"Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way."
-General George S. Patton
---
[(A/N): I'm back from the grave, baby!]
The Next Day...
Iris Orthodoxy Basilica
Airfield
August 15, 2019
0800 Hours
A white Kawasaki C-2 transport plane with the rose emblem on its tail landed in the tarmac, taxiing shortly after its touchdown. The escorting F-35B Lightning II's used their VTOL system and landed nearby, waiting for the transport plane to take off again.
The door of the transport plane slid downwards moments later, which happens to have a ladder attached to it. Emma Schnee, the representative of ISAF herself, soon got out of the plane as five other security personnel followed after her.
She and her guards approached (Y/n) and Princess Rosa herself, who were waiting for their arrival on a nearby hangar alongside Monarch, Enterprise, Bismarck, Richelieu, and the entirety of Strider Squadron.
"Guten tag, Kommandant." Emma greeted.
"Hello." (Y/n) casually greeted back.
Emma then turned to the princess, and placed her right hand to her chest and bowed a bit. "Guten tag, princess."
Rosa bowed a bit as well. "Good morning as well, Emma."
Emma looked back towards (Y/n). "I thank your efforts for rescuing the princess, Kommandant."
"Not just me. My fleet and Strider Squadron did their work as well." (Y/n) replied.
"Of course." Emma nodded. "You can now take a break, Kommandant. We'll update you if the Sirens are on the move again. As for Strider Squadron, they're getting reassigned to Germany."
(Y/n) hummed in response. "Got it."
"Let's go, Princess." Emma said to Rosa.
Rosa nodded. Before she left, she walked towards the Ribbon Fighter and hugged him, completely catching him off-guard. "Thank you."
Unsure of what to do, (Y/n) just gently patted her back. "No worries."
Rosa broke the hug seconds later and followed after Emma as they walked back towards the plane. The princess waved her hand to say goodbye one last time, before she finally boarded the plane.
The Kawasaki C-2 took off from the airfield moments later. The escorting F-35B's took off after the transport plane and flew beside it, guarding all sides of the plane. (Y/n) and the others watched as the planes flew towards the horizon, getting smaller and smaller until they couldn't see them.
(Y/n) turned back towards the group, then looked at Strider Squadron, Richelieu and Jean Bart. "I believe this is where we go our separate ways."
"May the God be with you, Le Commandant. May he protect you upon your battles." Richelieu bid her farewell.
"Good luck, (Y/n)." Count went after.
"You didn't forgot that I'm still your disciple, right?" Cassandra asked.
"Yeah, yeah." (Y/n) shook his head and gave a chuckle.
"If you need us, give us a call." Húxiān said.
(Y/n) nodded. "Will do. Oh, and, give my regards to your son, Jaeger."
"Of course." Jaeger smiled.
"I may be not showing my true feelings, but... thank you for helping us. I really appreciate it." Jean Bart followed.
"No sweat." (Y/n) said. He then turned towards his fleet. "You guys ready to go?"
"Always." Enterprise answered.
(Y/n) smiled. "Good, now let's move."
(Y/n) and the other pilots then walked towards their respective hangar, while the shipgirls walked to the docks, with the exception of Richelieu and Jean Bart. Minutes later, the two French kansens heared the jet engines getting louder and louder, as (Y/n)'s Raptor taxied out of the hangar, with the Strider Squadron's F-15's following after.
The Ribbon Fighter gave a final salute to the two shipgirls, with Richelieu replying with a small wave. After some flight checks, the pilots accelerated on the runway and took off towards the sky. (Y/n) soon broke off to the left, while Strider Squadron went to the right.
"Let's go, sister." Jean Bart said, completely surprising Richelieu.
Richelieu was about to speak, but she simply smiled and walked with Jean Bart back to the Basilica. In her mind, Richelieu thanked (Y/n) for helping her get closer to Jean Bart. They may have different ideologies, but in the end, they're still sisters.
---
The Next Day...
Azur Lane Base
Commander's Office
August 16, 2019
0730 Hours
(Y/n) had finally got a good night's sleep without problems whatsoever, improving his mood. Right now, he was currently checking on reports about the transfered troops in the base, with Monarch on the opposite table, and Belfast behind him, as usual.
(Y/n) nodded after reading no issues on the reports, satisfied that the base could hold on itself just fine even without him for a few days. He then went to the shipgirl's reports, and even getting wierd requests.
"Albacore requesting to be Taihou's roomate..." He mumbled. "Denied - that would be a disaster. Next... From Portland, huh? Requesting to print posters of Indianapolis... Denied. Phoenix wanting to burn herself to see if she would actually become a phoenix? What the- automatic no. What the hell is with these requests?"
"Just get used to it, Master. You will see those kind of requests every now and then." Belfast remarked. "That said, I request on making a-"
"No." (Y/n) cut her off, and didn't bother glancing at her. "I will not allow you to cook a damn cake with fish heads sticking out on top."
Monarch looked at Belfast with a perplexed look on her face. "Seriously?"
"Yes." Belfast admitted. "It was by Her Majesty's orders. She even drank a tomato juice offered by a shipgirl when she was having a visit with Miss Nagato."
"Jesus Christ..." (Y/n) mumbled.
"She has problems." Monarch added.
*knock* *knock*
"Come in!" (Y/n) called out.
The door opened afterwards, revealing Kurokawa who was holding papers on her hands, presumambly battle reports or some other stuff. "Good morning."
"Good morning to you, as well." (Y/n) greeted back. "I suppose those are battle reports?"
"Yes, and ISAF had sent fifty F-14 Tomcats and thirty A-10 Thunderbolts while you were gone." Kurokawa continued. She then walked to the table and handed him the papers.
He accepted the papers. "Thank you. Oh, and, can you please check the ground forces for me?"
"Will do, Shikikan." Kurokawa saluted before she left the room, gently closing the door behind her.
(Y/n) proceeded to check the papers, reading them one by one before putting them with the finished paperworks.
He stood up and stretched his body. "Alright, everything's done, yes?"
"Yes." Monarch said.
(Y/n) nodded. "Good. Now, let's have some fun, shall we?"
---
Azur Lane Base
Beach
0900 Hours
(Y/n) jumped and smacked the volleyball to the other side. Another score for his team. The opposite team, which consisted of five shipgirls - Javelin, Ayanami, Atago, Hornet, and Enterprise, felt themselves getting overwhelmed after seeing their score against the other team.
Meanwhile, (Y/n) is with Eugen, Akagi, Cleveland, and Baltimore. (Y/n) and Baltimore were the ones who turned the tide of the game, stacking the odds against the opposite team. Not surprising, considering that Baltimore is one of the athletic shipgirls present in the base.
Watching on the sidelines were the other shipgirls and some German soldiers and Royal Marines, cheering on both teams as loud as they could, all waiting for the outcome of the game (though it's obvious that (Y/n)'s group was on the winning side).
(Y/n) looked at his watch before clapping his hands loudly. "Let's go, ladies!"
"Geez, hold back a little, Commander!" Hornet grumbled.
"Bruh. You're the one who told me not to hold back on you!" (Y/n) exclaimed.
"That's because we didn't expect you to be this good at volleyball!" Hornet argued. "I thought we have the high ground!"
"That's your mistake, Hornet." (Y/n) said with a smirk, infuriating the blonde carrier. "Don't underestimate my power."
"Grrr..." Hornet growled.
"Calm down, Hornet." Enterprise interjected with a sweatdrop.
It was now Baltimore's turn to serve. She walked on the far back of the lineup with the volleyball on her hand. She took a few steps back before running forward and jumped, smacking the ball to the other side afterwards.
"I got it!" Hornet quickly dove and deflected the ball, causing it to bounce upwards.
Javelin rushed in as the ball fall back down, seemingly preparing for a spike. She hopped and striked the ball hard back to (Y/n)'s team, but it was bloked by the Ribbon Fighter himself, who easily saw the obvious move. The crowd erupted in cheers again.
"Not bad, Kommandant." Eugen commended with a small smile, though she was looking more at his muscular body rather than focusing on the game.
"I'm sorry!" Javelin apologized to her group.
"Don't worry about it." Enterprise reassured.
"Damn it..." Hornet mumbled. "It's already 14-5. The last will be the winning point..."
"You're quite the entertainer, but the show's over with this next strike." (Y/n)'s expression became sersious as he cracked his knuckles, while an aura of determination seeped out from him, causing everyone in the playground to shiver. "Let's go."
"Ara~ It seems like Big Sis need to get more serious..." Atago giggled.
This time, it was Ayanami's turn to serve the ball. Much like Baltimore did earlier, she took a few steps back before running forward and smacked the ball to the opposite team.
Cleveland moved to the side and blocked the attack, passing the ball to Akagi. The kitsune saw the ball coming towards her, and used her fingers to set the ball.
"Take this!" Cleveland went in and slammed the ball back to Hornet's team.
Not wanting to lose the match, Hornet dove in and deflected the ball. However, instead of bouncing back to (Y/n)'s team just like she intended to, it instead went to the side. "Shit!"
"Language!" Cleveland shouted.
Fortunately for Hornet, Atago was on the side where the ball was going at, and used her arm to smack the ball back to their court.
Enterprise leaped in and spiked the ball, but Eugen was quick enough as she went in and redirected the ball's direction upwards. Perfect.
Taking the chance, (Y/n) hopped in the air, looking for any open spots in a split second. After finding a wide open spot in the middle, he spiked the ball towards it, as the ball landed right on the spot he had set his sights on, ending the game. The crowd erupted into a cheer once again.
"I would've won easily if this was a video game..." Ayanami remarked.
---
On the sidelines, a certain grumbling capitalist cat handed two bags of gems to a smiling Monarch and a grinning Sheffield.
"Pleasure doing business with you." Sheffield remarked.
"I will get that gems back..." Akashi muttered.
---
"I want a rematch!" Hornet declared.
"I politely refuse." (Y/n) turned down the offer. "I still need to check on the newly arrived aircrafts. You can play with the others if you want. Have fun!"
And with that, (Y/n) left the beach as he went to the nearest restroom and changed on his flight suit. After changing into a more appropriate clothing, he went into his personal vehicle which was parked nearby and got inside.
As he slumped down onto the seat, he suddenly felt a gaze coming from behind him. He turned around, but saw no one upon scanning the surroundings. He simply shrugged it off and slammed the door, before starting the engine and drove away.
After making sure (Y/n) had gone far away, the stalker peeked out of the corner, who was soon revealed to be no other than the Grey Ghost herself, Enterprise.
"(Y/n)..." Enterprise mumbled his name.
---
Azur Lane Base
Training Grounds
1000 Hours
Sounds of gunfire and grenade blasts resonated throughout the training grounds, as American and German soldiers were training together, sharing their skills with each other to sharpen their prowess in the battlefield.
Some were training in marksmanship, the others on explosives - C4s, IEDs, RPGs, and many more, while the others were training in hand-to-hand combat, and the others were simply doing some physical excercises.
One German soldier was handling a M2 Browning, firing it at short bursts to increase accuracy. The Germans were used to handle the MG3 by firing short bursts because of its insanely high rate of fire, which causes the barrel to overheat more quickly than the M2.
"Hey, man!" An American soldier, who was a little far away, called out to the German, catching his attention. "Hold it down! It's a machine gun!"
The German laughed a bit and smiled brightly after hearing he can finally let loose. "Okay!"
And so, with the brightest and wholesome smile in the world, the German held down the trigger, firing the M2 without stopping and mowing down the target dummies as Erika loudly plays in the background.
Kurokawa was observing everything unfold from a distance just as ordered, recording the unfolding events in her notepad. After making sure that everything is running smoothly, she left the training grounds and proceeded to find (Y/n).
---
Azur Lane Base
Airfield
1020 Hours
"Hmm..." (Y/n) hummed lightly as he flipped another page of the clipboard he was holding, containing the information about the newly arrived A-10 Thunderbolts and F-14 Tomcats.
Tomcats are one of the most formidable fighters in history, but it is also known for being a maintenance nightmare. But, with Manjuus literally everywhere in the base, they don't have to worry about maintenance anymore. They could just give some instructions to them and they will get the job done.
(Y/n) nodded after throughly checking the documents, before turning his attention to the said aircrafts. F-14s and A-10s were lined up in an orderly fashion, all waiting to be taken to the wide, blue skies.
He approached one of the Tomcats and glided his hand along its structure, remembering his time at the Top Gun program, where pilots with exceptional abilities and tactical prowess were trained to sharpen their skills further.
(Y/n) was one of them - the top of his class, in fact. Second was Cipher, third was Blaze, and fourth was Talisman.
He also heard that Katherine was also the top student in her batch, according to his grandfather, who was also the top of his batch. Guess being a pilot really runs in the family.
The F-14 was his first aircraft, before he inherited his grandfather's F-22. The Tomcat was also the first aircraft he used when fought Morgan and Hugin. As far as he know, the Razgriz Squadron was the only current squadron who used the Tomcats thoughout their battles.
After some final checks, he walked back to his vehicle and was about to open the door, when he heard his name being called. He turned to where the voice came from, and saw Kurokawa jogging towards him, holding a notepad on her left.
As expected, Kurokawa saluted at him. "Sir!"
(Y/n) nodded. "At ease. Oh, and, please call me by my name when we're alone."
"If you say so, Shiki-" Kurokawa cuts off and clears her throat. "If you say so, (Y/n)."
"Well, moving on..." (Y/n) changed the topic. "I suppose there are no problems with the troops?"
"Everything's going smoothly, (Y/n)." Kurokawa reported.
"That's good." (Y/n) said.
Kurokawa glanced at the Tomcats, before looking back at him. "Interested on the Tomcats?"
(Y/n) patted the Tomcat. "As much as I want to fly one of these bad boys, I don't have a WSO."
"I see." Kurokawa nodded. "I heard they're planning to do some exercises tomorrow.
"You can take a break, Kurokawa. I know you're tired."
Kurokawa waved her hand. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine."
"I treat my suborditanes fairly, Kurokawa." (Y/n) insisted. "I know you're tired. Go get some rest, soldier. We're only human, after all."
And with that, (Y/n) walked away, leaving Kurokawa alone with the planes. The SDF officer once again observed him getting farther and farther, noticing herself getting more and more intrigued with him.
---
The Next Day...
Azur Lane Base
Commander's Office
August 17, 2019
0720 Hours
'...What the fuck is going on here?' (Y/n) said in his mind.
"Commander, pick me!" Akagi called out.
"Nein! Choose me, Kommandant!" Eugen shouted.
"As Master's personal maid, it should be me." Belfast argued calmly.
"Well, as his fianceé, it is I who should go with him." Monarch shot back.
"I-It's not like I came here to be chosen or anything..." Hipper mumbled.
Right now, shipgirls from different factions gathered without warning in the office, leaving little to no space to get through, making them look like sardines in a can.
"Will everybody calm down for a second?" (Y/n) asked calmly. However, the chatter didn't seem to die down, so he resorted to the second option; slamming the table.
*SLAM* *SLAM* *SLAM*
(Y/n) slammed his hand three times on the table. The loud table slamming was enough to silence the crowd as they looked at the Ribbon Fighter. Though he was showing a calm and collected expression, they could tell that he was annoyed.
"Alright, now that everybody had calmed down, will you please tell me what's going on? Why are you all suddenly bursting in my office tell me to choose you or something?" (Y/n) said.
"You didn't know?" Eugen asked.
(Y/n) shrugged. "How would I know? You tell me."
"Apparently, rumors have spread that you're looking for a 'Weapon Systems Officer' or a WSO, if that's what its called." Belfast explained. "As you can see, many were interested on applying for the role, including me."
(Y/n) was confused about the whole ordeal, until his conversation with Kurokawa about the Tomcats back on the airfield came into his mind. He sighed and dialed the intercoms. "Kurokawa, come to my office immediately. I repeat: Kurokawa, get your ass over here. Now."
A few moments later, a confused Kurokawa came in the office. She struggled to press through the dense crowd, but she managed to get out regardless.
"What seems to be the problem, Shikikan?" Kurokawa inquired.
"Are you the one who spread the rumor about the WSO thing?" (Y/n) questioned.
"Um... no." Kurokawa denied. "I simply asked a shipgirl if anyone is available to be your WSO, but I didn't expect that this many would want to volunteer. I'm sorry for the trouble it caused you, Shikikan."
(Y/n) sighed. "No, it's fine. Don't worry about it. You can leave now, Kurokawa. I'll handle this."
Taking the cue, Kurokawa did as told as she once again got through the dense crowd of shipgirls before getting out at the other end.
"Okay, so..." (Y/n) started. "About the WSO thing, I'm still unsure if I'm going to fly a Tomcat or not."
"Aww..." The shipgirls cooed.
"Fine!" (Y/n) conceded. "I'll fly a Tomcat, but I need a WSO, as you know it. Before you began on shouting again, I want to say that being a WSO is not as easy as you think. You girls in or out?"
After a minute of awkward silence, the shipgirls present in the office nodded. "We're in, Shikikan. All in."
"Good." (Y/n) said. "Be at the Academy tomorrow at 0900 sharp. Anyone who's late will get fifty push-ups upon entering the room. Understood?"
"Roger that!" The shipgirls replied with eagerness and left the room, all excited to experience flying with the Ribbon Fighter.
Monarch and Belfast were the only remaining shipgirls in the room, as the office falls silent once again. (Y/n) pinched the bridge of his nose, completely stressed with the ordeal.
"What a vacation..." (Y/n) mumbled. "Any meetings today, Monarch?"
"Aside from visiting Nagato today, there's nothing more you should worry about." Monarch said.
(Y/n) stood up from his seat. "Alright, let's not make her wait."
---
Azur Lane Base
Sakura Empire Embassy
Nagato's Office
0740 Hours
(Y/n), Monarch, and Belfast had finally arrived in the Sakura Empire area after a long walk. He then knocked on the door to Nagato's office, announcing their arrival. Seconds later, there was a muffled steps from the other side of the door, before the door slid open, revealing Kawakaze.
"Welcome, Shikikan. Nagato-sama has been expecting you." Kawakaze greeted. "Please, come in."
"Thank you, Kawakaze." (Y/n) said.
(Y/n) removed his shoes, as Monarch and Belfast did the same. Kawakaze guided them to where Nagato and Mutsu was at. The two foxes were sitting beside a Japanese-style table, both drinking their cup of tea.
Nagato placed down her cup and faced the Ribbon Fighter. "Greetings, Shikikan. To you as well, Monarch, Belfast."
"Good morning to you, as well, Nagato." (Y/n) walked to the table and sat down on his knees. Monarch and Belfast sat on their knees beside him as well. "To what I owe the pleasure of being summoned by you?"
"I've heard that you're looking for a..." Nagato trailed off, seemingly forgotting the thing she wanted to ask. "What do you call that?"
"A Weapon Systems Officer?" (Y/n) clarified.
"Yes. That." Mutsu confirmed.
"What about it, if I may ask?" (Y/n) questioned.
Kawakaze soon came in, holding a tray with three cups of tea. She handed the cups to the guests and sat down beside Nagato.
"Kawakaze is interested on becoming a WSO." Mutsu clarified.
"Okay, then... I'll see her in my class tomorrow at the Academy. I'm going to teach all you need to know on how to be a WSO." (Y/n) stated. "Is there anything else you would like to talk about?"
"Actually, there is." Nagato said. "I've been wondering, Shikikan."
(Y/n) raised an eyebrow. "About what?"
"About what happens if this war ends." Nagato said.
"IF it ends." (Y/n) said, emphasizing his point. He took another sip from his cup. "I'm not certain that this war will ever end. But, if it did end, I'm probably going back to civilian life and retire. How about you, Nagato? Mutsu?"
"Hmm..." Mutsu thought for a moment. "I don't know... maybe watch the birds in the sky...?"
"I... don't know, actually." Nagato said. "Shikikan, will humans turn against each other again if the Sirens are gone?"
"Yes." (Y/n) replied. "Given that war is in our nature, I'm more than certain that it will happen."
"I see." Nagato nods. "What about our fates, Shikikan? Will they scrap us again after we've served our purpose?"
"No." (Y/n) answered sternly. "I will not let them do that to you. They created you to go against the Sirens, only to scrap you once they're gone? No. I won't allow that. We're not going to repeat Operation: Crossroads again."
Nagato shivered upon hearing the word 'crossroads', and remembered the bombs that were dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The memories on how she sunk as a target ship for nuclear bomb tests at Bikini Atoll came back to her mind in a flash.
As far as she remember, Eugen had also suffered the same fate, and surprisingly enough, the Americans picked some of their own ships as well to be tested on the new weapons of mass destruction.
Nagato could feel the sincerety of his words, and felt relieved that someone cared for them, even if they're only ships, bred for war.
"Thank you, Shikikan." Nagato smiled. "Thank you."
---
Word Count: 4024 Words
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The internet is slowly getting stable, but we would still lose signal more often, that's why I took this chance to make this chapter. I really apologize for the delay.
Secondly, I want to thank you all for voting and supporting my story. It has kept me happy and sane so far. I've gone through a lot of hardships, and knowing that people supports me despite only knowing you by your username really makes me happy.
I promise I will publish another chapter as fast as I can. I promise you.
Sincerely,
Cherry_boi69.