ARC III Chapter 4
"This one hasn't dreamt of that which you speak of..."
As the moon was slowly descending to leave room for the sun, the commander was speaking with the second most important ship of the Sakura Empire, the aircraft carrier Shinano, sister of Musashi. She was held in very high regard by the other Japanese ships, not only because she was Musashi's sibling, but also because she was said to foretell the future in her dreams. Knowing this, our anxious commander decided to take the risk of learning about his future, and that of many others: he was perfectly aware of what it means to know the decisions of Fate, which cannot be revoked or defied, whether they are benevolent or ruthless. But, for the first time, he had an unknown urge to know how a part of his story would unfold; however, the Foreteller did not have an answer for him.
"... I don't know if I should consider myself lucky or not..." he said while observing the firmament.
"You should..." Shinano began looking at the stars as well, "Many envy this one for her wisdom... But this one envies them for their ignorance... They wish to know their Fate, unaware of the consequences... Unaware of the apathy which is brought to those who can see the chains of Fate... These chains are indestructible... And they wrap the wrists and ankles of every man, they never let go, even though they are loose... Even now, as we speak, these chains bind us..." She paused for a while and looked at him; he had been staring at her intently since she began speaking. Seeing that he was interested in what she was saying, Shinano resumed: "And blessed are those who can't perceive their feeble grip... But this one is cursed... Tormented by her visions... Forced to know what is yet to come... And unable to prevent the tragedies..."
The commander took a close look at her eyes: suffering and hopelessness were the only things he could think of.
"When you said you'd never dreamt of the operation in Russia... You were lying, right?" He asked her.
"... Forgive this one for her dishonesty, Commander..." She humbly apologized, bowing her head. But somehow, he could see that she was moving... mechanically... like a machine that follows a script...
"... You already know that I'll forgive you, don't you..?" He asked.
"I do..." She answered.
"Shinano... I know you want to protect me... But... Look, I won't even bother asking, you know what I want to tell you, right?"
"... The one who is waiting for you in Russia..." She slowly articulated her words as she gave him the answer he sought: he felt tension rising within himself for each word coming from her mouth.
"... Is the person you swore not to follow... The monster that plagued the Azur Lane and ruined your existence... Do you know whom this one is referring to..?"
The commander's skin turned pale, he was abruptly overcome by the fear which had been lying dormant deep within him, many unpleasant memories arose from the most remote corners of his mind, memories which he wanted to forget. He was paralyzed by that radical fear, born when he was still a child; after the "death" of his father, he thought that fear vanished. But now that Daniel learned he was waiting for him, that fear rapidly grew bigger once more.
"This one... has tried to protect you from the curse of the oracles... But you insisted..." She regretfully tried to justify herself, but her guilt wouldn't be disposed of so easily.
"... Don't worry, Shinano... Thank you..." He reassured her some minutes later, after he was able to speak again.
"You seem... very shocked, Commander... Perhaps it is best if you go back home..." She suggested.
"Yes... I should... Go back home now..." He stuttered while walking away, still disturbed from Shinano's revelation.
The commander's short trip back home was infested with glimpses of his father: he could never forget his apathetic gaze, his unforgiving nature, his authoritarian behavior... And knowing that he was still out there was very unsettling for Daniel.
When he had finally returned to his office, it was 5:32 AM. The sunrise was close, and there was no more time to rest for the commander, no more time to meditate or overthink, no more time to hesitate.
"Commander, welcome back." Gascogne, as always, was tremendously early. As she stood next to the desk, she resembled a servant ready to fulfill any order without question. This image reminded Daniel of his father's model of 'discipline', which he personally condemned and despised.
"I hope you didn't force yourself out of bed, Gascogne... You know you aren't meant to be here so early." He told her, not with a reproachful tone, but rather with a concerned one.
"I understand. Forgive me for my disobedience." She bowed slightly before she began walking towards the door. Before she could touch its handle, he grabbed her shoulder: "I'm not scolding you. I was just making sure you were doing well."
"I am in condition to execute any order of yours." She affirmed after turning around.
"Is that so..? You'd better be saying the truth, Gascogne. If I find out you're lying about your health, I will be sure to punish you." He looked at her a bit strictly. While staring in his eyes, Gascogne thought he looked very similar to his father in that moment...
"I understand." She responded. But in contrast with her expectations, he began petting her shortly after.
"... Sorry, but... You've always been so obedient and helpful up until now that I really can't help but cherish you... This isn't a bother to you, right?" He asked.
"Naturally, it's not. But do keep in mind that I was specifically designed to follow orders."
"It doesn't matter to me. What counts is that, frankly... You've been the most helpful secretary so far. That doesn't mean the others-" He was suddenly interrupted by Béarn, the other french secretary: "You have a soft spot for Gascogne, don't you?" She asked while standing in front of the door.
"OF COURSE NOT!!" He immediately took his hand off Gascogne's head and turned to Béarn, "ALL OF YOU ARE EQUALLY VALUABLE TO ME!"
"I was just kidding, commander. And even if you actually did, you would be justified, as far as I'm concerned."
"... Well... I have to admit I like various things about Gascogne..." He said timidly.
"Oh? May I ask you to be more specific?" Béarn's curiosity rose; Gascogne, on the other hand, did not seem to care. The commander felt hesitant about answering this question, but he had gone too far to turn back: "Well... Her discipline is admirable for sure... And, if I may be completely honest, she looks very pretty..."
"My guy, that is a robot." Kai's voice suddenly echoed right outside of the office; a couple of seconds later, he entered the room.
"Wait, how do you know..?" The commander perplexedly asked, but was utterly ignored.
"That's not the point here, that is a software dawg." Kai approached Gascogne and inspected her; throughout the whole procedure, she remained completely indifferent.
"Where the hell is the keyboard..?" He began looking for a hypothetical keyboard on Gascogne's body.
"Wait, she's not a desktop computer! She's some sort of artificial intelligence-" the commander clarified, but was interrupted.
"Does she run on GPT-4?" Kai asked, and at that point Daniel couldn't tell if he was serious or not.
"Obviously she doesn't, I don't even know what software she's running on!"
"What's the OS? I mean, it would most likely run on some unknown Linux branch..."
"I don't have a damn clue, but she looks and acts like a normal human, so I don't see the problem!-"
"Does she have a Bluetooth module? Speakers anywhere? Can I use her as a wireless speaker?"
"I... I don't think so..."
"That sucks, but can she also act as a virtual assistant? Like, can she turn off the lights remotely if I ask her? Y'know, the smart home features."
"It's not just an ordinary computer, damn it! She was conceived to be a weapon!"
"Alright, alright, I get it. But now, let's get to the main point... You said she's pretty, didn't you?" Kai got closer to Daniel as he spoke.
"Uh... I personally think she is, yeah.." the commander replied; he was caught off guard by Kai's sudden topic change.
"So you're down bad for her?"
"... Uuuh... No..." Daniel tried to avoid Kai's piercing gaze.
"Hmm... I smell a big lie... Look into my eyes and say that again."
Daniel fixed his eyes on Kai's, but he found it difficult to repeat what he had said.
"My brother, if you're looking for Heaven's gates, you won't find them on Gascogne. There's probably some USB Type-C port between her legs instead." Kai placed his hands on Daniel's shoulders.
"Who told you I'm looking for Heaven's gates? I just said she looks cute. But let's actually talk about important matters: why the hell are you awake?" The commander changed topics.
"Well, don't get me wrong, the floor was comfortable, but I just couldn't sleep, man. I dunno, I'm just not tired." Kai shrugged and sat down on the desk; "We should be setting off pretty soon, right?"
"It should be 5:50 AM or something, we're departing at 6 AM or a bit later. It depends on when everyone will be ready." Daniel answered while checking the lock screen of his phone.
"Shouldn't they wake up now?" Béarn asked. The commander started issuing orders: "Yeah, we'd better begin preparing to set off. Béarn, go wake Nero and Roon up and tell him to gather the USN ships involved in the operation."
While he was speaking, Gascogne politely interrupted him by raising her hand.
"What is it?" He asked her after noticing her.
"While I was here before you arrived, I thought it would prove useful to print a list of all the participants. I made multiple copies of it as well, knowing that you would most likely send various secretaries to awaken the members of the operation. I hope they will be helpful, Commander." She explained before pointing at a short pile of sheets located on the desk, consisting of seven copies of the list.
"... I just can't possibly hate you at this point... Thank you as always, Gascogne." He picked up the sheets and gave two of them to Béarn: "Keep one for yourself, and hand the other to Nero."
"Understood." Béarn took leave. Afterwards, the commander handed a copy to Gascogne: "I know you've already helped me out, but could you wake up the rest of the girls? There aren't any other secretaries awake, so you're the only one I can ask... Actually, wake the secretaries first, and then hand each of them a copy. That should make your job easier."
Gascogne took the copies without question: "As you say." she said before leaving the office.
"Alright, I'll go in my room. Well, it's not exactly my own, but you get what I mean." Kai announced before waving goodbye and leaving too. Now the commander was alone, and he decided to wait for the fleet on the shore.
Several minutes passed, and the secretaries arrived at the shore along with the fleet at 6:33 AM. The fleet was quite numerous, having 50 ships at the moment. Once everyone was immobile and attentive, the commander began speaking: "Good morning, everyone. As you know, you will be part of a major operation in Northern Russia, with the objective of stopping the Sirens' advance in the Arctic Ocean towards the russian coasts. I don't know how long it will take, and I know some of you may not be very motivated to fight in another country, especially an ex-member of the Azur Lane: however, Russia needs our support now more than ever, and we cannot let her down. Remember that this operation has been organized for our own sake as well, and for the sake of the human race as a whole. Should the situation become complex, I will call more ships from this HQ to help us. Before explaining the route we will take, I feel that I should notify you that we have a new American battleship among us, USS Kai, who will be coming with us too. We don't have much time for proper introductions now, but if you want to talk with him, you can do so during our sortie. Now then, since we are more or less in the middle of the Northern Atlantic Ocean, our quickest way to enter the Pacific is through the Panama Canal; after reaching the Pacific Ocean, we will sail north and access the Arctic Ocean thanks to the Bering Strait. Does anyone have any questions?"
After some seconds of silence, the commander resumed: "Very well. The japanese group is waiting for us just ahead. You don't need to stay in a rigid formation for now, but please let's all stick together. Nero, stay next to me."
Nero walked next to Daniel. Then, the commander ordered Bismarck, Littorio, King George V, Saint Louis, Gascogne and New Jersey to get in line next to each other behind him.
"Everyone else, stay wherever you wish, as long as you're close to each other. The operation...." The commander summoned his rigging and stepped on the seawater: "... Begins now!"
Everyone else summoned their own and began setting sail one by one.
The trip to Russia was mostly linear and uninterrupted; thanks to the much decreased weight of warships in rigging form, the fleet could cover greater distances in less time. In approximately two weeks (Forgive me if this timespan is completely unrealistic considering the distance to cover. I really tried to be as accurate as possible, but still, please don't give much importance to it.), the fleet, comprised of 71 ships in total, reached the Barents Sea, where the Siren bases had been sighted by Sovetsky Soyuz.
"Holy... The temperature here is much colder..." Nero commented while looking at the Russian coast ahead.
"Yup, you'll have to get used to it. We're in the North now, and this will most likely be our battlefield as well."
Once they finally set foot on the shore, they were greeted by Sovetsky Soyuz in person along with two other women: one had azure hair and eyes, while the other had white hair and red eyes. Sovetsky Soyuz took a step forward: "Thank you very much for your cooperation, Azur Lane. The entire nation is grateful and honored to welcome you."
"To be honest, I would've taken more ships with me, but the HQ can't remain unguarded." The commander approached her with a friendly smile.
Soyuz, on the other hand, wasn't smiling at all; but she simply wasn't used to it.
"Looks like you brought a lot of friends with you this time, comrade!" The azure haired woman, Sovetskaya Belorussiya, shook his hand before looking at the girls which had sailed right behind the commander and Nero; when her eyes met with Bismarck's, her smile briefly changed into a grin before reverting. Bismarck's expression, on the other hand, remained neutral constantly.
The Russian ships also stayed in a sort of dormitory, but they considered it to be more of a huge mansion, built in front of the Barents Sea. In fact, this wasn't the first time Russia had to deal with the Sirens, and since the Sirens had always approached Russia from that sea, it had been decided to build a great mansion which would host all the Russian KANSENs: for this reason, the mansion had many unoccupied rooms meant to host those which would be born in the future. Of course, many of those rooms would now be occupied by the Azur Lane forces.
While the commander's fleet was getting settled in the mansion/dormitory, the commander stayed outside with Soyuz.
"When we navigated the Barents Sea, we've met no opposition from the Sirens. Are their bases inactive during the day?" He asked her while leaning his back against the mansion's wall.
"None of us have ever approached those bases during the day or night; the only thing we're sure about is that they are there. Until now, it has always been unsafe to study those bases up close, but now, with so many reinforcements, we could take a risk..." Soyuz explained.
"Do you think 71 is enough? If there is more room in this mansion, I could choose some more girls to call over here."
"Even though I don't know how advanced or populated those bases are, I think 71 of you will be more than enough. So far, Russia has gathered 26 KANSENs, which raise the total number to 97. So do not worry, you've already brought more than enough ships with you."
"Oh, I almost forgot to mention that, in addition to the 71 ships I told you about, there are two more. So, we're actually at a total of 99."
"Two more? Are you referring to those two boys beside you?"
"Exactly. Both of them are very recent KANSENs and they have great potential. I think we can solve this matter rather quickly. Oh, wait; I actually forgot about one last ship..." He suddenly summoned his rigging: "And that is none other than myself. There, we reached 100."
"It's the first time a commander of the Azur Lane is also a KANSEN... I suppose the girls really sympathize you, don't they?"
"At first, I was much more introverted, mostly because of my workload. But now that I've got more secretaries to help me, I can finally work on myself. That way, I will be more comfortable with myself and also others. But how do your comrades see you? Do you think you're a proper leader in their eyes?"
"... I have always acted and taken decisions for the interests of Russia. I think that alone is enough."
"Are you sure? Until recently, I also thought that simply doing my job was enough to be a proper commander... But even though I worked so hard everyday for their sake, a considerable amount of girls actually disliked me. Thanks to them, I understood that being a leader is not as simple as it looks like... So, if I may give you some advice, start smiling a little more often."
"... I'll try, but I can't make any promises..."
"Don't rush either. Change at your own pace: it's never too late."
While Daniel and Soyuz continued their chat, Bismarck was standing on the shore. But that wasn't a shore she was used to: instead of standing on soft sand, countless rocks and boulders lay beneath her feet. As a cold breeze blew towards the coast, she thought: "Is this what Tirpitz had been through for years...?"
The sight itself wasn't particular, but the cold climate and the absolute silence created a somewhat desolating ambience. She felt like being in a cold desert.
"I know you wanted to build a snowman, but you got pretty unlucky." Sovetskaya Belorussiya laughed soundly behind Bismarck while approaching her.
"I would never do something so meaningless during a military operation. But besides, why did you smirk when you looked at me earlier?" She turned her head to Belorussiya.
"Don't worry about that, I just thought it would be pretty ironic that we are on good terms now. How's the totalitarian regime going in your country?" Belorussiya smirked again in a teasing manner.
"It's dead." Apparently, Bismarck didn't understand her irony, or she didn't like it.
"Oh, so you don't hate communism anymore?"
"Communism is none of my business, let alone Germany's. Fighting it is a pointless waste of time and resources."
"What about your good old partners? Do they still hold some grudge against us?"
"I don't think so."
"So can we be friends now?" Belorussiya looked at Bismarck with an unexpected hopeful expression.
"... A friendship isn't born from a simple question, you know... It depends on how close we'll get to each other. Perhaps, we will be friends one day..."
"I'm counting on it. But now, how about you stop acting like a lone wolf? Soyuz made me work my ass off early in the morning to prepare a welcoming ceremony, and I'd like my hard work to be paid off! Therefore, I'd really appreciate it if you came with me into the mansion!" Belorussiya turned around and took a couple of steps towards the mansion, looking at Bismarck with an encouraging smile.
"Oh, I appreciate your work, of course, but I think I'll pass..."
"That is not a valid answer, unfortunately." Belorussiya retraced her steps and lifted Bismarck in her arms before walking towards the mansion once again.
"Huh?? Wait, what are you doing??" Bismarck was totally caught off guard, and she received no answer from Belorussiya.
"You'd better hold on tight, you'll get hurt if you fall onto the boulders!" She laughed while getting closer and closer to the mansion.
ARC III Chapter 4 end
SOVETSKAYA BELORUSSIYA
SOVETSKAYA ROSSIYA