Sakura Empire Territorial Waters
June 21, 1942
Akagi speed to the direction where the battle was raging between Azur Lane Forces and the Siren Fleet. Behind her were Takao and Atago, speeding up, trying to catch up with her.
"Akagi sempai!" Takao called out Akagi's name multiple times as she gave chase.
"Takao! If we continue this pursuit, we will deplete our own fuel tanks. I'm on my reserves now," Atago said as she slowed down to conserve her fuel.
"Return back now. I'm going to fetch her myself," Takao replied.
"Hai~" Atago then turned around and returned to Kaga's Carrier.
Takao called out. "AKAGI!!!!!!!"
"God damn it, Akagi, why are you always such a pain in the ass!" she angrily yelled.
~In the far distance~
Essex-12 noticed some specks on her Enterprise Air Surveillance Radar that were approaching where Enterprise-80 and Empress III were engaging in a one-on-one battle. That zone was off-limits to everyone, as if the moment you entered there, you were dead.
"Who the fuck in their right mind would go in that area?" Essex-12 exclaimed as she saw a dot speeding towards the Danger Zone.
"The radar return shows an Akagi Class Carrier and Takao Class Cruiser," Lafayette scanned the ships' RCS.
"What are they doing there anyway? Didn't Elder Enterprise say it's dangerous to get closer to that area?" Centaur spoke.
"I've heard they called Akagi 'Bitch' in the Base every time she was mentioned," Essex-12 said.
"After knowing her... yeah.... She's a Bitch," Lafayette added.
"We need to stop her from getting close to that area; she might disrupt the battle between Elder Enterprise—"
"Enough with the 'Elder' crap!" Essex-12 yelled out and clenched her fist as she heard another word of 'Elder'.
Centaur covered her mouth as she was scared by the boiling Essex-12. "S-Sorry...." She said, getting scared.
Lafayette's eyeball turned to its side as it glanced at the mostly transparent clothing of Centaur. His other eyeball got its priority as it stared at her curvature.
Centaur noticed his glance at her curves and asked. "Is something wrong??"
Lafayette played it cool as he diverted her attention while making an escape. "Yeah-Yeah... We need to intercept her before she can get to the battle between the two Titans."
~Back to Akagi~
"Where are you, Arbiter?!" Akagi cried out. "Where are you!"
Akagi was too clouded by revenge that she forgot the direction of the Arbiter; she almost lost hope of finding her and getting her revenge.
Then a simultaneous explosion in the distance could be heard. Streaks of light and a hail of bullets, followed by roaring jets in the sky.
Akagi shifted her attention in that direction where the battle between Enterprise-80 and Empress III ensued, as they both shot at each other with Lasers, Missiles, and Bombs.
Akagi smiled. "There you are. Now I can finally avenge my sister!!!"
She then sped up in their direction and pulled out a red paper plane cut-out from one of her pockets and threw it at her with the intent of stopping her from getting in the way of her revenge.
Enterprise-80 was about to end Empress III's life with a swift single shot with her arrow. But it was jeopardized by a single paper plane cut-out as she fired her shot.
It averted its direction, missing Empress III by a large margin. The hypersonic boom blew Empress III's white hair and made it float in the air; her expression was one of shock, as she was close to death.
"Oh, come on!" Enterprise-80 exclaimed in frustration for interrupting her shot. She then glanced at where the paper cut-out came from.
It was Akagi, panting as she caught her breath, and declared, "I I... am not gonna let you... take away... my opportunity.... for the sister that I lost, this is my revenge!"
"Who the hell is this piece of shit!" Empress III uttered internally as Akagi's presence was a mockery of her fate.
Enterprise-80's eyes widened in surprise as she didn't expect her to intervene. 'Damn it, Akagi, why now! I've already got her.'
Akagi looked and pointed her finger at Empress III with a face of defiance or stupidity. "You!" She declared, her voice booming. "You are mine, Empress III!"
Empress III looked at her with bewildered looks plastered all over her face. She didn't expect someone of lower caliber to show up and interrupt her battle and save her in the nick of time, let alone challenge her.
Enterprise-80 pondered. 'Did she lose her mind? This is a higher caliber than her own. Is she trying to be really that stupid for revenge?'
Empress III laughed and just straight up ignored her word. "I appreciate your little intervention, but to think you can just challenge me out of nowhere, when you can't even barely hold your own against Observer. Your laughable strength was nothing to face me? Don't be stupid! Even the combined fleet of Azur Lane back then could not fight me with their combined might. What are you going to do then?"
She then stared back at Akagi. "You got guts.... But you lack the power and strength to defeat me!" Empress III fired her fully charged Plasma Cannon at her. "I appreciate your help.... Now, be gone!"
Akagi, determined to face her off, brought out more paper cut-outs from her pockets/pouch as she then proceeded to throw them at Empress III.
The paper cut-outs she threw turned into Burning Zeros, Vals, and Nakajima Torpedo Bombers. Her attack flew with intensity towards Empress III like that of Kamikazes.
-Question: did Akagi have a pocket, or did the paper cut-outs just appear like shuriken in her hand in every anime? -
"Do not underestimate me!" Akagi yelled with confidence in her voice that she would overcome her opponent.
Too bad for her, reality hurts more than fantasy, as all the planes that she launched were vaporized in the way of the fully charged Laser Blast that was intended for Enterprise-80.
"You think that would scare me!" Akagi yelled again as she faced the concentrated laser blast hurling towards her.
"What are you doing, Akagi?!!!"
Enterprise-80, not having any BS coming from Akagi, intervened. She jumped off her Plane and landed right next to Akagi. She then kicked Akagi in the abdomen so hard that she flew off by hundreds of meters away, avoiding the full impact of Empress III's fully charged Laser Beam.
Enterprise-80 took the full brunt as she received a direct hit; her right Rigging, which housed the forward flight deck that house EMALS and various Weapons Systems, was vaporized. The destruction of one of her Rigging left her with five functioning flight decks; two of which were the landing decks with arrested wires.
Thankfully, the damage was only contained at one of the Flight Deck Rigging, due to the earlier prototype Shield Generator that William reverse-engineered from the captured Elite-Siren. The Shield Generator did not make a circular shield like that on Siren Force-fields, but it only created a small layer of shield coating the Carrier Hull. Because of that, the damage to her hull or rigging was minimal and could be fixed in the field. The initial explosion also created an illusion that she was taken out with that concentrated attack.
In the aftermath, Empress III, overjoyed, laughed at the result of her attack; she saw the enemy that only gave her some challenge in her existence. Seeing the destruction was an achievement, not just a victory, but entertainment and a challenge.
"This is a battlefield; there are no rooms for heroes!" Empress III said as she laughed. "I kinda admit... you're such a formidable foe... shame you parted too early for my liking."
Amidst her celebration, in the raging fire and smoke, Enterprise-80 emerged, injured and bruised, her clothes tattered, her rigging scorched yet stood with the strength of American Steel.
Enterprise-80 used this opportunity as Empress III talked her nonsense. Amidst setting fire and smoke, she drew a blue-tipped arrow. The two protruding Electromagnetic rails from her Bow charged up. Her eyes glowed blue like a Nuclear Reactor Start-up as she focused her energy on this attack.
-Blue-tipped Arrow is a US Navy Hypersonic Missile or Halo Hypersonic Missile-
"This is the end," She spoke her final words before she released the string of her Bow. The blue-tipped arrow accelerated with greater velocity as it was propelled by the magnetic acceleration of the two protruding Magnetic-Rails.
The Arrow glowed in blue light and flew at high speed or hypersonic speed with a shattering sonic boom that followed its trail at a speed no one could predict.
Empress III saw her mistake and quickly raised her defenses; a Force Field materializing. She was then struck by a projectile that flew at hypersonic speed in the blink of an eye. She thought this attack was the same as before, but this one was quite different, too different from the attack before.
Within seconds, her core was damaged and ripped open by the projectile that flew 10x the speed of sound.
"No.... it – it can't be," She said in disbelief as a massive hole could be seen in her core.
Enterprise-80 lowered her Bow after seeing her attack land a hit; both she and Empress III were tired and injured in their battle. Their last eye-to-contact, it would be the last.
Empress III smiled as she accepted death; she didn't break her gaze at the one who claimed victory over her. For the last moment of her existence, she was then engulfed in a blue fiery explosion as her core exploded from getting damaged by the attack.
*insert Hardtack Umbrella - Underwater Nuclear Burst footage*
The explosion was larger than Enterprise-80 had anticipated; the shockwave and ripples reached the far away Battlefield.
Enterprise-80 was thrown by the blast; at the explosion, she stood her ground. She along with her Sister Ships was tested in subsequent underwater explosions to assess the integrity of the Supercarrier Hull before it entered US Navy Service. She survived the massive explosion powerful enough to cripple any Ship's hull in the vicinity.
The explosion settled down, and vapor rose up in the air. Enterprise-80, her clothes torn, Ship Rigging charred and damaged yet operational. Assessed the damage, she took a breath as the battle was over and victory was on their side.
"Looks like William and Vestal will not be pleased at this," She muttered to herself, gesturing over herself at the mess she made.
Afterward, she sailed towards the location where the unconscious Akagi landed. She crouched and tapped Akagi's face repeatedly to wake her up.
Akagi, disturbed at the excessive tapping of her cheek and calling her name multiple times, slowly opened her eyes.
"Hey... Hey!!!" A face of a woman she despised appeared in her vision as it slowly cleared from being blurry, and her head cleared in dizziness.
Akagi quickly regained her senses and quickly glanced at her. "You..."
"So, you finally regained your senses...." After Enterprise-80 said those words, she quickly smacked Akagi in the face. "About damn time."
"Ouch!"
Akagi got up quickly and prepared a battle stance, grabbed her paper cut-outs. "Damn you! I'm about to get my revenge!"
Enterprise-80 cut her off with a head-chop that brought her back to reality. Then an excessive berating began.
"Do you have any idea what kind of shit show did you just perform?! She almost got you killed because of your dumbass decisions. And now you're talking about revenge when you're conspiring with the enemies that killed your own sister!"
Akagi retorted back. "You did not know what kind of pain I felt!"
Enterprise-80 slapped her again. "PAIN?! PAIN?! Look around you, how much pain did you cause to those who are not involved!"
Akagi was currently holding her right cheek that was glowing red with pain as it was slapped by Enterprise-80 multiple times. Her cheeks were like ass-cheeks in total redness from getting slapped.
Enterprise-80 fixed her cap, tie, and jacket as she finished slapping Akagi's cheeks multiple times. Her tone and demeanor changed into an authoritative one as she stated Akagi's Warrant of Arrest.
"Akagi. I hereby arrest you. You are charged with conspiring with the enemy and creating more chaos in this already chaotic world. You are about to be stripped of your rigging and power. The Azur Lane Alliance will judge you for your crimes. If you resist, I am obligated to..."
Enterprise-80 then pulled the string of her Bow and pointed it at Akagi. "...sink you at the Alliance's discretion. Surrender now...."
Both Enterprise-80 and Akagi locked in a staring contest; their eyes met, one was defiance, and the other was cold, piercing ice.
Akagi's hands were visibly shaking in fear as she was afraid of what the Alliance might do to her. She then started hyperventilating, her whole body started sweating cold, and her heart rate increased; almost her heartbeat could be heard with all the silence.
Akagi then snapped. "NO! I won't!" She set her paper cut-out in flames as she was ready to throw it.
Enterprise-80 was ready to release the arrow that could end Akagi's life with a single release. But someone just called out, and they both ceased to release their attack.
"Akagi-sempai, please stop! It's over! It's all over now," Takao called out as she caught up to her.
Takao intervened between the two, placing herself in between them; she then looked at Akagi, asking her to lower her Paper cut-outs.
"Akagi sempai, resisting is futile. Look..." She then gestured around her. "She even manages to take down an Arbiter on her own... this is not the 'Enterprise' we've knew. She's willingly and capable of sending you to the bottom. So, please.... just surrender."
Akagi was too hesitant to lower her paper cut-out. "Nothing bad will happen to you," She added that last part to reassure her about her concerns.
Akagi then started crying as Takao embraced her to comfort her feeling and let her know she wasn't alone. "It's alright, Akagi sempai.... It's alright..."
"I'll leave her in your hands for now; I have some work to finish," Enterprise-80 said as she sailed toward the ongoing battle between Azur Lane Forces and the Siren Fleet.
Enterprise-80 then contacted everyone in the comms. "This is Enterprise. I've defeated Empress III. I'm currently now heading to your location."
.
.
.
Safe Zone, USNS William McLean
Everyone at the Safe Zone received the news of the defeat of Empress III; many of the Shipgirls cheered and celebrated. The Sakura Empire shipgirls in the infirmary, had relief plastered on their faces. Nagato teared up with so much joy and relief overflowing from her emotion, as she could now rest assured that her two friends were now avenged.
Shinano and Mikasa were both surprised; their eyes widened in surprise; words couldn't fully utter their feelings.
"Hear that? She did defeat her in one-on-one," William said as he puffed smoke.
Hornet jumped and hugged her sister from the news they received. "Hear that, sister. She did it. She did defeat her."
"Y-Yeah..." That was the only word Enterprise-6 could mutter in surprise. She was still dazed by the shocking news of her counterpart's successor's victory against an Arbiter Class.
Vestal was also happy, her smile brighter than the sun, but all of it slowly vanished as she saw William's face reaction.
William felt like a heavy burden was placed over his shoulder; she won—yes—but there were some damages being relayed in the follow-up communication. The extent of the damage made him pinch his nose in frustration. As a Cargo Ship with a Repair Shop for minimal damage and repair, he now had a Supercarrier got damaged and charred; most of the defenses were burnt. 1 EMALS was out of order; the other 3 sustained some damages that could easily be repaired. It would take him another week to finish the repairs.
"What's the matter... William?" Vestal asked, somewhat concerned.
He sighed. "She might be victorious... but she still received some substantial damages. And it is up to me to fix it." He put the cigar back in his mouth and puffed another smoke. "I have to inspect all the 8 vessels' hull integrity.... Alone. And there's Enterprise. A Supercarrier that needed to be in ready combat at all times and probably needed to resupply her with parts and new Airframes that were lost."
Poor William, he was going to crawl his way through the tight and cramped spaces of the hulls of the Modern Vessels to check the integrity and look for any cracks and damages. Lucky for him, there was a small fellas (Manjuus) that could fit in that tight space, which meant he wasn't going to crawl his way there.
Vestal held his left hand as comfort for the stress he released. William noticed her soft hands gently holding his left hand.
"I know how you feel," She said in a gentle tone to reassure him.
Vestal also had her fair share of experience crawling her way into the cramped and tight spaces of the Shipgirls' Ships, especially Enterprise CV-6. Vestal was the only one small enough to fit in Enterprise-6 Ship's port holes and tight machinery spaces.
-I guess being a midget had its own perks, huh, Vestal? -
"EHHHH. Vestal is making the first move~" Hornet pointed at the two as they held hands, declaring their intimate moment.
"Shut up!!!" Vestal yelled, her face flustered. William just smiled at the flustered Vestal, her ripped face tomato made her look even more cuter.
~Battlefield~
"Hear that, Your Majesty. She defeated Empress III," Warspite said.
Queen Elizabeth laughed in her typical self. "Hahaha. Great. Now we just have to eliminate the remaining Siren Fleet."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
Above them was an entire squadron of F/A-18 Hornets and F/A-25 Hellcats with its Drone Wingman MQ-28 Ghost Bat, or what was left of Enterprise-80's Air-Wing. All the Planes started dropping Guided Bombs at the remaining Siren Battleships and Siren Cruisers, prioritizing the destruction of the Siren Carriers, leaving the fleet unprotected from aerial attacks.
Below was a Virginia-class Submarine sinking all the remaining Siren Carriers with MK-48 Torpedoes and BGM-109 Tomahawks fired from its 4 VPM Tubes.
"Status report, how many Siren Carriers left?" Arizona asked.
"Few have left... the numbers are still unknown; the burning wrecks and sound of explosions make the differentiation harder," CO Meowfficer reported, its tail raised up along its fur.
Arizona nodded his head; the mug of coffee he held slightly trembling. "Report about the unknown encounter?"
"Gone. It disappeared from our sonars, Sir."
Arizona knew that unknown encounter with a presumed Elite-Siren crept him to the edge of his seat. The two MK-48s he fired didn't budge it; it only slowed its pace then disappeared.
"Whatever it is, it is still there and might pose a danger to those at the surface."
~Above the surface~
Wrecked Siren Ships littered the whole area, burning oil came out from the wrecks. Siren plane airframes floated along with debris from the wrecked Siren Ships.
Two of the Thirty Tester Clones were the only ones left on the battlefield, as they were being eliminated by Modern Kansens one by one. But the other one of the Modern Kansens with Bunny-ear Antenna just straight-up butchered them like animals.
-Geneva Suggestion did not mention Alien life form so.... Yeah... -
"This is bad... we lost all of our Queens (Siren Carriers), and now our Kings (Battleships) and Rooks (Cruisers)," One of the Clones exclaimed.
"What are your orders, Ma'am?" The other remaining Clone asked with a hint of terror in her voice.
"Let's retreat. This battle is over. We lost an Arbiter against...her," Tester α said, hinting at Enterprise-80's superiority.
Enterprise-80 defeated Empress III in combat, and that alone was a sign of the tables turning against them; staying there further would just end them quickly.
Tester α, carrying the injured and traumatized Observer α in her arms, flew out of Azur Lane's sight. Observer α, cradled in her hands, was muttering nonstop ever since she was dazed by Enterprise-80.
"Observer, could you please stop saying nonsense," Tester α said, worried about Observer α's mental health.
Observer α's mental health was getting worse every time she heard Enterprise's name and the Arbiter's defeat. She was trembling nonstop, and her tentacles were wrapping around her like a blanket, protecting her from any imaginary monster that might pull her away.
Tester α whispered under her breath as she glanced at her. "Shit. She's getting worse."
"We've been spotted!" One of the Clones cried out as it provided look-out for the two. They were all hiding among the Siren ship wrecks as they avoided the aerial attack from Azur Lane planes or worse, the Modern Aircraft.
Because they didn't have Carriers that could provide them with aerial cover anymore, they became victims of the Azur Lane Forces' Planes loitering above.
"You two cover our backs!" Tester α gave an order to her two remaining Clones.
"Come on, Observer. Let's get you out of here." She carried Observer α in her arms as she fled away along with her from the Modern Kansen's wrath and judgment.
"We will not let you pass!" One of the Clones remarked as they both blocked the way of JS Maya and Essex-12.
One of the Siren Clones pondered. 'I know this is a useless attempt to stop them. But it's enough to buy them some time to retreat---'
Her train of thinking was cut short as one Clone beside her lost a head in an explosion.
"Who fired at that?" Essex-12 asked in slight surprise.
They both looked behind and saw Laffey-200 with a PSLR-1 (Precision Shoulder-fired Rocket Launcher) on her right shoulder. The rocket launcher was still smoking from recent use.
"Out of the way," Laffey-200 said in a cold tone with her typical Laffey face.
Laffey-200 never missed the opportunity of eradicating the Sirens; she pointed her GAU-19, and its three barrels started rotating and firing .50cal at the lone Siren Clone. The Siren Clone didn't stand a chance and was shredded beyond recognition.
Centaur hid behind Essex-12, closed both of her eyes, and teared up; she barely held herself together at the screams of the Siren.
"She-She's scary, Elder," She then hugged Essex-12, getting scared by Laffey-200's actions at the Siren Clone.
"Don't worry, she wouldn't do that to her friends; she only does it to those who hurt her friends. You're one of her friends, so she won't hurt you..." Essex-12 said those reassuring words, patting her.
JS Maya contemplated. 'How many times do I have to witness blood and gore every time I'm with you guys?'
"Shit! All my Clones are now dead. We need to open a portal before they find us," Tester α said as she carried the crippled Observer α.
"I won't let you get away!" a kid's voice shouted in the distance coming from behind them. She saw one of the Modern Kansens in pursuit.
"Shit, I've been followed!" Tester α exclaimed in frustration.
Lafayette in chase fired 4 Naval Strike Missiles in their general direction; the Missiles skimmed above the ocean surface as they chased the fleeing Elite-Sirens.
Tester α raised her Force Field, one managed to break through her defense, destroying a portion of her rigging; 3 of her 6 Plasma Cannons were rendered unusable. She then tumbled at the ocean surface having lost momentum and the ability to hover.
Even though she sustained substantial damage to her rigging, she never let go of the 'crippled' Observer α in her hands.
"I'm sorry, Observer. I couldn't make it," She then started tearing up.
Lafayette was about to launch another Missile Attack, but his sonar detected another threat. Six blue laser blasts came straight out of underwater adjacent to his position. He quickly dodged all the sudden surprise attacks; in retaliation, he conducted ASW and started launching two ASRCOCs at the direction where the attack came from.
A giant underwater explosion followed by a large plume of water rising up. In that plume, another Elite-Siren showed up. An Ash-Haired Woman with horns wearing a one-piece black dress with 'Chicken Feet'. Her rigging was shaped like a Shark with Two Triple Gun Turrets.
-Gawra? –
"Omitter! Save us!" Tester α cried out.
"Right, right..." Omitter nonchalantly brushed a hand.
"I won't let you—" But before Lafayette could point his weapon, Omitter was nowhere to be seen. She moved faster than any human eye could follow.
Omitter grabbed both Observer and Tester and opened a purple portal where they all went through in a quick haste.
"What took you so long to get here?" Tester α asked Omitter as to why she was late; those few moments were like hell for the two.
"Sorry... I was intercepted by a Submarine on the way here. A little bit of skirmish with that Submarine that ended up wrong for me. A single Guided Torpedo managed to hit me, and I needed to silence my presence," Omitter said, her left leg bled from that injury.
.
.
.
"That was a quick one," Lafayette uttered in surprise. "I need to report this new Elite-Siren, maybe Azur Lane has data about this Siren.... my stock is also depleted."
He then returned to the main fleet to report and restock.
Back at the Main Fleet, last remaining Siren Ship as it withstood the relentless bombardment coming from the Battleships' Main guns.
The Modern Kansens watched the Siren Ship sink faster than they expected.
"Hmm... looks like the Siren put some self-destruct switch on every Siren ship, just like our demolition charges," Bunker Hill-76 said as she analyzed the last wreck going down.
"I'm going to ask Denver and Arizona for extra work," She said, glancing at the clipboard she was holding and writing down some notes.
"Putting self-destruct on their Ships to not let it get into Azur Lane hands is quite a genius move. But their tactic of flooding us with numbers, with these weakly armed ships, is like shooting at an Over-Gunned Off-Shore Patrol Vessel," Frigate Belfast said.
"Well.... Good thing we're lucky Miss Enterprise didn't drop a literal sun on these buffoons," Bunker Hill-76 said.
"If this whole ordeal lasted long, maybe. Maybe she would nuke this entire Siren Fleet."
"Good for us then, because we don't have to clean the radiation on these floating hulks," Bunker Hill-76 mused as she glanced at the floating Siren Ship wrecks.
Frigate Belfast added. "And thanks to that, we can now examine them and determine the extent of the Siren technology. I bet William will be delighted about getting his hands on one of the Siren Ships."
"Yeah... If we give him an intact one, other than the mingled ones," Bunker Hill-76 said as they both thought of the grinded Siren Corpse courtesy of Laffey-200 and JS Maya.
Those Corpses were now grinded meat because Laffey-200 demonstrated the Arsenal of Democracy in action. And the chopped ones were the result of JS Maya's sharp Katana Blades. Their train of thought was cut when a kid's voice called out.
"Ma'am, I have something to report," Lafayette's small figure perched along with his low tone.
Bunker Hill-76 stopped scribbling on her clipboard and looked at him. "Go on."
Lafayette gave his report. "A New Elite-Siren that is not in Azur Lane Files showed up, and her name is Omitter. She had incredible speed, maneuverability, and agility, even more agile than the other Sirens. She also managed to rescue Observer and Tester in time before I could fully stop them."
"I see... I will put that on my report to Miss Enterprise. Anything else?"
"Yes, I got a high-resolution footage of hers." He then gave a High-Resolution Photo of the said Siren.
Bunker Hill-76 took a look at it for a moment before she clipped it to her clipboard. "Is this all?"
"Yes, that's all I have to report."
"Good, you're free to leave," Bunker Hill-76 said as she finished scribing on the clipboard about Omitter's appearance; she then warned him about the encounter. "Next time, don't rush alone.... Wait for us, the Sirens are still dangerous even when injured."
Lafayette nodded his head like a kid getting lectured, he then sailed towards JS Maya and Essex-12 to refuel. He navigated his way through the burning wrecks of the Siren Ships and burning oil that produced plumes of black smoke that could choke someone to death.
(Amphibious Assault Ships or LHAs can refuel their escorts for a short moment without the help of any Supply Ship)
As soon as he reached them, a feeling of creep slowly crawled down his skin. He looked around to find the source of this feeling, if someone was watching over him. He then checked for any surface or aerial threat around his area, but to no avail.
Centaur noticed Lafayette's restless expression and asked him. "Are you alright, Elder? You seem to be bothered by something?"
Lafayette snapped back from his daze and looked at her. "Umm...Y-Yeah, I'm alright... there's no need to worry about it."
He couldn't respond properly because of how lightly dressed she was and how it also exposed some of her curves; he smiled awkwardly.
"Oh, is that so..." Centaur looked at him, confused by his odd behavior.
"Yeah." 'I know that Light Carriers in WW2 have little to no protection. But this is something else.' His mind reeled at that.
His train of thought was shortly cut as someone embraced him from the back. Like a predator lunging at its prey. Lafayette was now in Ark Royal's grasps. Call 911, not Laffey!
"So, you're the creep that was creeping on me earlier!" He yelled as he tried to break free from Ark Royal's grasp.
"Don't be afraid, little Destroyer. I, Ark Royal, will help you ease your worries...." Ark Royal said embraced him tightly and without any intention of letting him go.
"Umm... Elder Ark Royal, please let him go...?"
"Let me go, you creep! Somebody help!" Lafayette pleaded.
Laffey-200 came to help him. "I got this," She said in her typical drowsy voice.
"Wait, Elder!" Centaur knew what Laffey-200 would do to Ark Royal. She tried to stop her, but Laffey-200 didn't pay any mind to Centaur's words.
Laffey-200 summoned a Taser and pointed it at Ark Royal's buttock. She fired the Taser; two probes hit her right ass cheek. The two wires delivered electricity to the two probes. Ark Royal got electrocuted.
Lafayette took the opportunity to get off her grasp. Ark Royal fell to the surface of the ocean, her rear sticking out with two probes on her right cheek.
"Dat azz..." Essex-12 commented on the tased Ark Royal.
Centaur ran toward the unconscious Ark Royal. She was too worried about Ark Royal's well-being for getting electrocuted in the rear. Ark Royal didn't stop mumbling even when tased; her eyes spun from the electrocution.
Ark Royal committed to the game 'fuck around and find out,' I mean 'Touching American Boats around and get tased in the Ass Later.'
"Don't be afraid; she'll be alright, although her ass will sting for days," Lafayette said trying to reassure Centaur's concerns about Ark Royal's state.
"But. Look at her... she's not looking alright," Centaur bellowed in concern, gesturing to the stunned Ark Royal.
"NAH. She kinda deserved it. She also has a bad reputation in the Base, so... that was just the right punishment for being a Weirdo," Essex-12 waved off the concern.
"Besides getting tased in the ass by her is considered lucky. She's lucky she didn't add any third hole down there," Essex-12 pointed at Ark Royal's rear.
Laffe-200 sure would add another hole with her Desert Eagle, holstered at her thighs.
"Essex is having a hard time catching her in the act and putting her in Jail altogether," Bremerton said as she looked at Ark Royal's awkward position.
Essex-12 pondered. "Hmm... maybe I should give her one of our Tasers if shit like this happens again."
Azur Lane Naval Base, Pearl Harbor
In the Operation Room filled with blocky analog computers with pinning tape reels, the once room that hummed with murmurs and turning gears were now drowned out by bellowing sound of celebration and cheer.
Everyone in the Operation Room cheered and celebrated the news of the Sakura Forces surrendering. The second reason for their boisterous joy was the elimination of an Arbiter-class Siren by Enterprise, news that brought immense relief to those who had faced her in the past.
Arbiter: Empress III had carved her name and written a dark history for the Sirens. Her interventions had sent ripples of fear throughout Azur Lane Alliance of supposed victory in the past. She proved that there was still a greater threat than an Elite Siren. Her appearance had taken a heavy toll on the survivors of those past encounters.
Especially in her own office, Yorktown teared up, overjoyed. Tears of pure joy and relief flowed freely. Relief that the Siren who had haunted her nightmares was finally gone. She mumbled to herself, struggling to contain her emotions.
"We won..." she said in a low murmur.
In the Operation Room, everyone shouted in unison, "We won!"
Adm. Nimitz simply watched them celebrate with boisterous cheer, seated in his chair, allowing the younger ones to revel in this moment. It was perhaps the only time they had felt truly victorious since the Arbiters had first appeared. Now that one was gone, and with the surrender of the Sakura Forces, the morale of the Azur Lane shipgirls would surely increase, perhaps even double.
He shifted in his seat and stared at the ceiling, looking up as an image of Halsey seemed to appear in his vision. He then spoke in a low volume, audible only to himself, as if talking to the man himself.
"We won... Halsey." He then smiled, a small tear forming in the corner of each eye.
Amidst the boisterous cheer, Adm. Philips was seen congratulating everyone and shaking hands for their hard work. The whole room was filled with cheering and applause as the news spread throughout the entire Azur Lane Base.
The news of this resounding victory, a beacon in the decades of fear, spread to every corner of the world. Humanity had triumphed against an Arbiter.
Every Secretary Ship rushed to their Faction Leaders to announce the successful operation conducted by Azur Lane and the subsequent defeat of the massive Siren Armada, along with the elimination of one Arbiter-class Siren.
Both the Azur Lane Alliance and the Crimson Axis Alliance received the news on official papers detailing the elimination of an Arbiter-class Siren at the hands of Enterprise CVN-80.
It wasn't V-Day, but people spontaneously rushed to the streets to celebrate, a moment of hope in a time when humanity had been navigating through the darkness of fear.