Alicorn finds herself in a burning battlefield with Meta Alicorn standing a ways away, in front of several burning siren ships. Fire licks the air around her. A hammer head shark rigging floats above Meta Alicorn as she summons her three headed shark rigging as well.

  "Why do we keep meeting?" Alicorn asks. "What are you trying to accomplish?"

  "...Pain..." Meta Alicorn turns and looks into Alicorn's eyes. "It seems no matter the timeline, we experience pain over and over again." Her eyes shine yellow. "An endless war of pain. This ocean engulfed in fme... is my true, crimson ne. You will end up like me soon..."

  ...

  Sheffield pulls the curtains aside and lights shine into Alicorn's room. Alicorn's siren yellow eyes snap open as sweat falls down her brow.

  Edinburgh walks over as Sheffield turns on Alicorn's radio. "Good morning Miss Alicorn. Did y-you sleep well?"

  Alicorn looks around the room, before looking back at one of her maids. "Edinburgh..."

  -----

  Baxterbro

  Sheffield and Edinburgh led Alicorn towards the Cafeteria, passing several soldiers and a few Majuus on their way. Alicorn though is lost in thought.

  Sheffield looks back to her mistress. "Miss Alicorn, are you okay?"

  "Huh?" Alicorn looks up to her maid. "Yes... Just thinking about the rather strange dream I had."

  Edinburgh tilts her head. "Strange dream?"

  Alicorn just shakes her head. "Please don't worry about it... It's nothing."

  Edinburgh and Sheffield gnce at each other, before looking back at their Mistress.

  "As you wish." Sheffield says.

  Over in the Commander's office.

  Commander Sicilia is sitting at her desk, looking over paperwork. Command Stait is sitting in a nearby chair, drinking tea.

  "This battle should force them to take time and recover." Stait says.

  "Y-Yes, but we're n-not ready to ac-ac-act on any opportunities either." Sicilia informs.

  "The bck Mental Cube." Stait sips her tea. "Enterprise and Alicorn, too."

  Sicilia sets the paper she's reading down and face-pnts her desk. "A mountain of i-i-issues to deal with." She then looks at her friend. "Sakura Empire i-is licking their wounds, b-but Iron Blood still worries me. Even with 90% of their HO ships d-d-down or ei-either in repair, they can still heavily rely on Kansen. T-They scare me."

  "Well, you know what they say, Iron Blood as superior engineering."

  Sicilia groans as face-pnts her desk again.

  .

  .

  .

  In Sakura Empire, Osami is walking with Mutsu and Nagato at either side of her. Kaga had ran up to her a minute prior.

  "You want to seal Orochi away?!" Kaga questions.

  "It is just a temporary hold on the project." Osami states. "With Akagi gone, we cannot move if forward."

  "Who put this idea in your head?"

  "This decision is mine and mine alone."

  "Half Measures, Commander." Kaga states. "Without Orochi, Sakura Empire has no future."

  Osami's hands curl into fists. "Kaga-" She gnces at the ship. "You need to rest. Akagi's death has taken a toll on you. Rest and allow your heart to heal."

  "Osami...!" Kaga gres at her Commander.

  Nagato then speaks up. "Her decision is final. You are dismissed."

  Later that night.

  Osami, Nagato, Mutsu, Yamato and Musashi are all kneeling on mats as they eat some sushi and drink Sake. Osami is sitting near an open balcony.

  "The Mass-produced Sirens are still unresponsive." Nagato informs.

  "We're really weak right now." Mutsu mutters.

  "I've lost three ships so fast." Osami frowns. "Ayanami, Akashi and Akagi."

  "I do hope Ayanami is being treated well." Yamato taps her Kiseru pipe into an ash try.

  "Commander, are we sure putting Orochi was the best pn forward?" Mutsu asks.

  "I can't focus on War, my ships and Project Orochi all at once." Osami states. "We just need to focus on getting back to full strength then we can resume Project Orochi." He eats a few pieces of fish. "And damn Iron Blood isn't helping much either, they've hardly given us support. I feel as if they don't care for wining this war at all."

  Osami adjusts her gces and takes a sip of sake.

  "Don't forget our real enemy are the Sirens, Commander~" Musashi says.

  Osami looks down at her sake and stares at her reflection. It suddenly changes into a slightly younger version of her smiling. "I know... I know that better than most."

  Children ughing echoes in Osami's head as she continues to stare down into her sake.

  ...

  A pair of young children run down the streets of Sakura Empire's Naval Base. They both have long bck hair with silver eyes. One has a pair of gces on.

  The ugh as they run past several soldiers and Azured Ships. They spot a brown haired kitsune with an umbrel in the distance.

  "Aamgi!" The two twins yell.

  Amagi looks back and she spots the children and smiles a she turns around. "Chi, Nhi." She greets and beds down as they run up and hug. "How are you two today?"

  "We great!" Chi smiles.

  "Yes, we came to see you today!" Nhi informs.

  "Oh, I'm fttered." Amagi smiles. "You two always make my day better."

  The twins giggle.

  "Shall we take a walk through the cherry blossoms?" Amagi asks.

  "Yeah!" The twins shout.

  Amagi smiles and starts to walk away, with the twins following.

  Then the scene changes and we see a much older Chi and Nhi, both wearing Sakura Empire navy uniforms. They stand at the docks where many HO ships and a few Azured Ship are getting ready.

  Amagi stands in front of them, with Akagi not to far behind. "Stay safe you two." The older ship says.

  The twins nod. "We will."

  Amagi smiles, before she starts coughing.

  "Amagi, you should go and rest." Chi says. "Please."

  Amagi nods. "That does seem like a good idea."

  "Osami twins!" A soldier yells from one of the ships. "Let's go!"

  "We must go now, Amagi." Nhi says. "But we'll be back ter this week."

  "Then I shall wait for you two." Amagi smiles as Akagi walks over.

  The two twins wave goodbye as they walk onto the ships.

  ...

  Gunfire follows by the sounds of explosions ring out and we find Chi shooing up onto the surface if the water, as she takes a deep breath and climbs onto a nearby piece of floating debris.

  Chi coughs a few times as her soaked figure looks around at the burning and sinking ships around her. Siren ships blow up in the distance as cannons firing echoes through the battlefield.

  "Nhi!" Chi coughs. "Nhi where are you?!" She frantically looks around. "NHI! Answer me!"

  Chi struggles to stay on the debris she's cleaning onto too, before eventually slipping into the icy waters. Chi holds a hand up towards the surface as her vision darkens.

  ...

  In an abandoned cave of Sakura Empire's naval base Osami stands behind Akagi and Kaga as a Observer Alpha speaks to them.

  "At this rate, the Sakura Empire... No, the entire world has no future." The Siren cims. "You need power. Power akin to the gods. The bck Mental Cube collects all forms of data and evolves." She summons a bck Mental Cube.

  Kaga readies her kitsune mask, but Kaga grabs her arm.

  "Data is will. Will is power. Especially for people like us."

  Kaga gres at Observer Alpha.

  "That's why the ship created from the Bck Box will have great powers. To reanimate the past and generate whatever future you desire."

  "Nonsense..." Kaga says.

  "You can create anything." Observe Alpha cims. "Even the dead."

  Kaga gasps and looks at Akagi. Osami narrows her eyes at Observer Alpha.

  "Nonsense." Akagi says.

  "Oh? How hurtful."

  "Even if it had the same appearance, the same memories, it would still be a mere reflection."

  "You're wrong. If the shape and content are the exact same, that is simply real." Observer Alpha floats right into Akagi's face. "What is 'real' anyway? A newly repaired ship, a collection of rotting woodwork..." She leans into Akagi's ear and whispers/ "Which is the Ship of Theseus? The only thing that matters is that Amagi would be by your side."

  Osami moves Observer Alpha away from Akagi. "How can we trust you, after what happened to Alicorn. She's a ship created by Siren technology, but she just went berserk a couple weeks back and kill many of our people."

  Observer Alpha smiles. "You won't know till we start this. Besides, don't you want to bring your Empire to the top, to finish what you and your dear sister started."

  Osami grits her teeth and gres at the Siren.

  .

  .

  "Commander?" Yamato calls out.

  Osami shakes her head and looks up to her ship. "Yes?"

  "Are you okay, you seemed pretty thought."

  "...I'm fine. Just thinking about the past."

  Yamato hums as she sips her sake.

  .

  .

  .

  .

  Alicorn roughly tosses and turns in her bed. Sweat falls down her brow as she grits her teeth in her sleep.

  ...

  Alicorn stands in front Meta Alicorn. Fmes dance around the,

  "What are you...?!" Alicorn grits her teeth as her eyes fsh yellow a few times.

  "Another 'failed' test by the Sirens." Meta Alicorn states. "Just like you, I was created by the will of humanity. Created to bring Salvation to a burning world. But in the end, humanity didn't have the will to win, and they only sought conflict." She gains a sadistic smile. "And with both of us around, we shall bring all the conflict humanity yearns for."

  Alicorn takes a step back. "W-What do you mean?!"

  Meta Alicorn's eyes glow yellow as she psychotically smiles at Alicorn. "The Siren's did have a point, humanity is just a thorn. But so are the Siren's. Both sides sought to destroy the one thing I cared about. My. Dear. Oneesan."

  Alicorn's eyes widen. Then a pair of pale hands wrap around Alicorn's neck from behind.

  "It's time dear Alicorn." Meta Alicorns tarts. "To join our dear Oneesan." She smiles brightly.

  Alicorn's eyes shrink as she suddenly finds herself being pulled into dark waters, by the pale hands. She looks up to see another version of herself and Meta Alicorn looking down onto her as she sinks. The st thing she sees is two pairs of glowing Siren Yellow eyes as fire burns around them.

  .

  .

  .

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  .

  .

  .

  Sheffield and Edinburgh enter Alicorn's room and gasp in shock. Alicorn's room is a mess, her bedding thrown off the bed, chairs ying on the floor papers everywhere.

  "Miss Alicorn?" Sheffield calls out.

  "M-Miss Alicorn?" Edinburgh calls out.

  The two call into the room as a soft breeze blows in from an open window. The two look around, but don't spot a sign of her.

  "Where could she have gone?" Edinburgh asks in worry.

  Sheffield pulls Alicorn's military coat out of the closet. "She left her coat here..." She folds up the coat nicely and grab Edinburgh's hand and drags her out of the room.

  "S-Sheffy!"

  "We must find her."

  Several miles off base.

  Purifier sits on a rock that's jetting out of the water. She lets out a yawn and stretches, her rigging floating above her.

  "What a nice day!" Purifier smiles. "Oh, what chaos will be strewn into it! I hope you're ready Imouto?" She looks down to a massive dark spot in the water.

  Purifier stands up and ughs. "Get ready Alicorn! 'Cause we're about to have some fun!" She points a finger gun at the Azur Lane base. "Bang!"

  A dozen missiles unch out of the water and fly towards the base.

  Back at Base.

  Sheffield and Edinburgh spend an hour walking around the base, visiting several spots Alicorn frequents. A lone tree outside the base. A rge hill that overlooks the ocean. Her father's grave.

  They walk back into the base and spot Team Destroyers pying with a ball.

  "I'm open!" Kalk fps her arms, only for a ball to hit her in the face, leaving a red mark as it falls. "Owie."

  Sheffield and Edinburgh walk up to the four.

  "Girls." Sheffield calls out. "Have you seen Alicorn."

  Belchan picks up the ball off the ground. "No. Has she gone missing?"

  "We're just looking for her."

  Echo puts a finger on her chin. "Have you visited her secret spots that aren't so secret?"

  "Yes." Sheffield and Edinburgh reply.

  "Well, I've done all I can do."

  "Hobby hasn't seen her, but she was at the docks earlier today and saw her sub missing." Hobby informs.

  "This is concerning." Sheffield mutters.

  Suddenly the base shakes as a rge explosions ring around the base. Most of them on ships anchored at the harbor and several at defense weaponry.

  .

  .

  .

  Clevend runs onto the beach and sees smoke pilrs from ships in the distance. Several more missiles strike boats in the harbor.

  Montpelier, Columbia and Denver run over to Clevend.

  "Big sis!" Denver shouts.

  "An attack?! Where?!" Columbia.

  "The Sakura Empire, making a move now?" Montpelier questions. "What were the patrols doing?!"

  "No, the enemy is..."

  An electric hum fills the air, before an explosion rings out at the Academy.

  Purifier's ugh rings out as she flies away from the base.

  At the Docks, Hornet is running alongside the docks as several missiles strike the buildings behind her. Hornet then spots someone ying on the ground in front of her.

  "Northampton!" Hornet shouts as she runs over to her friend.

  Hornet kneels down to her and rolls her over and lifts her head off the ground.

  Hornet props Northampton's head up.

  "I'm sorry..." Northampton whispers. "I couldn't stop the enemy." Hornet looks out to the ocean.

  "MY SHIP AGAIN!" San Diego screams as she sees smoke billowing from her ship. Another missile strikes her ships and she screams.

  "Belfast and a few others are in pursuit, but the enemy is..."

  "I know." Hornet says. "Who would have thought that an upper-css Siren would come alone?" She spots Enterprise standing on the edge of the docks, looking out to the ocean. "Enterprise?"

  "Alicorn... is..." Northampton groans in pain.

  "What about Alicorn?" Hornet asks as a group of soldiers, with a stretcher, run up to her.

  "We've got it from here, Ma'am!" A soldier says.

  Hornet nods and sets her friend on the stretcher and looks back out to the ocean.

  .

  .

  Purifier ughs as she flies just above the water, bck Mental Cube in hand. In hot pursuit is Belfast, Sheffield, Edinburgh and Norfolk. They are slowly falling behind.

  "Sh-She's too fast!" Edinburgh points out.

  "The enemy has stolen the bck Mental Cube." Sheffield points out. "We cannot let her get away."

  "There's no way! She's too fast!"

  "I have a shot." Belfast informs. She aims her cannons forward and fores a volley.

  All the shells fly towards Purifier.

  "Oh?" Said Siren looks back and all the shells hit their mark.

  A rge smoke cloud surrounds Purifier and the ships in pursuit stop, but stay cautious.

  "You did it!" Edinburgh cheers.

  The smoke clears and Belfast gasps. Purifier is mostly unharmed, expect for a few scrapes.

  "What, does someone want to py?" Purifier asks.

  A glitchy sounds rings out and many portals open and Mass Produced Siren sail out from them.

  Edinburgh and Norfolk gasp in fear.

  Purifier's smile grows rge. "It's the eve of the big day! Let's party hard!"

  Several Siren jets and even a few drones fly past Purifier.

  Clevend and her sisters are not too far out from the docks as they open fire onto the Siren ships. A ship fires back onto them and they all shatter.

  "Mass-produced Sirens, too?!" Clevend questions, she looks up and spots a couple Drones flying down towards her.

  She aims her cannons up, but a Dougs SBD swoops in and shoots them down. Clevend looks back and spots Hornet sailing towards them.

  "i can't let my sister and niece do all the work!" Hornet calls out.

  "Was that one of Alicorn's drones?" Columbia questions.

  Sailing towards a rge Siren ship is Ayanami, Javelin and Laffey. A Siren ship fires onto them and they shatter as the shells nd in the water behind them.

  Javelin jumps up above a Siren ship and aims her javalin down at it, firing blue rounds out from it. Damaging the rge Siren ship.

  "Ayanami!" Laffey calls out.

  "Yes!" Ayanami responds.

  Ayanami unches her torpedoes and they all hit the rge Siren ship. Effectively sinking it.

  "We did it!" Javelin calls out as she falls towards the water, but gasps as a Siren jet flies towards her. Her eyes widen in fear as it closes in the distance.

  "No!" Hornet yells.

  The Jet nears Javelin, but gets shot down by several glowing yellow arrows. Javelin nds on the water with a spsh.

  Everyone looks back to see Enterprise, with her bow at the ready, sailing towards Purifier.

  "Enterprise...!" Hornet calls out.

  "Hornet! Hold this position!" Enterprise orders, she sails past her sister.

  Missiles sms into the base behind Hornet as she watches her sister.

  "If I am afraid of the ocean, why do I keep fighting?" Enterprise asks herself.

  Purifier ughs as she watches a few ships panic. "Come on now, how am I supposed to enjoy this?"

  Several SBD dougss pnes bomb a a rge Siren ship and fly past Purifier.

  "What?" Purifier questions.

  "Purifier!" Enterprise yells as she aims her bow at the Siren.

  Purifier smiles sadistically. "Ohh, it's Enterprise!" She flies towards her.

  Enterprise lets her arrow fly as Purifier open fires with her ser cannons.

  .

  .

  .

  Osami is kneeling outside on a balcony as Musashi combs through her hair. Yamato is kneeling in the background with her eyes closed.

  "Your hair is so pretty, Commander!" Musashi says.

  "Hmm, I like to take good care of it." Osami says.

  Suddenly the base shakes and Osami falls back into Musashi's breasts.

  "Commander." Musashi blushes. "I don't think now's the time for this!"

  Osami ignores the horny kitsune ship and stands up and runs over to the edge of the balcony.

  "What's going on?!" Yamato shouts.

  Osami slightly pes as she spots Orochi sail out for the cave on the side of the base. "Orochi?! But how?!"

  Osami narrows her eyes and looks closer to the deck of the massive ship and sees Kaga. "KAGA!" She screams.

  .

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  Baxterbro

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  08-21-2023

  3517 words