A/N: Jesus, forty five thousand people. It seems as if I can't get a new chapter out before another thousand people have come and read it.

Much enjoyable.

—/—\—/—\—

The seven non German personnel followed the newly summoned members of the fleet out of the summoning hall as they watched those just stepping outside take a look around at their new environment.

Letting the group assemble as one outside, Saradia looked to Admiral Johnson and Admiral Ishigara in turn.

"If you'll excuse us, we've to get files drawn up for the girls we got yesterday." Ishigara said as he looked to the woman. "With everything that happened between then and now, this is the first time things have really slowed down somewhat." He said. "But the Sendai sisters should be waiting at your building to take their sizes." He told her.

"But, we're also willing to lend help." Anya said. "For the time being, the four of them have offered to help with getting everyone settled in. That's if you think you need it." She said.

Saradia glanced at her new charges a moment before looking down at Emma. True, she would need someone keeping Emma focused elsewhere and Maryland had seemed to make a fast connection with her daughter. And given that Enterprise had never met any of those present in combat and Akagi and Mutsu had been allies during the old war, she offered a nod in response. It all seemed to be okay in the end.

"That would be much appreciated." She said as she looked to the four ship girls, who nodded in response as they stepped over with the Admiral. At that, the three officers offered waves and went about their own way.

That left Saradia, hand in hand with Emma, as she began to lead her fleet of now nineteen towards the now German section of Yokosuka.

The four non German ship girls walked with Saradia as she could hear her girls break down into their own conversations. The destroyer sisters into theirs. Bismarck and Tirptiz speaking rapid fire German to one another. Hipper, Prinz, And Blucher we're having one. And Graf Zeppelin seemed to be discussing something with the three submarine sisters.

The only one she didn't hear was Scharnhorst.

Looking back to the battleship, the German admiral watched the battleship look at her surroundings. The battleship didn't seem to be troubled, only in interest. Interest in her new situation. As she watched the battleship glance down at her hands, clenching and unclenching her fists somewhat, she made the guess that the battleship was coming to terms with her sudden humanity. Something that Saradia assumed was appropriate given her current situation.

"Scharnhorst?" Saradia called, watching as the battleship looked up at her in a questioning manner. When she had, Saradia gestured for her to come forwards, come to walking pace with the her. When Scharnhorst got the message, the battleship increased her pace. Coming to an Even pace between Saradia and Enterprise, the battleship looked to her Admiral.

"Ja?" She asked as she looked to the woman. Saradia only smiled at the battleship as they made their way through the snow.

"Just thought i'd have a chat with you. You were the only one not apart of a conversation, so I figured I'd take a chance to see how you're taking to this new experience. I know it's only been a few minutes, but still." She said. Scharnhorst only nodded as the battleship looked down to her hands again before bringing them up to near eye level.

"It's strange... I remember when I was a ship, I could still remember having hands, but all I could really manipulate was my hull. But now..." she trailed off, looking at her hands in wonder. Saradia however blinked at the explanation.

"You had... hands...?" She asked. Scharnhorst nodded at that as Enterprise looked to the German admiral.

"I believe she's referring to the fact that despite being attached to our hulls, we still had this human form. We just couldn't really do anything with it. It's... it's hard to explain..." she said. Saradia only nodded somewhat at that as she looked back to Scharnhorst, who looked to Enterprise in turn.

"So you're really Enterprise...? The ghost?" She asked as she peered at the carrier. Enterprise nodded at the question as she offered a smile to the German battleship.

"I am." She said. "Most decorated ship in my navy's history. Though, the ghost title came from the Japanese." She said, glancing to Akagi, who in turn nodded at the statement.

"It was a fitting title." She Answered as she looked to Scharnhorst as well. "Though, Enterprise here wears it with pride." She said with a smile, Enterprise returning the smile as they walked with hands clasped. Scharnhorst noted the clasped hands, watching it for a moment before glancing back up to the two.

"Are the... two of you... you know...." Scharnhorst trailed off, not knowing how to word it. Enterprise and Akagi blinked at the carrier for a moment before glancing down at their clasped hands for a moment before nodding in understanding. Looking back up to the battleship, the both offered soft smiles.

"We are." Enterprise confirmed.

"And quite happily." Akagi confided.

Scharnhorst pursed her lips at that before furrowing her brow in sudden onset confusion at the declaration. After a moment, she looked back to the two carriers.

"You two were... rivals were you not? Committed to sinking one another?" She asked. Enterprise and Akagi traded a glance before the two carriers looked to the battleship.

"Look, Scharnhorst. It's good to remember your life as your steel hull. To take pride in your service. But if you let that be your sole focus, you'll go blind to so many things that are right in front of you. Yes, we fought for the Pacific decades ago. Against one another. Against each other's nations. But that's all we really knew. Being human like this gives us the opportunity to find out more about one another. Beyond what flags we flew in the war." She said. A laugh sounded through the air as hands were placed on the carrier's shoulders as Maryland looked to Scharnhorst.

"Yes. For example, both feared carriers of their nations. Now? Perhaps the two biggest gluttons this side of the Pacific." She said, warranting a glare from E and a smile of amusement from Akagi.

"Mary!" E cried indignantly. The battleship in question only shrugged somewhat as she looked to the carrier.

"Am I wrong...?" She asked with a knowing smile. When E went to say something, but came up short on that front, she simply muttered something, prompting Mary's grin to widen by fractions. "Surprised however that you haven't eaten Akagi yet." She said.

Immediately, the two carriers looked at the battleship like she'd gone off the deep end, E breaking out into a luminescent blush while Akagi just stared at her, her expression frozen in glass and unreadable. Maryland cackled at that as she slung an arm around Scharn's shoulders, giving the battleship a wide grin.

"You'll like it here, that I'm sure of." She said with a hum. Scharnhorst only watched the battleship a moment, eye's wide with surprise for a moment before her expression mellowed somewhat, hers meeting Mary's.

"I'm going to hold you to that." Scharnhorst said with a hum. Maryland only grinned at that for a moment before releasing the battleship, shrinking back to her spot next to Emma and Mutsu. Scharnhorst kept her eyes on the woman a moment longer before looking back to Enterprise and Akagi, who were still trying very hard to come back from Mary's insinuation. "Are you two going to be okay?" She asked as she glanced over the two carriers.

When neither of them made an immediate move to respond, Scharnhorst laughed somewhat at their reaction as she turned back to Saradia, who only offered a smile of her own to the battleship.

It'd only taken another five minutes to reach the German HQ building, Saradia leading the way in along with Emma. And immediately, they were greeted with the sight of the Sendai sisters mulling about within the entrance hall. Offering a wave, Sendai looked to the German admiral.

"So was the first German Summoning a success?" She asked. Saradia nodded at that as she and the four non German ship girls stepped out of the way, allowing the three sisters to watch the now total of fifteen German ship girls to assemble. Nodding somewhat in acceptance, Sendai looked to Hipper. "Did you ever get your sizes taken in?" She asked. When the heavy cruiser shook her head, Sendai nodded at that as she gestured to the hallway leading to the dorms. "Alright, we'll do this by class. After which..." she said, trailing off to look at Saradia, who in turn looked to her girls.

"When you've had your sizes taken in by the Sendai sisters, come to my office so we can get files comprised for you girls. After which, you'll be allowed to select your rooms. Since there's only fifteen of you, I don't care how spread out you are. Just keep in mind that we don't know how often more ship girls are going to come through for our country." She said. When the fourteen nodded at that, Tirptiz raised a hand in question. "Yes Tirptiz?" She asked.

"I... I'm currently roomed with frau North Carolina and Washington. Am I going to be required to remove myself from our room?" She asked, to which Bismarck looked to her sister in surprise as did some of the other German ship girls. Saradia mulled it over a moment before looking to the battleship.

"Given that you've been rooming with them with no problems thus far, I won't say that you've to move here. But I'd imagine that your sister would appreciate rooming with her sister." She said, glancing to Bismarck. When Tirptiz looked to her sister, the battleship nodded somewhat.

"The admiral... is not wrong." Bismarck said after a moment as she looked to her sister. Tirptiz nodded somewhat at that as Saradia offered a apologetic look to the battleship before gesturing for Bismarck to follow the Sendai's.

Watching as the battleship got the message, going with the three light cruisers, Tirptiz following along after her older sister, Saradia looked to Maryland.

"Maryland, would you take Emma and keep her busy so we can get through this quickly and efficiently?" She asked. The battleship shot the German admiral a thumbs up before looking to Emma, nodding for her to follow. Watching as the two of them made way up the stairs and towards the living room, the door closing behind, Saradia let a sigh of relief as she looked to Mutsu. "I don't suppose I could ask that you keep things moving efficiently down here?" She asked of the battleship. Mutsu offered a nod of the head and a smile In turn.

Offering a quiet thanks to the battleship as she did so, Saradia began to ascend the stairs, followed by Enterprise and Akagi. Opening the door to her office, Saradia made way for her desk, slumping into her chair somewhat.

"I'm not sure how Admiral Ishigara managed to do this by himself at first." She said after a moment. A smile tugged at Akagi's lips.

"I was the seventeenth kanmusu to cross over for my country. So by the time I showed up, it was somewhat smooth sailing. But the stories that Ryuujou, Yuudachi, And... Fusou had to give are somewhat amusing." She said, her smile dropping somewhat at the memory of the battleship. Saradia looked up to the carrier a moment, the expression Akagi gave not passing by her unnoticed. But Saradia didn't speak on it. What she did do Though was ask on the experience Akagi was referring to. "Oh? That bad?" She asked.

Akagi nodded. "At first, our Navy didn't know what to do with us. We don't come back with our riggings so they didn't know that they could make them. But until about our tenth summoning, we were pretty much sitting around doing not really anything. When you have ten freshly summoned kanmusu who can't get out on the water, chaos descends quickly." She said. Saradia let out a brief chuckle at that as she looked to the carrier.

"Chaos?" She asked. Akagi nodded at that.

"Musashi was our fourth kanmusu to come through. And Yamato was the eighth. With the Yamato class seemingly complete, everyone was willing to go out and fight to our last breath. It lead to things getting a little rough for the Base. Doors in pieces. Windows shattered. Needless to say, ship girls that know there's a war to fight but can't get involved in said fight tend to become restless and antagonistic." She said. Saradia looked at the carrier with a brow raised as Enterprise looked to Akagi in surprise.

"I don't think it would be that bad..." she said. Akagi looked to Enterprise in return.

"Do you remember how you were when you were left from the Sorties because I asked your Admiral?" She asked, prompting the carrier to pause somewhat before nodding.

"Oh.. that makes more sense now..." she admitted with a nod. Akagi nodded her agreement as she looked to Saradia.

"So Admiral. What do you need the two of us to do?" She asked. Saradia shook her head.

"I've got Maryland keeping Emma occupied and Mutsu's making sure order is maintained. Honestly, there's not really anything I need from the two of you at the moment until after the sizings and room selections. At which point, I was wondering if you'd be willing to show Graf the way to the carrier range." She asked. "I still am learning the base myself and I also see it better that two carriers, no better than the two of you, to introduce her to them."

"Oh, then yeah, that's no problem. We'll have her settled in by the time lunch rolls around." Enterprise said, giving the woman thumbs up, to which Akagi simply nodded her agreement. Saradia flashed the two a grateful smile at that somewhat.

It was another eight minutes later when Bismarck and Tirptiz entered the woman's office, immediately garnering the three's attention from their ongoing conversation. Enterprise and Akagi stepped away from the woman's desk, permitting the two of them to stand where they had been. Tirpitz thanked the two of them before the two battleship sisters looked to their admiral.

It went on like this for some time, Saradia would finish with one class, dismiss them only for the next class to enter her office.

It was only when she'd finally gotten to the last class, the Admiral Hipper sister's, did any variance happen. As they walked for the door, Saradia not looking away from her desk, spoke up.

"Admiral Hipper? Would you mind sticking around a few minutes longer? There's something I wish to ask of you." She said, waving Prinz Eugen And Blucher out as she did so. The two traded a glance with their older sister but did as they were asked, leaving the office, just leadship of her class and her admiral present.

"Yes, Admiral?" Admiral Hipper questioned as she stood in front of the woman's desk. A moment later, finishing what she was typing away at her computer, Saradia looked up to the Heavy cruiser.

"Might I ask what encouraged you to lay your hands on a foreign superior officer?" She asked, her tone calm and collected. Admiral Hipper let a moment of brief confusion cascade over her features before nodding in sudden understanding.

"She has the audacity to insult our country. Our leadership. The very people that brought our country from the depths of despair. That, among many other reasons." The Heavy cruiser said as she glanced down at the woman before her. Saradia only nodded somewhat at that as she met eyes with the cruiser.

"By them, I assume you mean the Nazi party?" She asked, her voice even. Hipper offered a nod at the question, crossing her arms as she did so. "Admiral Hipper, are you aware of why Admiral Johnson made a show of disciplining three of her girls in front of the entire fleet today at breakfast?" She asked. Hipper offered a simple nod.

"Of course. They made a wrong choice and their actions could not go unpunished." The Heavy Cruiser Answered.

"So If that's your logic, why didn't Admiral Johnson string Maryland along with them?" She asked as she watched the cruiser. Hipper outwardly grimaced at the memory before shrugging.

"I suppose it slipped her mind. Perhaps I should remind her-"

"No." Saradia said, shaking her head. "That won't be required. I'm going to ask one more time, do you know why Admiral Johnson made such a show of force in front of the fleet with Atlanta and her sisters?" She asked. This time, Hipper only offered a blank stare in response. "It's because she knew that if Atlanta was going to mistreat you like she and her sisters did, then there were others that were going to do the exact same. And so, she used the only tool she had to put a stop to it. Do you know what that tool is Admiral Hipper?" She asked as she looked up at the Heavy cruiser.

"I can't say that I do, Admiral." Hipper replied.

"She used herself." Saradia told the cruiser. "She willingly put herself between her girls and you so that the malcontent would stop. So that no one would approach you as Atlanta and her sisters did. All because you let her speaking ill of a country, who frankly might I add, is well deserving of it at the time of which you speak. Nazi germany is one of the worst portions of our countries's history. The third Reich is still highly remembered as pure evil." She said, noting the cruiser's sudden change of expressions. An expression that spoke ill things of what she'd just been told.

"What...." Hipper monotoned. Saradia only looked up at the cruiser for a moment before standing.

"Do you have any idea of what our country did? Of what Germany willingly did to the world?" She asked, looking the cruiser dead in the eye. Hipper rolled her eyes at that as she looked to the woman.

"So we put people in camps. Like I told Admiral Johnson, so did her country." She said. "But that hardly makes us the bad guy." She said, looking her admiral in the eye. But Saradia suddenly gave pause at that. Something in the way Hipper said what she did struck a cord with the woman. In a very very worryingly way.

From the way she said it, it sounded almost as if...

But that couldn't be.

Testing her nerves somewhat, she looked to the cruiser. "Admiral Hipper.... does the number six million mean anything to you in this regard?" She asked slowly, gauging the cruiser's reaction to what she'd asked. Heavy cruiser in question titled her head somewhat, narrowing an eye.

"Should it?" Came the response.

Oh no.

Oh god no.

Suddenly, everything made sense. Hipper had assaulted Admiral Johnson out of a wounded pride that she held for her former leadership. A former leadership that was entirely clueless to of what they'd exactly been up to behind closed doors and away from the prying eyes of the world.

The problem was now clear.

But solving it was going to prove far trickier.

Standing in silence a moment longer, Saradia made way for the bookcase on the left side of her office. Of course, she'd been made aware of certain things about the ship girls. The Japanese in particular.

She'd been made aware that some of the girls had come through with an ever present knowledge of what exactly Imperial Japan had gotten up to during the years leading up to World War Two. Others came back with not so much as an idea of what had happened.

And given that someone like Hipper wouldn't have even been anywhere close to that stuff, Saradia had an inkling that something similar would make itself apparent. Just not to this degree.

Reaching for a leather bound book that sat upon the shelf, she looked over the cover, a map of Europe being displayed on the cover. And in turn, a large swastika sitting over the map. Taking a hitched breath, she let it out a moment later as she moved for Hipper, outstretching the book to her. When Hipper made to take the book, Saradia looked to the cruiser when she'd taken it.

"I want you to read the entirety of that book. And when you're done, you come back to me. And if you can stand in front of my desk and tell me that our country was the greatest in the world with everything included, I'll drop this discussion and we'll move past it." She said. Hipper only nodded somewhat at that. "You're dismissed." She said.

With that, Hipper left the office without a word. But the feeling that had formed in the pit of The German Admiral's stomach made her hope that she'd handled this right.

She really hoped she had.

—/—\—

"Wait... So she slammed you into the ground? Full strength?" Daisy asked, eying her sister wearily. Anya, for all her worth, nodded at the question as the two walked along.

"Mhm. And funnily enough, she mistook me for the same cruiser that she mistook you for when you arrived on Base." Anya said, noting the look of surprise. "But besides that, the happening with Kentucky, and yesterday with Hipper, being around the girls typically isn't a danger. And two of them didn't mean for it to happen." She said.

"I mean, looking at you from a career stand point, I'm glad you're doing so well. Especially with the limit increase you guys are making a big deal of. But as your sister... as your big sister... I can't say I'm not a little worried about how much harm has come your way since you started here. Especially since two of them were only a wrong move away from a fatality." She said. Anya shrugged as she looked at her sister.

Anya and Sofia has long finished up their file work, the new girls appropriately on file and the like. Their sizes had been taken and now, the next pressing matter to the American admiral was the fact that she needed to let the nations that had ship girls present aware that they had ship girls present. But she'd stopped off for a brief chat with her older sister, one of the few times work had allowed her the pleasure.

"I've taken on two cruisers and two battleships. And thus far, I'm still alive." Anya Answered.

"Probably because so far Maryland has promptly beaten the shit out of two of them thus far. Not sure you could find a fifth winking to give it a shot now. She's got the meanest right hook I've seen in years." Daisy said. "Plus, She seems fiercely loyal to you. Between you and me, I swear, how far does that loyalty go?" She asked.

"Far. Farther than even I can comprehend." She said as she looked to her sister, shrugging somewhat. "I suppose that time will tell just how far it goes on." She said.

"Cynthia remains ever jealous then." Daisy said with a laugh. Anya only smiled somewhat at that as she nodded.

"I suppose she will have to suffer further." She said with a chuckle. Daisy only nodded somewhat at that as the silence spread among the two of them, they walking a short distance somewhat longer.

"You know..." Daisy said in a low voice. "When we started figuring out what branches each of us were going into, I figured with me joining the Marines and Greg going into the Army, that left the four of our younger siblings to the branches that didn't wear green. That we'd be in the most danger..." she said, her hands going to her pockets as she looked straight ahead. "But then the Abyssals show up, and suddenly, me and Greg are the safest of the six of us. Suddenly, we're left with more questions than answers. When we heard that New York was hit, i was so so afraid that you'd been there when it happened. That those.. things had been your end." She breathed, her voice wavering. Anya only looked at her sister in surprise.

"Daisy..." Anya said, watching her sister.

"I haven't seen you in five years Anya. Not in person. And four of those, we've had this goddamn war going on against an enemy that laughs at our numbers of attrition. Sure, now that you're stationed here, it's a little easier... but how many more years is this war going to rage? And are you going to make it out of it?" Daisy asked, finally looking to her sister. Anya Met eyes with her older sister a moment before sighing, taking her own turn to look ahead.

"Look, I'm not gonna be some supreme optimist about this. Yeah, the idea is to get out of this war alive without losing anyone else. And I've got a bunch of girls willing to throw themselves in between me and whatever wants me dead. But there's always a chance. And not just with the Navy at this point. It's everyone. So yeah, I'd like to come out and say that we've got this war handled and I'm gonna come out of it okay. But.... I won't. Because even I don't know that." She said. "But you worrying about this right now won't change anything in the end. Focus on the here and now, Days, not what might end up being." She said as she looked to her sister. Daisy watched her younger sister a moment before sighing at that somewhat.

"When we were kids, it was easy to tell who was older. But now, that's getting harder and harder. What, with all that and-" she said, faking a look of surprise. "Is that a gray hair I see?" She asked. Anya rolled her eyes at that as she ran her fingers through her blonde locks for effect.

"Honestly wouldn't be surprised at this point. Not with how many shenanigans I find myself in the firing line of. I am ever so grateful that none of them have taken to the internet like Naka has." She said as she noted Daisy's look of confusion. "Naka likes to prowl around Social media. Twitter. Instagram. Facebook. And she often streams, sometimes alone, others with her sisters." She said. Daisy only nodded at that, fixing to say something when something else entirely caught her eyes, giving pause a moment. Holding a moment, she eventually pointed to what had caught her eye.

Anya followed the direction of her sister's pointing to find a person peeking around a corner of a building. Wait, no, scratch that. Person was a ship girl. Scratch that. Ship girl in question was Reno, flanked by an ever curious Juneau.

Blinking a moment, she watched them a moment before following their gaze. And what she found was a large crowd of cruisers. Entirely Japanese, looking to be made up of the Takao sisters, the Myouko's, Agano's, Tone's, And Aoba. The eleven seemed to be in some sort of discussion about something if Nachi's waving arms was anything to go by. But that still didn't explain the two American cruisers watching them from a distance as if she were afraid they were going to attack.

"Are... they planning to do something to them?" Daisy asked somewhat, glancing to her sister. Anya opened her mouth to respond before closing it a moment later. Looking to Daisy, she shrugged.

"You know, if the answer behind this were that simple, this war would be over by now." She said. "But at the end of the day, Reno's a shipgirl.. So it's probably not that simple." She said as she began to make way for the cruiser, Daisy following behind. And then the two light cruisers before them didn't take notice of their approach, Anya rolled her eyes somewhat as they soon Came to a stance behind the two.

Watching quietly a moment, Anya and Daisy traded a glance before the Admiral began to encroach upon the two cruisers, laying a gentle hand on Juneau's shoulder to let her know that she was there, much to the surprise of the cruiser if the half jump was anything to go by. Offering only an amused smile to her in response, Anya slowly moved past her to come to a stance just behind Reno, leaning down somewhat as she joined the light cruiser in watching those of the Japanese for a time, wondering somewhat at just what light cruiser was doing.

After about five minutes of just watching, Anya decided it was starting to get a little creepy.

"Reno." The woman whispered behind the cruiser, immediately prompting the cruiser in question to quite literally spin around at the noise as she jumped Maybe a foot.

"Gaah!" She yelled for a moment before focusing on just who had done it to her, only to find the innocent expression upon her admiral's face. Letting a sigh of relief, she placed a hand on her chest as she looked to Anya in a questioning manner.

"Admiral! You cant do that to me! Do you even know how badly you just scared me!?" She asked as she let herself calm before taking another quick glance around the corner. Anya only nodded somewhat as she poked around the corner again, taking another look at the group of cruisers before looking back to the Atlanta class woman.

"I have a few ideas, yes. May I inquire as to why you're silently watching a group of Japanese cruisers?" She asked as she glanced at Juneau. "Why the two of you are watching a group of Japanese cruisers?" She asked. Juneau immediately shook her head at the accusation.

"I'm just confused as you are Admiral. I found Reno like this so I'm just as clueless." She said. Anya only nodded somewhat as she crossed her arms, looking back to Reno.

"So? What exactly are you doing?" She asked as she took another glance around the corner at the assembled group before looking back to Reno.

"It's her!" Reno stressed, immediately standing before Anya as she gestured around the corner. The admiral however simple offered a deadpanned expression in response to that little declaration as she closed her eyes a moment.

"Reno. Saying the word her while gesturing to a group of eleven women tells me absolutely nothing." Anya explained as her hand met her face. "Now, I'm going to ask again. What are you doing?" She asked. But her question immediately warranted Reno grabbing the woman by the shoulders, coming an inch away from her face as she stared at Anya wide eyed.

"Do you remember? The dream I told you about?!" She somewhat demanded. Anya looked at the cruiser wide eyed somewhat before blinking before scowling.

"You mean the dream you told me about before outright kissing me?" She asked, prompting Juneau's mouth to form an 'o' shape while Daisy looked surprised. Reno nodded aggressively before pausing, shaking her head then after.

"Forget the kiss. The dream, Admiral. The dream. It's her!" She said insistently. Anya watched the cruiser for a moment before closing her eyes a moment, offering a breath of relief, before looking at Reno.

"Here's what you're going to do. First, you're going to release me." She said, gesturing to the grip the cruiser had on the woman. Blinking in sudden surprise, Reno released Anya in a flurry at that. Nodding in acceptance at that, she looked to the cruiser. "Now, you're going to point out who it was that was in the dream." She said.

"The one without a sister." Reno immediately answered. Anya blinked somewhat before nodding in understanding.

"Aoba." She said, offering a knowing look.

"That's the one!" Reno agreed with a snap of her fingers and a nod of the head. Anya nodded somewhat slowly at that.

"So, then, may I ask why you've just been standing over here like a stalker instead of introducing yourself to her?" She asked as she looked at the cruiser. Reno immediately gestured to the distant group of cruisers, who Anya noted, Myokou had very much noticed them at this point. Keeping that very important fact in mind somewhere, she looked back to Reno for an explanation. "So? They're cruisers. Just like you are."

"And?! A total of six of them know who I am and at least four of them aren't exactly fond of Americans stomping around their base. How exactly do I approach them all eager when I know that four of them don't want me around!?" She demanded to know. Anya thought about it a moment before looking back to the cruiser.

"Three you mean. Sakawa seems to hold less of a displeasure than her older sisters. And you know Takao and Atago wouldn't let anything happen to you from their own ship girls. You're being quite irrational with this whole thing." Anya said as she dropped her arms to her sides, a hand on her hip. Reno looked at Anya incredulously as Juneau and Daisy seemed to look at something just past the cruiser.

"Irrational!?!?" The Atlanta demanded. "How do you see this as being irrational!? How do you expect me, an American ship girl, that I tell Aoba, a freshly summoned Japanese girl, that I've already met her in my dreams!?" She asked, throwing her arms up into the air. Anya only watched the cruiser a moment before holding up two fingers.

"Reason one. You're a light cruiser of the United States Navy who fights Abyssals for a living. This is easy in comparison. Reason two?" She asked. "It's a really good thing you're anti-air because stealth is not your thing." She said. Reno blinked in confusion at that, looking at the woman like she'd gone mad.

"Saw me in your dreams, huh? Don't know if I should be flattered, impressed, or creeped out." A voice said, directly behind Reno. Light cruiser in turn immediately whipped around, coming face to face with Aoba, who was adorning a playful grin as she put her hands on her hips. Offering a hand to the light cruiser, she offered a toothy smile. "Heavy cruiser Aoba. And my secret admirer...?" She asked, watching Reno, as if waiting for an answer. Watching in a sudden frozen stupor, Reno suddenly shook her hands in front of her.

"I'm not your secret admirer! There's no admiring going on here!" She insisted, waving her hands frantically. But her insistence ended when Anya shoved the cruiser forwards.

"Give the girl your name for Christ's sake." Anya said with a shake of her head. Reno blinked before looking back to Aoba.

"Uh... Reno. Light cruiser Reno." She said, scratching the back of her head. Aoba let a playful grin tug at her lips as she looked the cruiser in the eyes before a quick glance downwards.

"You're.. uh... pretty stacked for a light cruiser there." She said. Reno gave pause at that for a moment before shrugging.

"You know. American. It's in the genes." She said. Anya's face met her palm at that, Juneau staring in mute horror, and Daisy didn't seem to know what to think. After a moment, Anya shook her head somewhat as she looked to Reno.

"Look, how about you go show Aoba that fancy camera you had me buy you." She said. "I'm sure she'd enjoy that much more than just standing around here." She said. Reno opened her mouth to say something before slowly nodding, gesturing for Aoba to follow as she turned and went, Aoba following close behind. After a moment, she let out a deep sigh. "I really hope I didn't just create a new team of chaos..." she said, noting Daisy looking at her sister in a questioning manner. "I've found Reno on multiple occasions trying to take her camera into bathhouses and the docks. If I've just given her an ally..."

"There will be no modesty left for base." Takao said, looking at the woman in mute horror. Anya nodded at that somewhat.

"I'll have to let Ishigara know that he should be on watch for any requests from Aoba for a camera." She said, sighing. "Anyways, Juneau, would you be willing to help me with something?" She asked, looking to the light cruiser. Cruiser in question looked at the woman in surprise.

"Help... with what...?" She asked, partially fearing that it'd be the same treatment as her sisters. She'd not even seen them since this morning, and they were supposed to be doing laps.

"New flight-decks Came in today and I need to get them to the carrier range to let them know." She said. "Make sure they meet their standards. And given that the stuff is way too heavy for just me." She said, hoping the point would be made. Juneau only nodded somewhat at that, seeing the logic in it.

"May I help?" A voice asked from the side. Anya turned to find Sakawa looking at the American admiral, despite the quiet protests of her three sisters. Anya nodded at the cruiser.

"If ya really want to, sure. If you two would come with me." She said, walking off, Daisy and the two cruisers following after her. And with that, the rest of the Agano class. Of precaution.

—/—\—

The carrier range was alight with activity. Thirty two of the total thirty five carriers were present right now, with Unryuu, Kitty Hawk, Wasp, and Ark Royal at the firing line. They were under the tutelage of Kaga, Midway, Langley, and Houshou respectively.

Shooting just before them had been the two Hornets and two Yorktowns, given that the four had now been on base for an ample amount of time. The only thing keeping them from full line service was the lack of their rigging that they hadn't received yet.

But all present were patiently waiting for someone with the knowledge of the most recent summoning to come to them. They wished to know who now called their base home alongside them. And given that Enterprise and Akagi hadn't come back yet, they were left waiting. Waiting and wondering about just who Germany had managed to call back.

But there were those who had different thoughts on the matter, Bismarck Sea For One.

She was pondering the possibility that Tirptiz had finally received her sister, the battleship of her own name finally coming through. Bismarck Sea wanted her friend to be happy, but she didn't want to lose Tirptiz as her friend.

"Bismarck?" Lexington asked, the Carrier next to the escort carrier watching the smaller girl a moment. "You Alright? You're not normally this quiet." She said. Bismarck only offered a small nod at the question, not even looking over at the bigger carrier as she did so.

"M' okay." She mumbled, grasping at her fingers as she continued to look at the floor.

"You worried about Tirptiz?" The carrier asked. When Bismarck Sea looked up at the carrier in surprise, as if the carrier wasn't supposed to know, Lexington only laughed somewhat at the girl. "What? She's like... your best friend aside from Kit and Lo. And given that those two just reunited with Johnston and Heerman and already had Hoel, it can't be them you're worried for." She said.

Bismarck Sea looked up at her a moment longer before looking back down at the ground, the confused expression she was wearing doing little to tell those watching how she was feeling. "I want her to get her sister back.... but I don't want to lose my friend..." she said. Lexington only smirked somewhat as she placed a hand on the escort carrier's head.

"I got my sisters. Does that mean I spend any less time with you?" She asked.

"No... but you're not fun like Tirptiz..." the escort carrier said. Immediately, Lexington pulled Bismarck Sea onto her lap, starting the process of tickling the carrier, much to the carrier's sudden amusement as she wriggled to try and break free of the fleet carrier's grasp.

"Alright you little scamp." Lexington said as she attacked the carrier with tickling, sending the girl's shrieking laughter into the air, prompting Lexington to hold tight to her as she continued to tickle her, drawing some light chuckles from those watching.

Ark Royal only spared a glance at the carrier before looking ahead once more, under the watchful eye of Houshou. Taking a moment, she readied her bow, lining up her shot. A moment later, she drew back, the arrow nocked as she watched her target before her, her breathing even. Taking a moment, she released her hold, sending the arrow flying.

Her form had been good, but the aim had been false as the arrow skewed to the left, the practice arrow burrowing into the ground there. Watching a moment, Ark Royal shook her head in some disappointment at the botched shot, something Houshou only smiled at that.

"There's something on your mind." Houshou said sweetly, looking up at the taller British carrier. Ark Royal looked surprised a moment, even opening her mouth to say something in response when she looked to Houshou. And promptly closed it when she knew that the motherly carrier had nailed it on the head. She was only a day old as a human, nothing compared to Houshou's almost four years.

"Was... was it that obvious...?" She asked. Houshou only smiled as she offered the Carrier another arrow in response. "Sorry..." Ark muttered.

"It's no worries, dear." Houshou told the Carrier. "You're hardly the first ship girl to have reservations about the situation they find themselves in." She said as she watched Ark Royal nock next arrow, only for the carrier to look up at her in surprise.

"I never said...."

"You didn't have to. You're in a firing line with a carrier that was meant to serve my country but never got the chance, a carrier that died a year after you, and a carrier that wasn't born until fourteen years after you died. Your situation, while not normal by any standards, is understood by those around you. At least here." She said as Souryuu approached the two.

"Yeah. Plus, I'd imagine that maybe the summoning that's supposed to be going on isn't really helping your fears that much." Souryuu said. "You're not alone in that regard. You think that any of us Japanese ship girls were exactly keen on greeting those of the Americans so readily at first? Even if it meant more help with the war? A lot of us were nervous." She said. "Hell, the first carrier's I met were Langley, Lexington, and Enterprise. Do you know of the battle of Midway, Ark?" She asked. Watching a moment, Ark Royal shook her head.

"No. I went down just shy of a month before Pearl Harbor." She explained. Souryuu nodded at that.

"Me, Hiryuu, Akagi, And Kaga went up against the Yorktown sisters. And we lost. The four of us went down. So suddenly finding Enterprise standing before me was a humbling sight, and more than a little hard on the nerves. But now look at us." She said, gesturing to the carrier range, where a mix of Japanese and American carriers were watching the two of them. "We're more like sisters in arms now than we are former enemies. If you can't trust yourself to get through this on your own, then at least trust us to help you along the way. We're allies after all." She said.

Ark Royal was quiet for a moment, watching Souryuu in silence before letting out a short huff in agreement. "I suppose... that I shouldn't consider myself alone in this endeavor..." she said. Souryuu And Houshou nodded at that.

"You really shouldn't." Souryuu said. "We're all one fleet. Even if some of us don't see it that way." She said. Ark Royal only nodded somewhat at that as she looked back to the target before her.

"Then, as my fleetmate... perhaps you can help me with another issue on my mind..." Ark said as she began to go through with lining up another arrow.

"Anything." Souryuu said.

"We... ship girls eventually get crews, yes? Fairy crews? Independent to each one of us?" She asked. "This is fact, yes?"

"Yep. Once you get your riggings, yours will show up as well." The green themed carrier said as one of her fairies popped up on the top of her head for good measure as two of Houshou's fairies stood on her shoulders.

"And... normal humans can not get them? In anyway?" She asked, lowering her shot as she looked to the carrier. Souryuu nodded at that.

"Yep. If they're not a ship girl, they don't get fairies. No exceptions." The green themed carrier said with a nod. "It's one of the things that make us unique."

"So the fact that Admiral Johnson has five fairies is...." she trailed off when she noted Souryuu's look of surprise. And she wasn't alone as other carriers approached the conversation with interest.

"Wait wait wait." Saratoga said as she looked at the British carrier. "Did you just say that our Admiral has fairies? How do you know for sure?" She asked.

"Because she brought the five of them out in front of us." Kitty Hawk said as she efficiently put another arrow into her target before turning to look at Sara. "Five. Marines. Armed with Garands. She had them when she was greeting those of us that were summoned yesterday. Wasp and Unryuu can vouch for it and just about every other new summon besides Louisiana and Totomi." She said, looking to the carrier. "And I don't know if it's important or not, but her fairies bare a striking resemblance to Maryland." She told them.

Immediately, carriers of all sizes suddenly looked at Kitty Hawk like she'd gone off the deep end, something that seemed to make the big Carrier incredibly nervous. "Yes....?" Kitty asked.

"You said that they bare a resemblance to Maryland?" Taihou asked as she looked to the carrier, a question to which Kitty simply answered with a nod of the head.

"Yes....? Is that important...?" She asked. Taihou, among other carriers, nodded at that.

"If those fairies look like Maryland, then they're probably Maryland's fairies. And if that's the case, perhaps there was a change between the two of them that we didn't pick up on." Taihou said, prompting Saratoga to nod at that.

"To explain in short, Maryland's got it bad for the Admiral. But if she's carrying some of Mary's fairies around..." she trailed off.

"Look, I don't know what you think you know, but a relationship with the admiral would break frat regs." Yorktown, CV-5, said. "Maryland falls under her chain of command. So that would be going against the rules and Admiral Johnson could have the book thrown at her." The carrier said. Saratoga rolled her eyes at that.

"Do you know how different this Base is from other Naval bases? We've got a hundred seventy three reincarnated warships walking around here. Trying to apply Normal Navy rules is a fools errand." Saratoga said as she looked to Yorktown. "Or is it time I finally mention that you seem to go stupid in the head whenever Tirptiz is within fifty feet of you?" She asked, looking to the carrier, garnering some surprised expressions as they looked at the carrier, who in turn was rapidly reddening in the face.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Yorktown said. Saratoga only smirked, tilting her head somewhat as she stepped up to the carrier.

"Uh-huh. And we're just going to magically forget the fact that you seem to watch her with googly eyes every time you're at breakfast and can see her?" She asked, a hand on her hip. "You've known her for what? A week? A week and a half at most..?" Saratoga asked, watching Yorktown a moment, much to the reddening carrier's dismay. But the oldest Yorktown sister had an ally she didn't know was coming.

And that was in the form of the carrier range's door sliding away, admitting Admiral Johnson, carrying what most recognized as a case for a flight deck rigging. Sporting a CV-12 emblazoned on the top in white, Hornet let out a cheer at the sight, only laughing further when her older sister elbowed her in the side. Noting the look on Yorktown's face, Anya arched a brow at the two of them.

"What's going on there?" She asked, entering the range as Juneau and Sakawa entered the range after her, each carrying two more of the cases.

"It's nothing A-Admiral..." Yorktown tried to get out, much to the amusement of Saratoga. In turn, Shouho was the one who looked to Anya.

"Saratoga's teasing Yorktown over her crush on Tirptiz." The light Carrier said. Anya blinked at that a moment, putting the case on the floor.

"Oh?" She asked. "So why are you so worked up about it Yorktown?" She asked. The carrier only stammered as she waved her hands.

"It's improper!" She insisted. "We're both working women of our own Navies! We shouldn't-"

"Nope." Anya said. "I'll stop you there Yorktown. Don't try to use the whole too busy excuse. I can name at least five pairs of ship girls who manage their time. You just have to try." She said. "And don't let Sara bother you so much. She's just grouchy because she knows no one short of a ship girl would be willing to put up with that attitude of hers." She said, only grinning as Saratoga wheeled on the woman, arms outstretched in a demanding fashion.

"What's that supposed to mean, Admiral!?" She screamed. Anya rapped her chin in thought a moment, glancing at the ceiling.

"Oh... what's it called. That personality where they're all mean and violent and unlikable but deep down, they're a sweetheart...." She hummed. Chitose nearly cried out in laughter.

"SARA'S A TSUNDERE!" She cried in sudden laughter, Anya snapping her fingers at hearing the name.

"That's it." Anya said in finality. But despite that, she only held a grin for Sara in response as the woman looked at her like she'd been betrayed. Saratoga looked about ready to kill the blonde admiral, but instead, she grasped her shoulders.

"Admiral!" Saratoga whined. Anya only chuckled at that as she looked the carrier in the eyes.

"You tease your younger cousins and I'm gonna tease you." She said. "Plus, I just think you're this way because you haven't found the right somebody yet." She said with a laugh, much to the carrier's chagrin. Yorktown only watched Saratoga flounder somewhat, an amused smile on her lips despite her still red cheeks. But the attention was taken away from she and Saratoga as Anya looked about for a moment, shaking her head. "The carrier range is not exactly doing well on space these days." She said, glancing about. "It worked well when all it had to serve were the Japanese carriers but now that it has Thirty five..." she trailed off.

"Thirty five? We only have thirty four carriers." Hornet, CV-8, said as she looked to the woman. To which Anya shook her head in response too.

"As of today, it's thirty five. Graf Zeppelin, who, with Hornet and Yorktown of the latter's name class, will make up Carrier division six. Graf never even tasted salt back then so if you two could make sure she gets ahold of things, that'd be great." She said, looking to the two carriers in question.

"So... where is Graf then? Enterprise and Akagi were there as well, yes?" Ryuujou asked as she looked to the American admiral. Anya nodded.

"Graf's a newly summoned carrier. My guess is that she was taken to Houshou's by those two for a quick snack to ride her out until lunch." She said. Hornet and Yorktown nodded at that as Hornet gestured to the cases they had just carried in.

"So uh... are those our flight decks?" The carrier asked hopefully. Anya nodded at that as she and the cruisers she'd come in with began to lay the five out on the floor.

"Then why are there five of them? There's only four new carriers." Zuikaku asked as she watched, she herself somewhat interested.

"Because they took what they learned from Midway and her sister's flight decks and decided to giver the Essex Yorktown and Hornet their angled flight-decks. And in the process, decided Lexington should get one too." She said. "A refit of sorts if anything is to go by."

"VICTORY!" Lexington shrieked from somewhere behind Anya, prompting an amused smirk. But as Sakawa opened Hornet, CV-8's case, the light cruiser furrowed her brow in some confusion as she hefted a new container of arrows out of it. Extending her grasp for the arrow container, the black and white cylindrical container was handed to Anya, where she began to look at it, standing away from the flight decks.

"Admiral?" Hornet asked, somewhat curious about what had come from her case as she occupied the spot that Sakawa vacated for her. "What is it?" She asked.

"Well..." Anya began. "I can't tell is this is some sort of poorly devised joke, in bad taste, or they wanted to be as accurate to history as possible, but with you now among the carriers here, we now have a carrier armed with Army bombers..." She said, rotating the canister so that Hornet could see. And as she did so, the white imprint of B-25 came into her view.

Hornet blinked before taking the canister from the woman. "They gave me my Mitchell's..?" She asked, going blind to the grin creeping up on her features.

"Yes, well it would appear so." Anya said, noting the grin upon the carrier's features.

"Wait, Wait, Wait." Zuikaku started as she gestured to the canister. "They gave her the same bombers that were used in the Doolittle raid? Are you serious?" The carrier asked as she looked to Anya and then back to the canister. Anya nodded at that somewhat as she looked to the Japanese Carrier.

"It would appear so." She said. "But just because we have it now doesn't it mean I want you all trying to run one in your air wings. At the moment, let's reserve these to practicing with until we know what restrictions they put on you all in terms of launching other aircraft." She said.

Some of her carriers nodded at that, staring at the canister of arrows within Hornet's grasp before Zuihou looked to Anya expectantly.

"So? Don't keep us in the dark. How did Germany's first official summoning go?" She asked. "Did they get a lot?" The Carrier hummed as she looked to the Admiral. Anya nodded somewhat at that.

"Including Graf, Tirpitz, And Hipper, Germany's numbers are at fifteen. With Graf, they got two heavy cruisers, two battleships, five destroyers, and three submarines. Included among these numbers are two of Hipper's sisters and Bismarck." She said, much to the sudden surprise and elation of Bismarck Sea.

"They got Bismarck!?" The escort carrier practically squealed before immediately darting up and out of the carrier range in a flurry, dodging past those only watching in sudden confusion. Watching the carrier a moment longer, Anya only chuckled somewhat as she looked back to the carriers, only for Franklin to immediately stand before the Admiral.

"Yes Franklin?" Anya asked, noting the carrier's narrowed eyes and the like, her expression clearly one of suspicion.

"So... what's this we're hearing of you having fairies?" She asked. "Kitty Hawk and Ark Royal already ousted you so you best try and not lie to us about it! What's up!" She demanded. Anya only watched the carrier a moment before shrugging her shoulders. A moment later, a fairy crawled up to the top of the blonde's head, Garand slung on her shoulder as she looked face to face with the carrier.

"In retrospect, maybe having you and the other four come out during the summoning wasn't the best move, yeah?" Anya asked as she glanced up. The tiny being only offered a nod with a 'hey' thrown in for effect as she glanced down at the woman below her feet. "Yeah, that's what I thought." She said. But it was clear for anyone who could see the fairy.

She clearly belonged to Maryland.

So why did the Admiral have her?

"So... Admiral..?" Franklin said, hands behind her back as she and Coral walked circles around the woman, as if the two were police investigators. "Can I ask why you're currently in possession of five of Maryland's fairies? Five of her marines no less?" Franklin asked as Coral peered over at the woman.

"Ohhh, Maryland's afraid that I'll get hurt again and She's this idea that if I have fairies with me that they'll lessen the wound somewhat." Anya said. "She's basing this all on the fact since your fairies seem to be integral parts of surviving a battle, such as damage control, that the same will work for me. We haven't thankfully had a chance to try it out, but it's her theory." She said, her face remaining the essence of calm as she looked the carrier's over a moment.

Franklin and Coral narrowed their eyes at her  a moment. The explanation was understandable and the theory was plausible at best. Not for a normal person of course, but for someone who could match pace with a cruiser at flank, they'd be lenient with it. And as such, perhaps they were looking to much into this. At least, that's what Franklin guessed as she glanced at the fairy sitting atop the woman's head.

"Hmmm, I don't know..." Coral hummed as she glanced up at the fairy, being in turn watching the carrier in return. "It sounds too convenient." She said as she glanced at the woman in a suspicious manner. All of three seconds before she offered the woman her hand, one of her fairies suddenly present as she looked up at Anya. "But, if it means you don't get hurt anymore, you'll probably need more than just five marines." She said. Anya blinked.

This was not the outcome she could have foreseen.

"Oh, yeah, good point." Franklin Answered as she offered Anya a fairy as well. Anya blinked at that for a moment, trying to shake her head.

"I mean, I don't need fairies from any more. I'm not a ship girl so the required hands should be far less." She tried to defend.

"But you're a human. Compared to us, your bones are like glass" Coral Sea said, still offering the small figure alongside her sister. "Plus, if we can prevent you from getting hurt anymore, than that just makes the whole deal sweeter." She said. Anya pinched the bridge of her nose at that. "And just five fairies never makes up an adequate crew. You're gonna need Far more than just five." She said.

Anya sighed. This was not how this lie was supposed to turn out.

It only got worse when Midway approached, offering a fairy as well. Anya eventually relented and offered an outstretched hand, looking to the three carriers. "These three aren't damcom fairies, right? I'm not gonna take away your chances of surviving a sortie just for some theory." She stated. When the three carriers shook their heads, Anya nodded somewhat at that as she took the three fairies onto her outstretched hand.

The fairy atop of Anya's head narrowed her eyes at the three new comers, giving a sullen 'hey'. Anya frowned somewhat as her eyes glanced upwards.

"You will not use language like that. Do not forget that you're a visitor as well." She said, much to the embarrassment of the marine fairy atop her head. The three new fairies only saluted at that before they vanished, prompting the marine on top of her head to do the same. Anya blinked somewhat as the three carriers watched her a moment, all of thirty seconds before Kitkun Bay and St. Lo nearly toppled the woman, their own fairies present atop their heads.

Anya sighed at that, though she still presented a smile to the escort carriers. Carefully taking the two small beings off of their heads, she shook her head. "I can't take a fairy from everyone. And I don't have the time." She said as the two vanished, presumably off to wherever the other eight fairies were. "We can work out the details later. Anyways, I need Ark Royal. I don't suppose I could nab you for a little while?" She asked, looking to the British carrier.

Ark only stared at the woman for a moment. "Whatever for Admiral?" The Carrier asked.

"I've got a call with one Admiral Emmeline Thompson waiting from the Royal Navy." Anya explained. "I'm not sure if she'll actually be the one that ends up as your Admiral, but she does want to touch base with you and Cossack." She explained. Ark Royal blinked.

"She's already here?" The Carrier asked. Anya shook her head as some of the surrounding girls chuckled at the question, to which Ark looked at them in confusion.

"No. Let's just say technology has made leaps and bounds since you last sailed the seas. If Houshou thinks you can spare the time." Anya said, looking to the motherly Carrier in turn. And Houshou simply offered a nod in response, reaching and taking the bow from Ark. Offering a simple nod in return, Ark stepped for the American admiral, who in turn stepped for the carrier range door.

—/—\—

Maryland offered Emma one last smile before she left the German HQ building, noting the silent thank you being mouthed to her by Saradia. Nodding, she stepped outside, into the shining sun that had seemed to be so rare during these last couple of weeks. And as the sunlight reflected off the snow, Maryland found her world so very bright.

The issue with Hipper aside, Maryland was happier than she'd been in a while. First and most notably, she'd finally caught the eyes of her Admiral. Though, if what Anya said that night was true, it'd always been her. She just hadn't any idea until she'd been told.

Doing nothing to suppress the giddy smile that overtook her lips, she glanced down at her feet as she felt herself start to get lost in her thoughts. The battleship was far too happy right now and she absolutely loved it. Sure, what Anya had said the night before did sting though. Maryland wanted so Very badly to once again be able to see Weevee. But she had something the other battleships didn't. So she supposed that she could wait just a bit longer.

Speaking of battleships however, as she neared the American HQ, she found Arizona, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, And Nevada just leaving the building. If what Anya had told her before was true, the four of them had come in last night looking for her. And were no doubt doing the same today. Maryland watched them a moment, chuckling somewhat before cupping her hands around her mouth.

"HOMA!" She bellowed, prompting Oklahoma to whip around at the name, no doubt to tell off the person that had dared call her by the name. But her scrunched up face relaxed somewhat when she found who it was. And of course, calling out the name had brought the attention of the other three battleships with her.

It was funny of sorts. Maryland was clearly the tallest of the five of them, but she was the runt of the five. The youngest. But second youngest of the eight of them. She only offered a bright smile as the other four approached, eyes squinting somewhat because of the sunlight so very present.

"Hello!" Maryland greeted as the four stopped before her, offering a simple wave.

"Why didn't you tell us Mary?" Arizona asked, the standard watching the battleship. "Why didn't you let us in? Let us know that something like that was bothering you?" She asked. Maryland only offered a smile as she shrugged.

"I mean, you just got Pennsy back and Homa just got Nevada back yesterday. Didn't think it needing to ruin the moment." She said, hands going to her pockets.

"And you beating the kraut with your fists?" Pennsylvania asked, narrowing her eyes at the battleship. Mary only laughed somewhat.

"Didn't have the nickname 'Fighting Mary' for no reason after all." She said, prompting Arizona to shake her head in amusement somewhat at that.

"Uh-huh. Yeah, just because that's your nickname doesn't make you the fightiest of the five of us. So don't let that go to your head." She Answered before her smile dimmed somewhat. "Was What She said true? That you've been hurting since you crossed over?" She asked, the four watching their younger cousin carefully. Maryland offered a simple sigh at that before nodding somewhat. "Mary, you know you could've talked to us. I mean, maybe I'm not the best person to say that, given the nightmares and such." She said, ignoring the look of surprise from Pennsylvania. "But you get the point."

Maryland shrugged somewhat at that. "I'm a battleship. We're supposed to be thick skulled." She said. Nevada rolled her eyes at that.

"You know, when Cali and Tennessee finally get around to coming through, they'll probably have something to say about that." She said, crossing her arms. Maryland only chuckled somewhat at that.

"I'm sure they will."

—/—\—

Anya entered the conference room with Ark Royal. But now, they also had Cossack, Strasbourg, and Richelieu in turn. Letting the four of them into the room behind her, she closed the door somewhat as she went about fiddling with some of the electronic consoles there, leaving three of the four ship girls with her to look about with wonder. Given that Strasbourg had already been here once before, the shock value wasn't as prevalent as it was for the other three.

As Anya tapped away at one of the consoles before her, Cossack approached the woman, peering up at the screen. "So... we're using this...." She trailed off.

"To hold a conference with Admiral's Thompson and Mercier." She explained.

"Mercier...?" Richelieu asked. Strasbourg nodded at that as she looked to the battleship. 

"One of our country's current Admirals." The battleship explained. "She's the one who I met when I first came through. Trust me, you'll find her quite acceptable. At least, zat is what I believe." She said. Richelieu nodded somewhat at that as she turned her attention back to Anya, who was now finished tapping away at the console and now standing before the screen on the wall. A second later, the screen flicked on white a moment, going black a moment later, before it did what Strasbourg remembered it doing her first time as it presented them with the visage of Admiral Mercier. Stifling a yawn somewhat, she offered a nod to Admiral Johnson.

A moment later, the image of Admiral Thompson appeared, the woman sipping at what Anya could only assume was a cup of tea. When she was fully connected, she offered a nod before her eyes fell upon Ark Royal and Cossack.

"They are them?" Emmeline asked. Anya nodded as she gestured for the two, stepping behind them. "Good. Ark Royal? Cossack? It's good to meet you two. Though I'd not expected to meet anyone of you until we actually had an Admiral on base, I won't question our fortune. I'm sure the two of you have many questions." She said.

Ark Royal nodded at that as looked to the woman. "How... do we know when we're supposed to have an Admiral arriving on base?" The Carrier asked. Emmeline nodded at that as she looked to Anya, Mercier doing the same.

"About that. Admiral Johnson, after you left our meeting earlier, Admiral Thompson and I got into discussions with Admiral Hayfield." Mercier explained. "Given that both our countries have at least two personnel on Yokosuka and our supply situation really isn't the best place to try and support a fleet, we headed out a deal." She explained.

"A deal?" Anya asked. Thompson nodded.

"In short, Britain and France for once has more Naval capacity than it knows what to do with. Between the six Navies making sure we're not about to lose the oceans to the Abyssals, this has left some personnel and assets unused and merely gathering dust. But with that and the United States still reeling from the first attacks at the start of the war, its left your country's Eastern seaboard more open to attack than the Pentagon would prefer it would seem." The British admiral explained. Anya nodded at that.

Sure, they had three Iowas and Alabama prowling the Atlantic, daring the Abyssals to poke their heads up over the horizon, lest they catch a sixteen inch shell and tomahawk's for their trouble. But even with the four reconstituted battleships serving as the wedge between the American people and the demons from the deep, a Fleet was far from just battleships and battleships. A fact that she knew well and that they were severely lacking in. Multiple skirmishes and counter offensives had left the US Navy critically short in their destroyers, cruisers, and other vessel types over the past four years. Hell, the only reason the Navy itself wasn't imploding in on itself was that they'd only lost three carriers.

Not anything short on the Abyssal's lack of trying though.

"So, I'm assuming that Britain and France are being asked to toss that extra firepower over the pond towards Norfolk?" Anya asked. Both of them nodded.

"There among other places. We transfer ships to your country's defense and your country picks up the tab for our fleets, negating that worry from our desks, allowing us to get leadership out to Yokosuka that much faster. And it wasn't even a hesitation either. It's no secret that it's because of New Jersey's task force out in the Med that the sea is even somewhat available for trading. If the United States takes another hit like New York or San Francisco, well, I'd imagine that even you know that there's only so much the American spirit can take before it starts to crack." Admiral Thompson explained. Anya nodded at that as Mercier did as well.

"Whether or not those who oppose your country like it, the United States is an integral part of this war. If they turtle up, if they recall their forces to their shores..."

"It leaves countries like Japan and Britain to fend for themselves. The defenses of countries like Australia would give away eventually. And so that's not really an option." Anya Answered. The two women nodded at that. "So because you're moving ships to Norfolk and others to cover the eastern seaboard, meaning the US picks up the tab, does that mean we have an expectation to when you hope to get someone to base? I'm sure these four would very well prefer an answer." She said.

Mercier nodded. "With the main issue out of the way, we're looking at somewhere along the lines of no later than May. And the likelihood of our representation showing up at the same time is high as well." She said.

"So then we should expect Officers from both Navies around the same time? Potentially the same day?" She asked for confirmation. When the two of them nodded at that, Anya nodded in return at that. "Well, then, that's good news. Anyways, I'll let the six of you say what you will without me in your way." She said, stepping off to the side, leaving the two Admirals and their ship girls.

When twenty minutes had passed, allowing the four to ask their Admirals as much as they could, Admiral Thompson rose a hand.

"As much as I would love to keep being able to talk with the two of you." She said, looking between Ark and Cossack. "I've more pressing matters I must attend to. And I needn't hesitate to wonder if you are in good hands. I trust that the two of you will represent the Royal Navy in a positive light until such a time when we can get our own officers to Yokosuka, yes?" She asked.

"Yes." Cossack sounded.

"Of course Admiral." Ark Royal said. Admiral Thompson nodded at that as she spoke.

"Admiral Johnson?" She asked. When Anya stepped back into frame, she nodded. "Petrov is otherwise unavailable at the moment but is very much looking forwards to speaking with Leningrad and Molotov. As for Vampire, I was able to get in touch with a contact of mine. Captain Phillip King. I don't know if you're okay with it, but he's currently in Japan. I don't know how you feel about it, but I assumed that he meeting Vampire in person couldn't hurt." She said. Anya nodded.

"We'll get something arranged." She said. Thompson nodded at that as Mercier looked to Anya.

"As for Italy, they're all over the place right now. I was surprised I managed to get a hold of someone, but I did. Valeria Sonferi. I am unsure of the rank she holds at current moment given that Italy's Navy is barely hanging on, but she is looking forwards to speaking with Pola. I can send you the info for you to work out at another time. But I do not imagine that she'll have a whole lot of time to speak freely." She said. Anya nodded at that.

"Very well. I'll get in touch with them and see what's up." She said. "With the Germans now here, that should free up two more spots for foreign ship girls. Let us hope that they go to countries already present." She said. The two Admirals nodded at that before Admiral Thompson offered a nod in parting before her screen went dark, Mercier's vision now readjusting to take up the entire screen.

"Strasbourg, it was quite nice to speak with you again. And Richelieu, it is a wonder to meet you. I do hope we have more meetings in the future." Mercier said, nodding to the two battleships. "If you have any questions, direct them to either Strasbourg or Admiral Johnson. You're in good hands there." She said. Richelieu offered the woman a confident nod, something the woman returned. "Au revoir." She said in parting before the screen went dark, leaving the four ship girls standing there a moment before they looked to Anya in turn, who only nodded somewhat.

"Alright. Well since they didn't give any concerns about moving you back home, then we'll work on getting the three of you settled in. Shopping for more clothing than just your summoning outfits and sleeping attire and all that. Come on. Almost time for lunch." She said, gesturing for the four to follow her.

—/—\—

Later that day found Anya waiting by the launching chamber doors, next to her none other than Maryland. The two of them were waiting for the three light cruisers that Anya had apparently banished to Tokyo Bay. As such however, it left them alone in privacy. Privacy the two were putting to good use as their lips parted somewhat, Anya chuckling somewhat as she looked up into the battleship's eyes. "Is this how I should expect all of our time in private to go from now on?" She asked with a laugh. Maryland only chuckled somewhat at that as she shrugged.

"Mmmm, I dunno...." she said, leaning in to press her lips to Anya's yet again, something that the Admiral gladly returned as their lips met once more, Mary's hands on the woman's hips.

"We do however need to be careful from now on. With the duo that I imagine will become Reno and Aoba, their cameras are going to be a bother." She said as they parted again. "And before you ask, no I just can't take them away. That would raise too many questions as to why. Specially if they've done nothing wrong with them." She explained, prompting Maryland to give a groan.

"So you're saying there's a chance that they catch a picture of us kissing?" She asked. Anya nodded at that.

"I don't know how well founded these fears are just yet given that they met this morning. But the possibility is there." She said as she glanced up at the battleship. Maryland's response was to stay quiet, staring Anya In the eyes. And for a moment, everything was peaceful.

Only for a moment though.

"Maryland?" Anya asked, a knowing gaze upon her features. "Where uh... where do you think you're taking your hands?" She asked as she put her own on the battleship's wrists, stopping their movement just as they were about to find their goal she imagined. Maryland to her credit only looked away.

"I know not of what you speak, Anya." Maryland Answered. "You dare accuse me of such slander! I would never try to touch any part of you in a wrongful way!" She insisted. Anya only looked up at the battleship with an amused expression, clearly saying that she didn't believe a word the battleship was saying.

"You know I never accused you of anything, right?" She asked, her tone taking that of a playful sorts. Maryland blinked at that before furrowing her brow at Anya.

"You tricked me!"

"I did no such thing." She said. "You just don't know when to stop talking. So? You gonna answer my question?" She asked. Maryland blinked before her cheeks began to light up as she suddenly looked away from the woman. Something that amused Anya to no end. "Maryland! Are you blushing!?" She asked in very thorough and very sudden amusement, only for her question to darken the battleship's cheeks further in their tint of red.

"No....." the battleship tried. But her tone was neither convincing to Anya or herself, something that the woman found highly amusing.

"Hmmm... So? You gonna tell me what you were gonna do with your hands?" She asked with a knowing smirk. Of course, she already knew the answer. But she wanted to hear Maryland say it. To confirm it. But when the battleship refused to give an answer, Anya found herself unwilling to suppress the giggle that sounded from her throat. "Do I need to make it an order...?" She asked, letting the threat hang in the air.

Maryland only looked at the woman in sudden surprise, her cheeks still burning. "You wouldn't." She whispered in horror, eyes wide. Anya's grin grew to biblical proportions as she whipped her phone out, waving it in the battleship's face.

"I'll record it~" She hummed with a teasing tone of voice, her eyes shimmering with raw amusement. Maryland stared in mock horror before suddenly once more looking away from the woman a moment, her face keeping it's sudden red hue.

".....l wanted to touch it...." she finally got out after a few moments. Anya's grin widened at that as she poked the battleship in the stomach.

"Touch what, Mary? I'm quite daft with these things." She said, feigning ignorance. Maryland only bit her lip at that, as if she was going over the consequences of not choosing to for a moment before she sighed.

"I wanted to touch... it..." she said, hoping that would be enough.

"It? Maryland, you're going to have to be frank here. I'm not getting the message." Anya chided. But her tone was one of pure unadulterated amusement if Mary had ever heard it.

"I wanted to touch... your butt...." Maryland said, her face burning brighter. At that, Anya's grin practically split her face as she looked up at the battleship.

"Hmmmmm, not yet." She said. "Now that I know you want it however..." She hummed somewhat. "Anyways, why are you being so bashful about this? You blatantly hit on me all the time before now." She said. Maryland nodded somewhat, fixing to answer the woman before she blinked, now looking at something completely different.

"Anya.... do you have one of Enterprise's fairies?" Maryland asked, blinking at the small figure now standing atop of Anya's head. Anya blinked before nodding somewhat, reaching up and picking the small figure off of her head, placing her on her shoulder.

"Yeah... I had to cover our trail with a lie which basically resulted in me saying that you'd given me a few of your fairies to see if they help with injuries. In response, well... I don't think there's not an American ship girl on base that hasn't given me a fairy if they had fairies to give. And the thing is, they've been showing up all day now. Enterprise here is just the newest of the group." She said as the fairy vanished.

"They're... not going to oust us are they?" Maryland asked, somewhat unsure of the whole idea. Anya nodded.

"I'll to let them know what the deal is tonight so they do not do exactly that." She said. "Anyways, What were you about to say a moment ago?" Anya asked, trying to get the conversation back on track. Maryland nodded a moment.

"I mean, it's different from being in a relationship. Before, it was just blatant flirting. Flirting that I wasn't sure if it was gonna go anywhere in the end. So there no real reason to give thought to anything I said or did. Not in the long run. But now...." she trailed off.

"Something you say or do could very well end up in interesting situations for you." Anya said. Maryland nodded somewhat at that as she did so.

"Exactly. And that thought alone.... sends very interesting images through my head.." she said, glancing to Anya. The admiral only laughed somewhat as she nodded at that, leaning against the battleship somewhat.

"I would be somewhat worried if they didn't, Mary." She said. "I'm not-" she began but was cut off as the door to the launching chamber began to slowly open, alerting the two that the three cruisers were very much back and very much present. Quickly separating, Anya looked to the door, finding it in the midst of opening, revealing the three cruisers to her.

Notably, Atlanta looked far too relaxed. But Oakland and San Diego looked far too panicked for their own good. Something Anya arched a brow at as she approached the three of them. "So? Is there a reason two of you look so panicked?" Anya asked.

"We tried to tell her Admiral!" San Diego tried.

"But she wouldn't listen!" Oakland told her. Anya arched a brow at that

"Oh?" Anya mused as she looked to Atlanta, Cruiser in question only looked to her Admiral with a wide grin. "Is there something that you did that's made your sisters so very worried like this?" She asked.

"More like what she didn't do! We didn't even make one lap around the bay!" Oakland said. "Atlanta wouldn't even budge from her spot. We tried to get her to move, but she kept saying the Admiral knew what she was doing! Please don't make us do it again. My fairies are about to mutiny because of lack of supplies." The cruiser said.

"She wouldn't budge even an inch!" San Diego said. "Like Oakland said, we tried getting her moving, but she wouldn't go!" The light cruiser backed up her younger sister. Anya only nodded somewhat at that, eyes widened somewhat in surprise as she looked to Atlanta.

"Is this true? That you felt it appropriate to disobey my orders..?" She asked, narrowing her eyes at the cruiser. Light cruiser in question only rolled her eyes somewhat at that in amusement as she shook her head.

"You know, you made a far better show of it this morning than you are now. Now, I can tell pretty easily that you were just running a show." She said, stepping forwards and wrapping her arms around the woman's waist, hugging her somewhat. "Tell me there's dinner soon. I'm starving." Atlanta said. But Maryland, San Diego, And Oakland were only staring at the two in surprise.

"Atlanta's.... not getting in trouble...?" San Diego blinked. Anya said nothing on the subject as Maryland watched the two a moment.

"Okay. What gives?" She asked.

"You think I was actually mad about the three of them pushing Admiral Hipper like they did? Of course not. I knew Atlanta was going to from the very start of today. I knew she was going to shove Admiral Hipper because I asked her to give me a reason to discipline her. I assume though that you two saw your older sister do it and followed in her footsteps." Anya explained, glancing at the two sisters. San Diego blinked. Oakland paused.

"What?" The two asked in turn. Anya only laughed somewhat at that as did Atlanta.

"You three were never actually in trouble. I was never actually mad. I just needed a reason to nip this in the bud before it got worse. Let me ask, did the two of you believe that you were really in trouble this morning?" Anya asked.

"Yes....?" San Diego Answered, somewhat unsure of her own answer.

"Exactly. Look, I wanted to put an end to any trouble between my girls and Admiral Hipper. So, yesterday, when she was returning from Sortie, I pulled Atlanta to the side. Discussed it with her." She explained.

"And I agreed to become the aggressor so that the Admiral could make an example out of me. So that she could put an end to the aggression against Admiral Hipper in one fell swoop. Look, I'm one of the first original seven American ship girls. If she disciplines me? One of her first? Then you know she's not joking around with it." She said.

"So.... you're not mad..?" San Diego asked, somewhat hopefully. Anya shook her head.

"Not with the three of you, no." She said, chuckling somewhat when the two cruisers joined their hug. "Just don't go telling anyone about this. I want the message to stick. And right now, the only people that know this was a ploy are the five of us. Understand?" She asked. When the three cruisers nodded at that, Maryland blinked.

"You do know she threatened to push the rest of us to civilian life." Maryland said, gesturing to Anya. The three cruisers looked at Anya in turn, like she'd grown another head. A look that was simply answered with a shrug.

"Heat of the moment kind of words." She offered. "Anyways, I asked Liz to start dinner early for the three of you. Go." She said, nodding her head in that direction. The three cruisers nodded somewhat readily at that as they began to immediately make way for the Mess Hall, leaving the Admiral and Battleship alone once more. Watching them go, Anya looked back to Maryland.

"Come on. Let's go get some dinner and you can tell me how much you want to touch my butt." She said with a straight face. Maryland groaned.

"You're not gonna let this go, are you?" She asked.

"Never." Came the response.

—/—\—

She stood on the deck, watching over the waters that she'd known as her home for quite a while. Waters, that so far, had remained free of the war. After all, she was a Navy ship. Those... things wouldn't come near her not expecting a fight. She would fight for her people and country if it Came to it.

A brief gust of sea breeze brought her back to reality however. The Abyssals wouldn't come near the city not because of her, but because of the mass of steel of what her country called a battleship. Pretty girl she was, but that didn't change the fact that next to her, she knew herself to be useless.

She was so far past her prime, it wouldn't matter if the Abyssals rolled into her waters. It wouldn't matter if they Came to take her city. What could she do? She had no guns to deal with aircraft. She'd no guns to do any lasting damage to her country's newest foes.

She was a proud ship of her country's navy. But she knew that she couldn't do them any good in this war. Not when she depended on the wind to get her anywhere in a quick fashion. Not when the younger ships of her country could outpace with ease.

She wanted nothing more than to be useful. To show her country that she still had a fight within her. Her sisters were long and gone. The ship's she'd sailed with in her prime were now but distant memories. Memories of a time far simpler than the world she found herself in.

And so, she relegated herself to standing by and keeping watch over her waters. She would protect the people of this city. Even if she had to give herself up to do it. And she would be glad to do so.

As long as it meant she was useful for even a moment.

Just a moment.