya, mates. Count on it." Shifting his gaze back to his ship, he examined it. "Now... how the Hell am I going to move my ship without a crew?"
Nothing came to mind, and he sighed, placing his hand against his B turret. As his hand came into contact with the surface of the metal, a sharp chill shot through his body, and he staggered backward. Except, he could feel it. He could feel himself moving across his deck, as if he were his ship once more.
"No way." Tilting his head toward his A turret, he remembered the feeling of his guns raising from standby, the gears shifting as the metal of his ship adjusted. As he envisioned it, his turret did the same, the guns raising toward the horizon.
Grinning, Striker relaxed the turret, and the guns lowered to standby, rotating to face back toward his prow. A grin slowly worked its way onto his face as Striker's eyes glinted. "I wonder..."
Connecting more deeply with his ship, Striker smirked, and his ship lurched forward, his prow slicing into the waves as his ship headed north.
Azur Lane
"Come in, this is Ayanami reporting," the cloaked girl said, balancing on top of a tree branch and holding the blue star cutout from earlier in her hand.
"We're on a mission," a cold voice echoed from the Sakura petal, as if it were a transponder. "Use your codename."
"Right, I'm sorry," Ayanami apologized. "This is Citrus. I'm looking at the general layout of the base in question."
"Good. We're ready to move out as well. We'll reconvene when appropriate."
"Understood."
Outside the Base
"Ready when you are, Phoenix," a white-haired woman with two fox ears on her head and a set of white fox tails on her back said, her white and blue outfit snapping in the wind as she and another woman perched on a rock ledge several miles away from the naval base.
"Just say the word."
"Tell me, Kaga," asked the other woman, with similar features to the first, with nine black fox tails and a set of fox ears perched on her head above gleaming red eyes, her black and red outfit flowing around her.
"What's the fundamental nature of battle?"
"Sister Akagi, please," Kaga begged. "Use my codename."
"To battle is to inflict injury," Akagi said, ignoring her. "Battle also invites injury. Therefore, a battle is a mutual exchange of pain."
"None of that poetry has anything to do with your question of war," Kaga said. "I battle to destroy my enemies. Plain and simple." Holding up a blue cutout star, she ignited it. Blue flames swirled around it as storm clouds surged overhead, forming rapidly.
Akagi giggled. "Well, excuse me." Smiling, she held up a black cube, which pulsed ominously with purple energy.
Several shapes took form in the fog behind them, turning into a fleet of black and red ships, red lines pulsating threateningly across their hulls.
"Now then," Akagi mused, "we've waited long enough to begin this war."
Azur Lane Base
"The Sirens are on their way!" Wales shouted, spotting several dozen ships on the horizon. "Intercept them; this is not a drill!"
"Right!" Javelin, Laffey, and Unicorn, who had just entered, nodded and hurried off while Cleveland ran to the window and looked out at the port as explosions lit up the harbor.
Gritting her teeth, she dashed off after Javelin and Laffey, sprinting through the doorway.
"Why are the Sirens attacking now?" Wales wondered. "What horrible timing. Coincidence or not?"
"No," Illustrious replied.
Outside
Running out across the dock, Cleveland ran up to the shoreline and jumped into the air, dodging a strafing of gunfire as two Siren drones flew overhead.
The ship next to the dock glowed and promptly shattered into dozens of cubes, which flowed into Cleveland's body, forming her rigging.
Aiming her turrets, she fired, obliterating a Siren drone.
Landing on the water, she grinned. "How's that? We were developed as the ultimate weapons, powerful enough to take you Sirens down!"
One of the drones flew down at her and launched four missiles. The projectiles hit in a massive explosion of water, mist spraying into the air.
The Siren drone swung around for another pass, only for a salvo of shells to fly through the air and slam into it, blowing the drone apart.
"We've got the abilities of the strongest warships embedded inside us," Cleveland said, leaping through the mist as multiple girls around her jumped onto the water, their ships shattering as well and forming their rigging. "In other words, it's over!"
Aiming her guns, she fired, sending a barrage of shells into the air and blowing a Siren drone apart.
Two more drones shot toward her, only for Javelin and Laffey to intercept, Javelin using a trident while Laffey used her main gun.
"Alright!" Javelin cheered.
Just then, multiple red petals started whipping through the air. "What in--?"
"It's true; we were created by humanity to fight against the Sirens," a voice called across the sea. "But unfortunately, a difference in our beliefs split the four major camps into two separate factions."
"The first faction believes in only using powers that were created by humankind," a second voice mused, "Eagle Union and Royal Navy fight on this side."
"As for the second faction..." the first began, as two aircraft carriers sailed out of the storm of petals, a very familiar symbol on both of them.
"I know that emblem," Cleveland muttered in shock.
Two figures, a woman in black and red with nine black fox tails and two fox ears, and a woman in white with the same features stood on the decks of their respective carriers.
"Their group uses Siren technology to defeat the Sirens," the woman in black and red said. "They are the Iron Blood, and there's us, the great Sakura Empire."
Multiple aircraft flew off the decks of both ships and into the air, red energy gathering around the first woman's aircraft while the second's energy was blue.
As planes swirled around both carriers, the first woman proclaimed, "First carrier division: Akagi."
"And first carrier division: Kaga."
"Behold and tremble!" both shouted as multiple Siren ships appeared from behind them.
(A/N) Great, we've got ourselves a new Team Rocket. Where's number three?
Sakura fighter planes flew down at the shipgirls from Azur Lane as they desperately tried to fend off the planes.
"There's no end to them!" Javelin shouted.
"Those could be trouble; look out..." Laffey said as five new planes flew overhead.
Diving above them, the new planes opened fire, shooting the Sakura planes down.
"Interceptors?!" Cleveland exclaimed in surprise. Looking over to see who sent the planes, she stared in shock at the sight of Unicorn standing there, two small carrier decks attached to her sides.
"Stop being mean to my friends right now!" Unicorn shouted. The small unicorn toy in her hands suddenly glowed and transformed into a full-sized, winged unicorn.
(A/N) What the Hell am I even writing?
Climbing onto the winged animal as it shot into the sky, Unicorn launched several jets of blue energy that transformed into five more interceptors that began shooting the enemy planes down.
"She appears to be a carrier," Kaga murmured in surprise. "At that size, she's not much of a meal. But then, prey is prey." She held up a fox mask, and fire engulfed it. Her ship glowed, bursting into a massive tornado of Sakura petals.
Twolarge eyes flashed blue, and the petals dispersed, revealing a massive white Foxwith nine tails made of blue fire and a pair of carrier decks folded across itsback.
Standing up, the massive Fox let out a huge roar that echoed across the sea.
Back with Striker
Standing on the conning tower of his ship, Striker looked toward the horizon as wind brushed past him and sunlight gleamed brightly off the turrets of his ship.
Alright, so I've got the handle on working my armaments, he thought, rotating his secondaries and aiming his launchers before relaxing them to standby. Now I just gotta find out where the Hell I am.
Reversing his speed, he slowed his ship to a standstill and jumped down to his deck. "Need to get a sample of the water here," he mused. "But how?"
Bending at the railing and looking down, he could have sworn he saw a fish look up at him before swimming back down to the depths. "Huh."
Suddenly, he overbalanced, and he felt himself freefall for an instant before smacking against something wet yet yielding. "What in--?"
Standing up, his eyes widened as he saw that he was standing on the surface of the sea, waves lapping at the soles of his boots. It was like he was balancing on an extremely taught trampoline made of ice. "Ya know what? I'm not even going to try anymore." Shaking his head, he pulled out a cup and scooped up some water. "Now... how the Hell am I going to get back to my deck?"
Looking up toward it, he figured he might as well try jumping. "Given how today's already bogan as is, might as well." Bending his knees, he jumped, landing lightly on his deck. "Whaddya know?"
Deciding to file this new information in the 'I have no idea what is going on' section of his mind, Striker walked into his ship's superstructure and to his map/radar room. "Now, let's find out where I am."
Taking a small toothpick from a pocket, he dipped it in the cup of water and brought it to his mouth, tasting it. "Crikey!" he spat, shaking his head and making a face. "How do those bloody fish even live in this..." he trailed off. "Wait a minute, that's not salty enough to be Atlantic water. I'm still in the Pacific."
Turning and checking his radar, he frowned. "This doesn't make any sense. I was battling those Siren buggers during the night, so why the bloody Hell is it day?" The only reason he could think of was the portal.
Checking his navigation instruments, he tilted his head. "From the looks of things, the only naval base in close proximity to my position would be Pearl Harbor."
Before he could set his new heading, he heard a ping coming from his conning tower. "A transmission?" Setting his maps back, he darted up to his bridge and crossed to the transponder.
"An open channel frequency?" he asked in surprise. "How? From what I know, the nearest strike base isn't in contact range for another few miles."
Weighing his options, he flicked a switch, opening the channel.
"—ships in the area," a woman's voice was saying. "This is Prince of Wales from Azur Lane. We are under attack by the Sakura Empire and require immediate support, over. Coordinates are as follows." She rattled off a series of numbers before the message repeated.
"Prince of Wales?" he asked in surprise. "Wasn't she sunk?" Shaking his head, he copied the coordinates and closed the channel.
"Toto mate, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," he muttered. "But what the Hell is Azur Lane? Better yet, what's the bloody Sakura Empire?"
Shaking aside the thought for now, he adjusted his ship's heading. "I'll figure that out later. Right now, I need to get to those coordinates."
Pushing his engines to full throttle, he headed west, his ship's prow slicing through the water. As he did so, he checked his armaments and was glad to see that all his ammo was reloaded, and his railgun was operational, its rails charged and ready.
"Let's see how this Sakura Empire likes the taste of cold electric steel."
Back at Azur Lane
"Come here, little one," Kaga mused with a grin.
The Fox's decks shifted and straightened out. With a flash of light, aircraft took form on both decks and lifted off.
"No, you don't!" Javelin growled and aimed her trident.
As she charged a shot, three torpedoes shot toward her underwater, something that did not go unnoticed by Laffey. "Watch out!" Dashing over, she knocked Javelin out of the way, and the torpedoes struck in a massive explosion.
"Laffey!" Javelin shouted, only to see Laffey still standing, albeit slightly more woozy than normal.
"Don't worry," the destroyer coughed. "I'm fine."
Nodding, Javelin turned to where the torpedoes came from, only to see a familiar shipgirl standing in front of them, rigging deployed, and a large sword in hand.
"It's you again!" Javelin said in surprise.
"Sakura Empire improved Fubuki class destroyer: Ayanami." Clenching her sword, Ayanami dashed forward. Jumping up, she spun and brought her blade down on Javelin, who barely managed to block the powerful strike.
"Taste the power of the demon," Ayanami growled.
"Demon? Why?"
"Because we're enemies!" Ayanami retorted, knocking Javelin back and swinging her guns around to face her. "Obviously!"
Flipping backward, Javelin barely managed to dodge out of the way as Ayanami fired.
Up above, Unicorn swerved around and launched a trio of Interceptors at the Fox, only for it to raise its tails into the air and unleash a hail of blue fiery projectiles from the tips, shooting the planes down.
"Is that all?" Kaga taunted. "Was I a fool to expect more of a challenge?"
"You're loving this, Kaga, aren't you?" Akagi asked, coming up beside her as the two sisters hovered in the air above the battlefield.
Aiming her launchers, Ayanami fired several torpedoes, only for Javelin to flip backward up to a ship, dodging them.
"Please stop!" she begged as Ayanami jumped up to the deck and faced her, sword at the ready. "If you keep going, Unicorn is going to—"
An explosion, and one of the fiery shells finally connected, knocking Unicorn to the sea below.
Back with Striker
"What. The. Bloody. Hell?" Striker muttered as his scanners picked up the fight before him. "A giant flaming Fox and a flying Unicorn? Girls standing on water with ship gear? Author, what the Hell are you writing?"
(A/N) Don't blame me; blame the fandom you're in.
"Yeah, yeah." Seeing the little girl get shot out of the air and thrown to the water like a rag doll, he growled. "All right then. Time to make an entrance." Loading his turrets, he charged the railgun and checked the PA systems. "Cue the music."
Azur Lane
Groaning as her U-Chan shifted back to normal, Unicorn looked up and saw the Fox advancing toward her.
Snarling, the Fox opened its jaws, intent on ripping the girl apart.
"Unicorn, no!" Cleveland shouted.
An electric hum filled the air, and a silver blur tore through the sky. An explosion, and the Fox staggered backward, one of its carrier decks snapping off.
"What the—?"
Everyone looked around, wondering what had happened.
"What was that?" Kaga yelled.
Hearing a bubbling sound, Cleveland turned as music started filling the air.
[Start Track]
Around thirty yards away, the water started trembling, waves crashing to the side as lights started flashing below the sea.
"What's going...?" Cleveland trailed off as the water exploded, and a massive ship burst out in a spray of mist before crashing down, waves splashing to either side.
Everyone's eyes widened at the size of the battleship before them, water dripping off its hull, its guns gleaming menacingly in the sunlight.
"What ship is that?" Cleveland wondered.
"I don't know," the girl next to her replied.
The two turrets on the front of the ship turned, aiming toward the two Sakura Empire carriers.
With a sound like thunder, they fired, sending six HE rounds flying through the air to crash into the Fox, knocking it back.
"Who is that?" Akagi murmured.
"This is USS Striker of the Pacific Naval Fleet. To the Sakuran vessels attacking this base, you have three seconds to retreat," a distorted voice called as the music died down slightly.
"USS?" Cleveland muttered in confusion.
"Tch, I'll show her what the Sakura Empire is capable of," Akagi said and launched a dozen aircraft at the battleship.
"Not the best choice there, Sheila."
Aiming his CIWS turrets and antiaircraft guns, Striker opened fire, gunning the planes down with ease.
Kaga huffed. "Alright, so you may have some skill, but you are no match for the Sakura Empire!"
"That so?" The railgun turned toward her Fox, and an electric hum filled the air as its rails charged.
Laffey winced, clutching her ears. What is that noise? she wondered.
Seeing the rails fully charged, Striker grinned behind his mask as he stood on his deck. "You sure you don't want to retreat?"
"Hit me with your best shot," Kaga growled.
"Your wish is my command." The railgun fired, and the shell blurred through the air, slamming into the Fox and annihilating its remaining carrier deck while dealing heavy damage to the Fox itself.
"...That was a good shot," Kaga admitted, then glared. "Either way, you are no match for the might of the Sakura Empire!"
"Wouldn't bet on it."
"Take her out!" Kaga shouted.
The Siren ships around her aimed at Striker as the Battleship sailed toward her Fox, turrets aimed.
"Fire!"
The Siren ships unleashed a barrage of shells while Kaga's Fox shot a hail of flaming blue projectiles at the ship.
Grinning, Striker dropped his port anchor, sending it to the depths.
"This is the end for you," Kaga said smugly.
"I wouldn't count me out just yet," Striker said calmly, eyeing the enemy shells as they drew closer to his ship.
"What is she doing?" Cleveland wondered as she hurried to Unicorn's side and helped her out of the way.
Just before the shells could hit, the anchor chain snapped taught, tugging Striker's ship to the side and dodging the shells as they hit where he had been.
Drifting across the water to the Fox's left side, Striker grinned. "Fire!"
All three turrets fired, the shells slamming into the Fox's side as it roared in pain.
Striker's guns fired again, sending multiple rounds blasting into the Fox and knocking it down.
The rest of the Siren ships fired at Striker, but the Battleship gunned down their shells with his CIWS.
"How did...?" Javelin trailed off.
"I don't know," Cleveland replied. "But whoever she is, she's strong."
As if to prove her point, Striker fired a salvo of armor-piercing rounds at the Siren ships, sinking five of them.
"Who are you?" Kaga demanded.
"Just a battleship passing through," Striker replied, pulling down his mask as his eyes flashed. "But you can call me Striker."
"A MALE?!" Everyone from both sides shouted in disbelief.
"You were expecting Gipsy Danger?" Striker replied before turning back to Kaga and Akagi. "Sorry, mates, but this is as far as you go."
"Hmm, a male ship," Akagi mused, eyeing him. "I'm going to have fun with this~"
Striker sweatdropped and turned to Kaga. "Is she always like that?"
"Unfortunately," Kaga sighed. Why is my sister a Yandere? she wondered. Why can't there be a story where's she's normal? "Who are you?"
"I literally just told you six bloody paragraphs ago."
"Humor me."
"Fine. I am USS Striker, Battleship of the Pacific Naval Forces. And who are you?"
"I am Kaga, first Carrier division."
"And I am Akagi, first Carrier division."
"And I don't really care."
Right on cue, a blue arrow of energy shaped like an eagle shot through the air and slammed into Kaga from behind, sending her staggering as the arrow continued past her, transforming into a bomber and curving away. "What now?"
Everyone turned and saw an aircraft carrier in the distance, a figure standing on the front of it, her captain's outfit snapping in the wind as her violet eyes gleamed.
"Wait, can it be?" Cleveland wondered, eyes wide while Kaga's Fox staggered to its feet.
"An Eagle Union carrier," Akagi murmured. "Is that who I think it is?"
Striker tilted his head, keeping his guns trained on the two women in front of him. This day just gets weirder and weirder.
Several planes launched off the deck and into the air, curving around the carrier.
"I knew it was her; that's Eagle Union's strongest aircraft carrier!" Cleveland shouted joyfully.
"I didn't expect to see her here," Akagi muttered. "The Grey Ghost, Enterprise."
Wait, the aircraft carrier from WW2? Striker wondered. What had he gotten himself into?
Enterprise held out her hand, and her ship glowed, turning into hundreds of cubes and flowing into her, forming her rigging as a bow appeared in her hand.
"Let's go," she muttered and sliced across the water toward them. Jumping onto one of her bombers, she balanced on its prow as it swerved, dodging a barrage of energy shells from the Siren ships. Some shells connected, destroying the bomber planes around her, but she remained untouched.
"Impressive!" Raising her hand, Kaga sent several flaming petals, which transformed into a group of fighters, at Enterprise.
Raising her bow, an arrow of golden energy appearing in her hand, Enterprise aimed at the oncoming fighters. She fired, and her arrow split apart into several smaller ones, destroying multiple incoming fighters.
Jumping off her plane, she swung her bow through the air, using it as a melee weapon to knock the planes aside and destroy them.
"Whoa," Striker whistled.
Landing back on her plane, Enterprise flew toward them, bow at the ready.
Raising its paw, Kaga's Fox swiped at Enterprise's plane.
Jumping off it as the plane was destroyed behind her, Enterprise flipped through the air, loaded a trio of energy arrows in her bow, and fired. Flying through the air, the arrows transformed into bombs, which detonated on contact with Kaga's Fox, causing it to dissolve.
"I'm glad you decided to show up; this was getting boring!" Kaga taunted. "Entertain me, phantom!"
She aimed several planes at Enterprise as the carrier shot toward them, only to get blasted by Striker, knocking her back.
"Kaga!" Akagi shouted and aimed several planes at Striker, only for Enterprise to fire an arrow at her, knocking her back while Striker gunned Akagi's planes down with his CIWS.
"This ends here," the Union Carrier stated, aiming her bow.
Kaga glared at Striker as she hovered back into the air. "You dare?!" she seethed, her rigging materializing beside her in the form of a carrier deck alight with blue flame.
"Easily," Striker replied, aiming his turrets at her.
"That's enough; stop this," Akagi ordered.
"Why? I still have plenty of strength," Kaga hissed, turning to Akagi as her Fox dissolved.
"I am not doubting you, but now is simply not the right time," she replied.
Just to prove her point, two Siren ships exploded, courtesy of Wales and Illustrious, who were standing on the water, both with their rigging deployed.
"Looks like someone's running late today," Cleveland muttered.
"It appears that most of our goals have been accomplished," Akagi stated, holding up a black cube. "Quite the successful mission."
Striker's eyes narrowed. That looks like Siren tech.
"Really?" Kaga asked disbelievingly. She sighed. "Very well, dear sister."
"We won't let you get away," Enterprise hissed, training her bow on them while Striker did the same with his guns.
"Oh my, that glare you have on your face is so intense, I might just pass out from intimidation," Akagi taunted.
Just then, a Sakura petal flew into Enterprise's arm, knocking her aim off course.
Looking down at the petal as it dissolved into flames, Enterprise looked back up to see a third Sakura carrier in the distance, a girl dressed in red standing on the prow and holding a sword.
"My seniors, let's get moving," she stated.
"Agreed, our work here is done," Akagi acknowledged and flew off to the carrier, her sister in tow.
"Cowards!" Enterprise growled.
Glancing over as Akagi and Kaga retreated, Ayanami spared one last glance at Javelin before jumping off the deck of the ship and sailing off after Kaga and Akagi.
Landing on the deck, Akagi turned back to the others. "Let's do this right, Azur Lane. We declare war."
"We, Sakura Empire, have joined forces with Iron Blood to lay waste to your alliance," Kaga stated as petals showered around them.
"You know, they say those who wield the most power can control the future," Akagi stated. "And since heaven's perfect will resides within us, we are the conquerors of the sea, the alliance of crimson blood. We are... Red Axis." With that, the ships vanished.
"Great, more hocus and pocus," Striker muttered.
"Despite all that happened, they managed to get away," Wales mused. "But I am grateful to Enterprise and that male ship for saving us."
"Enterprise is the mightiest warrior of Eagle Union," Illustrious agreed. "A tower of strength, yet she holds so much pain inside."
"What concerns me is the new ship," Wales said, looking toward Striker's ship in the distance. "The question stands, are they friend or foe?"
"They assisted us, so I believe that their intentions are true," Illustrious mused.
Looking up at the sky, Enterprise watched as an eagle flew overhead before curving around to fly above Striker's ship as his guns gleamed and the sunlight reflected off his hull.
Who is he? Enterprise wondered and set off toward the ship, her bow at her side.
"What kind of world have I landed myself into?" Striker wondered, his guns returning to standby. Looking over, he examined one of the nearby ships. Eagles and stripes... They've gotta be Americans, so they should be able to come back from this.
Hearing someone landing on the deck behind him, he turned and saw Enterprise standing on his prow, her bow raised defensively.
For several seconds, neither of them moved, and the wind stilled, ghosting around them.
"Thank you for your help," Enterprise said cautiously.
"No problem," Striker replied, hands still at his side to show he meant no harm.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Striker, USS Battleship of the Pacific Naval Forces," the Battleship introduced proudly.
"Pacific Naval Forces?" Enterprise echoed in confusion.
"Long story," Striker replied, glancing around. "Look, I know you want answers, but I think it'd be a better idea to have this conversation indoors, don't you?"
Enterprise nodded, lowering her bow. "Very well. I apologize for the hostile greeting. It's just..." she trailed off.
"On edge, right?" Striker guessed.
She nodded, her bow at her side. "I'm Enterprise, CV-6 Carrier."
"Nice to meet you, Grey Ghost," Striker replied, his suspicions confirmed.
Her eyes narrowed. "How do you know that name?"
"I'll explain inside," Striker replied. "Do you want me to dock my ship? Something tells me it'll put some of your friends at ease." He nodded at some of the shipgirls, who were looking at the ship nervously.
"Fair enough," Enterprise conceded, eyeing him before calling Wales. "Do we have a dock available?"
Wales nodded, still surprised at seeing Striker's ship. "We do."
"Alrighty then," Striker said. "I'll dock my ship; then I guess I'll follow you?"
Enterprise nodded and jumped to the water below. Landing lightly, she watched as Striker pulled up to the port, the shadow of his ship looming over everyone as he docked.
As Striker attached the mooring lines, his thoughts turned to his situation at hand. "Just what kind of world is this?" he wondered, seeing several shipgirls staggering back onto land and supporting each other. "And why does it seem... familiar?"
(A/N) Here's a key of faction characters and their alliances, so you all can keep track. It will be updated throughout the story as new characters are introduced.
(Azur Lane) Eagle Union: Enterprise, Cleveland
(Azur Lane) Royal Navy: Prince of Wales, Javelin, Laffey, Illustrious, Unicorn
(Red Axis) Sakura Empire: Kaga, Akagi, Ayanami
(Red Axis) Iron Blood: TBA
Sirens: TBA
Unknown Alliance: Striker