The next morning...
Enterprise woke up with a start, practically jumping out of bed. She was quite restless, especially now due to the fact that they might be finally getting answers as to why exactly a whole Siren force was dispatched just for two destroyers. It made her wonder what kind of information these two held to veen have that large of a force chasing them in the first place.
Those questions would be answered in due time though for she was quite hungry. She walked out of the dorm to walk to the canteen when she caught sight of the two sisters they rescued the day before. They had their own little stand selling what seemed to be panda-shaped rice balls.
"Huh, well would you look at that" She looked on as they, along with surprisingly Hamman, made their panda-shaped rice balls serving them to passersby.
"One order, coming up!" Ning Hai was seen giving out the sweets as Hamman was trying to put the eye accessories on a rice ball only for it to slip from her fingers making her grow quickly frustrated.
"Why does Hamman have to help!?" She cried out in frustration.
"Jiayou. Keep at it!" Ping Hai said trying to cheer Hamman up.
"Ping Hai! Don't eat the stuff we're selling!" Ning Hai said, trying to get Ping Hai to not eat their own sweets beiong ignored entirely.
Enterprise couldn't help but giggle a bit as Enty and Belfast came by as well.
"They started a business" Enty said, lightly surprised.
"Their resilience is quite exemplary" Replied Belfast.
Enterprise turned aroundnand greeted them "Oh hey, morning you two. Want one?" She asked, holding out the food in her hand.
"Oh, no but thank you..."
"Come on, at least try it! Hey, it's on my tab, don't worry" Enterprise cut her off as she bought two more before giving them to the both of them.
Enterprise sat down on a bench, taking a bite "So judging by you being slightly better, I'd say you took my advice to heart." She said with a sweet smile.
Enty had seen this type of smile before. It's the type of smile she'd only see with her older sister Yorktown when she's trying not to look mad but you just know she is.
"Uh um yep I sure did" She said awkwardly.
"I do hope so." She responded as she finished her food "Now come on, we have a meeting to attend."
_________________________________________
In the commander's office, we see the group sitting down on the couches. The two Empery cruisers were telling their story of what exactly happened that led up to them being near critically injured.
"The dragon empery had detected some suspicious activity by the Sirens. It could be a sign that they're preparing for a massive attack. We went on a scouting mission to find out more but..."
"You were ambushed, resulting in your situation" Enterprise finished.
They both nodded "The thing was that the fleet we faced was lead by what we believe was a high class Siren" Ning Hai added.
"You mean that high-class Sirens could be doing something?" Hornet asked, eating the remainder of her rice treat.
"Maybe they're trying to strike while Azur Lane and Crimson Axis are fighting each other..." Ning Hai proposed.
"From a strategic standpoint it is valid. Think about it, we are at each other's throats wasting valuable resources while they do whatever they want. They want us to be separated, taking each faction off the list one by one" Enterprise suggested.
That got everyone thinking. If it's true that the Sirens are indeed trying to pick them off one by one, then that would indeed increase the need to end the war as soon as possible.
Wales nodded in agreement "A valid point raised. Right then, this meeting is dismissed. You may return to your duties"
Everyone stood up and walked out the door. Enterprise was about to walk out the door when Wales spoke up "Miss Enterprise..."
Enterprise stopped and turned to face her "Oh, uh yeah? What's up? You need something?"
"Yes, indeed I do" She said in conformation "I would like to ask you if you are free for a mission"
"A mission?" She said in surprise "What kind of mission are we talking about?" She asked, taking a seat.
Instead of an answer, the door opened to reveal two maids walking in. The first one wore a face of absolute stoicism while the second had a face that betrayed a hint of unease.
'Wow... who gave her a book on stoicism?' Enterprise thought.
"Enterprise, these are Sheffield and Edinburgh. They are members of the Royal Navy's Maid Corps which I am sure you are familiar with by now" Wales said, introducing them.
"Alright... so uh what exactly had this got to do with this mission I'm to be assigned on?" Enterprise asked, confused.
"We have been tasked with an infiltration and espionage mission to the Sakura Empire's base of operations. You are our way in and out. We leave in a couple hours, don't be late" Sheffield stated rather bluntly before leaving to prepare.
Edinburgh had an awkward smile on her face "S-sorry about Sheffy, she can have quite the silver tongue at times. Erm... I hope we can get along...?"
Enterprise laughs lightly "No need to be sorry, I've dealt with my fair share of foul-mouthed people in my lifetime"
Edinburgh smiled, showing a hint of relief before heading off. Wales sighed fondly "Edi is a sweetheart but her self-confidence is something that we've been working to improve on"
Enterprise smiles "I can see that, but maybe it adds that little bit of charm to her personality?"
Wales giggles lightly "Right then, off you go. We've all got things to do now, and I'm quite sure that you should be getting your things prepared"
Enterprise gets up and leaves to prepare for her new mission to the Sakura Empire.
"In and out, piece of cake"
_________________________________________
Hours later
Outside, we see Enterprise waiting for Sheffield and Edinburgh. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon and it was going to be dark very soon. Fortunately, it seemed she didn't need to wait any longer as both Sheffield and Edinburgh appeared right on time.
"You're early" Said Sheffield.
"Yeah well as a wise person always said 'Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable!'" Enterprise quipped.
She swore she could see a smile tug at the edge of Sheffield's lips before returning to her usual stoic self. Edinburgh on the other hand was looking like she was contemplating whether or not volunteering for such a mission was actually a good choice.
Enterprise patted her on the back, reassuring her that it's going to be fine "Hey, I promise you that it's going to be quick. Couple days at the least give or take, but I'm going to get both of you in and out in a jiffy, alright?"
Edinburgh smiled, her nervousness dying down a bit "Yeah... yeah alright. I'll hold you to that"
Enterprise smiled before summoning her ship, it's massive structure looming above them. Suffice to say, it was hard to not get used to seeing her ship every time it appeared. Such a ship which looked the way it did without hinting as much as a smudge of being Siren in origin baffled many at first, but it soon grew into acceptance. Still, it was pretty awesome to look at.
"Is there a way of getting on without... uhh... yknow... getting your parts and bits getting scrambled?" Asked Edinburgh.
In all honesty, Enterprise saw this coming. Not everyone is going to be exactly comfortable with having their molecules transported before reassembling somewhere else. As a result, she knew exactly the solution to this problem.
"There is, actually. Just give me a sec here real quick" Enterprise closed her eyes before opening them again as a small craft emerged from the rear of her ship before landing infront of them. A Galileo shuttle which was common amongst Federation ships for transportation between the ship when transporter travel was a no-go.
"After you, ladies" She said before doing an exaggerated bow.
The two maids proceeded to board the craft but not before Enterprise caught Edinburgh covering her mouth and catching a barely audible giggle before she boarded.
"I am a comedic genius" She said to herself before boarding the shuttle.
The shuttle itself took them into the shuttle bay where they offloaded. The shuttle bay itself seemed to be once a quite busy place due to the crates laying around and the shuttles that still lay dormant in what seemed to be racks that contained them.
They eventually made their way over to the bridge where Enterprise once again say herself in the captain's chair.
"It's going to be a bit before we get to the Sakura Empire's base of operations so I'd suggest you'd both get some rest. We can start our mission tomorrow morning. It would be pretty suspicious for two tourists to be walking around at night so I'll beam you two into an isolated spot once we get going tomorrow" Enterprise explained.
On command, her ship starting making its way the Sakura Empire climbing into the lower atmosphere to avoid detection from patrols. She stood up and turned to the duo, leading them to the lift "Come on, I'll show you to your rooms for now"
_________________________________________
Sakura Empire, the next morning
It was quite a busy day in the Sakura Empire's main base mostly due in part because of the meeting with the faction leaders of the Crimson Axis. Elsewhere, in the meantime, the maids were continuing their mission.
The two of them walked around in their disguises which consisted of a pair of shrine miko yukatas and masks that covered their faces, Edinburgh obviously still wearing her glasses over hers.
After checking their surroundings, they slipped into a secluded alley. Sheffield pulled out a Starfleet communicator and opened it. The device chirped as Enterprise's voice came through.
"How's the mission going so far? Nobody on to you yet?"
"Negative, we have seem to have integrated ourselves quite well. Nobody suspects a thing" Sheffield answered.
"That's good to hear, keep up the good work you two. Kirk out" Enterprise said the last part in a joking tone. Neither Sheffield nor Edinburgh knew who this "Kirk" person was, but it was evidently someone very important to Enterprise. Either way, they stowed that question away for now as they continued on with their mission.
Elsewhere, in the shrine palace that sits at the base of the Great Sakura, a meeting was currently being held with several faction leaders being present including notable ships such as Bismarck herself and a recently new addition to the group, Vichya Dominion flagship Jean Bart.
"Thank you all for attending this meeting. For those who are new, we shall discuss our progress thus far in our areas of control and as well as talk about plans for the future" Nagato explained. In terms of appearance she may be small, but she's one of the more serious Kansen you'd meet. Her rigging as well may seem several sizes too big, but her mastery of it is unparalleled.
Bismarck nodded in agreement "Speaking of such updates, you have spoken of a new threat as relayed to me via Prinz Eugen and Z23 who have witnessed this new Azur Lane Kansen first hand. Going by what I've read, it's being suggested that this new Kansen is of a threat level that requires immediate action against her"
"And what exactly is this new threat that has us all worried, miss Nagato?" This was asked by the Sardegna Empire's flagship Vittorio Veneto who, just as the rest, was both worried and curious about this new Kansen that has seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
Nagato passed out folders which contained the information accumulated thus far about this new Kansen, including pictures from the first encounter and as well as a video playback from one of the Siren pawn ships that was at the scene. Everyone was both dumbfounded and even some were scared. They joined Crimson Axis for the promise of proving that Siren technology should be researched and in some cases even implemented into their own riggings. The Iron Blood were well known practitioners of the latter with their rigging resembling more like animals than simply mechanical extensions with some even having some form of sentience.
But this ship that they had just witnessed lacked all of that. It was, almost purely so, colored white. A contrast to the coloration of Siren ships being mostly black with red highlights. It's design was nothing close to what they'd associate as colloquially "Siren". Even then, Siren ships had been observed to be completely waterborne with only the Elites of the Siren ranks having some form of levitation. This ship even possessed weaponry far more advanced than their own with red projectiles rapidly firing as fast as their AA guns and yet it shred through everything they threw at it. But then came the audio...
It announced itself as "Enterprise". More so, it said something about a "Starfleet". That wasn't what dumbfounded the group though. What did was the fact that this "Enterprise" was willing to negotiate and had requested Akagi's fleet to stand down to do so. Of course, this was before Akagi and Kaga made the (rather stupid) decision to spit on its shoe and attack it. Next came the footage from the ambush on Hornet's fleet in which they finally caught a look on how this new Kansen looked like.
What they saw shocked some, but Bismarck....
Bismarck saw red.
She remembered that night where she was in the bar drinking with her comrades when a girl similar in appearance to what she saw came up and smacked her in the stern so hard it left a handprint. If she was being honest with herself, she didn't hate it but the more professional part of her brain immediately reminded her that she had an image to upkeep. She bit her lip to stiffle her voice and turned to face the woman who caused her to do a double-take. She shared many things with the Eagle Union's Grey Ghost like hair color and her face, but the most glaring difference was her personality. The Enterprise she knew before Azur Lane separated was rather uptight and wasn't that outgoing. The woman she faced was the exact opposite. She remembers that after that happened, everyone stopped what they were doing and collectively chased after her. They lost her after a while due to the almost ridiculous speed that she exhibited and wasn't seen since.
Back to the present, everyone was worried, not about the new Kansen, but for Bismarck. She looked like she wanted, if not, would punch a hole in the wall if not for her Iron Blood discipline which was cracking due to her sheer anger and humiliation.
"Ah... Bismarck-san, are you alright?" Came a meek voice. She turned to see a woman who looked much like Nagato, if not younger and had shorter hair and was much less serious. This was Nagato's younger sister Mutsu. She was a sweetheart and was friendly to just about everybody. As a result, many adored her and couldn't help to not be mad at her.
Bismarck took a deep breath and calmed down, her discipline helping her regain control "Yes Mutsu, I am alright. Thank you" She said, lightly smiling. She got a beaming grin from her in return.
"Apologies for my... episode, frau Nagato"
"None taken, miss Bismarck" Nagato replied "Now then, let us return to-"
An explosion could be heard coming from outside as sirens started going off.
"Now what?" Asked Jean Bart, rather annoyed.
Kawakaze, Nagato's loyal bodyguard, walked to the balcony and caught a glimpse of the chaos, looking down at the harbor. There, she spotted the cause of alarm.
"Intruders, ma'am. And, if my eyes don't fool me as well as those outfits, I'd say they are of the Royal Navy Maid Corps. There's two of them ma'am"
"Only two? Damn, what a shame. Thought there'd be more, and that would be a real challenge!" Commented Jean Bart.
It was then that something was heard, like something breaching water. And it sounded like it was big. Nagato and the rest stood up and went to the balcony to see what had happened. When they laid eyes on what caused such a sound, they froze there and then.
Some time before...
Sheffield and Edinburgh stood in the shadow of a stack of crates breathing collectives sighs of relief. Edinburgh's clumsiness had almost gotten them caught at the hands of Shiranui who had just barely caught them if not for Sheffield's quick thinking.
"Why was I assigned to this undercover mission!? I'm totally not cut out for it!" Edinburgh complained before Sheffield silenced her. Her communicator chirped and she pulled it out, answering it.
"What do we got so far, guys?" Enterprise said.
"We've studied their logistics beforehand. It seems like they are building something massive"
Enterprise had a lapse of Deja Vu going back to a certain upscaled doppelganger of herself. She shook her head before she answered.
"It must be a secretive project if they're diverting that many resources"
"Indeed. But the question is... where?" Sheffield soon laid eyes upon a certain green scam cat walking seemingly lost.
"Shiranui doesn't know how to treat a cat. I can't take it anymore" Akashi said. She had an argument with Shiranui earlier and decided to go take a walk. Currently, she was going down a mine shaft which seemed abandoned. Abandoned no longer perhaps since the mine shaft opened up into a giant open cavern which was semi-flooded.
"Where am I, nya?" She asked herself.
Upon closer observation, the cavern had the occasional tori gate here and there. Looking to her left, she spotted what appeared to be a wooden gangway that ran along the cavern wall. She decided to walk along the gangway, curiosity getting the better of her.
"I'm lost, nya..." She continued walking along the abandoned gangway until she reached a what looked to be relatively new gangway painted red. She reached the edge and looked down from the rails to see what looked to be a ship. More precisely, a ship of Siren design.
"Is this the Project Orochi ship, nya..? It looks just like a Siren ship, nya..." She looked closer onto the deck and spotted Akagi standing there. But then, something caught her eye as she looked elsewhere and saw what looked to be stasis pods, two of them to be exact.
"Stasis pods, nya? What are those for?" It was risky but she managed to sneak down from the gangway to where she spotted the stasis pods. She reached them without being spotted thankfully and saw that there were glass windows to gaze inside. She looked inside the first pod and was met with the face of a woman. She had olive skin and black hair along with a strange blue jacket-like uniform with a symbol she'd never seen before. The second pod though, shocked her. There in the second pod was a Siren. Or what looked to be a Siren for her ears were different, a bit more on the pointy side. Both of them were in the stasis pods probably in a deep sleep. Akashi suddenly heard commotion and quickly hid behind a nearby crate. She observed the conversation which sounded like Akagi was talking to someone. Her eyes widened as big as saucers when she saw it. An elite Siren hovering right in front of Akagi and talking with her.
"With so much energy gathered, I'd say the activation of Project Orochi is imminent" There, say atop the superstructure of the ship, was Observer Alpha "At this rate I'd say... one more perhaps" She then seemed to manifest another black wisdom cube from her bare hands as she handed the new cube back to Akagi "The goal of the Orochi Project is not to create an ordinary ship. It's a... shall we say... an Ark, carrying every wish across the ocean" She then proceeded to... kiss Akagi!? 'Didn't know Akagi was into that, nya' She thought.
Before she could finish that thought, she shook her head as she saw as Observer seemed to whisper something in Akagi's ear "Your reunion is soon"
Akagi seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in as a scowl grew on her face "Leave this place. You don't want to be seen"
Akashi was in disbelief of what she had seen. She knew that they had separated from Azur Lane and didn't really question it. As long as she got money from her business then everything was fine. She was a tad bit concerned though as the declaration was a bit out of the blue. But what she had just witnessed is not only treason to the highest degree in the Sakura Empire, it was treason to the highest degree to the entire world. She started backing up when she felt that she had bumped into something. She turned to find the rather menacing figure of Kaga looming over her.
"What are you doing here?" Asked Kaga in a rather authorative tone.
"You saw..." She said as her eyes narrowed.
"W-what are you talking about, nya? I just got lost, nya..." Akashi said rather unconvincingly.
She was then grabbed by a pair of tentacles before being hoisted up to face level with Observer Alpha "Oh, she saw. Well, too bad, I guess" She aimed her cannons towards Akashi who was probably seeing her life flashing before her eyes. 'Is this what I get for just trying to do some simple business, nya? Sure I might have charged a bit high but they're quality products, nya!'
"Like they say, curiosity killed the cat, right?" Observer said, her cannons charging.
Akashi snapped out of her stupor, wriggling around trying to escape "Nyo! Help me, nya!"
"Halt" Akagi walked up to them "I won't let you have your way in the Sakura Empire" She said in disapproval.
"You say that, but you must know she can't be left alone, right?" Observer said.
Akagi was about to retort when a gunshot rang out and hit Observer's tentacles, releasing Akashi. Kaga looked and saw a woman wielding what seemed to be pistols but yet they bore resemblance to triple turreted cruiser guns.
"Who are you!?" Kaga launched blue paper planes that the assailant dodged, ditching her outfit to reveal Sheffield being the culprit.
"That ludicrous outfit— you're Royal Navy!"
Sheffield proceeded to wall run while opening fire on Kaga who blocked her shots. Meanwhile, Akashi had her own work ahead of her. Whether she liked them or not, she wouldn't wish upon anybody to become Siren experiments. So she headed to the stasis pods, metal pipe in hand, and proceeded to break both of them open with some effort. While they were indeed quite heavy, she had to carry both of the unconscious women, who judging by their features are most probably Kansen, outside and to safety. Plus, she would be probably executed because she had seen too much so her best bet was probably the two Royal Navy maids who had arrived and, either intentionally or unintentionally, saved her.
"Edinburgh!" Sheffield yelled. Edinburgh stood at the bottom of the cavern waiting to catch the black wisdom cube. The cube itself landed square on her face but she technically still got it "I got it, Sheffield!" She answered.
Sheffield popped some smoke grenades, obscuring the vision of the carriers and Siren before retreating.
"Oh dear. This is on you, Akagi" Observer Alpha said smugly.
Outside, the cruiser duo ran as sirens rang throughout the base. Although, it seemed that they carried unexpected cargo. Edinburgh was seen carrying Akashi on her back while Sheffield carried both of the unconscious Kansen.
"Edinburgh, call Enterprise and tell her we need immediate extract! We don't have much time!" Sheffield said, running in between Kansen who were still wondering what was going on.
"Enterprise! We need help! Please!" Edinburgh was practically yelling into her communicator in a panic.
"Confirmed, I'll beam you up once I breach. Just be near the bay in the meantime, alright?" She answered firmly.
"Alright! Just please hurry!" Edinburgh put away her communicator before running to catch up with Sheffield.
They made it to the pier but it seems as though they were expected for on the water stood Takao, her katana at the ready and Ayanami who gripped her sword tightly. Looking back, the trio could see that they were being surrounded.
"Give up, spies! Surrender the hostages and whatever intel you have stolen and come with us!" Takao said.
"Nya! Please don't surrender, nya! They'll turn me into mince meat! As they say, dead cats tell no tales, nya!" Akashi said panicking.
"We are not surrendering anything" Replied Sheffield.
Before Takao could say anything, the ocean behind her erupted as a giant saucer breached the water before it dipped down, revealing the engine nacelles behind it. The ship soon started to rise out of the water, it's familiar shape causing Ayanami to freeze in fear as well as Takao being frozen in shock. The other Sakura Empire ships who were at the docks could only stare in a mix of amazement and shock as the ship, now fully levitating above them, revealed itself in full.
"Sheffield, I've got you and Edi locked to beam you up but I'm reading 3 other contacts with you, confirm if they're friendly?"
"Confirmed, they are indeed friendly. Now could you kindly get us out if here?" Sheffield answered.
"Got it, locking onto additional signatures... got it. Beaming you up now"
Sheffield turned to Takao "I apologize, but I belive we have to cut our visit short. Until we meet again" Takao swore she could see the maid smirk before a mysterious golden light enveloped both maids as well as Akashi and the two unknown people they were carrying. When the glow faded, they were no longer there and the ship above them started moving. It moved forward, barely missing the Great Sakura as it turned away and sped off at unnatural speeds.
To say that the faction leaders were shocked was an understatement. Sure they were informed of a new threat and were provided pictures and videos for reference on what the ship looked like and what it could do. But when that very same ship appeared out of the water of the bay, whisking away two Royal Navy spies as well as what was reported as Akashi and two unknown Kansen, well... you get the idea. It was one thing seeing it in a picture and it was another when they saw how truly miniscule they were compared to it as it barely missed the Great Sakura and sped off.
Nagato walked back to her seat and promptly sat down with an audible 'thud' as she sat there, now truly comprehending on how big they had indeed messed up by declaring war.
"I fear we have just awoken something that is greater than any of us. Even the Sirens..."
_________________________________________
In the ship's depository, Enterprise along with Sheffield, Edinburgh, and Akashi were analyzing the two unconscious Kansen that they had freed.
"Strange..." Enterprise inquired.
"What's strange?" Asked Edinburgh.
"While I was scanning this one" She gestured to the one with the blue coat "I detected a Starfleet signature. What's more is that the uniform she's wearing bears the Federation insignia, just like me..."
Before any more questions could be asked, said Kansen let out a groan as she opened her eyes, waking up with a yawn.
"Damn was that a good sleep" She said, sitting up "Where... where am I?"
The four stood there frozen in place for a second before Enterprise took the lead "Welcome, I hope you had a good sleep. And by the looks of things you indeed did get a good sleep"
The Kansen turned to face Enterprise "Heh, sure did! By the way, mind telling me where I am? Oh, and why there are two maids and a cat-looking thing standing beside you?"
Enterprise chuckled before answering her questions "You're in the depository aboard, well, me. USS Enterprise NCC-1701, at your service"
A hint of familiarity in the Kansen's eyes when she heard the name "Enterprise? Like, the Constitution-class Enterprise?" Enterprise nodded.
"Well I'll be! Never expected I'd see you looking this pretty! Hell, I'm surprised you don't remember me. Remember back on Yorktown station when we talked for a bit when you were being reconstructed?"
Enterprise thought for a bit before sifting through her memories. She caught a glimpse of conversation she had, seeing the same face "Maybe... maybe not? Sorry, can you tell me your name? Maybe then I can remember"
The kansen grinned brightly before getting up from the bed and standing confidently, giving a tomboy-ish salute.
"First Federation ship capable of warp 4! NX-326 USS Franklin, reporting for duty once again!"
_________________________________________
HOOOOOWEEYYYYY THAT'S ANOTHER CHAPTER RELEASED!
It's been awhile since the last release and to be honest I've had many reasons (procrastination among them) for taking so long to release this chapter. Classes ain't getting easier and with PSATs on the horizon as well as a project I need to complete, I've got my hands full, hehe.
But! That out the way, hope you liked our new addition to the story, USS Franklin! As for the Siren lookalike... I'd like yall to take a guess or two in the comments and see if you can come close to figuring out who it is!
Well, until next time gentlemen.
Live Long and prosper!