Charisma, aptitude, decision making, collectedness, efficiency and personality. These six cores, determined by the KAN-SEN, can make any Navy Lieutenant to Captain eligible for a position as Commander of the Azur Lane. A written exam, a round of war...
I awake to a strange scene. I'm not in the station, nor am I in the infirmary.
...I'm tied into a chair.
And what was with that strange dream? "Bel?" According to that dream, I'd have met Belfast long ago. And that other girl... 天城? Isn't that...
???: "So, you're up."
"Who?!" I raise my head quickly. At least, before it crumples. Ow. Fuck. That hurt. Cracking my neck, I look over to wherever the voice came from. She crawls out from the shadows; her tentacle arms and massive guns act as a self-check to the seemingly frail girl within.
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???: "Oh, nobody important~"
"Bullshit you're not. With the context of what I was going through... Observer Alpha, I take it?"
Alpha: "Ding, ding, ding! You are correct, Little Commander~" Her voice changes pitch constantly, as if she has 4 or 5 voices within that little body.
"So... what? Are we doing the whole 'alien probed my asshole open' or the whole 'you are under our control' B-movie schtick?"
Alpha: "The latter."
"Cool. Cool..."
...
Alpha: "That's... That's it? No resistance?"
"Nah."
...
Alpha: "Al...right, then. Prepare to become a part of the Sirens."
Her tentacles reach out to grab me.
I roll back on my chair, chucking the grenade I had cooking at her. The explosion ripped apart the chair, freeing me, but also fucking up my arms in the process. Well, survival is first and foremost.
I smash down the door behind me, rushing out into the hallway. It's a sterile white environment, so things just blend. I just picked a direction and ran. Eventually, I reached a staircase heading up, so, obviously, I'd follow it.
However, a room to the side drew me in. Inside was a Wisdom Cube... or, at least, I think it's a Wisdom Cube. It's purple in colour and has a mysterious glow to it. I take off my shirt and wrap it around the Cube. Best safe than sorry. I then rush up the stairs.
I reached the bridge of the ship that I'm on. A Siren ship.
God damn it, where the hell am I?
Oh! That's... Grim!
I flail my arms, catching her attention. She nods before returning to Enterprise. Good.
Alpha: "Where do you think you're going? *Creepy giggle~*"
Oh, shit. This isn't good.
Alpha: "And what do you think you're doing with that?" She points to the cloth bundle holding the Cube.
I look overboard, then back to the Siren, then back overboard, then back to Alpha, before saluting.
"Been a pleasure, Miss Alpha, but I must go. My people need me."
I catapult myself over the edge, being caught by Alpha's tentacles.
"...I forgot you had those for a second there." A sizzling noise tells me those tentacles can cook my foot off if I didn't have my khakis on.
Alpha: "Are you sure you're better than Hernandez? Because I'm near certain that I've done this same thing with him."
"Yeah, but did he have an archer ready to free him?"
Alpha: "Huh? ...OW!"
Enterprise's arrow punctures Observer Alpha's tentacles, freeing me. I land in Yorktown's arms as she skates us away.
"SAYONARA, ASSHOLE!" Yorktown looks at me, annoyed. "...Shut."
Yorktown: "No."
"Damn."
Yorktown: "How..."
"Headache in the police station, weird dream where I met Belfast when I was like 7 and I met Amagi, woke up there, found this–" I gesture to the bundle. "–and here we are."
Yorktown just noticed I'm shirtless and starts blushing like a little schoolgirl. To be honest, any girl would be seeing a dude who is as ripped as I am. I'm joking, obviously (I'm actually getting fat...), but this must be her first time seeing a half-naked man. Nice.
"Right. Back to base. I need to tell you girls what I encountered."
--
I rub my tentacles. 'Ugh... That Enterprise really knows how to hurt a girl!' I smirk. 'Good. She needs such strength if she is to be the Key in this simulation.' I frown. 'That Jason Davis, however... He's an anomaly. Acting like that in the face of danger... Is this what the Creator wanted us to know? Humanity's perseverance in the face of danger and atrocity? Or is it something else within that man?'
I ponder. Wait...
What was within that bundle of his?
...
I rush down into the room next to the stairs and found... nothing.
"...!" He took the Black Wisdom Cube!
"Mhmhmhmhm... Ahahahahahaha!" I start cackling. "An unexpected variable! But a welcome one, at that! Jason Davis... oh, how interesting you are!"
---
Okay, so I literally just finished this chapter like 2 minutes before upload. Very busy. Next chapter maybe Tuesday or Wednesday; Friday at the latest.
