Time is 2:00 pm, Afternoon, Azur lane Dockyard
The ship girls are still hanging around in the area even though the lunch session is over because apparently someone was missing from the session.
Enterprise: Hey, Belfast. Do you know where the commander is? I haven't seen him since an hour ago.
Belfast: I have looked for him around this area and I also have not found him. Oh, master where could you be?
Prince of Wales: For the commander to be not here for this special day is very odd. After all, he was the one who prepared the lunch session for us. Damn that commander. When I find him, I'm gonna knock some sense into him.
Cleveland: I think he's just doing some paperwork, so don't worry too much. I know the commander like the back of my hand.
Prince of Wales: That's unlikely. This is important so he can't possibly be doing paperwork instead of hanging around with us. Perhaps, you know something we don't, right Cleveland?
The three ship girls turned to Cleveland looking for an answer as Cleveland starts fidgeting.
Cleveland: (Crap. I should not have said the last part.) Haha, how could I possibly know what he's up to right now? He can be mysterious sometimes.
Belfast: Please do tell. We heard that you are close to master so I'm sure that you will tell us.
Cleveland: Honestly, I don't know what he's doing. I've done nothing wrong either.
Belfast: Cleveland, if you don't tell us you're gonna have to eat Enterprise's meal bars.
Enterprise: My meal bars are good and quick to eat, don't insult them.
Belfast ignoring Enterprise and continues to stare down at Cleveland. Cleveland not sure of what to do finally admits the commander's plan.
Cleveland: (Sorry commander, I couldn't keep the secret.) Fine, I'll tell you. The commander is planning to host a special event after this lunch session and so he went off with his ship towards the sea to do something.
Bismarck: What? By himself? That's crazy. Why didn't you tell us right away?
Bismarck came from eating her lunch over to the four discussing about the commander. She is by far the most shocked out of all of them.
Enterprise: There's Siren activity out there. The last time I went out for patrol, my radar detected 12 siren cruisers in the vicinity that I was in.
Belfast: Well, we have to go look for him now. He's our commander so lets-
Bismarck: SIREN.
Everyone: Huh?
Bismarck: Its a Siren fleet on the horizon. They're coming, I can see them.
Just like what Bismarck noticed, it was indeed a Siren fleet. Much to everyone and Enterprise's shock, the report she made came true. 12 Siren cruisers heading towards the port without warning, undetected.
Prinz Eugen: Bismarck, the commander is missing and a Siren fleet has arrived. What should we do?
Enterprise: I knew it. The commander has abandoned us. He left us for dead. All words but no action, he's just like every other commander we had. How did I let this happen?
Belfast: Now is not the time, Enterprise. Master must have some sort of plan to help us. He's not going to leave us. I know he will come back. For now, we must make defense preparations with what we have and make double sure we can fend them off. So everyone, make haste.
Belfast and the other ship girls all went to their respective dorms to announce the situation and brief the rest along with the dockyard area. Meanwhile, somewhere around the island Guardian and Tempest saw the incoming Siren fleet as well.
Guardian: (It seems that they took the bait. I wasn't certain they were going to but they did, such foolish Sirens.)
Tempest: (I didn't expect it as well. It seems the knowledge they have is still limited to their own kind. The Sirens we faced were craftier and more resourceful. They would never send in a direct fleet to attack us.)
Guardian: (This operation is going to be a success, for sure. We have the weaponry, ammunition and tactics at our disposal.)
Tempest: (But was it right to use Azur lane as the bait? The ship girls aren't going to tolerate this matter especially Enterprise. She's got a negative view against us and she is going to think that we've abandoned them to save our own skin.)
Guardian: (This was a secret plan. Risks had to be taken besides I knew Cleveland wouldn't be able to keep the secret since she's such a simple one.)
Tempest: (Anyways, we got a Siren matter on our hands. The weapons are ready and activated. Guardian, do you want to do the honors?)
Guardian:(Sure thing. Where is the Siren fleet currently at?)
Tempest: (Its just 5 miles away from the port. So what's the plan?)
Guardian: (First, we let them get close to the port to around 2 miles then I shall open fire at the enemy. Once they have all been destroyed, we will emerge from the smoke at where the Siren ships were to finally reveal ourselves.)
Tempest: (Good then lets get this done. Let's save the ship girls.)
Back at the port, the ship girls are frantically trying to set up defensive barriers, coastal guns, readying riggings for battle formation etc. Even though they knew an attack would come anytime soon, they did not expect it to be just after the commander's arrival. Belfast with her maid corps handle the tasks of adding protection layers to structures to minimize damage, Bismarck and Prinz Eugen organize the formation of ship girls from the 4 factions, Enterprise, Cleveland and Prince of Wales are surveying around the island to find a way to formulate a battle strategy to eliminate the Sirens from their waters.
...
Time is 4:00 pm, Azur lane Commander's office,
Akagi is the first to arrive from here Sakura dorms. She has already informed her faction's members and is waiting for the others while Kaga is keeping watch for any Siren movement around the port's perimeter.
Kaga: (The Siren ships aren't making any moves yet. This is very strange and they already have information about our base. I'm gonna hang around a little longer to see what's going on.)
Back at the office, Belfast, Enterprise, Bismarck and Prince of Wales came in to see Akagi already there.
Belfast: Akagi-sama, I see you have arrived early. Settle down everyone, we have important things to discuss.
Enterprise: I agree. The commander is missing, from my inspections our defenses are inadequate against the Sirens, some of our girls' rigging are still in repair, ammunitions and reserve equipment are very low, so to summarize we don't stand a chance against them.
Bismarck: The Sirens have grown stronger over the years, and our previous commanders were ignorant of the looming threat. Now, we are practically defenseless with nowhere to hide.
Prince of Wales: NO. We must stand strong. I believe the commander is doing something about the situation as we speak. It seems I have figured out what our commander was trying to accomplish.
Others: ...What?
Akagi: What do you mean? What's your reason to believe he is planning something?
Prince of Wales: He made Enterprise upset this morning and he was going to fix it by throwing a surprise which is a simulation he will create by himself to make virtual Siren ships appear so he can impress Enterprise and also guarantee that he's not all just talk.
Belfast:... He made Enterprise upset?
Enterprise: I-I wasn't upset, just confused really. I didn't think the commander would suddenly decline my offer to help.
Bismarck: And what offer would that be?
Enterprise: I-I...
Prince of Wales: That's not important right now. The commander might have already noticed the enemy fleet when he went outside so he is probably going to fight as well.
Bismarck: By himself?
Prince of Wales: He has his ship with him so he will hold them off and its up to us to prepare our defenses.
Belfast: Master is very reckless. I hope nothing bad happens to him.
Meanwhile, back at sea Guardian and Tempest are prepared and ready to fire at the enemy.
Narrator: (This is a soundtrack from Battleship movie, it was so awesome that I kept listening to it for a lot of times)
Guardian: (Ok. All set and done. Get ready to die Siren bitches.)
Tempest: (Let me do the honors of firing the main gun.)
Guardian: (Go ahead.)
Tempest: (Let's drop some leads on those mother-)
Guardian: (FIRE.)
(Guardian fires the first shot, followed by two more, with Tempest saying (Oh come on.))
The first Siren ship took so much damage that it exploded right afterwards.
Other Siren ships went in complete shock and started panicking at the sight of one of their cruisers being destroyed.
Siren: WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING? One of ours just got obliterated.
Siren: CAPTAIN, INCOMINNNNNNG.
Siren Captain: HOLY-SHI-
Just then, 6 more Siren ships get taken out by Tempest's main guns. The Sirens tried to fire back but their shots could not penetrate Tempest's defenses and simply bounced off this also due to to the fact that they were completely caught off guard.
While the battle was going on in the sea, back at the Azur lane port the ship girls have noticed black smoke and Siren ships getting bombarded continuously through unknown means. The girls in the office also sees this as well.
Akagi: Kaga? What is going on out there? Status, report.
Kaga: Yes sister Akagi. It seems the Siren cruisers are firing at something at a far distance, and looks like the Sirens are losing. 7 out of 12 ships have already been destroyed with only 5 remaining now on the run.
Akagi: Thank you Kaga. Everyone, it looks like the tide of battle is in our favor now. Shall we send 2 squads of cruisers towards their location?
Bismarck: No, we might also be caught up in the bombardment as well. I can't tell whether they're friend or foe but shooting down the Sirens means at least they are against the Sirens.
Belfast: Unbelievable. Several Siren cruisers taken out within a matter of seconds. What kind of threat could they be dealing with?
...
Back at the skirmish, Tempest and Guardian are preparing for a final assault on the retreating enemies.
Tempest: (The weapon is set. All that is needed to fire it. Let me do it this time, Guardian.)
Guardian: (Alright, its your turn then.)
Tempest: (Get ready to eat these bullets Sirens.)
Siren Captain: Are we out of range?
Siren: It seems so, Captain.
Siren Captain: Well, that's good the-
CLICK CLICK CLANK
Siren Captain: Did you hear that?
Siren: Hear what?
Guardian: (FIRE.)
Sirens: OH NOT AGAIN.
The machine guns fire which its sound roaring through the sky as the retreating Siren ships get picked off one by one. The sounds heard from miles away as the ship girls can't speak but only remain in awe as they witness the Sirens get eliminated in full view. The ship girl representatives could only watch in amazement as they did not expect a battle to end so quickly. Still, they could not make out who was helping them achieve an unexpected victory.
Guardian: (Well, that does it. The Sirens are gone and no prisoners it seems.)
Tempest: (Indeed. Just lots of smoke and wreckage ahead, so what do we do now?)
Guardian: (We go through the smoke and the wreckage back to port making a good entrance, am I right?)
Tempest: (Agreed, though I'm sure we're gonna get an earful from the girls about our sudden leave of absence especially Enterprise to apologize about the event and all.)
Guardian: (Why do you keep talking about her? We only started knowing her.)
Tempest: (Oh, just out of curiosity Guardian.)
Guardian: (Whatever, let's go. We don't want to keep them waiting for us.)
Tempest: (Sure thing. Let me just double check the guns.)
As Guardian went off to the front of the ship, Tempest can't help but think to himself about Enterprise.
Tempest: (That girl, she resembles someone we know. Need to investigate further and I can't let him know about it either.)
Time skip
...
...
Azur lane dockyard, 5:00 pm,
The ship girls saw that the battle was over though some were still cautious about the whole situation. Enterprise and Prince of Wales decide to assess outside while the others eagerly wait in the commander's office for any news reported.
Belfast: It seems the battle is over though we did next to nothing to achieve such an unexpected victory.
Akagi: 12 Siren cruisers taken down by an unknown force in just a few minutes. I have never seen anything like this.
Bismarck: Enterprise and Prince of Wales are gonna report back to us once they know what happened though I do somewhat believe that this is the work of the commander.
Belfast: Yes, that is very likely. We've seen how advanced master's ship was compared to ours. I just hope nothing bad happens to him and he's definitely gonna get an earful from me.
Bismarck: (Oh, how wonderful to see him again after achieving such quick victory. What should I give him this time?)
Prince Eugen who has just returned from her mission sees Bismarck being overjoyed and so she now can't help but think of new ways to tease her with the commander.
Prince Eugen: Alright, come on then. Let's all go wait for him outside. He is the true savior after all. First person to get there wins.
Bismarck: Hey, not so fast. Wait for me, Eugen.
Belfast: I'm going to make ice tea for my master so Akagi go on ahead.
Akagi: B-but
Belfast: I know that you have been wanting to talk more with Master so go get your chance.
Akagi: Alright, see ya Belfast.
...
Time is 5:30 pm, Azur lane port,
All the ship girls have gathered including the faction representatives and are now waiting for the commander to arrive. 30 minutes have passed and there's still no sign of him or his ship. Some of them are starting to feel uneasy like Bismarck and Enterprise.
Enterprise: Why is he taking so long? The battle is already over, the Sirens have all been eliminated so he should be here already.
Bismarck: Could it be that he is just checking for any Siren survivors or anything in the area? It should not take this long though.
Cleveland: Guardian tends to take a while doing this routine. After he completes his mission, Guardian would survey the area surrounding him checking for anything that he might have left out or any suspicious movements on the radar. Don't worry, he'll be coming home.
Belfast: Home?
Cleveland: I-I-I mean he'll be coming back soon. hehe
Just then, a signal flare rose up from the horizon indicating a sign. Prinz Eugen prepares her rigging and decides to go have a look and saw what she and the others wanted to see. A ship breaking through the Siren wreckage out from the smoke and on top of the ship is the commander heading to shore.
Prinz Eugen: Everyone, I found the commander and I'm gonna escort him back to-
Guardian: I'm afraid that's not going to happen, Eugen.
Prinz Eugen: W-what? What do you mean?
Guardian: I have detected a distress signal 15 miles North of here so I'm going to check it out. Sorry but you and the others will have to wait a little longer, hope you're not disappointed in me.
Prinz Eugen: Oh? How about coming back to base first then you can resupply and head off if you want maybe say a few words before you leave.
Guardian: I can't do that. I'm sorry but I have to go because you never know what could happen if I'm just a little late. Someone could be in danger and I need to be there. I hope you're not upset with me.
Prinz Eugen: Of course not. You are our commander after all so you should do what's necessary. Bismarck and the others will still be waiting for you so don't take too long as it's not good for us ladies to be waiting.
Guardian: I'll get back as soon as I'm done with this so then I'm off. Oh by the way, send this letter to the rest and you can read this yourself later as well.
Prinz Eugen: Alright, I will deliver this letter to them. See you later, commander and have a safe trip. (Don't keep me waiting.)
Guardian and Tempest set sail to the location while Prinz Eugen heads back to the base to bring the news. She looks at them one last time before leaving and smiles.
...
Azur lane Dockyard, Time is 6:00 pm,
Prince of Wales: Look, Tempest is turning away from shore. What does this mean? You seeing this, guys?
Kaga: Yeah. The commander is not coming back. What could have happened? The smoke and the wreckage seems to have died down though.
Cleveland: Look, I see Prinz Eugen. Let's ask her about the status.
All the girls went to Prinz Eugen to hear from her about the commander only to see her looking pale.
Belfast: Welcome back Eugen, how are you doing?
Prinz Eugen: ...
Belfast: You look pale, are you alright? By the way, where is master? Is he not with you?
Prinz Eugen: B-Belfast...
Worried, Belfast shook her and asked what was wrong but Prinz didn't answer and kept her head facing downwards. Belfast then realized that she's holding a letter of some sort and decides to read it. The other girls followed.
The letter says,
"Dear Ship girls,
I apologize ahead for not coming back to base even when you are all waiting for me. I received a distress signal far into the sea and I am going to check it out. I am aware that there will be more Sirens lying in wait but I can't come back knowing that there may be a call for help somewhere. I advise you as your commander to use the funds which I have stored in my savings account at your disposal to improve the base in its entirety. I will not say who should lead Azur lane temporarily while I'm gone as this is a decision which should be made amongst you all. Don't be too worried about me especially the one who first read this letter. (I'm talking to you Eugen.)
I hope that things will go well despite my absence and hopefully I can return soon.
Best Regards
Guardian."
Belfast: Oh, Master.
Prinz Eugen: I'm sorry everyone. I could not bring him back. I wish I could but he just wanted to go.
Bismarck: We understand Eugen. The commander has a duty and his duty is to protect us and any others who aside from us might be in danger. Though of course, I wasn't expecting something like this.
Cleveland: Oh no, commander. (Cleveland starts crying)
Enterprise: Cleveland, what is wrong?
Cleveland: He's leaving for a dangerous mission again. *sob* I'm so worried about him. *sob*
Prinz Eugen: Well, he did say in the letter that he will try and come back soon so for now we just do what we can to go on with our lives and improve the base with the funds like he said. So don't worry too much, he'll be back, I know it.
Enterprise: Yeah, hope so.
Prinz Eugen: Oh by the way, as a side note the commander apologizes for making you upset before and he really wanted to impress you but couldn't do so again so he promised that he will make it up to you when he gets back.
Enterprise: I-It's fine really. I'm not mad at him anymore. I just wish he could be here, that's all.
Belfast: Well then, lets all head inside. Cleveland and Prinz Eugen. Can you round up the rest of the girls here and take them back to their dorms? We'll brief them about what happened tomorrow morning.
Cleveland and Eugen: Alright. (They leave to do their duties.)
Belfast: Come on then, lets go inside.
As the group heads back in, Belfast then turns towards the sea and whispers something which no one could hear.
Belfast: Master... Be safe.
...
Chapter End.
NEXT CHAPTER - RESCUE MISSION
...
To anyone who might be reading this, I humbly apologize for taking so long for a new chapter to arrive on here. I have been very busy lately with my university studies, family work and I have been of course doing a lot of gaming recently for which I'm sorry as well. I am trying to manage my time wisely but at times the schedule of myself tends to fall out instead. I hope that you all understand and I hope to see you all in the next chapter and like I said before, I will continue writing this and post more chapters when I can.
Thank you.