The next day, the new generation of kansen wakes up early for breakfast and daily workouts.

Meanwhile, Z23 has coffee with a group of frigates, watching from a distance HMS Javelin and USS Laffey calmly discussing mundane matters.

IJN Ayanami, who was on his own, drinks a green tea accompanied by a hamburger. Which baffles Z23.

"What a breakfast, huh?" One of the frigate kansen comments, looking at Ayanami amused.

"Hunger is hunger" Another frigate replies and shrugs its shoulders.

Z23 sighs to himself and continues to sip his coffee in silence.

The light-skinned German destroyer, with light violet eyes, short blond hair and beard, and an outfit that is based on short military dress in white, navy blue and black, with black boots and a navy beret with borders and a small white bow, is one of the most remarkable destroyers of this generation, obtaining satisfactory grades both in academics and physics, being the aspiration of many.

Lately, however, something has been troubling him.

A loud bang is heard on a table, which can be heard throughout the dining room, drawing the attention of some.

"Hey, not now, we still need to do the training!" Javelin says exaltedly.

"Once again? It's the fourth time of the week" Complains one of the frigates.

"I don't want to use it as a punching bag back, I feel like I'm abusing a breathing corpse..."

Ah, yes, Laffey's sleep problem.

USS Laffey, light-skinned, light-red eyes, and long, double-ponytailed albino hair held up by a white rabbit headband, was known to be the most energetic among all the destroyers, but also the sleepiest at base. Sometimes I could go days without resting, and other times I would sleep for a whole day or two.

The commander, like the good person that she is, has tried several ways to fix his condition; She choked him, used him as bait for sharks, turned him into a punching bag for frigate birds (which, by the way, hit very hard), left him naked and hanging on top of a pole on the coldest days and nights, and much more. Still, Laffey didn't wake up until his sleep schedule was completed.

Although Z23 didn't want to admit it, he was amused that Laffey, when he woke up, disoriented and out of context, began to whine and complain about his situation.

With one last sip of his coffee and finishing his crescents, he gets up and heads off to the duo. Upon arriving, he crosses his arms as he watches as Javelin sighs in defeat and goes back to his breakfast, seeing how Laffey's face is stained by the crushed cream cake and his spilled black tea.

"HMS Javelin, correct?" Z23 asks, turning his head towards him, but looking at Laffey.

"Hmm?" Javelin, who has fair skin with aquamarine green eyes, purple ponytailed hair, a white sleeveless shirt with black plaid shorts with navy blue rubber bands, looks at Z23, followed by surprise. "O-oh, yes, what's going on KMS Z23?"

"Save yourself formalities and tell me how his notes is going" Z23 replies as he finally looks at him.

Javelin blinked a couple of times, surprised by the unexpected command, but pulled himself together and decided to ignore the tone.

"His physical notes is going well, as far as he can. I can't say the same for his academic grades" Javelin says as he stole part of his cake from Laffey, receiving an eyebrow raise from Z23. "Don't get me wrong, he's not on the verge of dismantling, but he fails some exams, and in those he is present, he hasn't studied enough. Sometimes he disapproves of it, and the HMS Amazon instructor is getting mad at him"

"I understand" Z23 replied as he nodded several times, with a hand on his chin and in a thoughtful way.

Javelin stared at him for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders and continuing to steal Laffey's cake.

"Then..." Z23 said, frightening Javelin, and consequently, throwing part of the cake he was going to eat on the floor.

"Nooo, my cake!" Javelin laments as he knelt down and stretched out his arms, looking at the small piece sadly.

"It's Laffey's..."

"My Little Cake" Ignoring what Z23 said, Javelin becomes a little depressed as he picks up the oddly elegantly shaped piece with the spoon and quickly swallows it. "... And now it tastes like a used rag"

Z23 stares dumbfounded at Javelin, not knowing what to say about it. Then, he strokes his forehead and sighs.

"Back to the main topic, can you take me to Laffey's room?"

"Physical evaluations will begin shortly. We could be late and reprimanded for it" Javelin replies, pulling himself together as he sits down.

"I'll take responsibility for our tardiness and Laffey's absence" Z23 said as he looked at Javelin determinedly.

"Wait, absence?" Javelin questioned confusedly, as he received a nod with Z23's head. "If you say so..."

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"Hey, how do you pass so many exams?" Javelin asks curiously.

"Study and understand what I read and see, I guess" Z23 replies somewhat uncomfortably at Javelin's enthusiasm.

"Like that, huh?" Javelin says with a smile as he nods his head to himself.

During the journey to the room, Javelin kept asking him questions, one after the other, and the fact that Z23 was carrying Laffey on his back and he was drooling a little on his shoulder only added to his discomfort.

"And here it is"Javelin says as he stops abruptly, causing Z23 to collide with him.

Consequently, Z23 takes a few steps backwards, losing his balance momentarily, causing Laffey to lose his grip and half of his body to fall off, thus hitting his head hard towards the ground, echoing throughout the hallway. Laffey just groans in response, followed by snoring a little.

"Shit!" Z23 gets exalted as he tries to accommodate Laffey, only to get the sleepy destroyer to hit the wall. "S-sorry!"

Javelin only observes the situation while trying to contain his laughter, although he shows a cheeky smile.

Realizing that his viewer isn't interested in helping, he growls angrily.

"HMS Javelin, stop laughing and come help me once and for all!" Z23 demands as he approaches Javelin.

"I go, i go" Javelin replies as he goes to Laffey's head and lifts him from the shoulders.

Being stable enough, they head towards the room, though Z23 sees that the steel door is still closed.

"Javelin, open the door" Command Z23 as they position themselves so that Javelin can open the door...

"Okay" Javelin replies as he releases Laffey to open the door.

Laffey falls back to the ground with a thud.

"Don't let Laffey go, you imbecile!" Z23 exclaims angrily.

"Oops, sorry!" Javelin apologizes as he closes the door to go pick Laffey up.

"Don't close the door!"

"It's either one or the other!" Javelin mentions as he picks Laffey up.

"It will be both!" Z23 says as he helps Javelin approach the door.

"Ughh, okay" Javelin complains as he releases a hand to open the door.

Upon opening it, Javelin tries to be careful, but collides with a nearby tall piece of furniture, causing an object that was above it to fall into Laffey's stomach, blowing air out of him, though landing on the floor without much trouble.

- Stop mistreating him, damn it! - Z23 complains as he pushes away the dropped object.

"It's not my fault Laffslap is so hittable!"

"Well, yes it is!" Reprimand Z23. "Now throw him on the bed!"

"Fine for me!"

Without even bothering to see which direction the bed is facing, they both pull the destroyer in opposite directions, resulting in a half-turn before falling back to the ground.

Z23 and Javelin keep staring at each other.

"The bed is on the other side" Javelin says as he points to Laffey's bed with one hand.

"Bad mine" Z23 admits somewhat embarrassed, but annoyed all the same. Javelin's eyes light up and he looks up, gesturing his hands as if thanking someone above.

"Finally, It's not bad of mine after all!" Javelin says euphorically.

"It's partially yours!" Fixes Z23 quickly.

"But not quite!" Javelin replies happily as she points at him, earning a sigh from Z23.

"Okay, let's grab Laffey and put him on his bed"

"Roger"

They both grab Laffey and begin to swing him, to the point where they gain enough strength to throw him onto the bed, though they only succeed in causing him to crash into the wall and fall to the floor without even touching the bed. Javelin and Z23 stare at Laffey for quite a while. The British destroyer turns to look at the German, waiting for some answer.

"Maybe it wasn't my best idea" Z23 admits while scratching the back of his neck. "This thing of relating to you is starting to affect my conscious intellect"

"Hey!"

Unresponsive, Z23 walks over to Laffey's bed, settles him in, and then lifts him up on his own to put him to bed. He removes his white boots and covers him with the sheets. Upon closer look, he may see some bruising.

"I hope he is mild when he wake up" Z23 mutters embarrassed as he cleans it up a bit and starts to walk away. "Let's go, we're taking longer than we should"

"I hope you don't start barking like you used to"

"I weren't barking!"

As they closed the door and left, a silhouette was leaning against the wall, listening to the entire conversation before watching the two destroyers drift away from the scene until they were out of sight. After that, she approaches the entrance of the room.

The intruder is none other than the commander of Azur Lane, Garcia Sferene.

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During the training, instructor Corvess, better known as Instry, was really hard his students.

Not only did the physical exercises force them to do their best (as in any other branch of the military), but also the clashes with other groups of cadet kansens, and even corvettes and frigates that offered to assist in the exercise, proved incredibly difficult, and they could barely move.

Of course, Z23 and Javelin were the most punished due to their tardiness, even though the German destroyer tried to convince Instry that it was solely his fault.

However, after what would be six hours straight with almost no rest, the day came to an end. Contrary to the elderly commander known as Garcia, he generously rewarded his subordinates (in this case, students). In advance, he whipped up a great stew with vegetables and meats of all kinds as a courtesy for his hard work.

"Very well, littles" Instry caught his eye as he distributed the dishes among all the kansen of the new generation and their brothers who had volunteered for the exercise. "Today I want to congratulate you for your effort, because you understand that, no matter how much we complain, things will continue to happen, indifferent to our situation and suffering"

With a jump, he climbed onto the table while raising a glass full of cider.

"And you'd better be ready tomorrow and the next day, because I'm going to make your flesh go up in flames, and your tears and sweats are red because of how hard and motherfucker I'll be with you!" I'll get you to the point where you beg me to stop! And you'd better not do it, because from here to the USSR I'm kicking your ass that you won't forget, because you'll have to owe me a shoe, a shoe that will be tucked deep into your butts, so much so that you'll have to go to the hospital to have surgery and give me back what is mine!" Instry comments as he makes a couple of exaggerated movements and spreads out along the long and wide table, addressing everyone equally, earning the occasional laugh, looks of fear or momentary nervousness, or amusement at his performance.

Instry stops and begins to regulate his breathing to calm down, once done, he addresses them one last time.

"Now, eat before you get cold and take the rest of the day to rest" Instry mentions as he gets off the table and receives an almost unison affirmation from the new generation of kansen.

Instry walks away from the group, standing in a corner as he watches the large group of 67 kansen feasting on the stew.

He hears footsteps approaching him, but decides not to give it importance, instead, he chooses to activate some internal mechanisms that, when activating certain codes, the part of the helmet that covers his chin and mouth open laterally, revealing lips that are not very full, without any type of hair and with a paler skin than the rest of his body. When he opens up enough, he starts sipping his cider.

"Interesting performance, I applaud you for that, brother" Says a corvette kansen of the same class, as he stands next to him, looking at the large group of young kansens as he crosses his arms.

"That they understand that this is necessary is enough for me, I don't care if they come to hate me for this, although I would appreciate it if they recognized me at least" Instry replies as he takes an even longer sip of his cider.

"Seeing their reactions, it won't take long for them to get attached to you" Says the amused corvette.

"Shut up and go get your stew. I appreciate your participation. AOBA 1-15." Instry comments as he finishes his drink, followed by looking at the glass.

"Roger, AOBA 2-13." Answer AOBA 1-15 as he go to the big table.

AOBA, short for "Autrixian Operation Blitzkrieg Armament", are practically the cheapest troops Azur Lane can afford. As they do not belong to any country, they are differentiated by their construction and maintenance cost, as well as by their specializations.

The numbers represent which group or legion they belong to and what their number is. For example, AOBA 1 and AOBA 2, while both have the same function and even nearly the same characteristics, each group has a slightly different specialization and one or two unique characteristics.

In the case of AOBA 1, they are good at prolonged or attrition combat and are stronger than the rest of the divisions, while AOBA 2 is adept at hunting down carriers and performing air sweeps, even surpassing the anti-aircraft power of light and heavy cruisers. They are also more agile than the rest of their brethren, giving them even more of an advantage against heavy opponents like battleships.

Of course, this also applies to their larger siblings, frigatebirds, although, having greater endurance and strength, they tend to have more roles on the front line.

This has contributed a lot to Azur Lane. But, whether it's because the commander suffers from a migraine, is too lazy to plan properly, or simply likes to see allied numbers dwindle quickly, she sometimes forgets the specialties of each division and mistakenly sends the division specializing in close combat into an open field where the enemy has long-range weaponry.

How does the commander manage to remain at her post despite some of her mistakes, many of them fatal to the Kansen? This intrigued him greatly, though he assumed that the higher-ups and some other humans simply disliked the idea of shipboys having normal lives like theirs, and reminding them of what they are: weapons. Therefore, they could forgive the wrinkled-faced woman and even secretly thank her.

With a long, audible sigh, he walks away from the rowdy scene, leaving the glass lying around and disappearing without a trace.

As he leaves, the sky greets him with a heavy rain and the occasional flash of lightning in the distance, with the waves of the sea crashing furiously against the harbor, threatening to break into the kitchen.

However, this calms him down more than anything. Feeling wet not only from the sea, but also from the rain, brings back memories from the day he was born with such weather, while his older and older siblings greeted him and guided him. Mother Autrix...

Oh, Mother Autrix, from the first time he saw him, with that worn but sweet smile he gave him, his being, his cube, everything about him recognized Mother Autrix as his father, as if he were just another extension of the kansen. And yet, she welcomed him with open arms, as he did many others, as if they were her own children. That loyalty, that love, was everything to him...

Before he was deep in thought, a figure in the distance caught his eye. Straining his eyes a little more, he saw that it was the commander, carrying the USS Laffey, which was asleep.

Normally, Commander Garcia would order one of her brothers to punish the poor destroyer instead, but the fact that she's taking him like this doesn't guarantee anything good.

He chooses to go and tell his father what happened.

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Commander Garcia walked through the halls of the building that housed several dormitories and her office.

At one point, she observed the state of Laffey, who was sleeping peacefully, still with the bruises that had been accidentally caused by those two destroyers.

Why was she taking Laffey to that building? She was going to take him to her room. Why? Well, let's just say that the commander hadn't been able to release her frustrations since... 38 years ago, and currently 70 years old.

Yes, she's an older woman, but thanks to the strict training she'd received and some artifacts humanity was able to extract from siren, she'd strangely managed to stay in shape despite her age. And, just as her body still retained a certain youthfulness, she had been dealing with certain needs for the past 20 years.

The fact that she was an elderly "sugar mommy" did not help at all to find a partner interested in spending time with her, even less with that attitude she had (which she acknowledged, but didn't bother to change).

But, hell, it had a base full of male kansens, most of whom didn't know what the heck sex was. In the precarious situation they were in, she might try to approach one of them for quick relief.

She had a lot of candidates, of course, but she has a taste for minors, and who better than Laffey? The sleeper at the base? The thought of his waking up and not knowing what the hell was going on and why his crotch hurt so much turned her on more than having a run-of-the-mill session with a more mature kansen, or any other destroyer where she would be aware of the situation.

Naturally, she was one of many who disliked the kansen. Not only because they were different from them, but because it was practically a sign of weakness to them, reminding them how fragile and pathetic humans are.

However, just because they disliked them doesn't mean she can't take advantage of them. She wasn't that stupid.

As she turns the corner of the hallway, almost reaching his room, she almost has a fit.

There he was, standing in front of his bedroom, arms folded and a stern look.

This is the Kansen known as Mother Autrix. He has fair skin and short brown hair, somewhat disheveled, with eyes of a yellow hue that look a little sinister. He wears only navy blue long pants and brown leather boots, leaving his torso completely exposed. If we look closely, we can notice that her muscles are well developed and her nipples are a little longer and wider than usual. In addition, it has noticeable dark circles under the eyes. He is, without a doubt, the tallest Kansen so far, at an impressive 2.60 meters tall.

This character stands out as the emblem of Azur Lane, being the mysterious aircraft carrier that inspired the creation of the current factions and which several siren are afraid to face. In addition, he is the father of the Kansens of the corvette and frigate classes. Thanks to these achievements, he has gained a certain authority, despite being disapproved of and despised by many.

"What do you think are you doing, Azur Lane Commander, Garcia Sferene?" Mother Autrix asks sternly.

Swallowing silently, she holds his head high and takes a few steps forward.

"Personally punish the American destroyer USS Laffey for its failure to attend classes" Still afraid, Sferene manages to sound professional and without hesitation.

"And why exactly do you take he to your bedroom?"

"I was going to implement a new kind of punishment, and that includes my bedroom" Knowing that Autrix may already know of her intentions, she still had the nerve to play a joke on him.

"Commander Garcia, there is a limit to what you are allowed to do and what you are not allowed to do, and you are about to exceed it"

The commander frowns in annoyance, momentarily forgetting her fear.

"Are you threatening me, Mrs. Autrix? Remember your place here" Sferene replies, looking with slightly narrowed eyes.

And so began an exchange of glances, with a silence that threatened to suffocate her, but she did not flinch at any time. Seeing her stubbornness, Autrix closes his eyes as he lowers his head slightly. She almost took it as a victory, if it weren't for the fact that he again lifts his head and opens his eyes, staring at her with eyes with black sclera and emerald green pupils, scooping out a small amount of smoke and small flashes of lightning constantly coming out.

The sight of that activates her survival and combat instincts and they almost reach their peak, her hairs standing on end as high as they can, her pupils well dilated, her breath ragged and her heart pounding, threatening to leave her body. Only a sudden movement on his part would be the trigger for her to pull the gun from her waistband and start fighting him.

"Commander" Mother Autrix's voice sounds more sinister than before, giving her even more dread "If you don't hand me over to USS Laffey right now, I'll be forced to take drastic measures"

"Do you think you will go unpunished with the high command if I am hurt or even killed, no matter how much You make a good argument?" Asks rhetorically Sferene, despite the dread and the lump in her throat, still had the nerve and willpower to appear firm, and more admirable to speak without hesitation or showing any kind of weaknesses.

" If the higher command think that my actions are reckless and acts of betrayal to their cause, they better prepare for a new front" Mother Autrix replies, making Sferene's heart almost stop. "I have little expectation that, with the current weaponry of humans, you will manage to do anything progressive and productive against two enemies potentially threatening your existence"

The commander observes closely, as if waiting for some kind of movement to indicate that he is joking or lying, but he seems totally honest in what he says.

One more front and the loss of the only weapons to date capable of dealing with his mortal enemy just because she couldn't hold back in leaving him in her pants?

"Okay, have it" Sferene says reluctantly as she extends her arms.

Better another day... or an early death.

Seeing that she gives up, he blinks again, returning to normal, approaching the commander and delicately grabbing Laffey with one arm. Whether by instinct or simply by an event in his dream, the American destroyer leans into Mother Autrix's chest and embraces him, seeking protection.

Leaving that strange state that Autrix entered into, her instincts almost return to normal, albeit with the sensations still lingering.

"May it be the last time you do this, Commander" Autrix warns as he turns around and starts walking.

"No promises" Sferene murmurs in disgust, although seeing how Autrix brakes abruptly and looks at her sternly, she quickly corrects herself. "I promise"

Watching her for a while longer, he nods his head slightly as he resumes his walk. She stares at the ground, defeated and helpless as she crosses her arms.

"One more thing" Before Sferene asks, she instinctively catches a pipe and two small clear bags with some kind of weed inside.

"What is this?" Sferene interrogates while arching an eyebrow, looking at the items, not recognizing the species of the grass, followed by seeing Autrix.

"... A method of relaxation that is less harmful to the people around you, and less harmful to you... in a way"

With that said and without saying more, he leaves the place. Hearing no more footsteps from him, she forcefully tosses the items aside, while cursing internally.

She places her hand on the handle of her bedroom door, ready to enter...

With a snap of her tongue, she annoyes, puts down the handle and goes for the discarded items. Then, she enters the room, closes the door, and throws one of the bags on her bedside table.

Now that everything is ready to start consuming it, Sferene gives it the first smoke, retaining the smoke inside, and...

Oh fuck! What the fuck is this shit? It's good and refreshing!

By slowly expelling that, she feels that all her needs and resentful feelings are thrown out the window, leaving only her and no one else.

...

She assumes that if she makes a good impression, he will give her a little more for being a good girl