The alarm of her clock cut through the silence of the early morning of Yokosuka. It took thirty seconds for the blonde closest to it to reach over with an exhausted arm and press the button to shut it off, much to the relief of her ears. Leaning over, Anya reached for the lamp, but unlike other mornings, she found herself hostage.

Glancing at her waist, she found that a slender and toned arm was still very much wrapped around it. Chuckling to herself somewhat, Anya turned her gaze to the other person sharing their bed, watching the figure sleep.

Maryland was out cold, half of her face enveloped by pillow, the other showing a blissful ignorance to the slowly awakening Admiral next to her. Chuckling somewhat, Anya nudged the woman with her elbow. "Mary, you've got to get up now." She said in a gentle voice.

The battleship, to her credit, only mumbled something in her sleep before pushing her face further into her pillow in an attempt to stave off Anya's trying to wake her. An action the blonde woman rolled her eyes at as she slowly worked on unhooking herself from the woman's grasp, something much easier said than done.

"Mary, you know the deal. You get to get up and run laps with me." Anya chided as she slowly but surely got herself free of the woman's arm. Maryland, in turn, only grumbled something in response to the news, cracking open one lone eye, watching the woman lazily. Anya shook her head in amusement as she got off the bed. Or at least attempted to before the battleship wrapped her arm around Anya once more, pulling her back down.

Anya let out a huff as she pushed against the battleship. But given the fact that the woman was far superior in physical strength. It was as if she was some sort of toy for the battleship simply to play with.

"Maryland, I'm serious." She said. "If you don't let me up and if you don't get up, I'll move you back to a room in the dorms." She said, her voice going just a bit firmer. Immediately, she was released from the battleship's grasp as the woman in question groaned, slowly sitting herself up as she looked at the woman.

"Have you always been this bossy? Just wanted five more minutes..." She whined. Anya rolled her eyes as she glanced at the battleship.

"Have you always been this lazy?" She asked, giving Maryland a teasing smirk. Maryland only rolled her eyes.

"Okay, point. But only because your bed is super comfortable and I rather don't relish the point of moving from my current position." She said. Anya shrugged.

"Too bad. You ignored orders to stop from both myself and the Captain, So you get to deal with it." Anya Answered, lightly rubbing her neck somewhat as she began to rummage through her dresser for an appropriate outfit.

"And, might I ask, how long am I going to face this punishment?" Maryland asked, stretching somewhat as she did so. Anya shrugged as she looked to the battleship, her green eyes full of mischief.

"Dunno yet. We'll see how you handle two miles and go from there." Anya Answered with a smile before looking back to her dresser. Maryland only looked at the woman like she'd gone mad however.

"There is no way that you're telling me that you get up and run two miles every morning. Screw that. I want to start with what you actually do." She said. Anya arched a brow as she looked up at the woman in surprise.

"My actual? So you want to run the full six then?" She asked, studying the woman a moment. Maryland blinked in response for a moment before simply staring at the woman.

"You're telling me.... that you get up every morning... and run six miles every morning... and still have enough energy to put up with whatever shenanigans that occur that day?" Maryland asked, not entirely sure if she could believe it.

Anya simply nodded.

"Two is fine, thank you." Came the response.

Anya gave a smile. A smile of victory, that little fact Maryland was sure of.

"Thought so." Anya Answered as she went about picking pieces of clothing out of her dresser before shutting it. "Your stuff is in the right side of the dresser. Your coats and larger items are on the left side of the closet." She said as she grabbed the pile of clothing she'd picked out and made way for the bathroom.

"Anya? What are you doing?" Maryland asked as she stood, stretching once more.

"Changing clothes." Anya explained as she stepped into the bathroom. Maryland blinked.

"But... we're..." Maryland began. Anya only smiled somewhat as she looked over her shoulder at the battleship.

"We May be together and we may share a bed now, but that doesn't mean you get to see everything right away." Anya Answered as she put her clothes on the bathroom counter. Still facing away from the battleship, she reached for the hem of her tank top, pulling it up and off. Looking over her shoulder still, she gave the battleship a toying grin as she hooked her thumbs in the waistline of her sweatpants, starting to pull them down just as she pushed the door close with her foot.

Maryland blinked a moment, processing what had just been done before she scowled at the bathroom door, willing it to simply disappear. When it didn't relent under the battleship's glare however, the woman simply huffed where she stood before making way to the dresser, going for the side that she'd been told held her clothing.

Opening it, she rummaged around a few moments before finding an outfit she liked. Black athletic pants and a black tank top. Grabbing one of the few sports bras she owned, she closed the dresser as she piled her stuff on the bed, keeping an eye on the bathroom door as she went about changing.

Five minutes later, she was just pulling her top on when the bathroom door opened once more, letting Anya back into the room. Tossing her stuff into the hamper next to the door, she went about putting her hair into a ponytail as she made way for the closet.

Pulling another of her hoodies from there, she looked at Maryland. "You want your Annapolis hoodie?" She asked. "Exercise or not, there is still snow on the ground." She said. Maryland mulled over the choice for a moment before nodding somewhat at that. "So why an Annapolis hoodie of all things?" She asked, tossing the navy blue article of clothing to the woman.

Maryland shrugged as she caught it, going about pulling it on. "I haven't really thought about it. I mean, it's got the Naval Academy and it's the capital of the state I'm named after." She said as she adjusted it somewhat, showing off the gold lettering against the navy blue. "Navy and my name. What more could I ask for?" She asked. Anya shrugged at that as she pulled on her own hoodie, her's being a black with white stripes down the arms.

"I mean, you make fair points there I suppose." Anya said. "But I'm sure you could have found a battleship Maryland hoodie as well. Had one made even." She said. Maryland shook her head.

"That idea is quite common among the dorms. Lexington, Mississippi, all of the Atlanta sisters. Enterprise ordered two, one for her and one for Akagi. I'm just trying to be different." She Answered. "So, Annapolis it is." She Answered. Anya nodded somewhat at that before blinking.

"Enterprise is buying a hoodie of herself for Akagi?" She asked. Maryland shook her head.

"E's pretty sure that Akagi's going to pilfer the one she wears at first so she's ordering two. Both are for E, but she's pretty sure one will end up with Akagi and most people seem to think she's going to be right." She said. Anya only nodded somewhat at that as she went for her shoes, sitting on her bed as slipped them on and tied them.

"Before we start however, we've got to stop downstairs. I need to let Hayfield know what's up with the new summonings and see if I can't manage to set up a few calls with other navies." She said as she sighed. "The Gateway clearly cares little for potential political firestorms."

"You're worried about how Russia will react?" Maryland asked.

"I'm worried about how everyone will react. This war has everyone on edge these days. No one's started shooting at anyone and even countries that disliked others before such as China, Russia, and in some cases the United States have mellowed out somewhat. But people are still nervous and cautious about everything. The reconstruction of New York is practically a snail's pace because people are so afraid." She answered. Maryland nodded at that.

"I suppose it makes sense though. Fear is a natural emotion. And with what's going on, it would be hard not to feel fear." She replied.

"Having fear is one thing. Allowing it to control your every waking moment though is a completely different topic." She said as she made way for the bedroom door, opening it for the two of them as she stepped out into the hallway, going for the stairs. Making her way down quickly, she immediately wheeled around and went for her office, Maryland trailing behind ever so slowly, her hands stuffed in the pockets of her hoodie.

Flipping on the lights as she walked in, Anya made a brief trip to the right side of the room, grabbing a chilled bottle of water from under the counter. "You want a water?" She asked as she glanced back to Maryland. The battleship nodded and in turn was given a bottle as well.

Unscrewing the cap, she sipped at her drink as she went for her desk, settling down somewhat as she sat down in her chair. Taking a moment, she ran a hand along her neck, the bruise still very prominent. Supposing that it would be for a few days, she offered only a huff when she noted that Maryland was watching her carefully.

"There's nothing to worry about." She said. "Though, I suppose it is fitting that you would be the one to go after Hipper, considering one of your nicknames." She Answered. Maryland only rolled her eyes as she approached the window behind the admiral's desk, looking out over the darkened courtyard.

"I suppose. All I know is that she didn't handle that as nearly as well as Kentucky did." She Answered. Anya rolled her eyes at that as she booted up her computer, listening to it whir to life.

"Oh man, I wonder why. It's almost like one's a heavy cruiser and one is a battleship. What could possibly be the reasoning." Anya asked in a fake questioning manner. Maryland only rolled her eyes at that as she sipped at her water, still watching the courtyard. Anya only turned back to look at her monitor, waiting for her computer to turn on all the way. As she did so, Maryland looked back to the woman.

"So... if Russia wasn't playing nice before the war, how're they playing nice now?" She asked.

"If not for Russia, the English Channel would probably be in the hands of the Abyssals right now. Given that they have the Ship Girl fleet positioned here In Japan, being able to lend support where we can, Russia's turned most of their attention to the North Atlantic and the water's surrounding Britain. Five years ago, having Russian ships in the English Channel would've been a nightmare scenario. Now, they allow those of the French, British, and German to try and secure the outlying waters elsewhere. But lately, the Abyssals have been pushing for the English Channel more and more. They want to cut Britain out and off from the rest of Europe."

"I thought modern day technology wasn't effective against the Abyssals." Maryland said. Anya nodded.

"It's not. But they have to make do. They don't exactly have a summoning Gateway in London. If they did, we'd likely have an Admiral over there as well, presumably splitting the fleet across the Pacific and the Atlantic." She said. Maryland thought about that a moment before looking to Anya.

"I'm not sure if I would prefer that or not. It would allow us to protect more of our oceans, but the fleet we have..." she trailed off.

"Wouldn't grow as quickly and sisters may be separated from sisters, yes. But if that had been the plan from the Start, there's rather very little to what we could have done about it." She said as she glanced at the battleship as her computer finished booting up, the woman taking no time inputting her information. But just as she was about to request a call, an alert popped up on screen, saying that she'd been requested on one already active. Blinking, she traded a glance with Maryland before hitting accept.

A second later, the screen went dark. The next second, it split into six various screens. The first held the image of Admiral Hayfield.

Next to the man was a man Anya knew as Rear Admiral Samuel Collins. He was in charge of the Eastern Defense Fleet. The man watched Anya with a sense of curiosity mixed with that of annoyance.

Under the two of them Came the images of Admiral Schafer and Admiral Mercier. They offered only small nods at her image in greeting as Mercier sipped at her drink, looking to be a steaming cup of coffee.

Under the two of them sat two more figures. One, a woman looking to be in her forties, made no move to greet Anya. She only stared, even somewhat scowling at the new comer.

The other was a man. Offering a nod in greeting to Anya, he sipped at a beverage as well as the silence settled over the seven of them again. Anya didn't need to guess to know that the last two were Admirals of their apparent respective navies if the first four were to go by.

"Johnson." Hayfield greeted. "You're not usually up for a call this early." He said. Anya shrugged at that.

"Sir. Early morning exercise. I uh... did I interrupt something?" She asked. Hayfield shook his head.

"Not really. Before we get into it however, meet Admiral Emmaline Thompson of the Royal Navy. And Dimtri Petrov. He controls the fleet that Russia's deployed to try and keep a hold of the English Channel." He said. Anya nodded at that as her eyes flashed over to the two bottom screens once again, the two simply offering nods. "For those of you who don't know, this is Vice Admiral Anya S. Johnson. She's in charge of the American Ship girl fleet stationed at Yokosuka."

The five who weren't Hayfield greeted her with a round of nods. But at that moment, it was Mercier who spoke. "Admiral Johnson, who might be there with you?" She asked. She could just barely see Maryland in frame, but it brought the attention of the other five who hadn't noticed it. Turning, Anya gestured to Maryland, who stepped more into frame and bent down so that her face could be seen.

"Battleship Maryland Admiral. Admirals." She greeted with a wave.

"Maryland..." Emmaline said. "As in Colorado class Maryland?" She asked. The battleship offered a nod in response to that. The British Admiral only nodded somewhat at that as Anya waved it off.

"Anyways. Am I interrupting something...?" She asked, glancing at the six. It hadn't fallen past her that five of them were heavily involved in the defenses of the Atlantic. "Is there something going on in the Atlantic?" She asked.

The five of them that weren't Hayfield watched her a moment before Petrov tapped away at his computer. "Three days ago, our fleet in the English Channel Came under fire by an Abyssal fleet pushing in from the south. Only two battleships to their name, that wasn't our main issue. The fleet attacking had six carriers under their banner, out of range of our weaponry, they rained down hell on us for approximately forty five minutes." He said. "Until this happened. The video you're about Watch was captured by a Russian Sailor onboard the Smetlivyy."

Anya watched as her screen went black a moment before being replaced by what looked to be a shaky video. Watching, she found herself watching from the camera of a man, yelling what she could identify as Russian. Watching as he stood towards the bow of the ship, he was attempting to help another of his fellow sailors up and off the ground. But as he did so, he looked up.

Amidst the chaos and fires of Naval Combat in the English Channel, Anya could make out the forms of Abyssal torpedo bombers. Three of them, heading low and fast for the destroyer. The sailor, still trying to get his fellow sailor up and moving, kept looking back up at the bombers. But on one of his looks, he caught the sight of tracer rounds amidst others screaming for the bombers. The first few missed, but one of the rounds caught the torpedo of the lead bomber, detonating the ordinance, and killing the bomber bringing with the other two.

The sailor apparently either turned to look or turned his camera towards where the rounds had come from. But as he did so, whatever had intercepted the bombers were going far too fast for him to realize until they'd sped out of frame.

Rapidly trying to adjust the camera, he brought it over just enough to point where he had caught sight of them. Only for a brief moment just before they split off to go for other bombers. But Anya had seen enough. She knew that shape. After all, they were a corner stone in Aviation history. Even if they were dressed in all white.

She watched as two split off from the other four, turning around as they began to make another pass at the other squadrons present, the six more than rattling the Abyssal forces flying overhead.

"Two-six-two's?" Anya asked as the video ended, bringing the screens of the six back to her. "The Fleet was saved by Messerschmitts?" She asked. Petrov offered a nod at that.

"When it got back to us, we immediately called up Germany to thank them." He explained. "But when we explained the situation to them, they were confused to say the least." Petrov said. Schafer nodded.

"Even when they were utilized during the Second World War, they weren't the most reliable of planes. Despite their significance. The only Two-six-two's remaining today are in museums or in private collections. No one uses them anymore." He explained, Anya nodding turn.

"Two-six-two's are land based fighters. If not one of the countries bordering the Channel, than who launched them?" She asked. Admiral Thompson nodded.

"That was our thinking when we were made aware of what exactly had happened. So, the question was? Where had they come from." She said as her image vanished, replacing that of which was clearly a satellite photo. "A day later, we got our answer. British satellites snapped a photo of this thing at the northern mouth of the Channel, a hundred and fifty miles from where the battle took place." Her voice explained.

Anya enlarged the photo for a moment before what it was Came screaming to her. She was looking at a carrier Alright. But it wasn't a carrier that she knew. A carrier that anyone knew. Based on the fact that it seemed to surround itself with a fog bank and it's deck was a sickly black color. But it was also decorated in swirling red patterns. Lining the deck however was what looked to be a wing of 262's.

"Two-six-two's aren't Carrier aircraft. They wouldn't have the room to slow or speed when they needed." Anya said. Thompson made a noise of agreement at that.

"Exactly. However, take another look at the 262's and then compare that with how much deck is free." She said. Anya nodded as she did just that, counting out the twelve fighters. And then the rest of the deck.

Anya paled.

She hadn't even realized it. She'd completely looked over the fact that the twelve fighters didn't even take up a fraction of the carrier's deck. This wasn't just some average carrier. This thing was a floating titan. "How... Big is this thing?" Anya asked.

"Based on the planes it has spotting it's deck, we've measured it out to be just short of a Kilometer in length." Thompson said. Anya just stared for a moment until she noticed Maryland studying it just as much as she was.

"Maryland?" She asked.

"The snow...." The battleship replied. Anya blinked before taking another look at the picture. And sure enough, she saw what the battleship meant.

The main runway of the deck had been cleared to reveal the black of the deck. But now that she looked at it, it looked like it had been swept clear of what was now looking very much to be snow. Anya rested a hand against her chin as she studied it more and more, a sinking feeling forming in the pit of her stomach.

"Admiral Johnson?" Came Schafer's voice. "Do you and Maryland know something?" He asked.

"Admiral Hayfield, you received the reports about the transport of the Missouri from Pearl Harbor to Yokosuka, yes?" She asked, her voice taking one of urgency.

"Yes. I have Captain Gailer's report and Arizona's report." He offered before looking at the woman with the utmost attention. "Johnson, please don't tell me what you're suspecting is actually the truth."

"What are we talking about?" Collins asked. "What is all this sudden secrecy about?"

"This carrier." Anya said as she took a final look over it. "At one point, it looked like it's deck was covered in a layer of snow. Now, if it had come down from the Arctic circle, then that may explain it. But even at the northern mouth of the English Channel isn't enough to warrant the continuous sweeping of snow from the deck." She said before she minimized the picture. "It's not all the time, but the ship girl fleet has had past encounters with a variation of Abyssal that causes it to snow wherever they emerge." She said.

Admiral Mercier looked from Anya to the picture for a moment before shaking her head rapidly, putting her cup down. "No. No! You are not trying to tell me that this... monstrosity.. that this ship that saved the Russian fleet with fighters long past their prime is actually..." she trailed off, not wanting to finish the statement.

"An Abyssal Super Carrier." Anya finished for the woman, growing quiet as she let them come to the same conclusion. "We figured it was a singularity Based primarily to the Pacific theater of this war." She offered.

"A singularity? You've seen something like this before?" Thompson asked. Anya nodded as she allowed Maryland to explain, since she'd actually been there

"When our fleet was escorting the Missouri across the Pacific, we came upon an Abyssal Force larger than what has been recorded. Over a hundred ships. But before we engaged, a second Abyssal fleet emerged. And with them, six full sized Warships. The Nagato, Mutsu, Kongou, Haruna, Takao, And Atago were parallel to the Missouri and her four destroyer escorts." She explained. "Since then, we've occasionally encountered fighters from them, but nothing to the scale of the ships they'd brought with them. And nothing to the scale of this behemoth." She said.

Hayfield aside, the Admirals before them fell silent at this before Schafer rubbed his face. "Why were we not made aware of this before now?" He asked.

"It was a one time thing." Hayfield Answered. "We're not even sure where they went." He explained.

"Admiral Hayfield, if possible, I would like a copy of these reports. If my country needs to start worrying about the possibility of ships of the past shelling our shores, I would prefer that we are ready." She said. But Maryland shook her head at that.

"No, it's not... look, the only Abyssals that have shown this ability to field Warships of the past and creations past what we can manage are what we've coined as the Snow. We don't know anything for sure, but as far as we can tell, they're a rouge faction. They don't get along with The typical Abyssal." She said.

"You're trying to tell us that there's a faction of Abyssals that don't see targets when they look at Humanity?" Admiral Thompson asked, arching a brow at the battleship. Maryland shrugged.

"I can't tell you for sure. What I can tell you though is that these Snow Abyssals are the reason the Missouri is still floating." She Answered.

"Even then, where would the Abyssals have built this thing?" Collins asked. "We would've noted a port Big enough to handle a construction job of this kind." He Answered. Maryland and Anya traded a glance at that before Maryland looked back to the Admiral.

"The Six Warships they had before were observed to be able to submerge and ascend at their choosing. If they can do that, why would they need a shipyard on the Water's surface?" She asked.

"So you're telling us that this super carrier is not only just that, but it's also a submarine?" Petrov asked, watching the two with eyes narrowed.

The two simply nodded.

The six before them fell silent.

"Are there any more pictures of this? Do we have any from the side of it?" Anya asked. Thompson shook her head, still trying to find her voice. Anya only nodded as she looked over the picture again, studying it a moment.
"At least we have a general idea of where these Abyssals come from." She said.

"And how do we suspect that?" Schafer asked.

"Well, humanity's been free to use the Arctic Circle for convoys since practically the start of the war. Combining that with the Snow and the fact that this monster is headed South suggests that the high north is the stomping grounds for these guys." She said.

"Plus all their naval forces are dressed in white camo." Maryland said. "The evidence is somewhat damming."

"Let us not focus on that." Petrov said. "If we focus too much on what Camo these monsters choose to dress themselves in, we may find ourselves in more trouble than it's worth." He Answered. Maryland only nodded somewhat at that as Anya subconsciously rubbed at her neck, somewhat revealing her bruise to those watching.

"Johnson? You're sporting quite the bruise there." Mercier offered. "By the way, I wanted to ask. How is Strasbourg doing since her crossing over?" She asked.

"Strasbourg? I was unaware France had started their own Ship girl fleet." Thompson said, Petrov nodding in agreement. Anya sighed.

"It's a complicated situation." Anya said in reply before looking to Mercier. "She's doing well enough. Especially since Richelieu crossed over yesterday." She offered. Mercier blinked.

"Battleship... Richelieu?" She asked. Anya nodded.

"She and seven other foreign ship girls. Six of them who belong to Navies represented by those apart of this call." She Answered. "Yokosuka's got eight different flags that make up it's fleet now." She said.

"Wait." Petrov Answered. "You're telling me Russia now has ship girls as well?" He asked, watching the woman.

"Russia received the Soviet cruiser Molotov and destroyer leader Leningrad. France received the battleship Richelieu. Germany received the Heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper. Britain received Ark Royal and the destroyer Cossack. Not listed with them but making up the final two is Vampire of the RAN and Pola, a heavy Italian cruiser." She said.

"And the US?" Collins asked.

"Twenty two girls. Including Kitty Hawk, Louisiana, And Nagato." She said as she sent off the full list to Hayfield, the man looking over it almost immediately.

"We received Nagato." Hayfield said, reading over the list just to make sure he'd not misread it. "I thought Japan had already summoned her." He said.

"And they have. As far as we can tell, their Nagato remembers the war in clarity. Our Nagato doesn't. But she remembers the after period of the war, including Crossroads with vivid detail." She explained. "Which makes me wonder if we should start being on watch for ships that were sold or given to other countries after the war. Such as Prinz Eugen." She said, glancing to Schafer. The man only shook his head somewhat before leaning forwards.

"That reminds me Admiral Johnson. We pushed our timetable up somewhat. Admiral Saradia Herkunft and her daughter Emma should be landing in Japan in the next hour." He explained. Anya nodded at that.

"How old is her daughter?" She asked.

"Six."

"Should be interesting then. Not many six year olds get to live steps away from Warships." She Answered, glancing to Maryland. Battleship in question only shrugged at that somewhat.

"If I may ask, are Ark Royal and Cossack available?" Thompson asked. "I would like a chance to be able to talk with them." She said.

"Unfortunately, the six of them are still very much asleep. And Richelieu is sleeping with Strasbourg in her room in the Japanese dorms. So she's more unavailable than the other five are." She explained. Noting Mercier's look of confusion, Anya nodded. "When Strasbourg crossed over, she made fast friends with the Japanese destroyer Yamakaze. And given that they had room for another, they offered it to Richelieu." She explained. Mercier only nodded somewhat as Schafer arched a brow.

"I was under the assumption that the Japanese could bring no more than sixty through. They've been very thorough with this fact." He explained. Anya nodded at that.

"And that was the same for us until all of yesterday when I walked in on a group of forty nine ship girls." She said, running a hand over her face. "The Gateway is many things, Admiral. But willing to cooperate is not one of those. To answer your question Admiral Thompson, right now, it's not possible. Perhaps later in the day or tomorrow would be far more doable. Petrov, that goes to you or someone of your navy. And I still have to get in contact with the Australians and the Italians." She said, closing her eyes a moment.

"And you said you got up early? For exercise?" Admiral Mercier asked.

"A two mile run." Anya clarified. Admiral Collins chuckled somewhat at that.

"When I'd heard that some newly promoted Admiral was given the position in Yokosuka, I've got to say I had a grudge. But now, I'm somewhat content with my posting." He said, offering a small grin. Anya shrugged at that.

"It's a daily battle." She said. "Mostly to get out of bed."

"So, Johnson. Why the bruise?" Hayfield asked as he and the other five watched her for a moment.

"If I say it's been handled, I'm still alive, and it's not important anymore, will you take my word?" She asked. Hayfield watched her a moment before looking at the list he'd been sent.

"Well, since you pulled through a Montana sister, just this once." He Answered. "Is that all then?" He asked. Anya nodded at the question.

"It is Sir. I'll inform Admiral Ishigara about the development in the Atlantic as well." She said. Hayfield nodded at that, which in turn Anya took to end the call on her end, letting a sigh from her lips. Maryland only chuckled somewhat at that as she laid a hand on the woman's shoulder.

"Not expecting a conference call?" She asked. Anya shook her head as she stood from her chair and pushing it in behind her.

"No. How could one expect that?" She asked. Maryland only shrugged as the two went for the door, making way for the outside of the HQ to begin their run before they had to greet their guest.

—/—\—

It was a hour and a half later when Anya and Maryland finally strolled outside of the Japanese HQ to wait outside. When the two had ended up running four miles instead of just the two, they'd decided to cut it short so that they could get showers in before Admiral Herkunft arrived at Base.

Hands in her pockets, Anya leaned against the wall as she pulled her phone from her pocket, looking over it a moment. Her mother and sister were scheduled to leave Base tomorrow. So assuming that the new Admiral didn't want to try today to bring girls through, something she assumed that Tirptiz and Hipper would be all to ecstatic to attempt, she assumed that her mother and sister would just miss the summoning.

Glancing at the battleship, she noted that Maryland was armed with a DS of all things. Taking a moment, listening to the familiar tune of the song, she laughed somewhat as glanced up at the woman.

"I never imagined that you of all people would be a fan for Pokémon." She laughed. "What generation?" She asked.

"Third." Came the response. "Lexington talked a bunch of us into getting some games since we have money to spend. And I've been rather bored given that most of my tech trees are tier ten on Warships. Needed something to pass down time." She offered.

"Most? What trees don't you have finished?" Anya asked.

"The American battleships. Don't wanna move past tier seven." She Answered as she groaned. "Fuck Sableye. It's creepy as all hell and the way it moves gives me nightmares." She Answered.

"What? Don't make fun of Sableye." Anya said as she glanced at the woman. "So, then, what's the goal behind the Pokémon? You gonna have tournaments and all that?" She asked. When Maryland only gave her a sidelong glance without saying anything, Anya snorted in amusement. "I wasn't aware that was an Admiral to a bunch of nerds." She said with a short laugh. "Who all bought one?" She asked.

"Lexington got one for herself and her sisters. She convinced Enterprise to get one, and with that Came Akagi, Yorktown, And Hornet. Both Enterprise and Lex convinced Langley and Houshou. With that Came Yancey, Akashi, And Dionysus. Not for sure, but I'm pretty sure Haruna and Arizona bought one as well. I don't know if Pennsylvania wanted one. I know for a fact that Hiryuu and Souryuu bought one for themselves and as such, conned Missouri into buying one as well. That's who I know for sure." She Answered. Anya blinked.

"And... how much did all of those cost a piece?" She asked as she scrolled through her phone.

"Well, Hiryuu took no time in introducing herself as a ship girl to the manager of the store. And since we were buying in bulk, he kind of just slapped eighty five percent off on them since there was more than enough ship girls present. And he didn't know half of us were. Sooo.... a lot less than it should have been." She said. "And so, we secured copies of all the games for everyone as well. So we've decided to start with Gen 3. The top five of us who come out with the strongest teams will make up our own personal and private Elite four for when we start Gen 4." She said. Anya only chuckled somewhat at that.

"Sounds like you guys have it all figured out... wait. Why would Hiryuu and Souryuu buying one convince Missouri to get one?" She asked. Maryland shrugged at that.

"I dunno." She Answered. "But all it took really was Souryuu saying how she should get one and Mo was pretty much sold on the idea." She said. Anya only hummed in thought a moment before her phone started to ring. Blinking, she looked over to find a familiar face on her phone.

Cynthia.

And she wanted to video chat.

Anya resisted the urge to sigh as she pressed Answer, letting the call connect a moment.

When it did, she was presented with the sight of her older sister, laughing with someone. But when she noted that the call had connected, she gave her sister a wide smile.

"Anya!" She exclaimed. "It's so good to see you!" She said. Anya only laughed somewhat at that as she nodded.

"Good to see you too Cyn. How've you been this Christmas?" She asked as she leaned against the wall somewhat as she glanced at the road, watching for the car that would be arriving any moment. Cynthia shrugged as she looked at her sister, sunglasses obscuring her face as the sun shined in her face.

"So far so good. There's someone that wants to say hi." She said as she pulled the phone away from her a tad somewhat, showing that she was seated next to their oldest brother, also adorning sunglasses.

"Hey Anya." Greg said, offering a wave at the camera. Anya offered the same in return.

"You have a good Christmas Greg? How's Mary?" She asked. Greg nodded somewhat at that.

"She's good. The kids are behaving themselves for the most part. Gotta say, Jason's really disappointed that his brave aunt the Admiral wasn't at Christmas. But neither was his grandmother or his other Aunt the Marine. You know much weight Cynthia's had to pull?" He asked, laughing as Cynthia elbowed him in the side as she rolled her eyes.

"It's okay Anya. When you lose your place as Jason's favorite aunt, I'll make sure to give a speech as to why it's always been me. He just didn't know it." She said. Anya rolled her eyes at that, a smile upon her lips.

"And how many Warships does Aunt Cynthia command?" She asked. Cynthia puffed out her chest with pride.

"Nineteen. I just summoned Kaga today." She said.

Maryland offered Anya a confused glance at that as Anya laughed somewhat, shaking her head. "You can't count an online game towards that Cynthia." She said, noting that Maryland seemed to understand somewhat as the battleship neared Anya. "Besides, I've got my own Warships. You raise Kaga. I raise you Maryland." She said as she tilted the phone towards the battleship, who only offered a wave in greeting. "Of course, you cant tell anyone yet." Anya said slyly.

Cynthia drew her lips into a thin line at that as Greg laughed somewhat before nodding to Mary. "It's a pleasure to meet you Maryland. Only if it was in person though." He said.

"I dunno...." Maryland offered. "Admiral says I've gotta Watch myself around your middle sister." She said. Anya laughed as Cynthia immediately snapped back, glaring at the screen.

"Hey! What lies have you been spreading about me over there!" Cynthia cried. "Maryland, How has my sister been tarnishing my good name?!" She demanded. Maryland pursed her lips in thought a moment before clicking her tongue In annoyance.

"It slips my mind..." She Answered. Anya cackled at the answer as Cynthia made a noise of hurt from the other end. Greg simply laughed at that as he pulled the phone from his younger sister's hand.

"How's Daisy and Mom?" He asked. Anya shrugged.

"My destroyers have started calling Mom General Mom." She laughed. "And Daisy, being a Marine, is among much popularity among the girls. Overall, they've taken pretty well to Base. But they leave tomorrow." She said. Greg nodded at that as Cynthia chimes in from off screen.

"They should've taken me too! I could've been such a big help on Base!" Cynthia cried. Greg glanced off screen for a moment, laughing somewhat before looking back at the phone, shaking his head at Anya.

"Yeah, I'm not exactly sure what help you would've provided Cyn." Anya said as she looked down at her phone. But movement before her caught her attention, watching as car approached the Japanese HQ. Humming somewhat, she looked back down at her phone. "Sorry to cut this short, but I've got business to take care of." She said.

"Lies! You're going to spread more lies!" Cynthia cried. Greg rolled his eyes at that as he offered a wave amidst being shook by his sister before ending the call.

Anya only laughed somewhat as she stuffed her phone back into her pocket just as Maryland had saved and turned off her game. Closing the DS, She pocketed it just as the car pulled up to them. Watching for a moment, Anya approached the vehicle just as one of the back doors opened, the American admiral and battleship watching as a woman stepped out.

Taking a moment to look around, she stepped out of the way as a second figure got out.

"Mother. Why did we have to get up so early?" A small voice asked as she yawned. The woman next to the figure reached back into the car to grab what looked to be a blue backpack.

"Because I told you, you could sleep on the plane. Why didn't you?" She asked as she helped the girl before her put it on. The young girl stifled another yawn with her hand as she shrugged.

"Too excited..." she said in a dreary voice. The woman only rolled her eyes in amusement as she made sure the backpack was firmly on the girl's shoulders before she took notice of Anya's presence.

"Admiral Johnson?" She asked, going for a handshake. Anya nodded as she accepted the gesture, giving a shake.

"Admiral Herkunft?" She asked. The woman nodded.

"Saradia Herkunft." She said, introducing herself. "And this little one is my daughter, Emma. Emma, honey, say hello." She instructed. Emma however looked up at Anya with bleary eyes, mumbling something about being sleepy. A small smile tugged at her lips as she watched the young girl hug one of her mother's legs. Anya only chuckled as she gestured to Maryland.

"I'm Anya Johnson. And this not so little one is Battleship Maryland." She introduced. Maryland waved somewhat at the little girl, prompting her to hide behind her mother's leg more so than she already was. Anya only laughed at that somewhat as she looked to Saradia. "I'm assuming the two of you have bags?" She asked.

The woman nodded at that as she went for the back of the car. "The rest will be here in a day or so. But this is the most essential stuff." She said. Anya nodded as she made way for trunk as well, the two blonde Admirals going to retrieve items.

When Saradia grabbed one, Anya took one as well. But when there were still two left, Anya hummed as she looked over to Maryland. "Oh Maryyyyyy..." She chided. Maryland rolled her eyes at that as she crossed her arms.

"You're gonna use me for manual labor, aren't you?" She asked. Anya shrugged.

"Depends. You want me bad mouthing Torchic?" She asked, glancing at the battleship. Woman in question watched her with narrowed eyes a moment before giving a sigh of defeat, her arms hanging at her sides as she shook her head.

"No..." the battleship mumbled. Anya only laughed as she watched Maryland heft the final two bags out and easily, the woman closing the trunk soon after.

"Torchic?" Saradia asked. "You don't mean Pokémon do you?" She asked. Anya nodded.

"A bunch of them just bought DS's. So they're just starting out." She Answered. Saradia blinked at this for a moment as she and the other two stepped away from the car, bags in hand as she shrugged.

"Emma has one as well. Though of all the people I assumed to be into Pokémon, it was not a bunch of American and Japanese Warships." She said. At that however, Mary looked to Anya.

"Tirptiz bought one as well. I just remembered." She said. Anya only smiled at that as she looked to Saradia, who merely shook her head in amusement somewhat. Allowing Anya to lead them through the Japanese HQ, Saradia guiding her daughter by the hand, as they walked on.

"I'm just glad I'm not the only one who deemed that uniforms weren't a requirement at six thirty in the morning. So I take it that Tirptiz has been settled in well enough?" She asked. Anya nodded as she walked side by side with the woman.

"Better, now that she's another German Shipgirl on Base." She said, noting the look of surprise that overcame Saradia's face. "Yesterday, we pulled a group of forty nine ship girls, one being the Heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper." She said. "Admiral Schafer was made aware of it this morning but since you were on your way to Japan already, I figured I'd just tell you in person." She said.

"Two before I've even really taken up my post." Saradia said in an amused fashion. "I would assume that they're sleeping?" She asked. Anya nodded at that. "So then where will my daughter and myself be staying?" She asked. Anya nodded.

"We call our buildings the Japanese and American HQ. So we're just gonna call yours the German HQ." She said. Saradia offered a snort of amusement at the name as she nodded, following after Anya.

They passed by the American HQ and continued walking for another five minutes until the came up upon the building that had been in construction pretty much the entire time Anya had been here. It'd been finished just before Christmas.

The structure itself was all one building. In front sat a smaller building compared to what were clearly the dorms behind it. The dorm half of the building was a long half rectangle, sitting three stories tall.

The building that connected to it by a hallway was clearly the German HQ, nestled against the dorm building.

"I have to say, I wasn't expecting something so.... permanent. I was hoping for maybe an office at most." She said. Anya nodded.

"If anything else, the Japanese are excellent hosts. The last thing they need is another country's navy getting rowdy on one of their bases." She said. "Which will happen I assure you. It's just a question of how fast you can respond to it." She said. Saradia arched a brow at that.

"You sound as if you speak from experience. Care to elaborate?" She asked.

"Walked in on eight of my destroyers duking it out with six of Ishigara's." She explained. "They did good in the war, but the Fletcher Class is full of troublemakers." She explained. Saradia nodded somewhat at that.

"Wasn't there over a hundred of them or so?" She asked. Anya's response was a long drawn out sigh in response, a motion that served to make the German admiral laugh. "Though, I suppose I'll have my work cut out for me if my countries previous Submarines decided to show up in force." She said.

"That would be much appreciated given that we are severely lacking in our Sub department. Three American so far. Then five Japanese. Out of a fleet that is a hundred fifty nine strong." She explained. As they walked in to the building, stair cases that were pushed along the wall from either side garnered their attention. Given that the hall before them lead to the Dorm section of the complex, Anya surmised that the woman's office was above their heads.

Gesturing to the stairs, the first to beat them to it however was Emma, the young girl dodging up the stairs like wildfire, leaving the three in the dust. Maryland only stared for a moment before grumbling to herself as she followed the girl up. Anya and Saradia traded a glance as they followed the battleship.

Arrive on the second floor, at the right end of the hall, they were presented with two doors.

Emma picked at random.

Going for the door on the right, Emma pushed it open to reveal her mother's office.

The room itself was longer than it was wide. Her desk sat against one large window, her back to Tokyo Bay. Across from her desk was a large wall mounted screen, most likely to be used for conferences and the like. The room was a dark red in color, trimmed in wood.

Saradia nodded in satisfaction at what was before her, taking a moment to look around for a moment before glancing at the other door across from them. "So then that..."

"Is likely your living quarters." Anya said. Saradia nodded at that as Emma pushed for the door, pushing between Saradia and Maryland.

Pushing it open, the room immediately opened up into a living room of sorts. Having a TV mounted on the wall bordering the hallway. Across from that was a couch and some arm chairs organized quite nicely. Against the back wall was another large window, showing that of a small garden with a glass roof over it, protecting it from the snow. Emma immediately ran for the garden, pressing her face to the glass.

"I'm surprised... Admiral, you just have your bedroom." Maryland said. Anya nodded.

"But I don't have a six year old with me. They likely tailored it to the needs of family rather than just one person." She said, noting two more doors at the left side of the room. "My guess is bedrooms and bathrooms." She offered. Saradia nodded at that as she went to check for herself, peeking behind the three doors. The one's on either side were indeed their bedrooms. And the one in the middle was a bathroom. Giving Anya a nod in response, the Admiral looked to Maryland in response.

"It's certainly homey." Saradia said, looking around.

"We can help you get settled in." Anya offered. "Base life doesn't start for another hour. There's time to kill." She said. Saradia blinked.

"I'm sure there are other things you could busy yourself with. You needn't worry about us." She offered. Anya shrugged.

"My work's frozen for the moment anyways. And plus, maybe Emma can teach Maryland something about Pokémon. She seems to be quite afraid of Sableye. And then by the time we get done, it'll be ready for breakfast." She said. Saradia only thought about it a moment before shrugging.

"Alright. That'll work." She said. Anya nodded at that as the two went about putting the bags on the floor and seeing where the German Admiral wanted everything.

The Base got just a bit more lively.