He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire.
-Psalm 46:9
---
Does the color of the sky mean anything special to you? It does to me. A hell of a lot. When I close my eyes, the sky in my dreams... is a deep, dark blue.
It was the year 2005. I was still 7 at the time. The year where those damn Sirens appeared and started invading, pushing back the humanity out of the oceans.
You know why the Sirens didn't managed to reach inland? It's because of the railguns they called 'Stonehenge'. Their original purpose was to shoot down the incoming asteroid fragments, but what kills asteroids now kills assholes.
Pilots've been in my family for four generations. Flying's in my DNA. Even so, my Grandpa didn't want me to join the Air Force. He lost faith of the USAF the day Katherine, my older sister, died in the battle in order to liberate Hawaii.
I still remember the name of that mission; Operation Angel Wings. It was a successful mission, though not without many sacrifices, and my sister was among them.
It nearly broke me when the news reached me. Katherine was a good sister of mine, and I loved her so much. She and Gramps were the only ones I've got left. My mother died when she gave birth to me, and my father died due to cancer before I even came into this world.
"Y'know, (Y/n)..." A voice called out to me. I paused the flight game I was playing on my PS2 and looked at where the voice came from, which belongs to my Grandpa. He was also a former USAF pilot. I always like listening to his stories about flying in the air. "I wish you could see what it's like up there. Cruising above the clouds. The dark blue of the stratosphere. Nothing beats being at the controls while seeing it from the cockpit. Look here..."
Gramps tossed a magazine over to me with an article. I picked it up. "Unmanned fighters are no longer a dream", it read. "Pilots taking to the skies will be a distant memory".
I clicked my tongue in annoyance. "Bullshit. I don't see anything good coming from that."
I scoffed and handed the magazine to Gramps. I decided to go out to take some fresh air, and that's when I saw it.
A prototype drone, flying above in a moderate speed.
It wasn't much of a plane, more like a trash can with wings.
"Laugh at it all you want, kid." Gramps said to me, approaching me with a look of sadness on his face. "But technology's always changing. If you don't keep up with it, it'll leave your ass behind."
"I know that, Gramps. No need to remind me of that." I replied.
I glanced at the drone fly away over to the horizon, its figure slowly getting smaller over time.
---
Northern Parliament Base
700 Miles North of Russia
1033 Hours
The cold winds of the north continued to blow ferociously, causing the snow to be blown roughly to the ground or towards the sea.
On the hallways of the Northern Parliament base, a white-haired woman was walking in a moderate pace, the heels of her footwear clicking against the hard floor.
The said woman wore a rather large white coat with thick white fur on each shoulder, a white uniform that had gold buttons and gold trimmings which emphasized her curves, a black outfit paired with black leggings underdeath, a black belt with gold strips with a silver star, and a cylinder-like hat. It was Sovetskaya Rossiya, a Sovetsky Soyuz-class battleship and the leader of Northern Parliament.
"Rossiya." Someone called out from behind her.
The stoic woman from behind Rossiya wore a clothing closely similar to hers, but slight differences such as the black star-like insignia imprinted on her uniform and the cuffs with chains on each of her wrists. Her eyes were as blue as the sky in summer season, and her most notable features were her white eyelashes.
Rossiya turned around to meet who called her. "Oh, сестра Soyuz."
The woman now known as Soyuz walked closer to Rossiya. "What's your plan to counter Omitter?"
"...I don't have a concrete plan to counter her. She still poses a greater threat to us and our allies." Rossiya said. "However, I did consider getting help from our comrades in Azur Lane. Crimson Axis rejoined Azur Lane, thanks to their Commander."
Soyuz nodded slightly. "I see."
"They didn't answer yet. I'm still waiting for their response." Rossiya added. "We could've handled this alone, but Russia can't deploy their sea and air forces here in the north even if they want to due to the threat of Omitter. They can't risk it."
"Azur Lane will answer. Trust me." Soyuz reassured with a slight smile.
Soyuz gave her sister some gentle pats on the shoulder before she walked away. Rossiya gave a sigh and glance at the window, watching the snow getting blown harshly by the wind.
'I hope they will...' Rossiya said in her thoughts.
---
Midway Atoll
Briefing Room
1112 Hours
"The invading Siren force have been successfully repelled. No pilots have been shot down, and we didn't suffer any casualties on each task force. Although we did recived some damaged planes, the pilots were safe and sound. Good job." (Y/n) stated with a proud smile.
"Hoorah!" The shipgirls and pilots on the room began to clap and cheer joyfully at the good news.
"Alright, settle down." (Y/n) went on, as the uproar slowly died down. It was silent minutes later, giving him a chance to continue. "The Sirens were wiped out, thanks to the shipgirls and brave knights of the skies. You all deserve a rest and a drink in the bar. Dismissed."
And with that, they all stood and saluted as they exited the room with big smiles on their faces. Their voices of celebration slowly died down, until it was only silence that was left.
Now left alone, (Y/n) picked up his phone and dialed David's number.
In a few seconds, the call was immdiately answered. "David North here."
"Hey, David. Sorry to disturb, but I need you to check on something if that doesn't take much up of your time." (Y/n) said.
"It's fine. I'm not that busy." David assured.
"I want you to do some background checks on 'Rage' and 'Scream'." He added.
" 'Rage' and 'Scream'?" The analyst confusingly repeated. "Sounds familiar..."
"When we were fighting the Sirens that were trying to invade Midway, I encountered the damn bats. They tried to kill me, but it ended up on me crippling them instead of them shooting me down." The Ribbon Fighter explained. "Both were flying Su-47s. I was wondering on how they got those."
"Wait, it really sounds familiar but I can't put my finger on it. Let me check on the files." David said as the sound of the computer keyboard clicks could be heard. After a few moments, he continued. "There. I found it."
(Y/n) perked up. "What does it say?"
"According to the files... this 'Rage' and 'Scream' both came from Ukraine. No one knows what's their real name, though. They are wanted by the Ukraine, US, and Russian Government because they soon found out their allegiance with the Sirens." David stated.
"I knew it. They were allies with the Sirens..." (Y/n) said in anger.
"It also said in the file that they managed to steal their Su-47s from Russia and escaped, though they were almost shot down in the process. After that, the Russian Government alerted all countries to look out for these two." David went on. "Remember the Attack on Jayapura back on 2013?"
"Uh huh?" (Y/n) said.
"Apparently, the Russian pilots stationed there encountered the two. Rage and Scream didn't shot down any Russian aircraft, but they managed to cripple several, without them being damaged." David pressed futher. "The attack failed, though many civilian lives were lost due to the Siren aircraft shot down crashing on civilian infrastructures."
(Y/n) gave out a sigh. "...I see."
"That's all the information we know for now. I'll report your encounter with them back to ISAF and to the Russians. Have a good day, Commander." David bid his farewell and ended the call.
"Commander." Enterprise entered the room and approached him. She handed out a paper to him. "We recieved a message from the Northern Parliament. They're requesting reinforcements."
"What's going on? Russia didn't send forces to support them?" He pondered, accepting the paper as he read the contents carefully. "High-class Siren 'Omitter'... That's why. They can't send in modern ships even if they're heavily armed. It's too risky."
"So, what's your plan, Commander?" Enterprise added.
(Y/n) looked down and scratched his chin. After a thoughful pause, he spoke. "We'll help them, of course. I'll bring in few ships from Task Force Osea. Tell them to be ready. We'll be leaving tomorrow. We need to hurry up."
Enterprise nodded. "Very well. I'll tell the Russians and Northern forces that we'll come to aid."
---
The Next Day...
Razgriz Straits
500 Miles North Of Russia
0933 Hours
August 1, 2019
The ships who were chosen to come were destroyers Laffey, Javelin, Z23, and Ayanami, cruisers Prinz Eugen, Atago, Takao, Cleveland, Columbia, Montpelier, and Denver, battleships Monarch and Bismarck, and carriers Enterprise, Hornet, Akagi, and Kaga.
The task force - codenamed Peacekeepers - was not expecting an easy voyage, knowing that the Sirens on the north are different and much stronger than the Sirens on the pacific. It was said on the intel that the Sirens in the north possessed heavier and more powerful weaponry than those in the Pacific.
"I'm getting chills. This northern sea is where the Demon of Razgriz came from." Mobius 2 said.
"You've read the story, too?" Mobius 13 asked.
"Yeah, all of us do." Mobius 9 interjected. "I remember, my Grandma used to tell me bedtime stories about it. And everytime she did, I'd be too scared to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night."
"Huh. We're on the same boat then." Mobius 13 laughed lightly.
"This is AWACS Sky Eye to all units. We've detected Siren ships and aircraft coming towards your fleet. Stay alert." Sky Eye warned.
"Roger that." (Y/n) said and prepared for combat. "All ships, stay on your course. We'll take care of this."
"Jawohl, Kommandant." Bismarck acknowledged.
Several red blips soon appeared on the radar, all coming from the northeast; six cruisers, five destroyers, and two carriers.
"They must be a scout fleet..." Mobius 3 thought aloud.
"Not too bad, but they could still pose a threat if not taken care of." (Y/n) chimed in. "They could call in reinforcements and hinder out our mission. Mobius 2, 3, and 4, on me. The rest will stay with the fleet just in case some Sirens tries to sneak in."
"Roger that, flight lead." The whole Mobius Squadron responded simultaneously.
(Y/n) and the mentioned squadron members broke away from the formation, while those who were ordered to stay remained on their position.
After getting close enough to the enemy fleet, they noticed the glowing neon blue outlines on the hulls of the Siren ships.
"Woah..." Mobius 4 muttered in surprise.
"Hey, look, I can see some humanoid Sirens. They look different from those in the Pacific as well." Mobius 3 said.
"There's no time to ponder about that. We need to take them out." (Y/n) ordered. "Take the escorts out. I'll focus on the carriers and humanoids."
"Wilco."
"Alright."
"Roger that."
They broke their formation and swooped in to pick on the juicy targets below. Before they could get close, they were greeted with laser and plasma bombardment way quicker than they had expected.
Mobius 2 grunted from the G's as he maneuvered his plane, barely dodging the lasers that were coming on his way. "Shit, that was damn quick!"
"You're telling me!" Mobius 3 added.
"Stop complaining, and shoot!" (Y/n) shouted and dove to where the carriers were. He locked onto the two carriers and fired a volley of missiles, hitting the bridge directly before it could even get a chance to launch fighters.
"Enemy carriers, sunk." Sky Eye reported. "Still sharp as ever, huh?"
Now that the main threat has been taken out, (Y/n) scanned the area for humanoid Sirens; they were in some of the cruisers and destroyers, which means he simply have to target the ships they were in.
"Let's mop 'em quick and go out for a bottle of vodka when we arrive." Mobius 4 said.
(Y/n) went in for an Immelmann turn before diving back down, plasma rounds almost grazing the belly of his aircraft. He carefully aimed his sights on the humanoid Sirens on the deck of a cruiser and fired a burst of machine guns, tearing their bodies apart. He finished the ship off with a pair of missiles.
The missile alert blasted. He looked on his radar and caught the image of a single Siren jet. It managed to take off before the carrier it was in was destroyed.
(Y/n) simply hit the brakes and rolled over, letting the Siren jet fly by. He gave chase to it and took the jet down with a Sidewinder.
(Y/n) lowered his altitude and targeted a pair of Siren destroyers nearby, getting a lock as four missiles were launched from the pods, two missiles going in for each ship. The destroyers were both hit on the weak points as fire and smoke began to list in.
"Enemy cruisers, sunk." Sky Eye commented.
"Hey, flight lead! Leave some for us, will ya?" Mobius 3 called out.
"Roger that." He climbed up before diving back down, taking out another pair of destroyers with missiles, severely damaging their hulls, rendering them useless.
Mobius 2, 3, and 4 finished off the remaining cruisers with anti-ship missiles. The cruisers exploded, their remains slowly going to the bottom of the sea.
"All hostile ships have been destroyed. Nice work." Sky Eye priased.
"Alright, good job, ladies. Let's go back to the fleet." (Y/n) ordered.
(Y/n) gained altitude, his wingmen following after him. They all soon joined back with the fleet and continued their journey. The Mobius Squadron were having small talks about their girlfriends and families then and there, while the Ribbon Fighter simply listened silently.
---
Northern Parliament Base
700 Miles North of Russia
1111 Hours
Task Force Peacekeepers didn't encounter any Sirens after the scout fleet was sunk by the Mobius Squadron, and the rest of the journey was calm and silent.
The shipgirls had docked their ships on the avilable spaces in the port, while the Mobius Squadron landed on a runway which was conveniently built near the harbor.
Near the runway, Soyuz and Rossiya had been waiting for them to arrive. Among them was also a white haired woman wearing the same uniform as Soyuz and Rossiya, though it showed a considerable amount of cleveage. She wore black stockings, black shoes with black feathers, white cape with feathers on each shoulder and a white hat with gold trimmings. It was Gangut, the lead ship of her class.
They all watched as the Raptors with ribbon insignias taxied on the nearby hangars. After a few minutes, each pilot had got out from the hangars and walked towards them.
(Y/n) held out his hand. "I'm (Y/n) (L/n), Commander of Azur Lane. I'm sorry we're a bit late. We encountered some Sirens along the way but we took care of them."
Soyuz shook his hand. "I understand, comrade Commander. I'm Sovetsky Soyuz. It's an honor to meet the Ribbon Fighter himself. The tall one behind me is Rossiya, my sister, and the one who has a big bust is Gangut."
"Heya!" Gangut waved her hand. "Want to have some vodka?"
"Maybe later, Gangut, thanks. Nice to meet you all, by the way." (Y/n) smiled. There was something off, though. Soyuz was still grasping his hand. "Um... You can let go of my hand now, Soyuz."
"A-Ah..." Soyuz flushed and quickly withdraw her hand. "I apologize."
Gangut smirked and was about to speak up, but she felt a killing intent directed towards her, promtping the vodka enthusiast to hide behind Rossiya.
"No, it's alright." (Y/n) assured and looked behind them. "Oh, there they are."
The Northern Parliament ships turned around and saw the rest of the task force walking towards them.
"Greetings, comrades of Azur Lane." Rossiya greeted.
"Hello." Enterprise greeted back. Behind her was a shivering Hornet, covering herself with her black coat, though it didn't gave her more warmth.
"C-C-C-Cold..." Hornet managed to sputter out. "C-Can w-we get i-inside a-a-already? I-It's too c-cold!"
"Well, it's your fault for wearing only a bra and shorts." Monarch pointed out, not even bothered by the cold while the others wore winter clothing, except with Akagi and Kaga who simply wrapped their tails around their bodies.
"P-Point taken..." Hornet conceded.
'...Is that why Shangri-la calls her "Miss Cowgirl"?' Enterprise thought with a sweatdrop.
---
Northern Parliament Base
Meeting Room
1140 Hours
Right now, (Y/n), Soyuz, Rossiya, Enterprise, and Monarch were standing around a large round table with a map on the center. In the said map was the whole Russian continent, a zoomed in map of Northern Parliament on the side, and a picture of a Siren stronghold below.
"As you can see here, this is a Siren stronghold located 1500km away from our base, which is dangerously close." Soyuz started the meeting. "This is where the high-class Siren 'Omitter' is hiding. As much as we want to attack the stronghold ourselves, we couldn't get close."
"Why?" (Y/n) questioned.
"It's because the stronghold will activate its defense systems when any allied ship came in contact within 4500m radius." Rossiya explained.
"I see." (Y/n) nodded. "I've read the files about this 'Omitter'. She had a teenage physique, shark rigging, and questionable sanity."
"Da, I agree with you, comrade Commander." Rossiya said. "When we encountered her, she seemed like a playful child. When we damaged her enough, she went completey berserk, forcing us to retreat."
"The Sirens around the stronghold are mostly composed of humanoid Sirens, but they also have mass-produced destroyers, cruisers, battleships, and carriers." Soyuz added.
"Hmm..." (Y/n) placed his hand on his chin and began to formulate a plan. "How many of you are still recovering?"
"All of us are combat ready." Rossiya said.
"I see." (Y/n) nodded. "Then here's my plan. Battleships will focus on the carriers to ensure air superiority around the perimeter, while also providing long-ranged support for the vanguard ships. Light ruisers will be on anti-air combat, heavy cruisers will be assigned to take out the opposing cruisers, and destroyers will go and sink the enemy ships using their torpedoes. Mobius Squadron will take care of the jets, but we will provide anti-ship combat for you. Make sure to bring some AP shells, by the way."
Rossiya nodded. "I understand your plan."
"If you do came across with Omitter, then disengage quickly and report back to me. I'll take care of her." (Y/n) declared. "Alright, dismissed. You guys can take a rest. I'm gonna take a chow first. I'm hungry."
"Then let's go to the bar. Shall we, comrade?" Soyuz offered.
"Alright, to the bar it is." (Y/n) said and walked towards the door.
He gently pushed it open and walked outside, the shipgirls following after him. Their shoes clicked on the surface as they walked silently, causing the atmosphere to become awkward within a second.
Soyuz would occasionally glance at the Ribbon Fighter, trying to examine him and extract anything but gained nothing.
'Jesus Christ... If the Sirens couldn't kill me, then her stare might...' (Y/n) nervously thought, but his face still showed a calm expression. At times like this, he would ask if something was wrong but decided against it as to not accidentally offend her.
Monarch took out her notebook and added Soyuz' name under Bismarck's. 'And, another one...'
Curious on what Monarch is doing, Enterprise and Bismarck took a peek on the notebook and noticed a long list of names on it; New Jersey, Belfast, Wales, King George V, Himari Yuzuki, Kaori Foulke, Enterprise, Bismarck, Rossiya, and Soyuz.
"What is that list for?" Enterprise asked. "Why is my name on it?"
"...Nothing you should worry about." Monarch slowly put the notebook back on the inside pocket of her jacket.
A few minutes later, the group had finally arrived on the bar. (Y/n) held out his hand and catched a shoe, presumably from one of the Mobius Squadron members.
The scene in front of them was not surprising - shipgirls from the task force were having a game of pool on the other side of the room, others were drunk with the other Northern Parliament ships, while one pilot was quietly reading a book.
On a table nearby, Atago was pampering the Laffey and Ayanami, much to Laffey's enjoyment and Ayanami's dismay. Javelin and Z23 managed to escape Atago's grasp and did their best to stay away from her as not to get molested.
"...This is fine." (Y/n) said calmly, watching as shit went down in the bar.
"Is your squadron always like that?" Monarch pondered.
(Y/n) sighed and threw the shoe he was holding back to where it came from. "You'll get used to it."
---
The Next Day...
Siren Stronghold
1500 Kilometers From Northern Parliament
August 2, 2019
1000 Hours
The day of the raid on the Siren stronghold had finally arrived on their doorsteps. Everyone was prepared, yet some of them were anxious about the mission.
The cold winds blew on them continuously, but they maneuvered their aircraft to stabilize themselves. They couldn't let a simple gust of wind hinder them from doing their mission, codenamed 'Operation: Crossbow'.
Mobius Squadron soared above the coalition fleet, the familiar roaring of the twin engines of their Raptors feeling against their own chests as they neared the stronghold.
"Alright, this mission is gonna be risky, but I know you guys can do it." (Y/n) spoke through the comms. "We're gonna hit 'em hard and fast, got it?""
"Loud and clear, flight lead." Mobius 4 responded. After a pause, he continued. "Hey, how about some friendly competition? I'll throw a prize on who gets the top score. I've got three-hundred bucks on my pocket. One with the highest score gets the money, plus everyone will give fifty dollars as a bonus, so you've got a total of seven-fifty bucks. Y'all in?"
Mobius 3 chuckled. "Eh, why not? I could use the money to buy an engagement ring for my girlfriend in Germany."
"Our top ace will already get that seven fifty." Mobius 13 interjected.
"Nah, I'll sit this one out." (Y/n) declared, much to their surprise (and relief if we're being honest here). "You guys can have this one."
"But, if you're out, then the prize will only become seven-hundred bucks." Mobius 5 said.
"I'm still gonna give my fifty- no, one-hundred bucks, so don't worry. (Y/n) assured. "Consider it as a gift for your efforts."
"Yes! Eight-hundred bucks!" Almost the entirety of Mobius Squadron screamed in delight.
"You know, I've heard stories about you, comrade Commander." Rossiya chimed in. "They say you've got what it takes to win."
"That's what they've always say." (Y/n) said.
"Alright, that's enough chatter." Their AWACS, Sky Eye, intervened on their conversation. "You are approaching the danger zone. Current distance: 250 kilometers. Stay frosty."
"Roger that, Sky Eye." (Y/n) replied. "Don't try anything stupid and get shot down. Nobody wants to bail out in a cold water."
"That's easy for you to say." Mobius 6 chuckled. "We're counting on you, flight lead."
They continued to fly at cruising speed, steeling themselves for what's to come. The Ribbon Fighter could hear someone praying over the comms in Latin language, but he didn't disturbed him and lets him pray.
"90 kilometers." Sky Eye reported.
...
"60."
...
"30."
...
"Now! All units, engage!" Sky Eye shouted.
"Alright, here we go! Do it with a bang!" (Y/n) declared.
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Word Count: 4138 Words