Chapter Text
The Royal Navy often displays elegance and noble qualities. It is their way of life and how they live. So the moment Lena tells them that a group of nobles from her world would be coming to visit the base. They make preparation; maids are recalled, ingredients for banquets are gathered, evening dresses, and of course high-ranking ship girls of the Royal Navy. Jack also tells other factions to send their representatives to the meeting as well.No doubts a great event will be taking place.
Despite this, however, some people still worry. The Spearhead, Dustin, Lena, and Annette know how these nobles can be arrogant at times. One wrong action and this all spiral into a big misunderstanding. So the gang as they are now called takes steps to ensure nothing goes wrong.
Last but not least for the Royal Navy the symbol of the Royal Navy, Hood herself. In one month she recovers in time to greet the newcomers. A fleet of escorts is sent to escort them to the base. The day finally comes when the delegation would arrive. As it turns out, Stella Maris would be coming to the base. A massive ship around 300 meters long with two 40 cms cannons sails into the harbor. It is a marvelous sight to anyone who had not been to the Regicide fleet countries. Lena stands at the dock watching the ship dock. Her mind is thinking about how this would play out.
"Nervous?" A voice knocks her out of her thoughts. Looking at her side she sees none other than Hood and Wales. In front of them Commander Jack himself.
"Yes," She replied.
"No worry, leave it to us" Wales blinked and elbowed her a little. Hood did the same.
Looking back her comrades all dress up in officer uniforms provided by Jack and the Azur Lane. As for the other ship girls' faction leaders. They watch from a building near the port as the massive carrier dock. They are never good at dealing with nobles like the Royal Navy. However, most eyes lay on the massive supercarrier.
"That is a very big ship" Bismarck looked at the massive ship.
"Why are there no guns but only those two 40 cm guns and they are not very long" Yorktown wondered at the lack of heavy armaments.
"Because they are designed to hunt sea monsters" Maryland replied.
"So people on that ship are Leviathan hunters?" Richelieu asked.
"Of course," Colorado replied.
_
"These nobles are very rude and arrogance, I will say this much" Hood almost broke her usual calm demeanor.
"Now I see why you are quite nervous" Wales glanced at Lena.
Walking away from them, Archduchess Brantolote in a business suit and bodyguards or servants in black suits as well depending on perspective. They walked down for the ship before anyone else. The moment they met Jack, they asked if he was a noble. Jack came from Eagle Union, a nation of commoners and middle-class people. They showed disdain and headed for Hood and Wales instead. They seemed to talk well at first until they saw Lena. They reacted with such rudeness and arrogance that nearly blew up the minds of the two Royal Navy ships.
Words like A Republic white rabbit and other forms of very rude words showered Lena yet she just stood there silently.
"Considering what my nation had done it is fair" Lena simply replied.
"Colonel Milizé!!!" A shout getting their attention. Looking back they see a woman with bob-cut hair in a Republic uniform running toward her.
"Mercy!!!" Lena said happily as they hugged each other.
Katherine Mercy is one of Lena'a aides before the Legion offensive. She brings something for her as well.
"TP really misses you," She said. A black cat lay in Lena's arms. His name is TP. A cat found by the Spearhead. He had a great effect on Anju due to its original owner. Before the suicide mission, the Spearhead asked Lena to take care of the cat. After Lena's apparent death, Mercy took care of the cat. The moment she heard that Lena is still alive, she took it upon herself to return the black cat to its mistress. Hood and Wales both scratched his ears and the black cat greatly received it.
"Mercy how many of the Republic personnel get out before the Legion's second offensive?" Lena asked Mercy.
"Only around 100,000 the rest are dead in the Republic" She closed her eyes.
"I see thank you" Lena followed. Hood and Wales both froze.
Later after the nobles disembarked Captain Ishmael followed. He got along well with Jack almost immediately as Jack inquired about the sea monsters.
"We managed to hunt a Leviathan, this one is edible" He looked back as his crew carried down boxes and creates.
"Wait, the Leviathans are edible?" Hood asked.
"Yes, some of them are" He replied.
"Wow," Wales said in surprise.
_
"So these are Leviathan's meat?" Nevada asked Stella Maris's crew.
"Yes, one got hunted by us" The crew replied.
Being a cook she noticed these meat are not from normal livestock. Maryland and her sisters greeted Ishmael.
"I see you hunted one," Maryland looked at the boxes. The boxes are cold containers which means meat and big boxes for a slice of very large meat.
"A small one," He said.
"So the big ones are out of the question at the moment?," West Virginia asked.
"Yes, the fleet is still small," He told them. The Regicide countries still recovering from the devastating Legion War.
"Don't worry we are nearly done with the Siren" Colorado smiled.
Despite Stella Maris's crew's insistence to stay on their ship. Jack and the ship girls persuaded them to stay at the place they prepared. The crew left some people to guard the ship. It is a big improvised hotel with a big canteen for them. The ship girls greeted them quite warmly. Most were eager to hear the story about Leviathans. The base became very lively. Jack meanwhile asked Ishmael to his office to meet other ship girls' faction leaders. His office was filled with loud discussion and laughter for the entire day. The gang retired to the mansion along with Mercy.
"So how are things back there?" Lena asked.
"Not good for the Republic government," Mercy replied.
"Of course, those Bleachers..." Theo spoke but got smacked in the head before he finished.
"Language Theo!!!!, we have Miss Wales and Miss Hood here too!!!" Anju gave him a glare as she served tea to both Hood and Wales.
Wales and Hood are eager to hear what happened during the Second Large-Scale Offensive. Mecry witnesses it and tells Lena, Hood, and Wales in detail.
The new Republic Government at the time or the Bleachers as the Eighty-Six called them fled first and left the others to die. They had the guts to blame the others as well rather than themselves.
"I'm surprised they can run the country in that state" Wales still wondered how such a country can run in that state.
"So the nobles and the rich fled first. The poor and the rest got left to die?" Hood asked Mercy. She just nodded.
"They returned to the Republic, but given its total destruction state. It will take a long time to rebuild and the Bleachers lost all faith it had in the people. Unfortunately, most of the Republic survivors still blame the Eighty-Six and you when they heard that you are still alive" Mercy looked at Lena.
Lena simply signed. "Even after all that they still refused to change".
Hood and Wales looked at Lena with sympathetic looks. Her nation while could be rebuilt hated her. She lost everything literally. Deep down Hood now understood why Lena still fight, pride was the only thing she had left. Her own country turned its back on her.
"How are things back in the Federacy?" Anju asked.
"The new government cracked down on nobles even more, but the Imperial faction remained strong" She replied.
"What happened to the Imperial family during the Revolution if I may ask?" Hood asked. Mercy, Lena, Anju, and Theo fell silent.
"Kill to the last, every last one. Not even children are spared" Lena spoke after a moment of silence. The battlecruiser and the battleship froze. Pictures of armed mobs storming the palace and killing the Imperial family and their guards came into their minds. Such fate is something no nobles or royal family would want to meet.
"The Federacy is better than the Republic but by no means perfect," Theo said.
"They still keep the tradition of using children to act as mascots as hostages to keep units fighting until the end" Lena spoke.
"The population hated nobles a lot" Anju rolled her eyes.
Both ship girls listened with attentive eyes. But for Hood, this reminded her of her fight with Alterhood.In addition to giving her wounds, she also told her about how disgusting humans can be. Her counterpart tried to convince her to join her until the very end.
"One day you will see how disgusting people can be, when that day comes you will wish you had joined me!!!"
_
After a few days of talking and negotiating, an official channel for diplomatic and commercial activities is made.
A banquet would be held for the crew and the delegation before they left. They hoped to give a good night party to Stella Maris's crew before they left.
For many, it is an intriguing experience. People from another world another civilization and others. A new world waiting to be discovered. More importantly, massive sea monsters the ship girls are eager to fire their big guns and launch their planes at.
"Captain, I do not know when this war with the Siren will finish. But when it is over, the ship girls would sure like to head to your world's sea to hunt these massive Leviathans" Jack told Ishmael.
"We the sea people of the Regicide Fleet countries must thank you for your kindness to help us in our darkest hours" Ishmael thanked him. Jack smiled in return.
"I understand what your nation try to do. To make the sea a domain of humankind. That is the dream worth fighting for" Jack jokingly replied.
The men wore suits for the banquet while the ship girls and the women wore evening dresses. Most of Stella Maris's crew gathered outside in the garden to sing their signature Regicide Fleet countries songs to thank the ship girls for their aid and for helping save so many lives from the Legion. Such a display drew attention and the big garden soon filled with laughter and songs. Inside the ballroom of the hotel. High-ranking ship girls and a number of humans stayed inside listening to Jazz music and classical music depending on the play. Most dresses in very formal evening dresses and not too revealing.
As for Lena, she chose a different dress this time. Lena wore an elegant mix of Prussian blue and white dress with a white capelet over her shoulder and a Prussian blue decoration on her head. Hood and Wales could not believe how elegant she looked in that dress even more so than last time. So dazzling that they must admit she looked good in the dress and very elegant.
"What's her problem?" Bismarck exclaimed after talking with Archduchess Brantolote.
"They are nobles, Miss Bismarck. They often do not like the middle and lower class people" Lena told the Iron Blood battleship.
"I know, I almost lost my cool when I spoke with her" Hood looked at the woman in a red dress with red eyes and red hair.
"Good thing Commander Jack let the Royal Navy prepare the banquet," Shoukaku remarked.
"If It was us, we might pull out Katanas" Zuikaku reached for her Katana which is hidden in her dress. Only for a hand to slap her hand from it.
"Hey, this is a banquet. Don't pull that over here!!!" Enterprise told Zuikaku followed by a look from Shoukaku. Around Enterprise are her sisters, Yorktown and Hornet.
"Hey, have you tried Leviathan's sashimi and sushi yet?" Zuikaku pointed to a table full of sushi and sashimi.
"You used Leviathans' meat?" Lena walked over to the table. Colorful foods and sushi of the Sakura Empire decorated the table.
"Yeah, when we heard that there is meat from the Leviathans we wanted to see if it would look well with the food style of our nation.Turnouts they fit well and taste great too" Shoukaku picked up some of them on a plate and handed it to Lena.
"Wait, those huge monsters are edible?" Richelieu's eyes widened. She did not have to wait long for the answer. Lena put a sushi in her mouth and she smiled brightly.
"It is so good" Lena's face got pink with happiness that made others try. They got the same reaction. They all broke out laughing.
"Lena if I may ask, why the nobles and the middle class hated each other so much?" Yorktown noticed how Archduchess Brantolote did not take well to anyone who is not a noble.
"In the past in the time of the Empire nobles had all the privileges and perks. Higher education is reserved only for them. They saw middle and lower class as serfs and treated them very badly" Lena told them. They all listened to the history of the Giad Empire. How the education system affected the nation even after the Revolution. How the rift between the classes only widen and hatred ran too deep.
"So when the Giad Revolution happened the researchers and scientists sided with the Imperials and let themselves be taken by the Legion or kill themselves rather than surrender" Lena summed up the history.
"As a result, the Federacy could not catch up or deal with the Legion well despite being the birthplace of the Legion war machines" Wales finished the story.
"Damn, I should go back to Iron Blood to promote officer training for the middle and lower classes more," Bismarck said.
"I say there is no need because you are dealing with the Siren," Lena spoke.
"Oh right," She concurred.
Hood pulls Lena away from the others for a chat.
"Lena dear tell me what the Archduchess spoke to you" Hood looked at Lena.
Lena stiffened. She then realized that Hood must have heard her conversation with the Archduchess. Hood often thought about what humans speak about the ship girls. If Lena's time with Hood taught her anything it is being honest and getting to the point. With this in mind, she came clean about it.No point of hiding anything from the battlecruiser.
"So she offered to adopt you?"
"Yes, because by now I still have no legal guardian"
The Republic Alba nobles all hated her and even her own people wanted her blood. While the Giad nobles with their dumb rivalry no doubt wanted to use her as a political tool as they had done for centuries. This made the split and rivalry between ship girls look like child's play in comparison. She had nowhere to return to. The Eighty-Six had been adopted by the Giad nobility out of pity. But Lena, Annette, Mercy, and Dustin had nowhere to turn to when the war was over.
Lena tells everyone what her homeland had done. With guns at her back and swords at her front. Lena is in a tight spot.
_
Stella Maris and the delegation left the base after everything is said and done. Mercy got accepted to help Vetsal run the hospital at the base. Her talents in supply and logistics were just what Vestal needed. Mercy became her assistant.
Although Captain Ishmael and his crew desired nothing in return. Jack had the Stella Maris filled with gold and silver from the Azur Lane's vault. He would not take Leviathan's meat without paying them for their hard work. In return, they promised to one day repair their hunting fleet and wait for the ship girls to join them in the Leviathan's hunt.
Z23 meanwhile spent time with Annette quite a lot lately due to Annette's role in saving her life and many of her comrades. Bismarck dragged Graf Zepplin back to Iron Blood to get proper punishment. Her actions had nearly severe ties with many nations if not Azur Lane as a whole. Worse than anything she tried to use chemical weapons. Z23 knew why Annette knew about her symptoms. She told her about cruel human experiments conducted by the Republic and many more that she could not say.
"I have done very bad things, Z23. Things I am not proud of"
Annette told the Iron Blood destroyer. She often found herself clashing with the ethical issues of the Para-RAID.Today was a particular case. She made a special headgear for the Iron Blood destroyer. The Iron Blood destroyer could not believe what a great tool she received. A helmet with a face cam and sensors for X-ray and video recording. No doubt her comrades would fight her for this.
"You are responsible, I know that I can trust you with it. This helmet cost a lot"
Annette put the helmet on Z23's head and tested it. Everything ran as normal and no issues were found.Z23 went back to her dorm with the helmet and it caused a lot of uproar so much so that some fought her to get a hold of it. She defended it like a little dragon.
"So a few days ago, some sort of Siren's plane crashed land on an island near the base," Jack told Lena.
"So close?" Lena inquired.
"Yes, a big jet plane too" He slid a picture to her.
Jack at his desk asked Lena to meet him in his office. It seemed that the Siren deployed a new type of plane and something very troubling.
"It is like a transport plane" Lena looked at the photo.
"Whatever in that plane disable the rigging of the ship girls in a very wide range" Jack brought his hands to his chin.
This made Lena freeze, the ship girls are the main means of fighting the Siren. Any tool that disables their riggings is the worst news.
"Didn't we recover one from Alterhood's ship?"
"That one is very short range this one has a very wide. If the ship girls were too close they could not summon and even used their riggings"
"Get your friends ready I need them. I will take the lead with them and secure whatever cargo inside that plane before the Siren retrieved it"
"Yes, sir as soon as possible"Lena left his office and started to walk to gather her friends for the mission. On the way, she met a certain Royal Navy battlecruiser. Just about nearly every ship girl left for sorties or garrison duty at recovered islands. Thus only very few were left at the base.
"I see you and your friends got picked for this mission," Hood asked. Lena nodded.
"Good walk with me, I will brief more on the way" Hood gestured for her to follow. Lena followed her and talked along the way.
The device that Atlerhood has in possession is nothing compared to the one she just found. Needless to say, given the seriousness of the mission. They have to rush the mission. As such, only a small fleet would go out. Hood also tells Lena that such a device is beyond valuable. If such a powerful device that disable their riggings exist, the whole war would turn on its head. More importantly, the Siren would not sit idle.
"A device that important they would no doubt want it back" Lena guessed.
"That is why we must hurry," Hood said.
"What about the plane itself?" Lena asked.
"Commander would want to capture it for analysis..." Hood started.
"..but the Siren would no doubt prevent it" Lena finished.
Hood smiled at Lena for knowing what she would say.
"Any other solution?" Hood asked if there is a way to analyze the plane without having to transport the wreckage.
"We can use the new headgear Annette made for Z23 with X-ray and video recording," Lena told her.
"Get Z23 and her friends if you can we will need destroyer escorts. I will get Wales, Meet me at my ship in an hour" Hood looked at her watch. Lena tipped her navy cap and walked in the other direction.
_
"The site looks clear," Kurena said from her sniper position from Hood's superstructure. On a beach lay a massive plane wreckage with black and red lines. Her eyes looked at it through a big 20 mm sniper rifle's scope.
"Why the Siren used a transport plane?" Wales looked at it with her binoculars.
"We can save that for later. Lena and Kurena, you two stay here with Miss Hood. The rest with me" Jack grabbed his rifle and lead the rest to a speedboat.
The force is small with just 1 battleship,1 battlecruiser, and 4 destroyers. While Jack led Shin, Theo, Dustin, Annette, and Anju for the retrieval and recon accompanied by Wales, Z23, Laffey, Javelin, and Ayanami.
Wales, Z23, Laffey, Javelin, and Ayanami got into rigging forms and jumped down while Jack, Shin, Theo, Dustin, and Anju slowly rolled down to the water in the speedboat.
They set off to the wreckage and it is massive. Whatever this plane is made for, it is clear that this plane is not only for transport. Big massive bomb bay doors and very thick armor of a battleship.With four engines and defensive gun turrets. To the eyes of Shin, Theo, Dustin, Annette, and Anju this reminded them of one thing only.
"It is a high-altitude bomber" Annette looked at the massive engines bigger than her body.
"How high can this type of plane fly in your world?" Wales inquired.
"About 15 or 20 km above ground" Shin replied.
Before the Legion War air raids and air strikes often involve high altitude bombers dropping bombs on cities and military targets.That all changes when the Legion deploys Eintagsfliege and deadly AA systems. In just a short time air force is rendered useless.
The Legion ship has shown how effective Eintagsfliege can be and how deadly the Legion AA guns are. Even the Siren AA does not prove as effective as the Legion AA. Blue bolts of electronics round that cut through planes like thin tissue paper.While the Eintagsfliege reduces AA weapons effectiveness against its own flying unit which consists only of an observation unit.Due to its creator's protocols and limitations.
Because of this air force is largely disbanded thanks to the Legion.No human aircraft dare to venture outside the human-controlled sky.
With Annette's help and the new gadget.Z23 scanned and recorded the massive Siren plane. The rest went into the plane and searched it from top to bottom. Already something was wrong. The ship girl riggings are still operational. Guns and cannons are still active. Not like reported a few days ago. A chilling realization fell down their spine. Has the Siren retrieved such a deadly device?
"Guys, I think I found what we are looking for," Kurena said through her Para-RAID which connected to everyone.
"You found the cargo?" Jack asked.
"Let's just say the cargo is a living thing" Lena replied.
"What?!!" Wales and others spoke.
_
The Commander's special operation went smoothly.No one noticed him gone except for a few who were still at the base at the time and those that went with him. This was good because what he found literally blew his heart away.
Thus, new construction work at the workshops near the academy did not get much attention. The ship girls just went in their daily life until one day the ship girls started to feel strange when they got too close to the workshop building.
It was just when they walked near the building that their bodies felt untold cold down their spines and sometimes they could not summon riggings. A few days later it was all gone. Despite this, it cannot fool some ship girls.
Words got out to some admirals in the Sakura Empire and the Iron Blood. Needless to say, they wanted answers. One such device was recovered from Alterhood's ship but did not have such a wide range.
The Eagle Union is busy producing the weapons for the Azur Lane as a whole and the Royal Navy is modernizing its fleets with better AA electromagnetic Vulcan revolving autocannons. It is a busy time for the Eagle Union and Royal Navy military industry that they overlook this. Unfortunately, not enough to fool the Iron Blood and Sakura Empire. They have the most experience with Siren technology that they know that this is the work of Siren technology.
Prinz Eugen got chosen to find out about it. It was easier than she thought. She got Z23 drunk for her to spill it. After all, Z23 was at the base when the commander disappeared for 'his business'. There was no trace of video recordings in Z23's new headgear as well no doubt Annette deleted them. She also got Javelin, Laffey, and Ayanami to talk as well with the help of alcohol of course.
"Smart but not enough to fool me"
Prinz Eugen sent words back to Bismarck who passed them on to the Iron Blood admirals and the Sakura Empire admirals. She smiled as she succeeded in her mission. Unbeknownst to her, a pair of eyes was watching all of this.
About a week later, two admirals along with a number of ship girls from Iron Blood and Sakura Empire arrived at the base without notice. One in black Iron Blood navy uniform and another in Sakura Empire navy white. Bismarck and Prinz Eugen accompanied their admiral while Akagi and Kaga accompanied theirs. Their faces were that of anger. The whole base went into a panic and surprise when the two admirals arrived. Jack was away on his business in Eagle Union. So that left only two people. A current ship secretary and her human helper. Commander's wooden office door got a knock. Hood who sat in her secretary chair looked at the door with Lena who stood at her side and followed her gaze.
"I will get it" Lena walked to open the door.
"Thanks, dear" Hood thanked her. The moment she opened the door she saw 12 eyes staring at her.
"Oh, Miss Bismarck....."
"Lena clear the door, please"
They walked into the room. Lena just went back to stand at Hood's side. The battlecruiser just looked up and put down her pen. The room went silent for a while.
"Where is it?" Admiral Karl broke the silence.
"Where is what?" Lena and Hood inquired in unison.
"Don't play dumb. We have Z23, Laffey, Javelin, and Ayanami confessions." Prinz Eugen played a video on a tablet.
The 4 destroyers all had red faces and let out what really happened almost a month ago. Once the video finished Bismarck approached Hood. The battlecruiser just looked back.
"Hood where is it?" The Iron Blood battleship asked.
"What are you gonna do if I do not tell you," Hood asked.
"Don't make me do the Denmark Strait again" She replied with a coldness in her voice. The whole room tensed. Admiral Karl and Prinz Eugen froze.Mentioned that location is something Bismarck never does unless she is dead serious. Hood's face darkened as she lowered her face. Lena looked uncomfortable.
"Orders are orders, please my friend" Bismarck pleaded.
"Gues, it is about time. Lena, let's go dear" Hood smiled at Lena. The rest were just surprised, they thought they would meet some resistance.
"Yes, sir" Lena grabbed Hood's hat and capelet at her chair. She helped put them on Hood. Lena let Hood walk out first then followed.
"Well that was simple" Admiral Yoshi followed Lena. The rest did the same. Bismarck noticed something Lena walked in the same manner as Hood. Slow and steady pace. She then remembered that Lena was a noble same as the Royal Navy. Hood must have taught the girl some manners or noble walk style. They arrived inside the workshop building but in front of them was a massive door. A door big enough to fit at least 3 Vánagandrs,2 dozen people, and about 6 ship girls in rigging forms.
"Commence authentication, HMS Hood of the Royal Navy" Hood spoke and showed her eyes to a panel near the door.
With the completion of the voice and retina authentication, the panel turned on. The door opened, revealing a giant elevator. All of them entered the elevator with Lena entering the last.
Lena pressed the button that said "Underground Level 5".The door slowly closed and the elevator started to move down.
"Why do you have 5 levels underground?" Akagi asked.
"We have a lot of ammunition and high explosives lately, so we decided that it would be safer to have them stored underground," Lena told her.
"Also other levels contain other types of military equipment. It will be easier to find if needed" Hood added.
The two admirals and the 4 ship girls marveled at the construction of the elevator and the organization of the underground warehouse. Finally, the elevator stopped and opened. There Colorado and her sisters along with Kurena and Theo welcomed them. They stood behind sandbags with diamond-like scales and more importantly, 2 massive Vánagandrs with 120 mm guns and 12.7 mm machine guns pointing at the door. The Colorado sisters were all in rigging forms with 16-inch guns pointing at the door as well.
"Woah woah!!!!" The two admirals and the 4 ship girls nearly had their hearts fly out.
"Don't worry, we won't shoot"
"Damn, we got you really good"
The Colorado sisters laughed followed by Kurena and Theo. Kurena laughed while Maryland held her hands in one of her arms. Kurena and Theo did a high-five with the Colorado sisters.
There Bismarck, Prinz Eugen, Akagi, and Kaga felt something in their bodies. They felt as if something got pulled from them. They stepped out of the elevator and tried to summon their riggings. To their horror, nothing came.
"What is this?!!!"
"Why I cannot summon my rigging!!!!"
"Is the device has this much range?"
The two admirals and the 4 ship girls exclaimed. Their eyes almost blew out from their eyeballs.
"It had a larger range," Lena noticed their worry.
"But we mitigated it with a special room that prevents the signal that disables rigging go further" Hood replied while gesturing them to a door behind Colorado, her sisters, Kurena, and Theo.
At this point, their curiosity got even more hold in the two admirals and the 4 ship girls' minds. They asked to see the device immediately. The strong security systems only added to their desire to see the device.
Lena took out a key card and swiped at a panel near it. The door opened. Revealing a colorful yet small hallway to a certain area.Like before she let others in first before she herself entered.
"You know, they supposed to notify us if one of those admirals is supposed to visit," Maryland spoke as the door closed.
"Like when the Repulic supply unit will notify us before arrival," Kurena said at the same time.
Maryland and Kurena looked at each other. Colorado, West Virginia, and Theo laughed then followed by Maryland and Kurena. They all sat down in the chairs near a table with cards and other items such as food and drinks. They started to talk about how they would be informed beforehand about admirals for the ship girls and how the Eighty-Six would be informed about the supply run. They talked and played games while things unfolded inside the room behind them.
_
"Half-Siren and half-ship girl?!!!!"
Behind a glass room lies a small girl with pale skin, long purple hair, and golden eyes. She is playing with toys and enjoys reading books that are stored near a bed. She is dressed in normal green patient clothes.
Despite the loud sound of the two admirals and the 4 ship girls. The girl still plays and reads normally. The answer is simple. The door and the room are outfitted with soundproof materials. The room the girl resides in is very colorful resembling a normal children's room rather than a cell.
"Yes," Hood spoke.
"She is the device" Lena followed.
Both Admiral Karl and Admiral Yoshi look with disbelief. How is such a half-breed able to release such a wave that disables rigging.
"We will be taking her over. She better be in the hand of the scientists and researchers" Admiral Karl and Admiral Yoshi looked at the girl in the room.
"No," Lena replied with sternness in her voice. Her comment gained glares from the two admirals and the 4 ship girls.
"Say that again?" Admiral Karl gave Lena a nasty look.
"I said NO," She said.
"No, because I ordered her to" Another voice got their attention.
Turning around a man in a pure white navy uniform and back navy hat with black hair and blue eyes with the symbol of the insignia of Azur Lane on his hat. Jack approached them followed by West Virginia and Vestal.
"Commander Jack sir" Lena saluted him. He replied in kind.
"At ease, Lena" She complied with his order. She made way for him to talk to Admiral Karl and Admiral Yoshi. She could not help but notice that even the scary-looking faces of Bismarck, Prinz Eugen, Akagi, and Kaga were all gone when he came.
Jack is older than her and more senior no doubt. The ship girls admire him greatly. He displays authority but also cares for and understands others. A true leader that Lena looks up to.
"Ah, Commander Jack, someone who would have better reasons better than this 20-year-old girl" Admiral Karl eyed Lena with disgust. Only for Jack, Hood, West Virginia, and Vestal to shoot death glares back.
"This girl in the room possesses a device that could prove vital in this war. I think it is better that you let proper personnel handle her" Admiral Yoshi reasoned.
"Sir, with all due respect. We are in the process of doing so" Jack said to him.
"She is highly mentally unstable and her core is not in a good shape for transportation" Vestal carried some food for the girl in the room and some medicine.
"Commander Jack we have the authority to do so. We can do this the hard way or the easy way" Admiral Karl crossed his arms.
"Hood, West Virginia, Bismarck, Prinz Eugen, Akagi, and Kaga can you go back to your dorms?" Jack looked at them. The mentioned ship girls left and Lena was about to join when Jack asked her to stay.
"Don't worry, Commander is here. I will be waiting at the Royal Garden" Hood gave Lena an encouraging look before nodding her head. Lena smiled back and stayed with Jack and Vestal.
_
Battlecruiser is a concept that often confused people when talking about them. Few could have brought the topic to a good discussion. That is until Lena comes along. She is quickly able to bring it to a good discussion. Much to Hood, Repulse, Renown, and Dunkerque's surprise.
"You know I thought you would not get the concept" Dunkerque spoke.
"I do after all it is the same tactic that my nation and my unit used against the Legion" Lena replied.
"Please tell us," Hood asked for a piece of her mind on the matter.
They are the in Royal Garden where Hood is holding a tea party with Repulse, Renown, Dunkerque, Wales, and Lena.
"Miss Hood, Miss Wales do you remember the white machines called Reginleif?" Lena looked at them.
"Ah yes, the one your unit used" Hood remembered seeing them at the Recide Fleet countries when she first met the Spearhead.
"Before that is the M4A1 Juggernaut but worse. Although they had the same concept speed" Lena said with disappointment in her voice.
"Battlecruisers can go up at 32 knots or 60 km per hour at most" Wales spoke.
"The Juggernaut can go around 60 km per hour and the Reginleif can go around 100 km per hour. They are the same focus on speed, however...."
"From what I noticed it has very little armor," Hood said.
"Exactly, to make up for speed and firepower. The armor and protection were removed to increase speed. In essence, they are aluminum coffins" Lena explained.
"How you fight against the Legion then? From what I see the Legion war machines are bigger, more powerful, and with big numbers" Wales asked.
"Hit and run tactic and mobile defense strategy. Shoot them first then relocate before you are being fired at" Lena replied.
"Make sense" Repulse agreed.
"But I take it others do not take well" Hood guessed.
"Yes, but there are special cases" Lena looked at her teacup.
She explained that few nations used such machines. The Federacy hated them and only the Strike Package used them while others nation built their own versions. For example, Alkonost used Sirins who are replaceable to pilot them used by the United Kingdom of Roa Gracia. Also, the Mk. 6 Stollenwurm that used by the Alliance of Wald.
"So they gave the better-armored ones for the normal soldiers but made the replaceable and expendable ones using these so call armored coffins?" Dunkerque said with clear anger in her voice. Lena nodded. The Royal Navy ship girls did not stop her. They held their tongues but their eyes showed dissatisfaction.
"This made battlecruisers look better in comparison," Renown said followed by an agreement.
"They were. Battlecruisers had armor although not as much as battleships, packed good firepower and speed. If used correctly, they sure to give a good punch" Lena said with optimism.
"Aww.., you made us battlecruisers feel much better," Repulse said.
"But with cruise missiles and the railguns, it does not matter much. Be it fast battleships or battlecruisers all it takes is a good hit at critical locations or a lot of hits to sink them" Lena remarked.
The development of long-range missiles, railguns, and laser beams proves that no matter how well-protected a ship is, it can be sunk with missiles and powerful railgun rounds. As the Siren and the Legion railgun have shown.
"How with Miss Bismarck and the others, last I remember they seem to be angry at me," Lena asked nervously.
"Oh they are just following orders" Wales shrugged.
"We do not like the admirals much. Some are good but most are just older men and look at us just as weapons" Repulse spoke in a very informal manner.
"I guess we have to be careful from now," Renown said.
"We are ships in human forms but we have to obey their orders," Hood remarked.
"Soldiers live and die by orders" Lena followed.
"Yes, but with a good commander like Jack and you, we are sure to be safe" Dunkerque handed her a homemade sweet which she accepted. The tea party went underway and laughter filled the garden.
_
Jack is one to stand up for himself and the ship girls. Even the admirals could not overcome him. Combine with Lena's stubbornness and reasoning he is able to force Admiral Karl and Admiral Yoshi to back off. The two Admirals remain at the base to oversee their faction ship girls. More importantly to try to get Commander Jack to hand over the half-breed Siren girl. Jack tells Lena to put her friends around the clock to guard the girl. Once again, Lena's fears come true. One day after the admiral's arrival, the Siren decides to attack the base again. As usual, the ship girls with the aid of the Interception Cannons and the rocket artillery make short work of the Siren fleet. However, there is something else. Above the high sky,6 big massive black planes fly higher than their fighters and their AA guns could reach.
Enterprise and her fellow aircraft carriers watched in horror as they were powerless to do anything. While ship girls fighters and Siren fighters-bombers exchange fire at each other the massive planes simply flew past them. They were exactly what the Commander found a month ago. Enterprise tried to ride on her plane to get a shot. She released an arrow bolt at the massive bombers only for the Siren escorts to take the shot and forced her to disengage.
The Iron Blood carriers sent their jets in an attempt to shoot some of them down but met similar fates. The plane's gun turrets tore the jet fighters apart even before they reach the firing range. Those that did shoot at them and they still flying.Not even a dent. From Annette's analysis, these planes had the thick armor of a battleship.
Worse, these massive battleship planes fly very high about 20 km.
The ship girls met something similar. Bombers with enough payload to reduce a city to dust. These ones flying higher and heavily armored. What hurt the ship girls the most is the fact that these planes were flying toward the base. Their's home where Jack, Lena and her friends were.
"Everyone focuses on the Sirens ahead of you, we will deal with those bastards!!!!" A female voice said through the Para-RAID.
Numerous portals open up revealing more Siren ships. The battle was not done yet.
Back at the base.
The Siren bombers finally came within sight of the base. The ship girls that were left behind to guard the base fell into fear.
That is until.... one of the planes blew up into a massive inferno. Then another and then another until all 6 were in flames or blew out of the sky.
The ship girls looked at the source. They were from the two forts at the hills near the harbor. These two first were given names. Fort Azur, and Fort Lane. Clouds of smoke cover the forts. Trails of white smoke led up to the place where Siren's massive bombers had been.
"So those are SAM missiles" Jack looked at the laptop screen where the Siren jet areas all shoot down from the sky.
"Yes sir, the fighters and bombers in our age were having a problem thanks to these types of missiles," Lena told him.
Mercy got sent here as an expert on SAM missiles as well. She studied and trained how to operate them for months as part of the military exchange program, but more or so because no one else wanted to volunteer to be stationed at Azur Lane base. Surface-to-Air missiles or SAM are every pilot's worst nightmare.
Using state-of-the-art radar systems and powerful warheads to reduce any plane to a burning hulk and spotted any planes from a very far distance away. These SAM missiles are the thorn for any flying unit.
"Good work, get some rest," He told her. Lena saluted him and walked out of his office.
_
"For a noble, you are very diligent. You seem to know how to handle bureaucrats too" Hood said to Lena who walked beside her.
"I met worse bureaucrats before" Lena looked away.
"Oh, you mean the Republic ones" Hood guessed.
"Yes, slow and think little of war. They party and drink on jobs. Enjoy a comfortable lifestyle while the war for survival is going on" Lena replied with a bit of shame.
"No wonder they are slow to respond. Still, I could not believe how deep the lies sunk in their minds" Hood still could not believe such people exist.
"It is a long process of schooling, fostering, and propaganda. People did not harbor hatred in all of a sudden" Lena replied.
"Ah, I see" Hood understood.
Lena is walking with Hood to the Iron Blood dorm. It seems Bismarck wants to have a chat with her and Hood. They talk along the way.
Admiral Karl and Admiral Yoshi had returned to their bases to get better papers and to better prepare their bases for such an encounter with the new Siren massive bombers. The Alba girl and the Royal Navy battlecruiser arrived at a modern-style building with an Iron Cross flag, Iron Blood dorm. There Z23 came to greet them.
"Z23?, I thought you would be with Annette today"
"She is having a cold today, I will visit her later after I brought you and Miss Hood to Lord Bismarck"
Z23 led them through the dorm to an area where Bismarck is waiting for them. She gestured for them to sit on the chairs near a table she prepared. Bismarck looked at Z23 and smiled. The Iron Blood destroyer replied in kind and walked away.
"First off, sorry for the poor actions of myself and my admiral" The Iron Blood battleship raised her hands apologetically.
"No worry, Miss Bismarck" Lena shrugged. Bismarck sat down on her chair.
"I heard you had some good opinions about tactics and also how things should be done," She said. Hood looked at her in surprise.
"Ah yes, I did tell Miss Hood about how the Denmark Strait could have gone differently" Lena looked at Hood.
"Could you give me your opinions about Operation Rheinübung ?" Bismarck said those words with a bit of hesitation. Hood later whispered something into her ears. Lena's eyes widened and her mouth gasped that she used her hands to cover it. After a moment of silence, Lena said...
"Miss Hood what I am about to say might be a bit rude, so may I?"
"Yes you may" Hood nodded.
"That is the most stupid and idiotic plan I have ever heard," Lena said to Bismarck. The battleship's mouth just wide opened at her comment. Hood just sipped her tea and gave Bismarck a look of understanding.
"You and Prinz Eugen got sent into the Atlantic with literally no escorts or any support deep behind the lines full of Royal Navy ships. For me, that's a suicide mission" Lena said with quite a bit of anger in her voice. Bismarck just froze as she said those words. She knew about Lena's brutal honesty and reasoning. Lena learned a thing or two from the Royal Navy battlecruiser as well. Despite her anger, she held her emotions and sat tight in the chair.
"Sure you did sink Hood and damage Prince of Wales. But later you got hunted down like a dog because you were in the Royal Navy backyard" Lena laid it out.
"So that's why she asked Hood if she could say it," Bismarck thought in her mind.
"No amount of superior technology can make up for human errors and stupidity" Lena knew about this too well. The Republic with stupidity and incompetence left many artillery systems in disrepair and threw Eigthy-Six's lives away on suicide missions like crazy.
"She saw a lot of suicide missions. Countless lives were sent to die behind the frontlines." Hood closed her eyes.
"I am not a fan of those. My nation threw away non-Alba lives like crazy into the Legion lines. The Legion killed them and used their brains to make more Legion. The Legion war machines were an army of dead Eighty-Six hell-bent on wiping out the Republic" Lena looked at her teacup. Bismarck remembered how the Legion cut off the heads of humans. Humans were reduced to mere machine parts by machines. Such dishonor is something she would like to avoid.
"If you had more ships with you or more support. It might discourage HMS Hood and HMS Prince of Wales to just shadow you until more ships arrive that is" Lena looked nervously at Hood. Had Hood and Prince of Wales not engaged, Bismarck and Prinz Eugen would still be shadowed until the main fleet arrived.No matter how it went, the fate was sealed for Bismarck and the whole operation.
"Operation Rheinübung was doomed from the start. Like how my nation doomed itself when they betrayed its principles by classifying the non-Alba as Eighty-Six and forced them into years of hell and suffering" Lena summed it all up. Bismarck just froze as Lena compared the downfall of her own home and the operation. Every word Lena said hit Bismarck like a ton of steel. Her nation made her to be invincible and the best of her nation's warship yet it was the poorly made decision of the leader at the time that doomed her. Just like Hood's superior's decision. Hood just looked at Bismarck and said...
"One thing led to another. Causes and effects"
_
The wreckage of the Siren bombers was recovered and brought back to Eagle Union for analysis. The fact that the siren possessed such high-altitude planes with such payload horrified many. The fact that the Siren brought them out meant they were getting smarter or planning something big.
Had they been deployed in big cities, these planes could have reduced cities to rubble. The Azur Lane base was one of the worst places for the Siren. Not only because of the Commander and the concentration of ship girls but also because of the new weaponry from another world there as well. They were met with deadly SAM missiles that shot them out of the sky.
"Cold night, don't you think?" Lena said to Anju.
"Yes, and the worst time for the radar to break down" She replied.
The radar broke down due to some mishap and pranks went wrong which also caused short circuits for the nuclear reactors that fed power or the 40 mm AA autocannons as well. As such, they had only eyeballs to help warn of an enemy approach and some light cruisers with good AA. Annette, Raiden, and others were fixing them as fast as they could. The two were at Fort Azur while Theo, Kurena, and Dustin were at Fort Lane.
"You girls do not have to worry" A voice came from above. Looking up they saw Akagi and Kaga floating down to them.
"We sent patrol aircraft to patrol the area around the base," Akagi said.
"You can retire," Kaga told them.
"Thank you sir, but we still need to control the guns in case something decides to show up" Lena humbly replied while looking at the Interception cannons.
"Keep your guards up. I see" The brown fox woman replied.
"Yes, sir," Lena told her.
"You can drop formalities, no need to be strict with us," the white fox woman said to her.
Their appearances fascinate the two human girls. Fox ears and fox tails. A mix of humans and animals that exist only in imagination in their world is a real thing in this world.
"I take it that none of the animal-looking people like us exist in your world," Akagi noticed the curiosity in their eyes. Lena and Anju nodded. They talked there for a while. Akagi and Kaga heard about the Legion from Amagi. The Sakura Empire always defended their home valiantly. The fact that such a long-range railgun managed to get into firing range and nearly bombed the Sakura Empire to oblivion is a fact that the ship girls of the Sakura Empire will always remember.
However, there is something lurking in the darkness that cold night. Hidden under the clouds and deep dark blue sea. Rows upon rows of pale skin humanoid figures with yellow eyes are skating silently toward the base.
These Sirens slipped last the plane's patrol and were too low and small to be detected by the ship girls' radars.
There were few battleships and aircraft carriers left at the base. Most went back to get better AA and overdue refits. Thus dozens of ship girls remained at the base mostly light cruisers and destroyers.
"Sis, do you see anything?" Cleveland asked her sisters.
"No nothing" Columbia replied.
"I see only clear ocean" Denver looked at the ocean ahead of them.
That is what the ship girls who stood near the harbor thought. Lena learned to trust her and her allies' instincts. Something was wrong. With a small talk with her comrades, she got into the gun-firing control room and aimed the Interception cannons.
"To all ship girls, I am going fire a barrage to test the gun range, stay clear of the area"
The ship girls complied. With a loud roar of the cannons, the rounds slammed into the seemingly emptied ocean. Only for the ocean to erupt in massive explosions and fires, pale-skinned arms and legs flying high in the sky.
"What the hell?!!!" Helena exclaimed as her radar suddenly detected something. Her face turned pale as she saw at her radar. From the smoke and fire, hundreds of humanoid Sirens appeared.
"They using camouflage!!!!!" Kurena looked through her binoculars with horror in her heart. With that, all hell broke loose. The ship girls near the harbor entrance fired their guns at the approaching Sirens. A hail of guns tore into the Siren's rank but there was something wrong here as well. These Sirens did not carry any weapons whatsoever. It was then to the eyes of Lena and her friends that these Sirens resembled something they hoped to never find again.
"It's...it's...suicide bombers!!!!!"
"Don't let them get close to you!!!!"
As soon as they told the ship girls, the Siren sped up toward them. Each second a Siren dropped dead on the water another came to replace it. The whole base went up in arms and gathered at the harbor. Planes dropped bombs and fired their guns at the Siren, and ship girls with big guns unleaded a barrage of artillery at the tightly-packed Sirens. Yet, they just kept coming.
"Lena tell me what is going on!!!!" Jack joined Lena in the gun control room.
"They used some sort of camouflage, I counted at least a thousand of these suicide bombers!!!" Lena looked at the screen.
Jack looked at the screen with a sense of anger and surprise. The Siren was at it again, using a new tactic. This time it blew beyond any reason or logic, suicide units with bombs to kill his ship girls? He had little time to think, with each passing minute the Sirens were getting closer. His ship girls gave all they had but they are outnumbered. He had around 36 ship girls at the base. An idea popped up in his mind.
"Lena, can the 40 mm autocannons turn downwards?" He looked at Lena with a bright smile.
"Yes sir, those 40 mm six-barrel electromagnetic Vulcan revolving autocannons can be turned downward, they are able to shoot at land targets as well" Lena's eyes shone.
"Annette, how is the fixing going?" Jack asked.
"Almost done give me 5 minutes" She replied.
"Got it" He replied.
Maryland is firing her big guns at the Siren all around her are the Brooklyn-class light cruisers. Her sisters, Colorado, and West Virginia are also surrounded by the light cruisers and destroyers.
All around them, the ship girls fired all their guns big and small at the Sirens. Despite the massive firepower, the Sirens just kept charging right at them. Their commander and their new human comrades all tried to help, they fired flares and helped to spot enemies. All the while, the Interception cannons continued to rain hell upon their enemies. Large amounts of explosives slammed into the Siren's ranks setting off the explosives they had in their bodies. Despite the wall of hot steel and sheer firepower, some got through. One jumped past the light cruisers and destroyers and took hold of Maryland. Her sisters and comrades cried in alarm.
The Siren glowed and its chest fixed against her. Then the Siren head got blown off. The headless Siren dropped right at her feet. Maryland looked back at Fort Lane's wall. Kurena clicked her 20 mm anti-tank sniper Rifle. These anti-tank rounds while not enough to penetrate a Siren armored skin still deadly if hit at the head. Kurena with the callsign Gunslinger never missed her shot. Maryland gave a thumbs-up and kept firing. More Sirens grabbed hold of some destroyers only to get their heads blown off as well. From the walls of Fort Azur and Fort Lane the human teenagers grabbed their 20 mm anti-tank sniper Rifles and rained hell on any Siren who managed to grab a hold of the ship girls.
"All done," Annette said as the nuclear reactors came back online. The six-barrel electromagnetic Vulcan revolving autocannons of the Forts turned downward and unleashed a hail of blue bolts right at the Sirens. Within seconds hundreds of the Siren got mowed down mercilessly.
"Holy!!!" Phoenix watched as the Sirens approaching her got torn to pieces.
"Step away girls, these rounds might hit you!!!" Jack ordered.
The ship girls followed his order without much hesitation. Their attention lay ahead of them on the Sirens who got their bodies torn to pieces by the autocannons. Their pale faces and skins all gave way to the inside of yellow liquids and mechanical parts until all their bodies went up in flames or dropped dead into the ocean. After a moment, the autocannons stopped rolling. Only silence remained, the guns of the ship girls, Interception cannons, and the 40 mm cannons all stopped its murderous barrage.
Akagi and Kaga who still had patrol panes all looked at the sea with mixed emotions. On one hand, the attack was repelled but on the other how did they not spot them?
Came morning and the scene of the massacre became clear. Arms, legs, and torn bodies of the Siren littered the harbor. The blue sea mixed with yellow liquids, and the birds simply avoid the harbor. Questions began to take hold among the ship girls.
"How did they get past our patrol and radar?" Wales asked as she looked at the harbor. Around her were Hood, Bismarck, and Prinz Eugen.
"They used optical camouflage and some sort of radar jamming" A voice nearby got their attention. Annette inspected the wreckage of a destroyed Siren and found something very interesting. A coat that resembled a camouflage and some sort of jammer surgically implanted in its mechanical body.
"Z23 can you come here for a sec?" Annette looked at Z23. Z23 along with her friends approached her. She put the coat over Z23 and in a blink of an eye, she became invisible. Wales, Hood, Bismarck, and Prinz Eugen rubbed their eyes multiple times. Prinz Eugen felt her back get slapped very hard.
"That's one for getting me drunk!!!!" Z23 shouted as she slapped Prinz Eugen's back. She did so a couple more times which made Prinz Eugen very mad. Her face was full of anger.
"Alright that's enough Z23," Annette told the Iron Blood destroyer. Her eyes seemed to follow the destroyer and took off the coat.Z23 stood behind Annette and smiled back at Prinz Eugen who gave her a death glare.
"Yep, these guys function like the self-propelled mines," Theo said as he looked at the number of explosives inside the dead Siren.
"So the damn Siren copy the Legion suicide bombers huh?" Anju remarked.
"Look likes it" Kurena replied. Later Maryland came to thank Kurena for her perfect sniper shot as well as to check on her.
_
"Optical camouflage?" Queen Elizabeth inspected the coat used by the Siren.
"Yes, the Legion used them before" Lena replied.
"Even that technology is still on testing in the Iron Blood" Warspite touched the coat that adapted to the surrounding that made it invisible. They put it on a tree and it adapted to the tree. In about a few seconds, the coat became invisible. The optical camouflage intrigued the Royal Navy a lot, especially the maid corps.
It was nothing new, the high-ranking Sirens use Optical camouflage before but not in high numbers like this.
"Let me guess, was it the Phönix with the liquid machines that used it?" Hood asked. Lena nodded.
"Such a troublesome unit," Wales remarked at her last fight with the Legion melee drone.
"It was very good at melee, I gave it that much" Warspite remembered how good the unit was at melee combat.
"The Phönix excelled in stealth and close-quarters combat. To make up for speed, it sacrificed armor but with the liquid machines it was still very deadly" Lena explained. As always Lena reported to Queen Elizabeth in the Royal Garden after giving her report to Jack.
"Machines with such deadly close combat skills, not to mention that it is capable of sneaking past patrol and dealing a lot of damage," Elizabeth remarked.
"Lena is the Phönix's core made from a brain?" Wales asked.
"No, it is purely mechanical. The Legion evolved with more intelligence after assimilating millions of brains after the Legion attacked the Republic in full force" Lena replied.
"So in the end to make up for the lack of processor cores they need human brains" Hood sipped her tea.
"Yes, the cores have a set time limit, to bypass it they have to find other materials. We, humans, become their missing materials" Lena said with a very sad voice.
"Human reduced to mere materials for the Legion war machines, I feel that the Siren had more honor than the Legion," Belfast said with a tone of disgust.
"The Legion had protocols that prohibited air units and Bioweapons in combat" Lena added.
"If there were no protocols in place, the Legion would no doubt be more destructive than it already was" Warspite contemplated.
"You seem trouble, Lena" Hood noticed her worry.
"Yes I am, is the Siren copying the Legion or do they come up with their own ideas for the coats and the suicide bombers?" Lena replied to the battlecruiser's question.
"That is a good question" Queen Elizabeth replied. The whole tea party fell silent at Lena's comment.
The Legion is very deadly no doubt. Is the Siren's latest additions a work of their own or copy from another?
"The Sakura Empire could give better answers" Elizabeth suggested an idea to Lena.
"Yes, after all, they were the ones who came up with the kamikaze in the first place" Warspite agreed.
"About those laser rifles could you give us more details?" Wales got curious.
"They are prototypes but not suitable for mass production, they are too expensive and too costly to maintain" Lena explained.
"Still the Legion had laser weapons too, I thought the railgun was deadly enough," Hood remarked.
"They evolved," Lena said.
"Yes, evolved" Hood spoke.