Splitting Seas (Azur Lane)

Chapter X: Return

It has been quite a long time since the last chapter was published. The reason why I took so long to publish this chapter was simply because I don't have any motivation to continue this story currently. Chapter X has been in the works for around 3 months now, but it is still quite a short chapter. Hope y'all enjoy it
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In the dead of night, sounds of splintering wood could be heard. The sounds woke up Unicorn, who was now surprised and scared. Unicorn stood up from the bed, heading to where the noises came from. He looked at Adler, who was still asleep. She decided not to bother him as she got closer to the source of the sound, which was in the hallway. She opened the door slowly, peeking out through the opening. What she saw slightly shocked her. In the hallway, she could see Belfast and Formidable sneaking around. She deduced they were trying to find her and get her back to Azur Lane. She hesitated on what to do as they got closer to the door of her room. There were 2 choices, notify Adler or hit the Intruder Alert button that was present in the room. She had to be fast with her decision. Seeing as she didn't have much time left until they got to her room, and also knowing the fact Adler was quite a heavy sleeper, she went for the button. When she pressed it, alarms sounded around dorms and all around the base. This was accompanied by a repeated prerecorded voice message shouting "Achtung! Eindringling anwesend! (Attention! Intruder present!)." The loud sirens woke up everyone, including Adler.

Adler: "What's happening!?"
Unicorn: "I-"

Just as Unicorn was about to speak up, the doors to their room flew open. On the other side of the open door were the two aforementioned intruders. Just as one of them was going to say something, yells could be heard from the hallway. The 2 kansens had to run away as they were being chased by the Iron Blood ships. Adler, who had just realized what was going on, decided to hop off his chair and also give chase. Unicorn, who was surprised by his sudden action, decided to run after him. After some running, Adler and the others had stopped. Unicorn looked to see what happened, and she saw Belfast and Formidable both captured by Augusta, who used her height to her advantage. The two Royal Navy shipgirls were held captive and interrogated. Although, Unicorn didn't know what questions were being asked as she wasn't allowed into the interrogation room. After a while, Adler had exited the interrogation room, Unicorn waiting outside of the room.

Unicorn: "W-What's happening in there?..."
Adler: "Just regular old questioning. Nothing to worry 'bout.
Unicorn: "Are they fine?"
Adler: "Yeah, they'll be moved to the holding cells, just like Laffey and Javelin"
Unicorn: "Wait... you're saying that Javelin and Laffey were both moved there?..."
Adler: "Yep, felt it was too much of a bother keeping them on your ship"
Unicorn: "O-Oh..."
Adler: "Don't worry, you'll be able to talk to them later"

Adler walked away nonchalantly, heading back to his room. There Unicorn stood in the hallway, thinking about what Adler said.

Unicorn: 'Is this really... the right thing to do?...'

The next morning...

Adler had woken up from his couch once more, this time his slumber uninterrupted. Unicorn was still asleep, as usual. Adler had some matters in hand he needed to take care of, most notably the return of Friedrich der Große and Bismarck. Once they return, his duty as a commander is over. He took a shower and tidied himself up, wearing the commander's cap and his usual uniform.

Author's Note: This is a bit late, but the commander's cap and Bismarck's cap are different. The commander's cap is worn by anybody who is assigned as the commander when Bismarck isn't present. Bismarck's own cap is her sign of authority.

He ventured to the dock, where Augusta was waiting, refurbishing her handgun.

Adler: "I'm glad you're already here, Augusta"
Augusta: "Ah, commander. I've been waiting for some time. Will there be anyone else joining us?"
Adler: "Yes, under naval regulations, U-37 will be joining us. Don't know where she is though"
Augusta: "Alright then"