"The sortie of the main fleet is almost complete. I will finish up these reports and then..." < ! >

Admiral Hipper was interrupted when a small paper plane hit the side of her head, before falling on the table in front of her. Only for a few seconds she managed to hold herself back, pulsating with anger, before turning paper plane into a wreck befitting of this 'crash'. When turning to give the Commander a piece of her mind she just found her absentmindedly staring out of the window, with a small smile on her face and even more paper planes scattered all over her desk. "...NNNNHHH! Hmph!"

Only moments later Hipper stormed out of the Commander's office, slamming the door behind her, still clenching her fist around the paper plane.

"What is it with these dumb paper planes all the time?! That idiot Commander!", she pouted.

Nimi (Z23) was just walking down the corridor, holding a clipboard and noticed Hipper's outburst. It seemed like she was already aware of the issue as she had been the very first secretary ship of the Commander and asked right away: "...Oh, you didn't know?"

"Didn't know what?", Hipper returned and shot her a puzzled look.

"The Commander...", Nimi started to explain, "...she was a fighter pilot. When the war started, because of the Sirens, because of us, human aircraft became obsolete. So all specialized military personal was retrained and transferred to other positions. When I first met her at the port she was just standing there, staring out onto the ocean. She said... 'When the water is still like today, it almost seems like the sky and the sea become one at the horizon. I believe that when I take this path I can go back someday. This deep blue road, my azur lane.' "

"Just like the Mirror Sea to us, to her the blue of this ocean is just the reflection of the blue of the sky.", she finished.

Hipper's eyes widened in disbelieve, staring at the crumpled piece of paper in her hand. "...Idiot."

Sometime later she returned to the Commander's office with a stern look on her face and the Commander was actually sitting there, working. Even though Hipper hadn't even said anything before, it still must've left a impression on the Commander, who immediately wanted to apologize for her previous behavior: "Hipper, I'm sorry about-HUUHH?"

When the Commander wanted to apologize she was instead gripped by her wrist and forcefully pulled along by Hipper. She was taken down to the port without getting a chance to even ask what was going on. In one fell swoop Hipper then put a training rigging on to her, one that even a human could handle, and then simply threw her from the pier. With both hands on her hips and leaned forward she yelled after her: "If you want to go back so bad, why don't you go, instead of building paper planes?!"

Naturally the Commander stumbled and slid across the water like someone stepping on ice for the first time. Finally she came to a halt and ungracefully stood with her knees pressed against each other, trying to not lose her balance and smack face first into the waves. "But I don't know how... Wwaah!", the Commander finally surrendered.

Hipper, who couldn't handle seeing the Commander like that, had already stepped onto the water beside her and taken her hand without a word, while looking away to hide her flushed cheeks. One step after the other, the ship girl guided her Commander through the currents. Turn after turn the posture of the Commander got better and while it took hours she improved quite a lot. Once her legs stopped shaking and she could stand straight while moving, she even let go off Hipper's hand and pushed herself away, before eventually turning around all on her own.

She smiled brightly. "Thank you, Hipper. I think, I can see it more clearly now - the blue of the ocean."

Then she vanished in a exploding fountain of water.

"...Eh... Commander?", Hipper voiced as she stared ahead in disbelieve.

There was no answer. Just the booming sound of additional explosions all around, shortly followed by the blaring alarm of an attack.

"Hihihi ~ hahaha... haha... AH-AHAHAH! ~ Isn't this just the best? That short moment of uncertainty, when happiness gives way to despair. When your beloved Commander has gone 'poof!', that look on your face -Delicious! ~ ", a strange voice echoed from beyond.

Hipper's head turned, her eyes still widened, her pupils small. What she saw was a single Siren who needlessly cackled to herself while two orbs with long, extruding spikes hovered around her, that distantly resembled puffer fish. Similar spikes could be found on different part's of the Siren's rig, pulsing with a yellow glow. The ocean around the Siren was steaming, almost like it was boiling even.

The Iron Blood heavy cruiser pointed wordlessly to her ear while staring into the Siren's direction.

"Oho... ohoo? ~ Couldn't hear because of the ringing? That's too bad! Well, you better listen carefully from now on - Okaay? ~ I'm the one and only Catalyst Class Siren - The Catalyst! You Iron Bloods getting out of line and reforming under this Commander of yours won't do at all, you know. Not that it matters anymore and even if you surrender now, I'm sure the data won't be missed, if I sink a few of you failures. ~ ", the Siren announced, grinning gleefully in anticipation. Hipper on the other hand only leaned her head from on side to the other, her shark-like rig coiling around either side of her and her cannons turning to take aim in perfect sync with the motion, just before she asked with a insultingly sincere confusing in her voice and expression: "Hah? Are you perhaps an idiot?"

An instant later the Siren tasted multiple full barrages of the heavy cruiser's armaments in quick succession. Unfortunately the drone-like orbs moved in to intercept, leaving the Catalyst completely untouched, while also staying seemingly unharmed by the constant shelling. The Siren's fleet escort ships quickly started to return fire upon the Admiral Hipper with equally meager results as she moved forward through a variable storm of attacks. Some shells just bounced of Hipper's rig, dealing only negligent amounts of damage before exploding violently in the water around her. Others she simply handwaved away, creating a blue reflective shield mere moments before the impact.

"Why now of all times? Why? It's not like I wanted this, but still...", Hipper complained more to herself, furrowing her brows.

Then Nimi's familiar voice suddenly chimed in: "Yes! How dare you interrupt her moment with the Commander! Don't you have any idea how rare and important these moments of happiness between two people are?!"

"What? That's not at all what I meant! ...Anyway, it's all your fault!", she protested. Hipper's face became bright red as her cannon roared and once again intensified their fire on the Siren and her fleet. At the same time Nimi and the other Iron Blood ships took to the sea to fight alongside her.

"All Z-type destroyers, ready torpedo barrage! On my mark - FEUER!"

The line of Iron Blood's destroyers, on the command of Nimi, unleashed a wave of torpedoes swarming into the direction of the Catalyst. However, one after the other, before getting even close, suddenly blew up in the waters around her.

"Look at the ocean. The water, it's too hot, our torpedoes are not getting there. And that's where the Commander is, too!" , Z1, the eldest of the destroyers, noticed in short order and with concern in her voice. Even Hipper stopped pushing ahead the second one of her feet touched the spherical zone of boiling, fuming water around the Siren.

"Ohoo-ohoho? ~ What's this? Who is the idiot now? See, my little friends and I project a super heated field, so your precious port has already become my playground. ~ But I must admit you have me quite irritated. Why are you still struggling? Shouldn't you be falling apart at the seams with your Commander being vaporized by me and all that? Yet you talk about such irrelevant matters. Even if she had somehow survived the attack, do you really think a human could withstand this heat?", Catalyst complained despite her clear advantage.

< ?! >

At that moment bluish-grey eyes pierced the veil of mist and smoke. The Siren kept her smile, though the short twitching of her left eye betrayed surprise and just a drop of unease. Especially when the Commander herself stepped right up to her without a hint of the same. Her uniform was ripped, her marked and steaming skin showing more damage than she let on by her steadiness.

"Those eyes. I know those eyes. Curious. ~ Wait... you were the one!", Catalyst realized, "The pilot with the iron eyes. ~"

The Siren leaned back, her grin widened.

"Oho, I remember now.", she said, "One after the other, the planes fell out of the sky that day. Some tried to run, but they burned up all the same. Except for you. You charged right ahead, the nose of your fighter painted with those piercing eyes, the wings brightly aflame. ~ And in the very last moment I got a glimpse. I remember, oh how beautiful it was."

The Commander slowly clenched her fists tighter as she glared at the Siren. Over and over again she had replayed that day in her head ever since. Radio voices cutting out and burning planes plunging into the churning sea. When fighting against this enemy their planes could've just as well been had made out of paper.

Catalyst continued: "This marks the second time you shouldn't have survived. ~ At the very least you could have courtesy to burn alive where you stand, don't you think? I'm already past wondering how it is possible, it just makes me question for how long 'you' were already betraying us."

It wasn't only the Commander's eyes that had caused the Siren discomfort, but also the multitude of deep red others surrounding her silhouette from the mist beyond. There was a reason the Siren refrained from taking action for now.

Still, the Commander was the first to speak up: "I'll take it back. Someday I'll take back what you stole from me."

"And then what? ~ Abandon all these ships, who put so much faith in you, just like you abandoned your fellow pilots to die alone?", the Siren countered to push her will off balance, but to no avail.

Because it was then, that two arms wrapped tightly around the Commander from behind and a impressively unique lady leaned over her shoulder with a wide smile. "But of course! To be the one I've chosen is to stand above everyone, to abandon everything!", the familiar voice boomed.

The other Iron Blood ship girls were in awe just as well as surprised. Graf Zeppelin had returned just in time from her sortie.

"That must be it - The Iron Blood Wings. They protected the Commander!", Z1 exclaimed again, as she was the most experienced among the Z-types.

[Iron Blood Wings], the power of Graf Zeppelin, that causes her mere presence to protect Iron Bloods from harm.

These powers known as skills, that the shipgirls had acquired from the wisdom cubes used as their cores, were beyond logical comprehension.

The Commander in turn grabbed on the one of the arms of Zeppelin around her and said: "No, you got it all wrong. From the very start I never wanted to abandon anything! The promise that we made, I still remember it. That day, my eyes were not fixed on the enemy. That day, ..."

"...You found me. I know, Commander.", the Iron Blood carrier finished.

Graf Zeppelin slowly let go of the Commander and moved past her. At her full size, with her rigging expanding further, she completely overtowered the Siren. "Betraying you? Don't be ridiculous.", she finally addressed the Siren's words from earlier, "I was never on your side to begin with. And for what you did to this place and to my Commander, it's about time you..."

The iron teethed mouths of her enormous rigging opened up, revealing two super-graviton cannons aglow with torrents of expanding energy.

"You are a carrier! Since when... could you...?!", Catalyst intersected, caught entirely off-guard this time.

"...TASTE. MY. WRATH!"

One of the Siren's orbs moved just in time to take the close distance barrage, sparking and finally exploding in the process. But it wasn't enough to completely protect her. The Catalyst shielded herself and was pushed back from the heavy, piercing beams.

Catalyst ripped through the smoke covering her, her yellow eyes lighting up.

"Executing skill - [The Catalyst's Siren Song] - ♪ Oooooooh/Oooooooooooh/Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooohh ~ ♫ "

Almost as to sing, the Siren put a hand above her chest, before the brazen reverb of the voice leaving her lips shook the ocean itself. This wasn't a song, this was the sound of sinking ships, the deafening echo of hulls straining under the pressure of ever increasing depth. In a single instant the enemy had changed, they was no trace remaining of her previous arrogance. Just as the name implied, the skill was a simple declaration of a fight to the death.

The temperature jumped up again and the entirety of the Iron Blood fleet started to get pushed back as the heat field extending from the Siren started to grow. Even Graf Zeppelin quickly covered the commander in her mantle and rigging, while her own hull already started to emit steam. Thus began the counterattack of the Siren. Her remaining orb shifted it's spikes and began to rain super heated plasma projectiles upon the destroyers. What remained of the Siren's own fleet started to bend and melt under the onslaught. With this it became clear what it was that even burned planes from the sky. If this kept going, soon there would be nothing left of the port, the base and likely the rest of the island.

The Commander desperately threw her hand out from beneath Zeppelin's protection and ordered: "NOW! FEUER FREI! FIRE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!"

And the Iron Bloods followed suit. Cannons thundered, their rigging roaring fire and smoke as if alive, as their shelling filled the sky like a curtain. But it wasn't enough, no matter the projectile, at this point everything either exploded or liquefied under the intense heat without getting near. The Siren simply turned towards the barrage and sang. Further and further, the harbor wall was already almost at their backs.

The moment the Commander had waited for, because the return of Zeppelin meant the return of another Iron Blood vessel.

"I shall fight for you, Commander.", the newcomer declared.

With the flag of the Iron Blood held aloft, a single ship rushed the distracted Siren at full speed. The purpose of Graf Zeppelin's sortie - The recovery of the 'Lone Queen in the North'. As she moved directly in front of the Catalyst, it wasn't so much her visible size, but more so her sheer overwhelming presence that seemed to cover the fleet from the heat field.

The Siren choked up in disbelieve. Not only was she protecting the fleet through the sheer enormity of her aura, but also remained untouched herself.

"Ah, is this warmth? I was so used to the north that had forgotten what it feels like. I wonder, are my cannons cold to the touch?", she asked, betraying no emotion, with her light blue eyes looking down on her enemy. The heavy armaments of one of the Iron Blood's flagships however spoke a entirely different language as they heaved themselves into position to unleash hell. "Checkmate."

The Siren quickly grabbed on to her orb and was pulled away from barrels that would've spelled her end. Then she immediately paused - the battleship made no attempt to follow up. Of course! The goal hadn't been to attack her, but to get her away from the port and the rest of the fleet. The icy exterior, has it been all just for show?

"Guten Tag~!"

" ... "

Unfortunately for her that assessment was entirely wrong. There was blood in the water and the sharks were already swarming - Deutschland and Graf Spee, the vanguard ships of the Iron Blood fleet moved in to attack.

The Catalyst caught a hit from Deutschland's handcannon straight to the dome before she could even react, blowing her off the orb, before the crimson-clawed hands of Graf Spee reached out to catch her in an sharp-edged embrace.

It missed. The Siren swiftly evaded the grab and pushed off the top of Spee's gauntlet to once again land on the water. Almost instantly the area started foaming, boiling water extended from her feet again, leaving the two heavy cruisers only with the choice to back off for now.

"This is it. No more surprises. ~ I win.", concluded Catalyst confidently after making it past their encirclement.

Desperately the Iron Blood fleet went all out. The Z-class destroyers continuously unleashed their remaining munition onto the Siren but it was no use. Deutschland held onto her sister Graf Spee, whose gauntlet weight heavy after it had been turned into a half melted clump. Tirpitz protected the fleet, while Graf Zeppelin did the same for the Commander.

With the Siren out of range and no other options left, was it really over? Their port, their new home, burned away like a distant memory.

"No."

" ~ N-no?", the Siren returned.

Was there yet another one? But this voice was already all too familiar.

"I said 'No'! You idiot!", Hipper repeated and stepped forward. Past the fleet, past the Commander - Right into the oncoming plasma field of the Siren's song. The Commander wanted to say something, she wanted to stop her, but before she could Hipper simply went on without pause. The heavy cruiser's body and rigging stood out against the burning, reddish air blowing past her. This wasn't the back of someone who planned on dying.

"What's with those faces? Don't you want to see it?", Hipper asked and moved faster and faster, her eyes glowing brightly in the light. Her rigging aglow, her hair twin flames, "I may be a shipgirl, but someday I want to get rid of all this stupid weight and go there - To the place where the sea and the sky become one! Together with everyone!"

When she was close enough that it wouldn't matter anymore, she forced her cannons into the right angle and ripped through the Siren's remaining orb with almost instantly exploding shells, just moments before her barrels bend over in the searing heat and melted away. "But how are we going to get there, when we can't even get out of our own damn port?!", suddenly charging the Siren from up close.

In the instant she managed to grab onto the Catalyst with her bare hands and the steel jaws of her rigging, two blue shields lit up and broke, causing her uniform to flare into a mantle of fire. Her rigging creaked under the strain as she pushed against the Siren...

"Wh-what are you trying now? This won't change anything! You can't win like this!", the Siren asked, visibly confused about this seemingly pointless endeavour.

Yet Hipper's charred face pulled into a shark-teethed grin.

"I figured it out.", she said, "I don't know why, but when you don't touch the ocean your power stops working."

And lifted her off the water surface with all her might. The Catalyst struggled against her, punching and clawing at the heavy cruiser, but to Hipper it meant nothing as her grip was as iron.

Catalyst's confident demeanor quickly changed and her voice grew louder, more accusing - Her facial expression a grimace of uncomprehending anger: "Let go! Let... LET GO OF ME! YOU FILTHY IRON BLOODS! YOU LOST! AND WITHOUT US YOU WILL LOSE AGAIN! AND AGAIN! THAT'S WHAT YOU ARE! THAT IS YOUR DESTINY!"

"SO WHAT! If it means I get to choose it, I will gladly lose over and over again!", Hipper gave back, not wavering for even a second, " 'Discipline is our iron, Glory is our blood' - Ever heard that line before? WE ARE IRON BLOOD AND WE ARE BIGGEST IDIOTS THERE ARE, BECAUSE WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHEN TO GIVE UP! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"

On the highest point she held the Catalyst almost over herself.

Finally it was the will of the Siren that give in first.

"WAIT! WAIT! WA-!", she repeated like a broken record. Like a computer caught in a loop, always encountering the same impossible error it was simply unable to process.

Then, shifting her weight and force, Hipper suplexed the Catalyst head first into the ocean with such power, that a gigantic fountain of vaporized water exploded around them. All that remained was a broken wreck upon the waves.

The Commander couldn't believe it. The Iron Blood heavy cruiser still stood in the midst of raining down water with blackened armor and eventually slowly started to lift her arms. Miraculously her rigging stirred up with them. The following victory roar of her and her rigging could be heard and felt throughout the entire island. As she turned white steam was ejected from her rigging and the flames kept dancing across her uniform and twin tails.

"...Hipper?"

Admiral Hipper carefully took a step, then another, moving into the direction of the Commander. The other Iron Blood ships were cautious, some even about to raise their weapons, in case they had to react. The Commander motioned them to calm and let Hipper get close until she stood directly in front of her.

"Are y-...!", the Commander started but didn't get to finish the sentence, as big crocodile tears welled up in Hipper's green eyes and she was hugged dearly.

"I thought you were dead! You idiot! ...Idiot Commander.", she sobbed all over the Commader's shoulder. Could it be that from the start she hadn't seen that the Commander had survived the initial attack, because of the attacks and then being covered by Graf Zeppelin? And that she actually hadn't heard anything after the first explosion?

"I'm sorry. I'm alright, everything is alright.", the Commander smiled gently and hugged her back as long as Hipper wanted. Surprisingly and rather fortunately the small flames weren't hot at all, but rather wrapped warm around the Commander's arms, whenever they moved across her black uniform.

And so, after a while, the Iron Blood heavy cruiser let got and rubbed the tears from her dirtied cheeks. The other ship girls had also gathered around them and looked upon Hipper through her actions and slightly terrifying new look thoroughly impressed and curious. The same was true for the Commander. "So, Hipper..."

"Hm?", she reacted distracted by the attempt to get at least some of the black smears off her face and clothes.

"...What is up with all of that?", the Commander asked and pointed towards her rigging, uniform and of course seemingly burning twin tails.

"It's probably because of this.", she answered without much thinking and the sharpened steel teeth of her rigging opened up to reveal a wisdom cube glowing in a dark light. The Commander gasped: "Is that a black wisdom cube?"

"The Siren had it on her. I think it reacted to me once I got close.", Hipper further explained and shrugged.

"Hm-hm, I completely understand now.", the Commander explained, having understood nothing, "What do you think we should call your new form? What about 'Wechselbalg'?"

"What's a 'Wechselbalg'?", Graf Zepplin suddenly wondered, who had apparently leaned in together with the Commander to study the unnatural wisdom cube.

"It's a being from folklore.", the Commander explained proudly, "A child replaced by a demon with one of their own."

"Wait-That sounds pretty mean, don't you think, Commander?", Nimi protested in place of Hipper.

The Commander moved her head from one side to the other, putting one hand on her chin to take a thinking pose. "Hmm, but separately 'Wechsel' also means 'change' and 'balg' is a kind of fell or coat. I think it fits pretty well."

"If the Commander is fine with it, I don't really care.", Hipper herself finally spoke up, "Let's return to base, before we get attacked again with the Commander out here."

Once again she let her gaze wander about the sea and the remainders of the Siren fleet buried within the waves. Hipper really had changed a bit.

Then the united Iron Blood moved ahead to get back on land. Only the Commander and Hipper took a bit longer.

The Commander tried to take a step and was immediately almost felled by a tiny wave rolling over her feet. "Wuaahh!"

"So much happend... I think, I forgot most of what you have taught me.", she voiced sheepishly, "Do you think you can teach me again tomorrow?"

Hipper only turned towards the port and sighed, while reaching out a hand to her. "But only once, because we were interrupted."

"Only once.", the Commander repeated with a small smile and took her hand.

Looking away, Hipper smiled, too.