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Chapter Text

The first thing I realized when I came to was just how uncomfortable it is to sleep on the deck.  I groaned as I immediately rolled over, trying to find some relief for my aching back before I even began to try and take in my surroundings.  I blinked repeatedly, my eyes finally focusing on what was in front of me.  And what I saw was entirely unfamiliar to me.  While I recognized the painted metal walls, portholes, and cramped quarters as those you’d find on board any ship, exactly what ship I found myself on was as-yet a mystery.  I also noted, with more than a little irony, that I had been laid out right next to a very comfortable-looking sofa.  

With a low groan, I got to my feet and stretched before examining the room I found myself in.  In addition to a sofa, there was also a desk and a chair, although both of those held no clues as to what ship I was on.  Unfortunately, peering out the porthole was likewise a bust, all I saw was a heavy grey fog that obscured everything out past a few feet.  The walls, however, told a different story.  The wall with the portholes, as well as the wall to the right of it was sloped inward, like a pyramid. To me, that ruled out any Eagle Union ship I could think of, as well as most Royal Navy vessels.  That left the Northern Parliament or a Crimson Axis ship, and I had little experience with any of their designs.  

I idly wondered if we’d sailed into a Mirror Sea and been trapped again.  If so, the rest of my fleet should also be on the ship, and I needed to find them.  Clearly, they weren’t in this tiny room, so I began to look around for a door.  It didn’t take me long to find it, and fortunately, it was unlocked.  I took a deep breath, steeled myself, and slowly opened the door.  I could see a small passageway and a t-shaped junction, and the hallway was well lit, but I couldn’t see or hear any signs of life.  Still wanting to keep things quiet in the event the Sirens were lurking about, I slipped out of the room and quickly made my way down the corridor to the room that was next to mine.  

“Washington?” I stage whispered through the door and waited for a moment to see if there was a response.  When none came, I checked the door, and upon finding it unlocked, slowly opened it.  No sign of Washington or any of the other girls, so I closed it and went back to the junction.  Down the one part of the corridor was a shut hatch and two doors on either side.  “Well…may as well clear the space before moving on to the next compartment,” I muttered to myself as I checked the door on the left. 

“South Dakota?” I asked and got no reply.  Again, an empty office room of some type.  Again, I shut the door and moved on to the one across the hall.  

“Dace?”  This time I didn’t even wait for an answer as I slowly swung the door open.  What greeted me this time wasn’t an office space, but some sort of communications room.  I quickly hurried inside and closed the door behind me before I began inspecting the equipment, hoping I would be able to get some sort of signal out.  Once again, though, my bad luck streak stayed with me as it seemed to be completely powered off and seemingly no way to turn it back on.  If there was a silver lining to be had, however, is that everything was labeled in Japanese.  And while I couldn’t read Japanese at the time, it did tell me that this was a Sakura ship.  

While that answered one question, it raised several others.  If this was a Sakura ship like last time, does this mean we’d run into Shinano again?  Would Helena META return to help us out?  If she didn’t, would we run into another member of the Ashes?  While I didn’t like my chances with Code G or Ember, I wouldn’t mind running into Hiryu META again.  She may have decided to stay neutral, but I felt that she would help us escape if we asked.  She and Helena both.  

Just then, a sudden, very unwelcome thought crossed my mind.  What if the Sirens perfected their Mirror Sea technique and I was the only one that was moved here?  Trapped on this ship in a pocket dimension until either someone figured it out, another Ashes member intervened, or…  I shook my head to dispel such morbid thoughts.  This was bad enough without the slow horrific death of dehydration looming over me.  

And the silence wasn’t doing me any favors, either.  Typically a ship, even a kansen’s ship, is abuzz with moving parts, machinery, equipment, creating a background noise that you become accustomed to.  Add in hundreds, if not thousands of people, and you get how loud it can get on a warship, even in port.  When most of the crew’s gone on leave for holidays or major repairs, it can be a bit unsettling.  When they’re all gone, it’s unnerving.  And when everyone’s gone and the ship is dead silent, it’s downright scary.  

Needless to say, I was a bit on edge when I shut the door behind me and faced the only unopened door left in the compartment.  The large hatch was firmly shut, and it took me a few seconds to undog it.  I slowly, carefully swung the hatch open and stepped through it, making sure to secure it behind me.  I didn’t want to leave any sign that I’d been here in case there was a hostile presence on board.  

This compartment consisted of a small passageway, several doors, and most notably, a ladder that led down to the decks below it.  I glanced down it, making sure my path wasn’t obstructed and that there wasn’t any sign of anyone else walking around below me.  I now had an important decision to make.  Do I keep exploring this deck and then come back to the ladder, or do I try and see where it takes me now ?  

After weighing my options, I decided to skip this ladder for now.  It only went down into the ship, and while I may be able to get to the main deck from there, I needed to get my bearings, get some idea of where I was.  And the best way to do that would be from the bridge, which was more than likely up, not down.  

The next room I checked looked like another communications room, with none of the devices in there working either, and again, all written in Japanese.  I quietly shut the door and moved on to the next one, which lead to a large passageway, and, more importantly, a ladder that went up.  This time there wasn’t much of a debate as I slowly crept up the ladder, trying to stay as quiet as possible.  

As I ascended, I idly wondered how many decks I would have to climb before I finally found the one I was looking for.  Imagine my surprise when I discovered the answer was just one.  

The ladder deposited me in another passageway, but this time, I could see something through the portholes.  I walked over to get a better look, and when I peered out, I saw a platform with a large set of binoculars which meant I should be somewhere close to the bridge, assuming it wasn’t the bridge wing itself.  There was a door on the wall to my left, and I opened it as quickly and as quietly as I could, trying to temper my excitement.  

My hopes were not dashed this time, as I had found what appeared to be the tactical planning room, complete with a holotable.  I leaned against the doorjamb and let out a long sigh of relief, glad that something had finally gone right.  Or so I thought.  

As I approached the holotable, I found most of the display to be blank, with just an icon for what I guessed to be the ship in the dead center, surrounded by a sea of nothing.  And much to my growing frustration, all the text on the screen was, as I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, Japanese.  

“Great,” I grumbled, “Just great.”  Maybe the bridge would have a compass that wasn’t in Japanese, or at least some clear indication as to which arrow pointed north.  I made my way outside onto the bridge wing, which was still enveloped in the thick fog I saw out the porthole.  It was like pea soup, with my range of vision restricted to a few feet in front of me.  Combined with the silence, it was becoming nightmarish.  I kept hoping I’d wake up back on base or in Washington ’s stateroom, and that this would all fade from my memory as nothing more than an unpleasant dream.  

Fortunately, I could see the compass bridge ahead and made my way inside.  There, in the center of the room, sat the ship’s wheel, along with a compass…and something else sitting atop it.  At first, I couldn’t make out what it was, but as I got closer, I realized it was a holstered pistol and two clips of ammunition.  

“Well, this is convenient,” I dryly commented as I slid the pistol from its holster and inspected it.  To my surprise, it was an M1911, the same model of sidearm the Eagle Union issued to its officers, which I also know wasn’t standard issue for Sakura Empire officers.  I couldn’t help but feel as if this was the basic tutorial level of a video game.  I’ve learned how to get around, and now I’ve gotten my basic weapon.  “What’s next?” I sardonically quipped, “Jumping?  How about a basic enemy to test my weapon on?”  

As if on cue, I heard a noise from somewhere inside the superstructure and I froze for a moment, my heart suddenly racing.  Was it one of my kansen, looking for me?  Or was it someone else, someone with less than stellar intentions for me?  I quickly slipped the holster around my shoulder and grabbed the extra clips as I looked for a place to hide.   

Aside from the ship’s wheel and compass, which I couldn’t hide behind, there wasn’t anywhere else I could make myself scarce.  The sounds of footsteps were growing louder, though, and I heard the door to the tactical room shut.  Realizing that whoever this was was tracing my steps, I quickly darted to the other side of the bridge superstructure, grateful for the wooden grating on the bridge to help muffle my footfalls.  

Just as I got into position, pressing myself against the superstructure, I heard the approaching footsteps.  Whoever they were, they were taking no pains to tread lightly, nor did they sound like they were uncertainly exploring, instead striding forward confidently.  They continued past me and onto the bridge, the sounds of their steps changing as they went from the metal deck to the wooden grating.  Cautiously, I slowly peered around the corner, trying to get a glimpse of this mysterious stranger.  

The figure was that of a woman, with a white uniform, pleated skirt, and black stockings.  She had long black hair that ran down to her legs, held in a neat ponytail that slowly swayed from side to side as she looked around.  She held a katana in her left hand, and I wondered for a moment if she was trapped here like me or if she was my jailer.  She bore a passing resemblance to Ember, but she didn’t have the same ominous presence as the Ashes kansen.  Her Sakura counterpart, perhaps…Takao, was it?  But was it really Takao or was it a pawn?  Would she notice that the pistol was missing?  I decided not to give her the chance.  

“Hold it right there,” I commanded as I stepped from around the corner, pistol aimed at her.  “Hands up where I can see them.”  

The woman slowly raised her hands, keeping her hold on the sword as she did so.  She glanced back over her shoulder, her golden-brown eyes coolly regarding me.  “ Nani ?” she quietly asked, as if I’d asked her for the time rather than holding her at gunpoint.  

“Don’t move,” I repeated, slowly and calmly as I approached her.  “Name and rank.”

She feigned ignorance as she answered with a question of her own.  “ Nani mono da ?”

I sighed and feared a language barrier may make things even more difficult than they already were.  Distracted by everything that had gone on, I made what could have been a fatal mistake.  Rather than asking her to drop her sword, I moved to grab it, and in doing so, I got too close.  With lightning speed, she spun around and smacked the gun out of my hands with the scabbarded katana, and then jabbed it into my solar plexus.  With that, the breath was knocked out of my lungs, and as I tried to catch my breath, her leg swept me off my feet and onto the hard metal deck.  As I found myself staring up at the roof of the bridge when I heard the ominous sound of her sword being unsheathed and she quickly stepped into my field of view, the razor-sharp point of her blade just inches away from my face.  I tore my gaze away from the instrument that could end my life with just the flick of her wrist and looked her in the eyes.  They were hard and unyielding until recognition bloomed within them and she quietly whispered, “You.”  

In a flash, she returned the katana to its scabbard and held her free hand out to me.  “My apologies, Commander, I didn’t realize it was you.”

The sudden reversal and counter reversal had my head spinning in a way that had nothing to do with the repeated blows I’d just taken.  “I..wait…what?”  

She eyed me with some suspicion, and her hand slowly lowered.  “You are the Commander of Azur Lane, correct?”

“Yeah,” I said slowly as I began to pull myself together.  “Last I checked.”

Her hand raised up again and this time I reached out and took it as she hauled me back on my feet.  “Good,” she answered, her voice strong and resolute.  “I am Takao, first ship of the Takao-class heavy cruisers.  May I ask how you have managed to get aboard my ship?”

I inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.  At least now I knew that I wasn’t a prisoner here.  At least, not yet.  “I’m not sure, actually,” I replied honestly.  “I was on patrol with a few Eagle Union girls one moment, the next I woke up on the floor one deck down.”  I paused for a moment, debating whether or not I should mention my experience in the previous Mirror Sea.  Shinano had been there…sort of…but it was hard how much of it she would have been able to relate to the rest of the Sakura Empire, let alone if they would believe her or not.  

In the end, I decided that we needed to pool our resources and work together, and if High Command wants to chew me out for it later, so be it.  “I’ve seen this happen once before, a few months ago.  Same situation, out on patrol, we blacked out, and when we come to, we were trapped in a mass-produced Sakura ship.  But all of us were put on the ship together, locked in the same place, the bridge, and there were no Sakura kansen around.  Well, not physically.”

Takao’s eyes flashed with recognition and one of her eyebrows raised ever so slightly.  “You’ve encountered Shinano.”

“That was quick,” I said in an appraising tone.  “Either you’re making one very big logical leap or there’s something you know that I don’t.”

She smiled dryly as she answered.  “There are many things I know that you do not, Commander.  But yes, in this specific case, I do.  Shinano has been making inquiries about you as of late.”

I have to admit I was surprised.  “Me?” I asked incredulously.  “I wasn’t aware I’d made that big of a first impression.”  

“She thinks you’re a vital part of the Sakura Empire’s future, whatever that may be…”  Now it was her turn to pause, to try and fight the right words.  “While I’m not certain disclosing my orders would be proper, given our current situation…you should know, that we were out here on her orders to find you.”

The surprise I felt at her admission was nearly palpable.  “We?”  I repeated.  “Who else was with you?”

“Just my sister, Atago,” she said.  “We were supposed to find you and observe you from a distance.  There were others, but they had been assigned to other groups in other patrol zones.”  She paused for a moment, her expression thoughtful.  “Who were you traveling with?”

“Washington, South Dakota, and Dace,” I answered without hesitation.  If she was being this free with information, I should at least do the same.  “I was hoping they were somewhere on the ship, but I was trying to get my bearings first before I wound up lost in an unfamiliar ship.  Have you run across them?”

“ Iie ,” she said with a curt shake of her head.  “I awoke in the Flag Officer’s quarters only a few minutes ago, and immediately headed to the tactical room to assess our situation.  When I thought I heard a noise out here, I investigated, and ran into you.”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” I weakly muttered, rubbing the back of my neck.  “Didn’t know where I was, if I was here by choice or if I was a prisoner, and I didn’t want to take any chances if it wasn’t a friendly face.”

To her credit, she simply nodded to me in acknowledgment.  I can’t think of many people who would be so sanguine about having a gun pulled on them.  “Understandable.  For my part, I am sorry for deceiving you regarding my ability to comprehend and speak English.”

“My fault for falling for it,” I sighed as I looked to see where the pistol had landed.  Not over the side, I hoped.  “Should’ve realized you were faking it, you put your arms up when I told you.  Still, I appreciate you not slicing me to ribbons.”  

“Of course,” she bowed respectfully.  “Although I must admit, our files on you stated you typically traveled without a sidearm.”

“I do,” I confirmed.  “I found the pistol on board.”

Takao took a half-step back and made a quiet noise of surprise and alarm.  “What?  Where?”

I pointed over to the ship’s wheel and compass.  “Right over there.  Found the pistol, this holster, and two spare clips.  Judging by your reaction, I take it these aren’t standard issue for the Sakura Empire.”

“No,” she firmly denied as she strode past me.  I watched her, wondering where she was going until I spotted the pistol just in front of her.  She picked it up and immediately thumbed the safety on before she turned it over in her hands as she made her way back to me.  “For starters, any weapons on my ship will be in an appropriately secured small arms locker, along with any holsters or spare ammunition.  Not left lying about.”  She handed it back to me with a thin smile.  “And we use nothing like this model of pistol.”

I took it with an appreciative nod and holstered it for the time being.  “So the question is, who put it there and why?”  

Takao took a long look around the bridge, trying to find any clues as to who might have been here before us.  “...someone looking to end the cease-fire.”

“That’s a bold claim to make,” I said, eyebrow raised.  “How do you figure?”

Takao’s answer was meticulous.  “Whoever placed this gun did it in a vital area, a place they would have known any experienced sailor would have gone to try and, as you said, get their bearings.  Considering both of us would have been armed, disoriented, and mistrustful of one another, given the current state of affairs between our factions, it would have been very easy for this to end in bloodshed, even if it wasn’t fatal.  Once that happened, the likelihood of the truce being called off would be all but certain, and we would be at war once again.”  

“Glad we both showed restraint, then,” I said softly, still trying to process all that information.  “More than likely the Sirens.  Given the fact that we’ve been able to focus all our strength against them with the cease-fire in place, the Sakura Empire and Eagle Union returning to war with each other would be a major weight off their shoulders.”  I stiffened up suddenly as a horrible thought occurred to me.  “Does Atago carry a sword as well?”

Takao’s eyes practically flashed as the same unpleasant thought that just ran through my mind ran through hers.  “She does,” she confirmed.  “What about your kansen?”

I shook my head, although it did little to allay my fears.  “Unarmed, but if someone leaves a gun out for them, I can’t guarantee they won’t use it if they feel threatened, especially Washington or Dace.”

She nodded, and I could see the resolve burning in those brown eyes of hers.  “We need to get in contact with them, and quickly.”

“Agreed.  I saw a radio downstairs, but it was in Japanese,” I sheepishly supplied.  

“That won’t be a problem for me,” she answered.  “Let’s get going.”  

I nodded and fell in step with Takao as we headed off the bridge and into what would prove to be quite the adventure…

A/N-And so it begins.  But we’re not done with this week yet.  Come back tomorrow for a special one-shot of Biscuits with Bismarck!  Until next time, fair winds and following seas!