A/N: Eighty K. EIGHTY K.

I am thousand short of eighty thousand people who have read this story. That right there is amazing and I thank you all for it!

Eighty K!

That being aside though, I've been noticing a lot of people on Wattpad going around saying that like 4500 hundred word chapters are the best range.

I'm curious if any of my readers have problems with the chapters I put out like the 10500 word behemoth you guys have here.

Probably won't stop writing em like that.

Just curious is all.

Anyways, enjoy.

—/—\—

She watched the arrow fly in silence.

She watched as it soared past it's target.

A miss.

Another.

She quietly drew another practice arrow from her quiver, looking it over, glancing for any sort of imperfection in it. When her trained eyes find nothing of the sort, she takes a breath as she nocks it with her bowstring, her eyes darting to her target as she readied her stance once again, pulling the arrow back as she focused in on her target.

She was a trained warrior of her nation.

Her mind should be of a single focus.

After a moment, she let the next arrow fly for it's target.

She watched as it, like the seven others, missed.

"Tsk."

She lowered her bow slowly as she eyed the arrows that had missed their targets, instead burrowing their heads into the grass that lined the firing ranges of the Carrier range. Her gaze darted to each one for a moment before letting it wander back to the target that sits there, as if it was mocking her. She closed her eyes a moment, her grip tightening on her bow a moment. But it did not break, not even while under the pressure of a carrier's grip, even a standard carrier like herself.

The carrier range's silence bends to her and her alone, her breathing the only source of noise aside from the distant waves of Tokyo Bay, lapping up against the shores of the base. But she does not focus on that, she does not pay attention to that. Her target is the only thing that warrants her attention, and even it only just.

The carrier's mind is in a race in of itself, racing from thought to thought as it tried to reach a conclusion. Why did she feel this way? Why was she so concerned with this? There was nothing there. There was nothing to be had.

Her eyes darted to the target once again. But this time, she did not go for another arrow. Instead, she simply stood there, letting the breeze go by her, chilling the Carrier range somewhat as the lone carrier stood there in the early morning. The sun hadn't even started shining down on Tokyo Bay in the early Japanese morning.

Once again, her thoughts began to lean towards the direction of her object of interest. At first, it had been harmless enough. She'd followed in her footsteps to keep her from making a mistake. She had kept her long for the moments needed for her own sisters to arrive, to show her that she was wanted here. She'd known what to say at the time to put a stop to her plan, to keep her with them all.

And in the months since, she'd formed an unlikely friendship that even she herself hadn't seen coming. But as the months wore on, and days passed one after another, new feelings began to creep up within her, feelings that she herself could not explain.

This should not be her concern. Her concern was for her country, for her people, making sure that the Abyssals did not encroach on them. Making sure that they did not kill them for sport and decorate the lands of her country with their blood.

She had already seen her people pay in blood in one war. She would not accept the same for another.

But even as she told herself that, even as she went about trying to clear her mind to a point where could focus, she once again found her mind wandering to the same point that it had been time and time again. She could not shake her mind of these thoughts, no matter how hard she might try. She could not convince herself that she did not care for the individual.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she went for another arrow, nocking it almost immediately. Lining up her shot, she kept her eyes on the target.

And let go.

Only for it to soar past the target once again.

The carrier let her head drop with a quiet, resigned sigh.

—/—\—

"What's that building?" She asked.

"You think I know?" Came the response.

"I dunno. You're kind of good with the useless info, Merri." Monitor said in response. Merrimack scowled in response, punching the other ironclad in the arm. Monitor laughed somewhat at that as she rubbed her arm somewhat as the two approached the warehouse looking building. Watching as it began to loom over them, Merrimack jutted her thumb out at it as she looked to Monitor.

"You think this is where they take the defective ship girls?" She asked, glancing at the building. Monitor sucker punched the woman in the stomach at the question, prompting the other iron clad to keel over somewhat as the shorter of the two scowled.

"You're gonna make some of the destroyers cry if you talk like that, you moron. No one's defective in this war." She said in reply to the woman. Merri rolled her eyes at that, slowly standing herself back up, brushing herself off as she did so.

"Well, then? Do you know what this place is for? Cause I sure as hell don't." She said in response. Monitor rolled her eyes at that, shaking her head somewhat, as she looked at the building. And as she did so, she noticed the door on the side of the large building was slightly ajar. Nodding her head in that direction, Merri caught on, the two Ironclads making their way for the door.

Peeking through the cracked door, Monitor can't make anything out because the inside of the building is in pitch black. Frowning, she continued to look inside as Merri leaned over her, the two of them seeing if they could distinguish anything. But when that plan fell through, the two of them backed away from the door.

"Well... guess we can't see inside then." Monitor eventually surmised. Merri nodded in agreement.

"So it would seem. So it would seem." She said in turn.

They both took another look at the door.

And reached for it at the exact same time.

Sharing a laugh between the two of them, they began to pull the large door open enough to the point where they could slip into the darkness, the two standing there a moment in the light of the outside as it illuminated somewhat further inside. And the first thing they could make out was the plethora of chains that hung from above and sat in piles on the floor. Kicking one of them a moment, Monitor put her hands on her hips as she took another wide look around, as if she could see the entire room with no issue. Rubbing her finger under her nose, she nodded without an ounce of hesitation.

"This is a torture chamber." She concluded. Only for Merrimack to whap her upside the back of the head with a hand, a roll of the eyes thrown in for good measure. Monitor scowled at the woman in turn, but the Ironclad shrugged it off as she began to venture around the door for a moment, looking for anything she could use for a light. And when her hand landed on a large, metallic cylindrical object, Merrimack picked it up and brought it over to the doorway for a moment, seeing if she could identify it as something she could use. But as she turned it around some in her hands, she found nothing that indicated the use she needed.

Not even the large, white 'W19' on the side. Offering only a pitiful sigh, she tossed the object back in the direction she'd found it.

"Ouch!" A voice suddenly called from the darkness. Blinking somewhat, Merrimack gazed in the direction that the voice had come from, Monitor doing the same from her position as well. They watched as a form began to emerge from the dark, orange jumpsuit somewhat easy to make out as the figure grew closer to the light from the door. Rubbing her head a moment, Yuubari scowled at Merrimack as she did so. "What the hell do you think you're doing just throwing stuff in the dark like that?!" The cruiser demanded.

"Why are you just chilling in the dark?" Monitor responded in turn as she looked to the cruiser. The cruiser rolled her eyes at that as she approached the closest wall, her hand going for what now the two could just barely make out as a switch of some sorts. Taking it in her grasp, she flipped it up, locking it there. And somewhere in the back of the building, something powered on as the lights overhead began to come to life, one by one.

Their surroundings started to become clear, as Naval turrets and mounts, secondary turrets, AA emplacements, Torpedo tubes, and single deck guns began to come clear. Monitor and Merrimack only stared somewhat, some of them laid out on tables while others were suspended in the air by chains and other such ways.

"Woah." Monitor said as she looked around, finding no shortage of Naval armament. Yuubari only rolled her eyes somewhat, crossing her arms a moment before she turned away, the two iron clads losing sight of the cruiser behind the mountains of Naval gunnery equipment. The two of them blink collectively for a moment before making their way down the same path that Yuubari had vanished on, seeing if they can once more find the cruiser.

Eventually, after about a minute of staring down various pathways that dance between towers of turrets that look like they could tumble at any moment, they catch sight of the Cruiser's ponytail, bobbing back and forth as she worked.

Splayed out on a heavy metal table before her was a Naval turret, the top having been taken off as the cruiser fumbled around within it, elbow deep in the piece of machinery as she looked for something. After a moment however, the cruiser frowned as she pulled her arm out of the item, wiping it down with a towel as she seemed to glare at it disapprovingly.

A moment later, Monitor and Merrimack watched as three small, Yuubari looking figures climbed their way out of the machinery as well, covered in what looked to be grease and oil. Crossing her arms, Yuubari looked at the three helplessly. After a moment, she seemed to finally register that she'd been followed, glancing at the two Ironclads rather expectantly. "Yes? Can I help the two of you...?" Yuubari finally asked. Monitor and Merrimack shrugged at that as Merrimack gestured at the turret on the table.

"Just watchin... whose is that?" She asked the cruiser. Yuubari sighed as she gestured to the dual mounted guns.

"This is Tirptiz's third turret. Her fairies were havin a hard time loadin it and I'm trying to figure out why." She Answered as she took another look within the metal weapon, sticking her tongue out just a smidge as she dug around within it.

"Oh.... anything we can help with maybe?" Merrimack asked as she watched the woman work within the turret. Yuubari paused, turning her eyes to the two a moment before shrugging.

"I mean, yeah. I don't know how much the two of you know about World War Two munitions, given that you're American Ironclads from the Civil War, but what the heck, I'm up for new challenges. Been working as the sole Fleet engineer since I crossed over, might be nice to get some help. So what I need is-" she began, but found herself cut off somewhat as a small metal clink put a stop to her words entirely. Glancing down, she now found Monitor putting a tool on the turret carefully, as to make sure it did not fall within the weapon. Blinking somewhat, Yuubari glanced at Monitor before looking down at the tool she'd placed before her. Picking it up somewhat, she scowled.

"That...." she finished her statement with narrowed eyes. The fact that Monitor had picked the right one, let alone found it in her workshop with no prior knowledge of the place made Yuubari both very curious and very cautious. Glancing back at the ironclad, Monitor simply offered a smile to the cruiser, a motion that made Yuubari somewhat careful. And to think, these two were supposed to apart of her ancestry.

She sighed as she adjusted the tool a moment, looking over it a moment before reaching into the turret, adjusting what she needed to. As she did so, she realized she needed something else.

"Okay, I also-"

She was stopped when she watched the tool slowly sliding onto the table, being pushed along by Merrimack with one finger. Glancing at the ironclad, she watched as the woman pushed the tool just a bit further, before noticing she was being watched. Merrimack simply nodded at Yuubari, giving the tool one last push, before smiling and stepping back.

Yuubari looked from her to the tool on the table.

Right, yet again.

What the fuck?

Yuubari simply stared at the tool a moment longer before shrugging at the sight as she picked it up, standing from her seat as she looked down into the turret. "Alright. Well, you clearly know what I'm gonna say before I say. At least in regard to tools, so here's what I'm thinking. Look around and name five guns and who they belong to." She told them. Nodding, the two Ironclads began to glance around before Monitor began.

"Arizona's number 2, Nagato's fourth, Mutsu's first and third, Myoukou's first, second, and third. We have Yuudachi's second and third, Alaska's first, and Hawaii's second." Monitor named off, pointing to each as she did so. Yuubari watched, checking each name before nodding with each one in satisfaction.

"Alright, that's pretty-"

"Can we name the real important one here?" Merrimack inquired. Yuubari arched a brow at that as she turned to look at the ironclad.

"The important one?" She asked.

"The one that's gonna save you a lot of trouble later." Merrimack clarified. Yuubari blinked at that, somewhat turning to face the iron clad.

"And... what might that be?" Yuubari asked almost hesitantly.

"You can't find what's wrong with the turret before you because that's Bismarck's first, not Tirptiz's third." Monitor Answered the question. Yuubari blinked somewhat before scowling at the woman, turning back to the turret as she shook her head.

"Okay, I admit you guys know some things, but I'm not about to... make a stupid... mistake like..." Yuubari began but as she did so, looking over the turret in detail, she slowly began to come to the same conclusion that both of the Ironclads had apparently already come to.

The cruiser slamming her forehead against the turret before her was the only answer the two received, prompting both amusement and concern.

—/—\—

Vampire could barely sit still, she was shaking so much. Her hands were clamped to the handles of the chair she was sitting in, which turned out to be Sofia's desk chair, so much to the point that Sofia tapped the destroyer on the head, Vampire looking up and behind her at the contact.

"Careful with the chair please. I know you're excited but I still have to have somewhere to sit even after you get sisters on base." The Captain told her, ruffling the destroyer's black hair. Vampire nodded somewhat hesitantly, calming down somewhat as she did so, but still moving with some energy. "You can still be excited, Vampire, just don't break my chair." Sofia chuckled somewhat.

Vampire only nodded, barely holding still somewhat as she did so, now electing to bounce in the chair instead. Sofia sighed as she rested her hands on the back of the chair as she looked to King.

"You about ready, King? The poor girl is just about to explode in anticipation." Sofia told the man. King nodded at that.

"We're just waiting on Herkunft." Anya said as she looked over something on her desk. "Soon as she's ready to go, we can go welcome a couple of Australian ship girls to base." She told them. Sofia nodded at that as she patted the destroyer on the head, a move that only served to increase the girl's energy apparently. Sofia only chuckled somewhat at that as she watched the destroyer, as did Maryland, Enterprise, Lexington, Akagi, and Zuikaku, the chosen representatives for the summoning this time around.

Sofia chuckled somewhat as she glanced up, unintentionally meeting eyes with the latter of the two Japanese carriers. And immediately, upon realizing she was being watched, she went wide eyed for a moment before turning her head in a flurry.

Anya and Maryland shared a glance.

The date was January 21st, nine days after Hipper and Anya had put things behind them, sealing away the bad blood that had formed between them on their first meet.

Which is why Anya knew that Admiral Hipper was to be one of two German representatives for this summoning.

"Do we know who Herkunft is bringing?" Enterprise asked.

"Admiral Hipper." Maryland began. "And maybe... Scharn?"

"Mmm, I'm thinking Graf." Enterprise said in return. "After all, if you're not a carrier, what real use are you?" She asked with a chuckle, Maryland whapping the woman upside the head because of it. Enterprise laughed in turn as Akagi simply sighed at the motion, shaking her head somewhat as she glanced at the two in a worried motion. Sofia simply rolled her eyes at the two American ship girls.

Anya chuckled somewhat as she began to finish up what she was doing as Ishigara looked on outside the windows, watching the various American ship girls within the courtyard talk and laugh with one another.

But, everyone's attention was brought forward when the front doors to the American HQ building opened, admitting Admiral Herkunft into the building, flanked by Graf Zeppelin And Admiral Hipper. Upon seeing her fellow carrier, Enterprise made a fist pump that only Mary could make out, the battleship rolled her eyes in an exaggerated motion. Anya and Sofia chuckled at that as Anya stood, the three officers now looking to Saradia.

"Where is Emma?" Ishigara asked.

"Bismarck and Tirpitz offered to watch her for the time being while we handle the summoning. She's got homework as well so it was not a bad decision, all things considered." She told him.

"What kind of homework?" Anya asked.

"German." Came the response.

"That's gotta be some kind of cheating. Leaving her to complete homework, German of all things, with two of the most prolific German battleships in history. That's a serious advantage." Sofia Answered with a chuckle. Saradia simply shrugged in turn, a small smile tugging at her lips, showing that she knew what she was doing.

"So are we ready to go then?" Saradia asked.

"YEEESSSSS! What kind of a silly question is that?!" Vampire bursts out, slamming her hands onto the desk as she stood up in flurry. But after a moment, she thinks about what she'd just done, and chuckled a bit awkwardly. "I mean, yes, we are...." she said, scratching the back of her head somewhat as she refused to meet anyone's eyes after the sudden outburst. Anya nodded at that.

"If that's not sign enough, don't know what is. Let's get this party started." Anya said with a chuckle. Those present offer a collective nod in turn at the decision, allowing Vampire to take the lead somewhat ahead of them. They watched as she ran ahead of them, leaving them in their dust as she ran out of the doors to the American HQ. Anya and Sofia chuckled somewhat at the sight, King simply shaking his head In amusement, and Saradia covers her mouth to suppress a giggle. Ishigara simply smiles as the five of them walk along the way to the summoning chambers, their respective ship girls following along behind them.

They watched as the Aussie destroyer tore across base, arms behind her as she ran wildly in the general direction of the Gateway. Enterprise laughed at that, her chest shaking with the motions.

"She's so excited, she's fuckin Naruto running." The carrier said between laughter, the sound of it howling and demanding all at the same time. Lexington laughed along with her fellow American carrier. Maryland simply smiled somewhat as she watched the destroyer tear across base like someone expecting an early Christmas.

"Man, I really hope you can deliver King." Maryland eventually said, glancing at the man. King sighed, rolling his eyes somewhat as he glanced at the Battleship.

"Way to put on the pressure, Maryland." The Captain responds in kind.

"Hey, if you've got performance issues, it's completely normal." Lexington offers in no helpful advice what so ever. "It's always a problem that a lot of people face these days. And with a war going on, who can blame ya." Lexington offers with her hands in a shrugging motion. Anya and Sofia however only stare at the woman a moment, a little wide eyed, as does Saradia.

"Last time we take Lex any where important..." Sofia mutters under her breath. Lexington only offered a laugh at that, Enterprise chuckling somewhat as well, Akagi simply smiling somewhat as she listened in to their conversation.

It took them a few minutes of walking to finally make it to the front doors of the summoning chamber, where they could still easily make out the form of Vampire, doing her very best to hold still, but still showing that her energy was barely contained. She kept looking back at them and then to the door and then back again, as if simply laying eyes on the group of them would make them move that much faster. But they don't, they take their time, the group eventually reaching the door with little issue as they do so.

Vampire once again bounds away in front of them, throwing the door open in an effortless move as she ducked inside of the summoning chamber. Sofia caught the door as it was coming back, letting the rest of them in before entering the building herself. But as she looks up, she notices something odd.

Standing at the water's edge is who looks to be a woman, dressed in black, facing the Gateway.   Her hair is a stark white in color, running to her mid back. And as the group assembled enter the summoning chamber, the woman began to turn to look to them, Sofia swearing to herself that she catches the briefest glimpse of a green glow coming from her eyes.

Only for her to vanish when Sofia blinked again, no sort of sign that the woman had ever really been there in the first place. Staring for a moment, Sofia shook her head as she followed Anya, E, Lex, and Maryland into position.

The woman never saw her ring pulse black once again.

Coming to a stance next to Anya, their three ship girls standing behind them, the five of them stood next to the German representatives, and then on their other side stood those of the Japanese. They looked ahead at the Gateway, where King was watching it both with fascination and curiosity. But that was ended soon enough as Vampire grabbed onto the Man's arm in excitement, looking up at him with both urgency and pleading as she shook him somewhat heavily, the man almost losing his balance as she did so.

Those looking on only laughed at the sight as they watched the Australian Captain being what was essentially bullied by his only ship girl. It took a few moments to be sure, but eventually, King got Vampire to relent, who was still easily shaking quite a bit. The man only shook his head in vapid amusement as he bent down, having been instructed by those that came before him of what to do, and stuck his hand in the water of the Gateway. It lasted only a brief moment before the sudden stinging of the water told him to remove it.

When he did so, he found the ring that was now certifiably his. A dark silver in color, detailed in a brighter hue, the ring was thick, almost like a sports championship ring. The jewel that sat within the middle of it was the same blue as each and every other of them, except, on the very middle of the item, sat another jewel, this one orange in color. The color from the top seemed to bleed into the bottom, swirls of orange mixing with that of blue. And as he watched it, the blue lit up, flurrying the orange around as the call had been sent.

Watching it a moment longer, he looked back to the Gateway, watching the fog mix and tumble with itself as the water below continued on unhindered. He watched as the water's of the Gateway lapped up against the edge, threatening to but never actually splashing onto the glass floor below him.

And just barely, he could make out the sight of Vampire refusing to stay still in the corner of his eye, the destroyer vibrating with excitement. The man simply smiled as he watched the fog before him, as he began to wait.

As he did so, those watching him only watched the fog for any sign of who was to come through. But as they did so, Lexington glanced over at their compatriots, and found herself landing her gaze on Zuikaku. And however small it was, the Japanese Carrier was staring back at her.

Scratch that, the Japanese Carrier wasn't focused on Lexington. She was looking this way to be sure, but it wasn't for the Essex class . Following the carrier's gaze somewhat, she found it to land on Sofia, the Captain blissfully ignorant of the look she was garnering. Arching a brow, she tapped the Captain on the shoulder. Looking back to the woman, Sofia arched a brow. "Hey, Cap, did you do anything to Zuikaku?" The carrier asked.

Sofia arched a brow at that as she looked to the Japanese Carrier again, meeting eyes with her once more. And just like previously when they met eyes, Zuikaku's head immediately snapped away, refusing to even glance in the woman's direction. Sofia chuckled somewhat at that as she looked ahead again. Anya only snickered at that, Sofia elbowing her in the side at the action.

"Wait? Did something happen between you and Zuikaku? Because if so, I gotta know." Enterprise said as she looked to the Captain. "Gotta let everyone else know what's going on. So come on, spill it. Are we gonna have to raise another betting pool?" The carrier asked. Sofia rolled her eyes at that, shaking her head in the return.

"No, nothing is going on between me or Zuikaku, I'm telling you right now." Sofia told her as she looked at the carrier's. "Stop worrying about it. If anything comes of it, I'll handle it myself." She said more as a warning than anything else.

"So you're telling me that Zuikaku's not gonna beat someone up for you?" Lexington eventually asked. Anya elbowed the Carrier in the side as Maryland wapped her upside the head as Sofia shook hers.

"No, she's not." She said as she watched Lexington recover from the double assault from the two, rubbing her head more than worrying about her side.

"Aww, that's no fun." Lexington whined. Sofia and Anya simply chuckled in tandem with one another as they did so.

On the other side of the room, Akagi was watching Zuikaku curiously as she watched the Carrier mutter to herself, her arms crossed in the typical fashion for the younger Shokaku class. Tilting her head somewhat, Akagi looked to the Carrier.

"Zuikaku-Chan?" Akagi asked, glancing at the Carrier. Zuikaku blinked at the name before scowling, looking to Akagi.

"Can ya not call me 'Chan' please, Akagi? You make me sound like I'm a destroyer or somethin." The carrier muttered more to herself than her fellow carrier. Akagi simply smiled at that, nodding somewhat as she did so. She knew Zuikaku didn't like the name, but it never failed to grab her attention almost immediately.

"I apologize, I meant no discontent. I simply wonder if something is going on between you and Captain Algerona? She looked this way and you refrained from meeting her glance. Did.. did the Captain irk you in someway?" Akagi asked. Zuikaku watched the Carrier a moment, their eyes meeting a time before Zuikaku sighed, figuring there being no real problem in telling someone like Akagi as opposed to the two American carriers across from them.

"Yes..? No? I don't know... it's not like she hurt me or anything like that, I just... when they first came to base, Admiral Johnson and Captain Algerona that is, I always figured they'd be these loud, boisterous, really up in your face kind of people." She Answered with a sigh. "My view of Americans may be biased, that much i will admit for obvious reasons, but they're not what I expected. And I guess that's a little aggravating to me in the end. I wanted to be right. I wanted to be justified in my anger. I wanted them to make it easy. But fortunately for me I guess, the only people they beat up are themselves." The carrier sighed.

"And this bugs you?" Akagi asked, paying no mind as she noted Ishigara listening in.

"Yes..? Maybe..? I don't know. Certainly wasn't expecting to cuddle up to one during a movie..." The carrier sighed. Akagi's eyes widened up in some surprise as Ishigara even glanced at the Carrier.

"You cuddled up to someone? That wasn't Shokaku?" Akagi asked in genuine surprise. Zuikaku scowled at the Carrier.

"Akagi-San!" Zuikaku exclaimed in defense of herself, drawing the eyes of the other compatriots in the room to her. But Zuikaku cared little for that as she watched Akagi stifle her laughter with a hand in a good natured way. "Why is it always me getting teased. No one ever teases Souryuu or Hiryuu about anything." She huffed. Akagi simply smiled at that as her laughter subsided, allowing the carrier to regain her composure. As she did so, Enterprise appeared behind the carrier, slinging her arms around the woman as she planted a kiss on Akagi's cheek, much to both the surprise and pleasure of the Carrier.

"Come on Zuikaku-Chan! Tell us the goods!" Enterprise pleaded, chuckling somewhat at that.

"DO NOT CALL ME ZUIKAKU-CHAN!" Zuikaku bellowed at Enterprise, prompting the American Carrier to laugh in response as did some others in the room.

"Enterprise, come back and stop bullying the poor girl." Anya called over to the woman. E only offered Zuikaku and Akagi a wide grin before making her way back over to the Americans, the carrier chuckling to herself as she did so. Watching her go a moment, Zuikaku simply huffed at the motion as she crossed her arms. Akagi simply patted the carrier on the back as she offered only a smile.

It was at that time however, as things began to settle down somewhat, that the wake of a ship finally began to make itself known. All eyes turned to the Gateway expectedly, side chatter quieting down noticeably as King and Vampire stepped back somewhat, the destroyer still either unable or relenting to keep herself still. King shook his head in an amused fashion at that as he watched a moment, watching the fog twist and twirl within itself as if even itself was waiting for something to happen.

And sure enough, the first form broke the fogbank.

She was tall to be sure. Slender in some areas, she had well built muscle in others, most notably her legs. She glided across the water effortlessly, not even paying what was behind her any attention. King watched as she neared the Gateway, but as he did so, others began to emerge with a puff of fog as it moved out of the way for them. Three more to be sure, sailing at a pace with one another, the three wearily eying one another before looking ahead. And then after them?

One after the other, coming in groups of two or three each time, the total number of the new summons rapidly rising to fifteen in total. Combining that with the four already present, watching them, that brought the total of Aussie ship girls to 20. Anya chuckled somewhat at that, glancing at King, who seemed just a little over whelmed somewhat. If only there had been one-

Anya stopped her laughing when her silent bet proved true as one last figure emerged from the fog. In one go, King had pulled twenty ship girls in one summoning. Anya both pitied him. And felt nothing but satisfaction in one fell swoop.

"Deja Vu, huh Admiral?" Maryland asked with a chuckle behind her, placing a hand on the woman's shoulder. Anya nodded at that as she reached up, and placed her own hand over the battleship's, a move that didn't go unnoticed by either Lexington nor Enterprise. But they elected to say nothing on the fact as they turned back to the now group of twenty new summons, only five of which looking like they could be something other than destroyers or subs.

Those watching grew quiet as Captain King and Vampire now had everyone's attention. Looking over them a moment, King nodded at that.

"Alright. Well, it's good to meet you ladies in this day and age. My name is Captain Phillip King, representative of the RAN. And as of today, your new commander." He said, giving them a moment to adjust to his words. "As for you ladies in general, I've only met Vampire here so far, so for her sake and to get her to calm down, we're gonna learn who's who of the destroyers present." He offered, looking at the five non destroyers. "That alright with you ladies?" He asked.

The five of them nodded at that as the first to cross through met eyes with him. "That's perfectly acceptable Captain. You are the commander here after all." She replied, her voice smooth and calming. King nodded at that as he looked back to the destroyers.

"Righty-O. I want the fifteen of you in line, shoulder to shoulder, whatever order you wanna put yourselves in. Random? Fine. Alphabetical, that's fine. Doesn't matter to me." He told them. He watched as they scrambled to organize themselves somewhat, he could hear a few of them laughing behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he found both Admirals Johnson and Herkunft stifling some laughter at the sight of the fifteen watching them try their best.

After a moment, the fifteen settled down, watching him expectantly. Nodding, he stepped up to the first destroyer.

"Alright. So who do we have first?" He asked as he gazed down at the destroyer. The girl in question offered a bright smile up at him.

"HMAS Queenborough, Cap'n." The destroyer said with a smile as she looked up at the man. "Maybe I should ask this now, but uh, who're the other ones here?" The destroyer asked as she peered around the man, studying the three groups assembled. "Don't know about you, but some of em don't look very friendly." The destroyer mumbled to herself as she glanced over the woman dressed in black and while standing with the middle group. She simply stared back at the destroyer with little emotion, a move that caused Queenborough to duck behind two more the apparent Australian destroyers next to her, prompting the two to scowl.

"Hey Ya jerk! Don't look at our sister that way! You're gonna scare her!" The first onc scolded.

"You're just a big meanie aren't ya?!" The second yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth to get her heard even across this distance. The figure that had stared down Queenborough simply nodded her head in defeat and averted her gaze from the group. King sighed somewhat at that as he looked back to the two girls.

"I realize that she may not look like the friendliest person right now, but that doesn't give you all the right to yell at her like that in front of everyone." He said as he looked back to Queenborough, who was now starting to poke out from behind who was supposedly her sisters.

Queenborough had light blonde, short hair that only came down to just below her shoulders. Done in pigtails, they weren't nearly as long as say Murasame or Kawakaze's. She stood at about the same height as Vampire, sharing almost the same air of maturity about her as the former as well.

"That being said, I suppose introductions are in order before we go further." He said as he gestured to the group of Americans. "Do keep in mind that who I'm about to introduce do represent fractions of your new allies. Both new and old. So understand, that the past is exactly that. Representing the United States Navy and the ones in charge of the American Ship girls are Vice Admiral Anya Johnson." He paused, giving the woman a chance to wave to let them know. "And Captain Sofia Algerona." He introduced the other. "Behind the two of them are three American Ship girls. CV-6, USS Enterprise." He said, letting her wave to them as well, which garnered some wide eyed looks from the destroyers and one of the taller five. "CV-16, USS Lexington." He said, letting her wave as well. "And then BB-46, USS Maryland."

The battleship waved at the girls with a small smile, and some of them only looked at her in wonder and awe. Perhaps something to do with the fact that Australia had never spotted a battleship of their own during the war.

Gesturing to the next set of women, King looked back to the girls. "As for our next group, we have Admiral Saradia Herkunft of The now present day German Navy. Back then, you girls would have known it as the Kriegsmarine, not that you ladies saw much combat time against Germany." He said. He held a moment, allowing her to nod in their direction, some of the girls watching the woman with some distrust. "With her are the former KMS Admiral Hipper And KMS Graf Zeppelin." He said, allowing them to gesture as well. Hipper offered a one handed wave as Graf simply nodded, her eyes remaining focused on the group. As she did so, one of the destroyers peered up at the Captain.

"Is Ms... Graf always so mean looking?" She asked in somewhat hesitant voice.

"It's cause she's German!" Lexington called from the back, eliciting Maryland to immediately slam a fist down on the top of the carrier's head. Lex recoiled in pain, holding her head, warranting some laughter from the destroyers present and a chuckle from both Saradia and Hipper. Graf only offered the smallest of smirks as she looked over to the American carrier, raising to put a hand on a hip as she leaned to one side.

"Nationalities and Lexington's poor head aside." King drew their attention back to him. "As for the last group." He said, gesturing to the Admiral and two carriers. "And here, we have Admiral Takeo Ishigara." He said. "He represents the JMSDF, or, Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force. With him are the former IJN Akagi and IJN Zuikaku." He said. And he watched as some of their eyes widened. But unlike what they had done for Enterprise and Maryland, this was out of fear more than anything else. "Like I said, we're all allies this time around. When we finally get you all out on the water, there is a good chance that you could be put in the same fleets as the two of them." He told them. "But all that aside, let's get back to learning who's who. So, so far, we have Queenborough. So, who do we have after that?" He inquired. The next destroyer, her eyes lingering on the two Japanese Carriers a moment, before looking back up to the Captain.

"HMAS Quadrant, at your service sir." The destroyer offered in turn. "Second of the Q class, second only to Queenborough." She offered, glancing at her older sister who was still watching both Graf and Akagi with unease. Quadrant sighed somewhat at that, nudging her sister somewhat as the one standing next to Quadrant waved at the Captain as well.

"HMAS Quality, sir. Fourth of the Q class of destroyers." The destroyer offered, also glancing at the lead ship of their class, who was now being prodded out from behind the larger girls by Quadrant.

Quadrant and Quality, Like their older sister, both had the same light blonde hair. But with Queen's blue eyes, the two of them both had golden almost. Quadrant wore her hair in one ponytail as Quality had hers down, barely reaching her shoulders. The two of them gently tried to prod their eldest sister out of hiding, the older girl the destroyer using for cover only staring back at them in some worry and concern.

Making sure they were going to be alright a moment, King looked to the remaining twelve destroyers. Looking to the first one in line now, she offered simply a smile up to the man.

"HMAS Quiberon." She said with her hands behind her back somewhat. "Uhh, Captain, how old are you...? Because I remember my previous commander and he was waaaayyyyy older than you look." She informed him.

"Twenty four." He replied. "Which yeah, is probably pretty young compared to what you girls are used to." He offered in retort.

"That's putting it mildly." One of the older five snorted in reply. King simply chuckled at that as he looked to the fifth destroyer. "And you? Based on the blonde hair and the current trend so far, gonna have to guess a Q class. How right am I?" He asked. The girl simply offered a shrug at the question, her eyes half lidded as she looked up at the man.

"HMAS Quickmatch, Capn." She Answered. "Last of the Q class anyways. Ironic, given the name." She Answered as she scratched her head somewhat as she glanced over at the Japanese Carriers as well.

Quiberon and Quickmatch weren't set out to be twins like Quality and Quadrant. Quiberon had soft, gentle green eyes, the closest comparison he could come up with would be like a blade of grass in color. Her hair, like the rest of the Q class sisters, was blonde, but Quiberon simply let it down to her mid back. Quickmatch however had short messy hair that sat on top of her head in some sort of uniform fashion. She stuck her hands in her skirt pockets as she looked over to the group of her sisters, crimson eyes watching them with a bored expression as Quiberon watched, her green eyes watching her sisters bicker with curiosity.

King nodded at that as he moved them along, the four destroyers clustered around their eldest as he moved onto the remaining ten girls, who were also watching the Q class with both curiosity and concern. But when they noticed their commander approaching them, the one in lead offered a bright smile as he stepped up to them.

"HMAS Napier, sir!" The destroyer told him enthusiastically, nodding her head to go with that. King chuckled somewhat as he crossed his arms.

"Lead ship of your class then?" He asked as he glanced down the line, the next four destroyers watching him just as eagerly.

"Of the N class of course!" Napier replied jovially, her smile radiant. King simply smiled in return at that somewhat as he did so, a hand going to his hip as he looked down at the girls next to the destroyer.

"Sisters as well?" He asked. The next four nodded at that as he did so, prompting the man to give a nod as he looked back to Napier.

The lead destroyer in the class wasn't as cut and dry as the Q class were. She didn't have the blonde hair, neither did her sisters. Napier had a bright red hue for her hair, hanging to mid back in multiple braids as she smiled up at the Captain. She was taller than the Q class, the N class in general standing about three or four inches taller than them. But it was also noted that the N class seemed to be leaner than the Q class, the latter looking to have more muscle then their older cousins.

King nodded to Napier, rubbing her head somewhat, prompting the girl to squeal in excitement as he moved onto the next four.

"HMAS Nestor, Captain." The destroyer offered. "Don't mind Napier here. She's just a little bit... Well a lot of weird. But we love her anyways." The destroyer offered with a smirk as her older sister began to pummel on her side with her fists. The destroyer next to Nestor only grinned at that as she watched her older sisters bicker with one another.

"Don't worry Captain. Napier won't do any real damage in the end. At least, I certainly hope not." She said. And immediately, she laughed as she held up her hands in surrender as Napier sidestepped Nestor to get at the new girl. "HMAS Nizam by the way." The destroyer said through laughter as she shielded herself from her oldest's sister's fists.

Nestor And Nizam held very minor resemblance to Napier. Neither of them had the red hue that made up Napier's hair and Nizam's face was practically covered in freckles as she grinned, laughing hard as Napier had switched from pummeling to tickling, holding her younger sister hostage as she made her pay for her informal crimes. Nestor's hair was a dark brown as Nizam was a lighter color of brown, the two working to try and overcome their eldest sister as ruby and sapphire eyes focused on Napier.

Leaving the three to bicker amongst themselves, King looked to the next two destroyers, previously indicated to have belonged to the N class. Watching the eldest three a moment, he looked back to the two before him.

"HMAS Norman, Captain." The first offered before wrapping her arm around her presumable younger sister's neck, catching the other destroyer off guard as she nearly stumbled into Norman. "And this lass here is our youngest sister, Nepal!" Norman told him with a smile. King arched a brow as he watched Nepal try to pull away from Norman, or at least to get her head free, but no dice. Norman's headlock was far too strong for her to hope for.

Nepal had Napier's fiery red hair, but it only hung to about her neck while Norman was sporting a dark shade of green, going to mid back. Norman's bluish silver eyes laughed at Nepal's yellow as the destroyer attempted to avoid getting strangled by her older sister.

King only watched a moment before nodding somewhat at that, nudging those five out of the way as he turned his attention to the last five destroyers, two of which who were watching Vampire with vapid interest, their eyes darting between him and her rapidly. Gesturing to Vampire, who wasn't paying the best attention at the moment, he nodded. "Sister?" He asked.

The two rapidly nodded at the question that they'd been asked. In turn, he nodded.

"By all means then. Reunite. We can learn your names in just a moment." He told them and moved to the side. Good thing too as the second he'd cleared their line, they launched themselves at Vampire, bringing all three to the ground as the two of them hugged her tightly, Vampire giggling madly as she was glomped by her presumable younger sisters.

King watched a moment before looking back to other three destroyers he still didn't know the names of. Pointing to the first one, he nodded. "So how about we get a name from you?"

"HMAS Arunta Captain." The destroyer offered, far calmer than her fellow destroyers had done so. She looked older than them as well, her facial features pointing to maybe thirteen in appearance rather than eleven. "Lead ship of the Tribal class coming back for Australia." She offered with a nod.

Arunta, like those of the Q class, had the same blonde hair. But hers was messy like Quickmatch's, but only in style given that it hung to her neck. Her brown eyes watched the Captain a moment before looking over at the Japanese Carriers again for a moment, where she watched Akagi wave at her. Scowling somewhat, she looked back to King, who hadn't gone blind to the apparent display of discontent. Chuckling somewhat at that, he looked to Arunta. "They'll be fine. You've just gotta give this all time to adjust." He told the destroyer.

Arunta simply grunted in response.

Watching who was their presumable older sister a moment, the last two destroyers only looked up to the Captain in both curiosity and caution, something he chuckled at in response.

"And the two of you?" He asked in turn.

"HMAS Warramunga." The first Answered.

"HMAS Bataan." The second followed. King nodded at that as he did so, looking over the two Tribal class.

Warramunga and Bataan, the first thing he noticed, was their their hair was unkempt much like Arunta's. But with Arunta's blonde, Warra had more of a sandy blonde and Bataan had a deep black. Warra's eyes were a deep blue as Bataan's were a dark purple.

"You worried about them too?" King asked as he gestured to the two Japanese Carriers. Warramunga and Bataan glanced over at the two before looking back up at the Captain.

"I mean, worried, not really I guess... it's more odd seeing the Americans and Japanese standing in the same place like this and then not having problems with it..." Bataan offered in return.

"If they Americans don't have a problem, we don't have a problem." Warramunga clarified at that. King nodded in return to the statement as he turned away to focus on his last two unknown destroyers, who were still very much glomped onto Vampire, the destroyer simply giggling like mad. Walking over to them, he hooked his arms around the two unknowns waists and pulled them up and off of Vampire, allowing her to get a chance to breathe as he set the two unknowns on their feet.

"Alright. Well, considering you're Vampire's sisters, we've either got Voyager and Vendetta." He said as he pointed at each of the two. "Or Vendetta And Voyager. So which one's it gonna be?" He asked as he glanced back at Vampire, who was just now starting to push herself up and off of the ground.

"Vendetta!" The second cheered.

"Voyager!" The first clamored.

King just laughed.

Like Vampire, the two V class destroyers sported the paler skin of their eldest sister and the black hair. But where Vampire had the dark red eyes, Voyager sported yellow while Vendetta sported green. King nodded at that with a clap of his hands.

"So, total recount. Q Class, five. Queenborough, Quadrant, Quality, Quiberon, And Quickmatch, N class, five. Napier, Nestor, Nizam, Norman, Nepal. Tribal Class, three. Arunta, Warramunga, and Bataan. V class, two. Voyager and Vendetta." He said. "I miss anyone?" He asked for clarification, when none of them shook their heads, he nodded in satisfaction. But before he could say anything in accordance with this, someone called out to behind him.

"Captain King, I'm gonna tell you right now, if any of those runts bring another spider into our dorms, I'm gonna fight em. I'll do it, swear on me mum!" Lexington called from behind him. Arching a brow at this, King looked at Lexington, who was offering simply a proud smirk. He waited a moment until he smirked back.

Lex's smirk faltered.

"Admiral Johnson." King called, warranting Anya's attention. "What would you say if I propose a fleet exercise right here and now." He asked.

Lexington's smirk grew smaller.

Anya's smirk grew wider.

"And what might you have in mind, Captain? Your girls don't have their riggings quite yet. It'll be something that won't involve the water." She called back as she put a hand on her hip. Lexington was looking rapidly between King and her own Admiral, her eyes showing betrayal.

"Lexington's classified as a Fast Attack Carrier, as are the Essex's in general, are they not?" He called for clarification. Anya nodded in return.

"She is Indeed, Captain. Does this warrant some point?" Anya called back.

"He's the exercise in a nutshell. My destroyers. Lexington. If my destroyers can dump Lexington into Tokyo Bay in the next hour, I say we treat em to ice cream at their first meal." He offered. Lexington's eyes widened, looking to Anya for support. But when Anya met eyes with Lex's, the admiral's green eyes were a light with amusement. And then Anya opened her mouth.

"That's a fine suggestion, Captain!" Anya said, clapping her hands together for effect. Sofia, Enterprise, and Maryland had to resist simply breaking down laughing at the look on Lex's face as Anya nodded. "But I have an added proposal!" She offered.

"And what might that be, may I ask?" King asked, noting that each and everyone one of his new destroyers were watching Lex with a now predatory gaze at the promise of the sweet treat. Even Quickmatch and Arunta seemed to be into it.

"They dump old Lex here in the bay in 45 minutes, and on top of the Ice Cream, we'll let your destroyers rename her to whatever they want for a week. And we'll even slap on the HMAS for good measure. Hear that girls, you throw her in the water, and your country gets a new carrier. Proven and experienced." Anya called to the destroyers. Lexington looked at her Admiral in betrayal and shock.

"ADMIRAL!" Lexington shrieked. But Anya simply smiled in return.

"On your go, King." Anya called back without breaking eye contact with Lex.

Silence filled the chamber as all eyes now focused on the newly summoned destroyers and Lexington, the gazed shifting back and forth between the two. Akagi looked worried. Zuikaku looked more than amused, a small smug smirk on her lips. Ishigara suppressed a chuckle of his own.

Saradia's eyes shone with the same amusement that Anya's had, Admiral Hipper watched the Carrier before trading an amused glance with Mary, And Graf simply watched Lexington, her lips still placated but her eyes showed no shortage of amusement.

The sound of silence lasted only a second longer.

King's green eyes met Lexington's for one moment, one pair filled with dread while the other was filled with satisfaction.

"Get her girls." King offered, his hands behind his back. And just like that, sixteen Australian destroyers made for the fastest pace they could as they charged after the carrier, who was now turning with a scream.

"KING YOU SHIT!" She shrieked before ducking out of the summoning chamber doors, the sixteen quick on her tail. When the silence had returned eventually, Maryland and Enterprise broke down laughing at the sight, their laughter rebounding through the chamber as King simply smirked victoriously. Sighing a moment, he turned back to the remaining five, who were watching the door with mixed expressions.

"Will... she be alright, Captain?" One of them, the last one that has crossed over asked. King offered a nod at that in response.

"She'll just be a little wet." He replied. "She knows how to swim. And if not, we've got girls out on the water right now. They'll nab her." He told her. "Anyways, now that the destroyer's are handled, we can learn who our big hitters are." He offered as he looked to the first one that had crossed over. "Let's start it off with you." He said. The woman offered a nod in turn at the order.

"HMAS Australia, Battlecruiser, at your service Captain. I do not suppose it would be much to ask to retain my Flagship status?" She asked in curiosity more than anything else. King nodded somewhat.

"Of our girls, I don't see why not. But if you're talking altogether, let's come back to that when you've got some more experience under your belt as a human." He told her. Australia hesitated a moment before nodding in agreement, clasping her hands in front of her as she looked at the other groups watching them.

Australia wasn't nearly as muscular as someone like Maryland, given their actual typing difference. The newly returned woman's legs seemed to have more muscle than the rest, appropriate King figured. She had deep black hair and the darkest blue eyes he'd seen out of anyone of the girls on base. Offering her a nod in return, King stepped up to the next one, this girl having been the last girl to cross over for the call.

"And your name?" He asked.

"HMAS Melbourne." She said, placing a hand on her chest as she bowed somewhat. "A member of the Majestic class of light carrier." She told him. Further back, Enterprise scowled.

"If she's a light carrier, why the hell is she over there having the figure of an Amazon? Cabot doesn't look like an Amazon." The carrier asked to no one in particular. Maryland, Sofia, And Anya simply shrugged in response.

"Maybe it's cause She's British built." Maryland offered in return. Enterprise only scowled.

"You're kind of big for a light carrier, Melbourne." King offered in reply. Merlbourne blinked at that, looking down at herself somewhat before frowning.

"Am I not suited to assist the fleet?" She asked. King shook his head at that.

"Not what I meant. I mean, we already have a couple of light carriers on base, and they come up to about my shoulder at the max. You're about equal my height. And I'm six foot." He told her. Melbourne blinked somewhat at that before suggesting what he'd said.

"So... I am not.. normal?" She asked, her eyes softening somewhat as she looked at the man. King blinked somewhat at that, before opening his mouth to say something, before finding a hand clamped over it as Zuikaku stepped in front of the man.

"You're fine Melbourne-San. Some people just don't know when to stop talking." Zuikaku offered with a sigh as she narrowed her eyes at the Captain. King simply offered a shrug in response as the Japanese Carrier released him, Melbourne nodding in a satisfactory manner.

At that, King moved onto the last three of his new summons, the three watching him with amused expressions.

"So... is making your new Carriers cry apart of the job description or are you just extra skilled." The one in the middle asked. King shrugged.

"Had quite a few heartbreaks in high school." He replied.

"Aha! So our new commander is a playboy! Tell me, which three are you gonna sleep with first!?" She inquired, jabbing a finger at him with a wide grin. King offered only a sigh in turn.

"I can seem him gettin it on with a couple carriers." The one to her left Answered, rapping her fingers against her chin as she crossed her other arm over her chest in thought. "I mean, the Americans are here right? They've gotta have some good looking carriers and battleships. Just look at E and Mary over there. A man would kill for a woman with a bod like that, wouldn't they?" She asked.

"But I mean, look at Zuikaku and Akagi." The other one Answered, gesturing to the two carriers as if they weren't even there. "I mean, Zuikaku may not be too heavy into the upper hull armor, but they've both got those hips going on. Mmm, Captain, what do you think? Yank? Or Jap?" She asked, looking at him quizzically.

"Names. Now." King simply replied, trying to ignore the looks that the four ship girls in question were now sending the three.

Not to mention what the American Admiral would have to say about it.

"HMAS Sydney." Came the first. "Member of the Leander class of light cruisers."

"HMAS Shropshire." Came the one on the left of Sydney.

"HMAS Canberra." Came the one to her right.

Sydney was shorter than her two compatriots by a good margin, at least half a foot if one were to guess. She wore her yellow hair up in a high ponytail, the light cruiser simply watched the Captain with amusement. Her blue eyes seemed to show that much at least.

Canberra and Shropshire stood taller than Sydney, their arms crossed over their chests as they watched the man with interest. Pairs of brown eyes watched the man as King offered only a sigh in turn.

"Well, Alright. We have Australia, Melbourne, Sydney, Shropshire, And Canberra. All together, that brings the Australian ranks to twenty one. However much drama that some of you may or may not cause." He said, glancing at his new cruisers, who simply grinned back at him.

Before he could say anything however, a new round of Ship wakes filled the air behind the girls. Stepping forwards somewhat, the newly summoned Australian ship girls stepped away from the Gateway as they could hear now what was multiple wakes.

Making note of the fact that the other Admirals and their ship girls were stepping forwards, the group of Australian ship girls were stepping back with their Captain, back towards the others.

And good thing too as two more figures appeared, wearing the same outfit Pola had when she'd arrived.

And then another two, wearing the colors of Germany.

Then Came two of Japan:

Two of Britain.

Two of France.

And finally, two of the US.

And behind each of the two were at least five more, totaling out in six groups of seven.

Just like that, right after twenty one, the Gateway had handed them another forty two ship girls.

And based on the looks they were trading the other side of the war, they weren't about to handle this well.

King blanched as Maryland, Enterprise, Admiral Hipper, Graf Zeppelin, Akagi, and Zuikaku stepped to the water's edge as sort of a deterrent.

As they did so, Anya placed a hand on King's shoulder.

"Another day at the office, heh." The blonde admiral told him as Sofia quickly made way for the doors, no doubt to bring back reinforcements of their own.