Azur Lane world, the Port.
With the spatial channel open once more, The Imperium began fulfilling the trade and research agreements both sides had signed.
As compensation for the vanguard fleet’s help in building up the new world, Earth would regularly supply the Port with metals, oil, and other resources.
Essex arrived at the harbor leading dozens of Bulins, their holds packed with ore.
Along with the materials came the technical documents Akashi had copied.
“This much?!” Even Enterprise…
normally the richest carrier of the Eagle Union…
found the haul Adam had sent almost unbelievably generous.
It was roughly equivalent to half a year’s normal consumption for the entire Port.
“We expanded the mining operations on the Balkan Peninsula.
Earth’s resources are still pretty plentiful,” Yukikaze said, hands on her hips, proudly directing the Bulins as they unloaded.
“Especially since nobody’s competing with us right now.
All the oil and rare metals on the planet are ours.
We can take as much as we want.” No matter how large the Port’s stockpiles, they couldn’t compare to an entire Earth.
The Azur Lane world was an ocean planet; seabed resource extraction was painfully difficult and constantly harassed by Sirens.
Earth’s output, on the other hand, was limited only by how fast the Bulins and Manjuus could dig.
A few hundred people treating oil like water and skipping stones with ore still couldn’t use it all up.
“Wow…
” The shipgirls who had come to greet them looked envious.
They had assumed the vanguard fleet was roughing it in a wasteland.
Conditions over there turned out to be far better than expected.
“More importantly, the Commander hopes the Port can start researching the new technology as soon as possible.” Essex handed several thick stacks of documents to Enterprise.
“Can you manufacture these weapons and equipment and put them into actual combat so we can evaluate their performance?” Enterprise flipped through a few pages curiously.
The materials Adam and Akashi had provided mainly covered novel weapons and equipment from the Gundam worlds…
plasma cannons, beam sabers, handheld energy shields, thrusters, and so on.
None of the Port’s shipgirls had ever seen anything like them.
“Plasma cannons are one thing, but what’s a beam saber?!
A melee weapon?
Do we even need to research that?!” “And what the hell is a psycho-frame?!
Controlling a mech with pure thought?!
We already have Wisdom Cubes and rigging!” The research-oriented shipgirls stared in open-mouthed disbelief.
“Ayanami already uses a ship-cutting sword… once you make the beam sabers, let her try them out,” Essex coaxed patiently.
“Whether they’re useful or not, testing every technology at least once can’t hurt.
If something turns out to be strong, we win, right?” “Fine.
We’ll experiment with all of them one by one.
Pass my thanks on to the Commander.” Enterprise finally nodded and accepted the task.
… A few days later.
The deep ocean.
Far from the Port, in the open sea that belonged to the Sirens, thousands of strangely shaped, unmanned warships covered in red-and-black plating drifted across the surface, trailing black mist.
Siren vessels were likewise divided by tonnage into destroyers, cruisers, battleships, carriers, and so on.
Above the mass-produced ships, each sector was overseen by high-ranking Sirens who commanded the fleets under them.
Sitting in the very center of the formation on shark-shaped rigging was a white-haired, yellow-eyed Siren with a long ponytail and a sailor uniform…
Purifier.
“Aaaah…
” “So boring…
” Purifier lounged on her rigging, sunbathing.
Unlike shipgirls, low-level mass-produced Siren vessels had no consciousness.
She floated alone across a vast stretch of ocean with almost no one to talk to.
Normally she amused herself by bullying the Port’s shipgirls, but the front had settled into a stalemate; neither side could gain the upper hand and they often just glared at each other across hundreds of nautical miles.
She was even more bored than usual.
Suddenly the scout fleet ahead issued a warning: “Alert.
Azur Lane fleet detected 177 nautical miles ahead.
Fifty-five units approaching at thirty knots.” “?!” Purifier instantly perked up.
“I was a little wary when you stayed inside the Port, but you’re actually coming out to pick a fight?
Tsk tsk tsk, did those shipgirls take the wrong medicine?” She immediately ordered her fleet to prepare for combat.
Fifty-five shipgirls was a sizable force…
not to be underestimated.
124 nautical miles… 87… 55… On the horizon the girls charging across the waves became faintly visible.
“Carriers, prepare to…
” Purifier’s order died halfway.
Her outstretched hand froze in mid-air.
The shipgirls opposite her looked different from before.
More precisely, their equipment was different.
Leading them was the Eagle Union’s flagship and strongest carrier, Enterprise.
She hadn’t materialized her rigging at all.
In her left hand she held a roughly two-meter sword glowing deep crimson; in her right, a pale-blue energy shield.
She charged the Siren fleet with unmistakable killing intent.
The rest of the fleet was more or less the same…
every one of them carried some bizarre beam saber.
“What the hell is that?!” “Where’s your rigging?!” Purifier was completely stunned.
She had fought shipgirls for years and never seen this kind of tactic or weapon.
It felt like a bunch of sword-and-shield infantry were charging her across the open sea.
“Charge!!!” “Everyone stay safe…
this is just a weapons test!
Don’t get greedy!” Enterprise shouted.
“Understood!” Clash-clash-clash-clash…
The shipgirls stormed into the Siren fleet and started hacking wildly with their beam sabers.
Smaller destroyers and escorts were chopped into pieces; even the armor of carrier- and battleship-class vessels took serious damage.
Then, just as the Sirens finished forming up and prepared to counterattack…
“Withdraw!!” At the command, the destroyer girls laid down smoke screens and the entire force retreated in good order.
In the blink of an eye they vanished over the horizon, leaving behind a wrecked battlefield.
As they pulled back, several shipgirls pulled out notebooks and jotted notes: “First test: MA-X200 beam saber.
Manufacturing difficulty medium, resource cost low.” “Effectively penetrates Siren defenses below cruiser class, but can’t cut through battleships or high-ranking Sirens.
Ayanami says it’s inferior to her ship-cutting sword…” “Recommend finding ways to increase output…” “…” Purifier sat on the surface, staring after the shipgirls who had come and gone like the wind, completely baffled.
“What were they doing?” “Using me as a test subject?”