Azur Lane: Light And Dark

A Crimson Dream

June 18, 1940.

Southern France.

It was late in the evening as the battleship Jean Bart lay on her bed reading a book.

"Natives and gold huh?" Jean had picked up the adventurous looking book earlier, intrigued by the cover which had a pair of pirates fighting on it.

Even though piracy was illegal now it seems it was about to make a comeback in the worst way, due to the war.

She now faced one of a French ship-girl's worst fears, being captured and pressed into enemy service.

The Ironbloods were at their very doorstep now, but Jean was confident that her country could hold them like they did before in the Great war.

"France WILL be victorious!"

Jean's red eyes burned passionately, gripping her book when her door opened suddenly.

"Who's there!" Bart jumped out of her bed, ready to attack, but only found her older sister.

Richelieu walked in looking terrible, her violet eyes were empty, her uniform mess.

"R-Richie, are you ok?" Jean asked weakly as she had never seen her sister in such a state.

"We have to leave Jean..., tonight." Richelieu said softly, her face and words full of despair.

"But maybe we'll be able to hold the Ironbloods off, we routed them before, we can do it again!" Jean Bart protested firmly as her sister shook her head, tears in her violet eyes.

"It's too late, no one is coming to help us. We are going to!?" Richelieu tried to explain, when Jean interrupted her.

"Surrender...."

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY IT!" Bart screamed and grabbed her sister's collar, causing the holy battleship to find some of her resolve.

"We have to surrender...."

"IT NEEDS TO BE SAID, DON'T BE A FOOL JEAN! FRANCE WILL FALL!!!" Jean's eyes widened in horror at Richelieu's statement.

"You're lying..." The brown-haired girl let her sister go and turned away from her, tears welling up in her own eyes.

"You will go to Casablanca, I will head for Dakar and we-?!" Richelieu ordered when she felt a hard slap to the face.

"I've lost everything else, I won't lose you too!" Jean sobbed loudly, shaking in place when Richelieu embraced her sister tightly.

"We are a threat to every navy at sea today and our fate will determine the war on it, but we fight for France and no one else, we are Vichy now." Richelieu whispered darkly, leaning back as a grin crossed her lips.

"Vichy? What are you talking about?" A puzzled Bart didn't like her sister's tone as something was off.

"Travail, Famille, Patrie." To Jean's utter horror her sister's uniform began to change to that of Ironblood colors.

"Oh don't be that way Jeanie, see how handsome you look?" Bart turned to her full-length mirror to find her own uniform had become Ironblood trappings.

"Now, let's do it together." Richelieu moaned hotly, standing behind her sister and slipped her hand under Jean's.

Richelieu lifted her sister's right arm up in a straight forward salute.

"Say it." Jean Bart started grinning too as her mouth opened.

"HAIL IRONBLOOD!" The two French girls yelled in unison, both staring viciously into the mirror.

"No! It's not true!" The mirror shattered into a million pieces as Jean Bart jerked awake.

Jean felt herself being dragged through the damaged port by her wrist.

The damaged French girl quickly remembered what had happened.

"That's right, that union native beat me."

"Awake?" A strangely smooth voice asked, jolting Jean conscious.

A pair of soft red eyes looked back at the French girl, causing Jean's heart to flutter.

"Yeah..., so what are you going to do with me?" Jean swallowed deeply as Mammie smiled and turned her head forward again.

"Probably do what I do with all my prey. Boil you and eat you." The union girl held in a chuckle, feeling Jean struggle weakly in her hand.

"You wouldn't, would you...? Wait..." Jean felt stupid for asking as she went limp and was dragged torwads a make-shift sickbay.

"Hey Wichita, give me a hand." Mammie called out to the cruiser in passing as the purple haired girl helped Jean to her feet.

"Wow this frog is heav-!?" Wichita moaned as Bart slid a hidden blade from the sleeve of her coat.

"Ne bouge pas"!" Jean yelled in her native tongue, seizing the union cruiser by neck and pressing the blade to it.

"Ughhh! Damnit do something Mammie!" Wichita grunted loudly, feeling the cold steel against her neck.

"Don't worry Wichita, she won't try anything." Mammie said carelessly as Wichita snapped back.

"Easy for you to say! You don't have a knife to your neck!" Mammie just smiled, looking Jean dead in the eye.

"If you harm one hair on that idiot's head, I'll have your sister Richelieu put to the "Breaker's torch" and turned into razors and soup cans by the end of the week." Mammie threatened coldly as Jean dropped the knife and fell to her knees.

"Please..., do what you want with me," Jean bowed her whole body as she started sobbing. "But please don't hurt my sister...."