Chapter 1: Birth of a Siren

"Double time it, people! We were late ten minutes ago and those Sirens aren't going to wait for us to clear out before they blow this place to kingdom come!"

The collection of dock workers double timed what was already a blistering pace, the armed and armored guards stationed around them slowly and nervously fingering their gun's triggers as they scanned the horizon with wary expressions, as if they were expecting to be assaulted at any second...not a completely paranoid reaction to have, considering the initial success of their mission was what had resulted in an entire damn Siren battlegroup laying siege to one of the few surviving ports of the Eagle Union's Alaska territory.

Even as they scrambled to secure the collection of shipping containers holding their prize to a clutch of heavy trucks distant flashes of artillery and flak could be heard and seen as they illuminated the horizon, the defenses doing their best to both cover the operation and evacuate civilians in a frenzy of activity and fast-paced battle against the technologically advanced Siren armada that was slaughtering everything that got in their way with ruthless efficiency.

If it wasn't for the Wisdom Cube shipgirls that had been so critical to the opening stages of the operation holding the line and bolstering Alaska's defenses the operation would have likely already been a failure.

Gritting his teeth Alexander Curtis had to both combine speed and precision as he handled the giant crane that was loading the trucks with the precious cargo so many had died and were dying for, knowing that while haste was critical any single mistake would cost them time they almost certainly didn't have...hell, they didn't have time now.

[Can't you go any faster, Alex?!]

"Not unless you want me to fuck up and take even longer, boss. Now shut up and let me concentrate, dammit!"

The radio hung up with a burst of angry static, Alexander not bothering to worry about backtalking his employer as he breathed a sigh of relief, one more container locking into place as the truck burned rubber and got the hell away from their little dockyard, two other headlights barely visible in the distance as there was only one more left to go before they too could clear out.

He'd heard of overtime and hazard pay before...but this was pushing it.

[CONTACT!]

His heart leapt into his throat as one of the soldiers shouted over the radio, the staccato report of assault weaponry echoing even through the sealed cabin of the crane as Alexander forced himself to keep cool and collected, maneuvering the contraption he was piloting as swiftly as he could while still retaining some measure of precision-

-and the tinted windows saved his vision as three quick bursts of harsh light illuminated the dock, a brief glance over his shoulder causing his stomach to sink as only flaming wreckage remained of the three trucks that had been making a break for the mainland, pinpoint laser fire taking them out before even the barest of countermeasures could be deployed.

[GET THAT LAST CONTAINER LOADED, NOW!]

Sweat broke out over the young man's face as he operated his machine with panicked and jittery motions, precision largely sacrificed in favor of speed as out of the corner of his eye he could see a sight that terrified him to the core.

Pulling into the narrow channel as if it didn't have the slightest care of possibly beaching itself was a massive Siren battleship, easily dwarfing even the Eagle Union's prized carrier vessels in weight and size, never mind gun count.

[Oh shit. Heads up, that's an Observer making its approach-]

The warning was abruptly cut off by what sounded like a hissing noise as Siren ground forces began to advance, mechanical monstrosities that appeared like a madman's mixture between canine, octopus and shark bristling with guns and melee weapons pouring out of the vessel and quickly taking down the Human defenders, uncaring of the few losses they sustained due to heavy-caliber rounds or anti-tank rockets as they closed on the dock.

Alexander was openly hyperventilating at this point, eyes wide as he watched the last of the soldiers fall, his coworkers and friends running away in a panic...only to be disemboweled or turned to sprays of red by slicing blades and high-velocity projectiles.

One of those aforementioned projectiles impacted the base of the crane, the whole ensemble crashing to the ground while the male trapped inside shouted in pain as his arm snapped like a twig, the impact jarring his senses and filling his head with static.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck oh SHIT!"

Adrenaline pumped through his body in such overwhelming amounts that Alexander quickly began to ignore the agony in favor of flight, kicking out the cabin's door as he scrambled through the exit like a crippled bird, none of the Sirens yet noticing him as he ran towards where his car was parked-

-and felt his stomach sink to the bottom of his feet as all that remained of the vehicle was twisted wreckage and smoking metal.

…

That was it, then. He was done. He'd never be able to outrun Sirens on foot - hell, he wouldn't have been able to do it in a car - and all that remained was choosing how to die...either pitifully and probably painfully at a Siren's hand, or swiftly and likely painlessly by his own.

Decision made Alexander sprinted towards a collection of equipment and wires that contained the jacked up explosives the military guys had intended to use to scuttle anything they couldn't take with them, or if they had to abandon the shipment midway through the operation. They were primed and ready to go, all it would take was a few seconds of prep and then he could end it painlessly...damaging or destroying a few Sirens in the process was just icing on the cake.

Skidding to a stop next to the zipped and marked bags of high explosive enhanced by Siren tech he quickly prepped the triggers, forced himself not to tremble in fearful anxiety as he dry swallowed, licked sandpaper lips and glanced towards the unmarked shipping container a scant meter away, containing whatever piece of shit that had led to his untimely demise through mere presence alone.

"Fuck you, mystery box."

Taking a deep breath that he barely managed to properly inhale and not puke out from pure fear Alexander reached for the detonators-

-and found his hand gripped in an unyielding tentacle of gelatinous blue material, eyes going wide as he slowly glanced over his shoulder, the dock now silent and full of Sirens.

All of whom were staring at him with unblinking eyes or cameras, the thing holding him resembling a cybernetic jellyfish loaded with advanced Siren weaponry, an admittedly breathtaking woman sitting regally on it's hull as if it was a throne.

"A survivor...that is most unexpected."

A shawl that was half fur and half seaweed, frighteningly pale skin and a regal yet almost melancholy expression that conveyed both purpose and experience.

A real, breathing Siren.

"You had intended to destroy yourself and cause damage to us before perishing...an admirable last stand, but ultimately fruitless."

His arm was yanked well away from the detonator, Alexander violently cursing within his mind...and felt his blood run cold as one of the grunts cut open the sealed container, an unearthly glow suffusing the landscape as he caught a glimpse of what lay within.

Wisdom Cubes, at least thirty of them. One of humanity's greatest resources and weapons that could be used in the battle against their foe...and they'd failed to retrieve them.

His eyes flicked towards the Siren, the woman drifting closer to the shimmering artifacts as her features took on a distinctly disappointed and resigned tinge.

"It seems this particular trial too will end in failure...I had high hopes, for Humanity to have stood their ground for so long and even appropriated our technology."

While he had no clue as to what the crazy thing was talking about Alexander did understand two very important things.

First was that the Siren and it's servants had momentarily forgotten about him, acting as if he didn't even exist. Second was that while his working arm was indeed trapped...the broken one could still stiffly work its fingers, albeit painfully and clumsily.

The young man didn't hesitate, didn't think twice and certainly didn't gloat...all he knew was that this was an opportunity to both die painlessly and to maybe even take one of the bitches with him.

"Well...could be worse deaths."

And with that somewhat anticlimactic thought Alexander hauled his broken arm around, stiffly grabbed the detonator just as the Siren turned her gaze back towards him-

-and pressed the detonator.

[Vampire, keep those Siren ships ducking! I'll draw their fire and allow you to hit them without fear of being struck yourself!]

"W-what?! Speak not of any more nonsense, Warspite! Thou was on the verge of breaking apart before the battle began, I am more than capable of withstanding-"

[Those are my orders, Vampire! Now get ready to fire!]

Blinking back tears at the clearly pained words of her most admirable and fiery comrade HMS Vampire furiously wiped away the few drips that did escape, ruby eyes heavily bagged while her gothic and immaculate clothing was soiled, rumpled and even torn in a few places from the past week of running battle and high-stakes missions.

Instead she stood proudly on the bow of her destroyer, ignoring the deluge of Siren munitions as she focused on figuring out the best time and place to put her torpedoes into the enemy, trying to ignore the steadily growing aches and pains assailing her lithe form as battle damage wore away at her ship's hull and systems.

Her attention was reserved for the enemy and Royal Navy battlecruiser which maneuvered around her vessel to shield it from the Siren assault, Vampire bearing witness to a bruised and bloodied Warspite standing strong atop the bow of her ship, sword keeping her upright as reverse-engineered Siren tech protected the craft from the cavalcade of shots that slammed into the already burning and pockmarked ship with hexagonal panes of blue shielding.

But even that was fading, Vampire's heart leaping into her throat as a high-caliber railcannon punched a hole through a less protected - but thankfully abandoned - section of crew quarters, Warspite staggering in sympathetic pain from the blow but not faltering in the slightest, guns blazing away in stubborn defiance.

[Ah, GEEZ! Why are there so many of these things, I only have so many eyes to track them with dangit!]

[W-whoah, heads up, Sandy! Torpedo bombers coming in!]

Vampire spared the slightest bits of attention to the trio of Eagle Union ships desperately trying to hold off the incessant air assault from a Siren supercarrier off in the distance, San Diego, Saratoga and Lexington filling the air with flak and fighters as they dueled with the endless waves of advanced aircraft, trying to cover both the fleeing civilian ships and vehicles as well as their beleaguered allies.

It looked to be a losing battle as a trio of Siren torpedo craft swooped low, avoiding San Diego's enhanced anti-air batteries while only one went down in a hail of gunfire from the idol sister's planes. The rest released their payloads towards a fleeing merchant vessel, loaded down with refugees instead of cargo as the Royal Navy destroyer felt her mouth go dry.

The hits were clean, snapping the vessel in half and evidently setting some kind of flammable material - fuel, most likely - alight as Vampire felt physically sick, civilians leaping into the water with desperate abandon, some screaming as flaming oil cooked them alive or valiantly trying to keep young children afloat while flotation devices were quickly claimed by the splashing throng of humanity.

Silence fell over the combat channel, even the irrepressible San Diego and Saratoga falling quiet as it was only the shipgirls left standing as the more conventional human ships had been destroyed in short order during the opening stages of the assault.

[It seems that, yet again, I can do nothing but watch.]

Tirpitz's morose words were quickly shot down by Warspite, the heaving and shuddering battleship barking out, [Keep your defeatist attitude to yourself, we're still standing and we can still save lives! Don't forget, we're also covering for the special package, if nothing else we can't let them down!]

While the Ironblood battleship made no response she nonetheless maneuvered her marginally more intact vessel alongside the Royal Navy one, both heavy ships pounding away at the Siren fleet while Vampire finally got a target lock, sending a wave of torpedoes against a Siren battleship that struck home, the metallic monstrosity listing before a salvo from her two larger comrades landed impeccably and put it down for a good, a small victory that lifted the petite destroyer's spirits...until she saw the rest of the Siren armada continue to advance, a guided missile impacting Tirpitz and causing the Ironblood to quietly grunt in pain at the hit.

There were still four enemy battleships and seven destroyers closing in on them, the supercarrier hanging back and keeping the Eagle Union fully occupied and more, the shipgirls barely able to protect the coastline - never mind the mainland itself - where Siren fightercraft carried out a massacre with impunity on the fleeing civilians.

…

It had been like this for almost ten years now. Sirens slowly but unstoppably whittling away at human strongholds and residences, working their way up and down the islands and coastlines of the world until the ocean was practically off limits to humanity, the shipgirls only able to watch and bitterly fight to the end as both their charges and their sisters were gradually lost to their implacable enemy.

It hadn't started like that. At first Azur Lane had been a home for them all, even the growing hostilities between the four factions of the world not enough to break the bonds of that wondrous island where Vampire and all of her many sisters had been able to interact and revel. Even the outbreak of war between the Sakura Empire, Ironbloods, Royal Navy and Eagle Union hadn't completely done away with those connections. Defectors, traitors, refugees and all sorts of similar titles were given to those who didn't wish to fight against friends and family, five years of war unable to shatter the hope of a unified world and eventual peace between them all.

And then the Sirens had entered the war.

While it had been widely known that they were responsible for some of the Ironblood's early success in the conflict it was mostly their work in the Sakura Empire that had caused so much trouble for the world, igniting the fires of battle and industry as strife broke out across the globe...but even then they had remained distant and uninterested in the daily grind of warfare, only the occasional Siren ship or fleet being spotted and engaged.

At least until a decade of sorrow and blood had begun. Gargantuan fleets of advanced Siren ships had begun to indiscriminately strike out at whatever hapless group presented themselves with no warning whatsoever, the four factions and countless more targeted in equal measure with no thought or care given to previous alliances.

One decade. One decade for the world to come crashing down around their ears, for desperate attempt after desperate attempt to be made in a vain effort to stem the tide and regain the initiative in the war.

Reverse-engineering Siren technology, research into hitherto unknown aspects of the Wisdom Cubes, delaying battles paid for in shipgirl and human blood...none of it had worked, or at least not for long.

And even this latest plot, to steal a Siren cache of Wisdom Cubes looked to be ending badly when it had begun so splendidly. A joint force between the four factions had launched two assaults, one to distract the Sirens while the other - the one Vampire had been apart of - raided a Siren storehouse and made off with their prize.

And now all they had accomplished was to draw a Siren battlegroup to yet another group of civilians, the fate of the soldiers transporting the Wisdom Cubes unknown but almost certainly a failure, as they hadn't given them the all clear signal despite almost an hour passing since the cutoff time for the operation.

Vampire fought back tears as the sheer helplessness of their situation became all the more apparent as Warspite's shields collapsed, a real cry of pain leaving the venerable battleship as her hull began to creak and shatter under the unrelenting barrage.

"Warspite! Please, thou must retreat-"

[Sorry, Vampire...my engines are dead. Tirpitz! You have command, escort what civilians are alive and the rest of our forces to Azur Lane and report on what's happened, is that clear?]

[...Understood. Fight well, Warspite.]

[Wait, sister! Surely we can at least provide transport so that-]

Lexington's words were cut short as Warspite tightly responded, [No good, I'm...a bit too damaged for that. Now go!]

Vampire trembled, unwilling to disobey but also unwilling to abandon the best and kindest warrior among the remaining Royal Navy, caught between conflicting desires-

[Vampire...tell our Queen I died well. And live, don't perish trying to save an already sunk hulk.]

No longer able to fight back the tears Vampire shakily nodded, stating with a quavering voice, "I...I shall, lady Warspite. Thou has...thou has meant much to me. Farewell."

With great reluctance the shipgirls prepared to leave behind yet another sister, standing strong and firing defiantly despite the collapsing nature of her vessel as the Sirens closed in, yet another loss to be added to the tally as they fled with their tails tucked between their legs.

[This is Tirpitz to all civilian vessels. Converge on our location and await coordinates of target destination-BZZT!]

Vampire winced, a burst of harsh static echoing across both the radio and telepathic connection the shipgrils shared just as the sky turned dark, her ruby eyes widening as in the distance a blinding light began to glow with increasing brilliance, arcs of purple, white and blue lightning dancing across the atmosphere as the winds howled in chaos at the act, the lithe shipgirl's mouth dropping open in shock.

"Is...is that not where the shipment was taken?"

"Now this is truly impressive indeed…"

Alexander blinked, gazing around him as time had seemed to simply...stop.

Directly in front of his kneeling position was a steadily expanding ball of multi-colored fire courtesy of the explosive charge, metal fragments streaking outwards in a wild spray as the Siren stared at him with a curious expression, his body alone moving at a somewhat normal pace.

"What is this? What did you do to me?"

"This is an ability unique to the Sirens. And I have not yet decided. This scenario...holds many unique possibilities."

The exotic woman stared at the container full of Wisdom Cubes, idly asking, "The explosive device you initiated will eliminate these alongside your body. You know that, right?"

Still trying to come to terms with the fact that the Siren could seemingly affect time itself Alexander forced himself to swallow, coldly responding, "Better them destroyed than back in the hands of the Sirens."

"He really doesn't have the slightest clue, does he? But then no Human ever really has."

Alexander could only stare in horror as two more Sirens appeared from seemingly nowhere, floating forward on massive thrones of metal and guns, both with pale hair, skin and glowing yellow eyes. The shorter of the duo gave him a malicious smirk, seeming more amused by his situation than any other possible emotion.

"Observer, Tester. I wish for the both of you to bear witness to this new solution I have discovered."

Both turned bored expressions towards their fellow Siren, the taller commenting, "And this will be different from any other solution, how?"

A delicate finger pointed first in the direction of the explosion and then the Wisdom Cubes, comprehension that escaped Alexander dawning on their features.

"You can not be serious. This would skip several steps in the process of ascending Humanity, directly defying previous experience from past iterations. The Creator did not desire a fast path to power-"

"The Creator will care not for the means of success, only that success was achieved. And the Inquisitor gave me the authority to carry out this goal through any means necessary, lest you forget."

The shorter Siren snorted, wryly commenting, "This will not succeed. It will fail just like all of the other iterations...or worse, give rise to the very same scenario which precluded our creation before we can stop it."

"A risk we must take. No matter how isolated and compressed time may be in this reality even we cannot reset it forever...the Creator was not omnipotent, no matter how we may wish it were so."

Alexander's eyes flicked between the three conversing monsters, completely lost as to what they were discussing but understanding that the true threat these things posed was somehow worse than anything humanity could have imagined.

Stopping time? Rewinding it? Speaking of this world as if it was just...some experiment?

"What the fuck are you all talking about?! And what does humanity have to do with it?!"

"This one is noisy."

The smaller Siren spoke of him as if were annoying and needlessly irritating, Alexander snarling at her-

"To answer your question, human...we are discussing your future. And humanity has everything to do with it."

The more composed Siren that had first encountered him approached, no derision or gloating present in her tone, only purpose.

"The Sirens are not the enemies of humanity. We are the ones charged with saving it, to lead them into the next stage of evolution and avert the coming destruction. Believe this or not, it matters little...eventually you will understand our methods and purpose."

A gesture towards the Wisdom Cubes that Alexander almost missed, so incredulous was he of the creature's words.

"The energy released by the Wisdom Cubes will wash over the both of us, fusing and creating something...new. Perhaps an answer to our primary directive and purpose."

The Siren turned away from the dumbstruck human, asking of her fellows, "Observer, Tester...will you see this new trial through?"

Both Sirens shrugged, replying, "Naturally. There is little else for us to do. We shall relay word to the others that they are to engage with testing at their discretion."

Both of the other Sirens smiled at Alexander with fairly predatory expressions.

"Perhaps this will afford truly impressive levels of entertainment...perhaps enough to actually impress us."

Before the young man could ask what the fuck any of this meant or what was going to happen the original Siren knelt before him, cupping his head within her ice cold - yet oddly comfortable and soft - hands, piercing blue eyes boring into his own as she stated, "I am investing much into this experiment, human...do not disappoint me. Our Empress would be greatly displeased if this endeavor was to fail."

There was a rush of air, blast of heat along the length of his back and Alexander Curtis ceased to exist as time resumed at its normal pace.

...And something else was born. Something greater.

[All vessels full speed ahead, now!]

The barely contained apprehension in Tirpitz's voice was completely justified, in Vampire's opinion. Because in the distance - once the lightshow had ceased - was an utterly colossal Siren vessel that looked like it dwarfed even the supercarrier, thankfully beached but no one was in a hurry to find out it its guns were still just as deadly...and where the hell had it even come from in the first place? If something had gone wrong with the Wisdom Cube heist and resulted in an even more terrifying enemy ship Vampire wasn't sure she could handle it...especially not with Warspite sacrificing herself for that opportunity.

[Uh oh...heads up, everybody! Bag guys incoming!]

San Diego's warning coincided with a massive stream of Siren aircraft abandoning - or more likely finishing off - all ground-based targets as they winged back towards the fleeing convey, the situation becoming even more dire than it had already been...and in the distance the Siren behemoth began to move, strange engines flaring to life with multi-colored flame as it began to slide back into the waves, gouging a titanic trench out of the sand as Vampire could only stare in horrified awe.

[Vampire, form up!]

Tirpitz's worried admonishment snapped the destroyer out of her shock, engaging her engines and fleeing towards the slowly retreating convoy, the lithe shipgirl's ruby eyes casting one last glance towards the still fighting Warspite-

-and a cry of pain escaped her lips as she missed a pair of Siren dive bombers streaking out from the clouds above, their munitions striking her engines and cripping them as it felt like someone had taken a branding iron to her legs, the young woman fighting to her feet regardless as she faced down their enemy, refusing to die like a coward on her knees, ignoring the worried cries from her fellow sisters, instead mustering what thrust she could to limp next to Warspite.

[I thought...I told you to get away.]

"Alas, my luck did not hold out for long. My engines are crippled and it appears unlikely I shall find respite enough to have them fixed."

The destroyer fought back tears as another wave of near misses exacerbated her wounds, a tired sigh escaping the other Royal Navy shipgirl as she whispered, [Then I thank you for being there at the end, Vampire.]

Settling for a nod the tiny destroyer drifted right alongside her sister and leader, braving the stinging and bruising barrage as she tried to face her death with every bit of bravery she could muster...and blinked as a shadow fell over them, Vampire's lovely features tightening in a sudden wave of adrenaline as the gargantuan Siren vessel was bearing down on them with impressive speed, the hum of its engines now an audible thing.

"Ahh...so this is how we meet our demise. Not even gifted a glorious last stand but an ignoble death from being crushed beneath our enemy's heel."

Vampire shut her eyes, bit her lip as she heard Warspite gasp at the titanic hunk of metal bearing down on them.

And the winds tore at her silver hair, skin vibrating and exacerbating her wounds as the Siren ship...missed?

Blinking in shock as ocean spray misted her doll-like body the destroyer was treated to the sight of the Siren vessel slewing around their position, shielding them with its tremendous bulk as the relentless barrage mercifully came to an end.

[Did...did it-]

Warspite's dazed inquiry came to an end with a wet cough, her ship cracked and burning as Vampire shook herself out of her stupor, at least for the moment.

What was the ship doing?

The other Siren vessels had also ceased their shelling, the entire battlefield falling silent as if drawing in a deep breath of anticipation. Vampire used this time to leap off the deck of her ship, skating over the waves at a rapid pace towards Warspite's location and leaping atop her fellow sister's sinking vessel.

"Warspite! Thou should sound an alarm to alert myself to your location!"

A weak groan echoed through the ship's intercom, the warning staticy and garbled but nonetheless reassuring Vampire that Warspite was still alive and fighting. She sprinted through the twisting halls, heels clacking loudly on buckling metal as she finally arrived at the deck, jumping over the raging flames as her heart nearly stopped at the sight of her fellow sister sprawled out amidst a pool of blood and shredded clothing, slim frame barely drawing breath.

Not wasting time with words Vampire slung the equally slim girl over her shoulder, hauling her away from the battle at a swift pace to her own ship and its comparative safety.

Traversing the swelling waves Vampire tried to regain control of her heartbeat, ruby eyes rapidly scanning the horizon and trying to make sense of what madness seemed to have gripped the coastline. The standoff continued to hold between the gigantic Siren vessel and its smaller brethren, the shipgirl entirely unsure of how to go about resolving this situation that ended up with them still alive at the end of it. What, exactly, was that enormous vessel attempting to do by shielding them?

As if in response to that very thought she received a communication from her allies, Tirpitz's anxiety kept to an almost unnoticeable degree as she asked, [Vampire, are you still there? What's going on?]

"I...I have Warspite with me and we're returning to my ship, what plot the Siren vessel hath I know not, we-"

The silver-haired woman's words were cut off as a sudden cacophony of noise split the air, a yelp of fright escaping the shipgirl as the Sirens resumed firing...at their fellow ship.

(Dance with the Dead - The Awakening)

High energy blasts peeled away thick plates of armor, the strange 'missiles' that were basically advanced and guided rockets spiraled towards the vessel like hundreds of tiny fireflies and the supercarrier's complement of air-superiority craft dived towards the ship similar to a flock of heavily armed birds, the newcomer Siren shuddering under the barrage and for a reason that completely mystified Vampire refused to return fire.

A shriek of fright escaped the shipgirl as the detonations began to rock her already listing destroyer, holding Warspite tight as ocean spray drenched the duo, the terror of earlier returning full force-

-and the air was stolen from her lungs as with a noise that completely outdid anything she had previously experienced the titanic ship unleashed its guns in retaliation.

The firepower it carried was absurd, more than a match for a small group of battleships as heavy cannons and energy projectors dotted its length, sending munitions towards the opposing Sirens...and missing?

Vampire couldn't help but frown as most of the shots went wide, the sparse anti-air batteries ineffectually and wildly spraying projectiles at the swooping fighters and bombers without a single hit scored as it continued to take damage, not so much as a single shield to be found across its vast surface.

"Does...does it not know how to fight properly?"

That seemed to be the only explanation as the great vessel's engines sporadically tilted it to and fro, displaying none of the usual Siren efficiency as it nonetheless continued to loom over Vampire's comparatively tiny destroyer, ponderously trying to shield it from harm.

A clutch of bombs struck the deck of ship, a flaming chunk of metal crashing down on the smaller vessel and causing Vampire to cry in pain, feeling as if she'd just been smashed across the back with a molten hammer-

-and for whatever reason that seemed to be the cue for the ship to finally find its center, Vampire's ears popping as there was a sudden spike of pressure...and her crimson eyes went wide in disbelief as a titanic shield of hexagonal panes snapped to life around the two ships, the scope and power of the barrier like nothing that had been displayed before in any vessel seen since, Siren or otherwise.

What had once been a barrage powerful enough to tear away at Siren armor composites harmlessly bounced off of the barrier, explosions uselessly scattered as the Royal Navy destroyer felt a brief surge of adrenaline enter her slight breast...and that faltered as she quickly saw that the shield was imperfect, unevenly overlapping or simply outright missing a few sections which the attacking aircraft - at least a hundred of them - took advantage of, maneuvering through the barrier and prepping another wave of bombs.

Except this time the AA fire was infinitely more accurate, focusing on one plane at a time and shredding it to pieces with rapid-fire railcannons while the entire back of the craft shifted, revealing a flight deck that disgorged at least three dozen fast and agile interceptors that began eliminating the bombers with far more efficiency than the AA guns were.

Vampire couldn't help the slightest stirrings of hope that rose within her, as large and powerful guns finally began to properly return fire, overwhelming one of the battleship's shields and tearing a massive hole down its length that began to rapidly take on water.

And even that wasn't the end of the ship's tricks, dozens of missiles began to arch into the sky from hidden batteries on its deck, aimlessly spiraling out of control for a time before properly aligning themselves with their targets and wiping out a line of Siren destroyers that hadn't managed to shoot them down in time.

"That's...awe inspiring."

Watching the display with a rapturous expression Vampire observed the remaining Siren vessels close ranks, overlapping shields and guarding the supercarrier as it released its full fighter wing, almost two hundred bombers and interceptors racing to join the fifty or so that were still swarming the rogue Siren.

Briefly unsure if the mystery ship would be able to handle that level of concentrated attack Vampire went through her available options...and winced, finding that the last bit of damage had all but crippled her, no weapons systems available for use.

And that was when she noticed that the mystery Siren began to slowly, ponderously turn its bulk towards the gathered enemy, yet another section on the bow of the ship splitting apart and revealing some kind of system that was hidden from her view...but she could feel a strange thrumming in her bones, a noise like a passing plane causing her ears to ache as light seemed to gather at the front of the ship-

-and the horizon gained a second sun.

Squinting through the light Vampire's jaw dropped for what felt like the thousandth time that day, a fast expanding cloud of steam and debris washing over the shields surrounding them with zero effect, despite carrying enough force to wipe away a small town without a trace.

Of the opposing Siren fleet? Nothing but a vortex of fire and smoke, the ocean already claiming its bounty, courtesy of whatever weapon the rogue Siren had made use of.

"What...what are thou?"

Gazing up at the titanic ship that quickly fell silent and made no further movements, guns winding down and shield dissipating the destroyer felt her connection to her other sisters chime insistently, Tirpitz's concerned tone asking, [Vampire, are you alive and well? Respond!]

Violently shaking her head the lithe female stared up at the monolithic vessel, quietly replying, "I still live, sisters...thou will not believe what has occurred on this momentous day."

Always had a soft spot for Azur Lane and its zany take on WWII being fought out by A-grade waifus. Thus, this little story that will hopefully breathe a little bit of life into the universe separate from the game.