7 December 1941
Location: Pearl Harbour Multinational Naval Base
Time: 1300
Under the intense heat of the sun, in the partly decimated base of Pearl Harbour, many girls wearing hi viz vests and safety helmets were seen moving huge boulders littered across the base. These girls were assisted by small chicken-like creatures, called Manjuu, that directed the girls to the disposal site. Both the girls and the Manjuus were diligently cleaning the debris so they could quickly rebuild necessary installations and buildings such as their dormitories. Almost every able-bodied Kansen joined the effort, making the roads so crowded that an observer might mistake the scene for a protest by female construction workers, albeit with peculiar chicks spotted here and there.
"The Royal Navy is here!" a Kansen cleaning near the harbor suddenly shouted, drawing the attention of others to the ocean.
One ship after another showed up neatly from the horizon. The fleet was large, with numerous ships that came from many classes, for some kansens, this view was magnificent. But there was one ship that gathered quite an amount of attention from the onlookers. Her design was sharp and boxy with a dominant white color covering the ship, contrasting the deep silver color from other ships around her. In short, she stuck out like a sore thumb.
As the fleet approached, some Kansens positioned themselves on the piers to assist with the docking process, while the Manjuus hopped into their tugboats to guide the arriving ships. One Kansen, USS Memphis, found herself standing on the pier where the unique ship was about to dock. Thick ropes in hand, she waited for the Kansen aboard the ship to appear and begin the mooring process. As she waited, she studied the ship more closely. Judging by its size, she guessed it to be a heavy cruiser, but its two box-shaped bulges on the bow and the very-low deck on the stern were unusual. And it appeared to have no guns.
She waited for quite some time but the kansen had not shown up, so she decided to call out to the kansen.
"Hey! Anybody there? I'm here to help moor your ship!" Memphis shouted.
"Ah, sorry!" came a voice from the ship.
A minute later, a girl with light brown hair in a silvery white dress appeared at the bow, with a black eagle perched proudly on her head.
"Sorry, I didn't see you there!" the girl apologized.
"It's alright, catch!" Memphis called, tossing one end of the rope. The sight of the Kansen with an eagle reminded her of a certain someone.
"Okay, got it!" confirmed Mo, catching the rope's end.
The docking process went without a hitch and the mysterious kansen descended from the ship, walking toward Memphis.
"Thank you for the help," the kansen thanked Memphis gratefully.
"No worries, also welcome to Pearl Harbour Naval Base! I'm USS Memphis, nice to meet you!" said Memphis with a welcoming smile.
"Nice to meet you too, I am.." the mysterious kansen stopped her introduction when a shout reverberated.
"Monsoor, are you done docking? We need to head to the Commander's office!" The shout came from a little girl, but of course Memphis knew who that girl was.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" the kansen replied back formally. "Sorry, Memphis, as you heard from Her Majesty, I'm Monsoor. Glad to meet you," said the kansen, Monsoor.
"Umm, looks like you'd better hurry, Her Majesty is waiting for you," said Memphis with a wry smile.
"Right, see you later, Memphis" said Monsoor as she ran toward Queen Elizabeth and her entourage.
Memphis looked at the Queen's entourage and saw two important figures from the Royal Navy were present, HMS Hood and HMS Warspite. She wondered who was this Monsoor to be called personally by Queen Elizabeth to join them.
"Well, they're off to meet the Commander. Maybe they're going to discuss the previous attack or plan future operations?" Memphis shrugged her thoughts off as she looked back into the white ship.
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On the way to the Commander's office, Mo was observing the base, or what was left from it. Looking from the damage alone, what the Sakuran had done was quite on the heavy side, maybe because the layout of the base was rather congested, especially in the residential and storage areas. Mo noted how the enemy had strategically targeted areas that would cause the most destruction first: the residential zones where the Kansens lived and the warehouses storing combustible materials. Luckily, before they could attack other parts of the base, they were routed. The defender also did a great job dampening the onslaught for enough time before her missiles arrived.
As she pondered, Queen Elizabeth's voice broke through her thoughts.
"Eight battleships and two carriers... are those the unlucky ones?" the Queen asked, pointing at the ships in the dry docks. The battleships bore massive holes below the waterline, clean torpedo hits.
"I'd say so, Your Majesty. They were likely used as the last line of defense against enemy aircraft, acting as AA fortresses. But the carriers... those clean holes on their flight decks... no dive bomber could do that," Warspite speculated.
Mo listened to Warspite's analysis and focused on the two carriers. The damage resembled missile strikes. Had the Sirens done this? She was sure she hadn't targeted any allies.
"The carriers are Hiryuu and Soryuu from the Kido Butai," suddenly a stern voice gave them a clue.
"Oh, I didn't know you had arrived, Grey Ghost. Glad to see you well," Queen Elizabeth greeted the newcomer as they turned to face her.
The voice belonged to a Kansen dressed in a long U.S. Navy coat and uniform, complete with an admiral's cap, but with a short black skirt and thigh-high black stockings. Her expression was flat, as if unimpressed by anything.
"Just got here two hours ago. If only I'd wrapped up the plane deliveries earlier, I might have arrived before the attack," the Grey Ghost replied somberly.
"Enough of the 'what ifs,' Enterprise. The important thing is that the attack was repelled with minimal losses," Hood admonished gently.
"Yeah, thanks to you all. I heard about what happened from Cleveland, and as a representative of the Eagle Union, I want to thank you," said Enterprise sincerely.
"We are allies in this war, we just do what we have to do. Right, Monsoor?" said Queen Elizabeth.
"And who might this be?" Enterprise asked, eyeing the unfamiliar Kansen beside Warspite.
Before Mo could respond, Queen Elizabeth interrupted, "We'll discuss her in the Commander's office. You're going there too, aren't you?"
"I met him earlier, but fine. She seems like quite a guest," Enterprise said, scanning Mo from head to toe.
Mo felt uneasy under Enterprise's scrutinizing gaze. This Kansen was supposed to be 'the Enterprise', the aircraft carrier with 20 battle stars, yet she seemed to be judging Mo as either friend or foe.
For a battle veteran, she always looks on high alert even outside of the battlefield. Does she have PTSD or something? thought Mo as she and others continued their way to their destination.
Once they reached a simple but sturdy door, Enterprise knocked. A male voice answered from within. He was the Commander.
"Please come in," said the Commander.
Mo and others entered the room and found there were already two ladies sitting on the sofa.
"Welcome, Your Majesty, and ladies of the Royal Navy. I apologize for the state of the base, we were preparing for your arrival, but unfortunate events occurred. Welcome back, Enterprise," the Commander greeted them with a wry smile.
"Welcome to Pearl Harbour, Your Majesty. I'm glad to see you're well," Wales said, bowing slightly.
"Welcome Royal Navy! Also Enterprise, you're back!" said Cleveland excitedly.
"Oh my, thank you, Commander, Wales, Cleveland, still though, I appreciate the thought. And fret not, the Royal Navy kansens should be already helping clean up the mess, with the Maid Corps here everything should be done soon," said Queen Elizabeth reassuringly.
"But aren't you all tired from the long voyage?" the Commander asked with concern.
"Don't worry. We had a feast on the way here, so everyone's in high spirits," the Queen reassured him again.
"Well, they certainly deserved it after such a performance. As the Commander of Azur Lane, I want to formally thank you for not only helping repel the enemies but also for dealing devastating damage to them," the Commander said, smiling.
"Oh my, who said we did all that?" Queen Elizabeth responded with a proud smirk.
"If not your fleet and your new weapons, then who?" the Commander asked, puzzled.
"Not a weapon, Commander, but an ally... Monsoor, you can introduce yourself," Queen Elizabeth urged.
"Is it okay, Your Majesty?" asked Mo, unsure about the Commander. This was their first meeting and she still did not trust him. Azur Lane was supervised by nations around the world, after all, and who decided to put the Commander in his position right now? Those nations. World politics were too sinister to get involved in, knowing that she was an anomaly in this world.
"It's fine. I vouch for him, so you can trust him. Right, Enterprise?" Queen Elizabeth asked, passing the question to Enterprise.
"Yeah, he's done a lot to ensure our independence as an organization. Those greedy politicians won't dare touch you," Enterprise reassured, sensing Mo's concerns.
After the two leaders from two factions said she could trust him, Mo felt somewhat relieved. Although she still could not fully trust him, just yet, a backing from basically the leader of the biggest naval organization in this world was extremely beneficial for her survival.
"Nice to meet you, Commander. My name is USS Michael Monsoor, DDG-1001, of the United States Navy. I am the second ship of Zumwalt Class Guided Missile Destroyers. I was rescued by Her Majesty after I lost contact with my squadron. Also… I come from another world…"
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