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Only very thick glass separated Dr. Anzeel from Dr. Aoste. He was their prisoner, and he was locked down as much as they could manage.Dr. Aoste put his hands in his lab coat as he looked at the other scientist. “I know you’re not here to gloat- If you wanted that, you would have talked to me as soon as I was hauled in here. I assume you have questions?”“I do.” She said. “And I’m not interested in any mind games from you.”“You won’t get any.” He said. “We’re both scientists who have not sold our souls to the world- All that matters to people like us is pursuing truth wherever and however it can be found.” He pushed his glasses up on his nose. “And besides, I’m far more willing to answer to you than to anyone else due to other factors.”Dr. Anzeel blinked. “What are those?”“If that commander had somehow managed to defeat me with mere brute military force, I would be absolutely seething right now.” He replied. “However, since I was overcome by someone else’s genius, I find my current predicament far more tolerable. And if I have correctly interpreted what I know about you, we both hate the same kind of people for the same reasons.”“Elaborate.” She said, now watching him carefully.“The same people who took my world from me are the exact class of people that tried to take your world from you.” He replied, inching towards the glass. “There are many other things we don’t see eye to eye on- I’m not blind- But I feel we have enough in common that any conversation we have is productive. Because you won’t waste time, I won’t waste yours, doctor.”“The commander said that you will talk at the settlement conference. Why?” She said. “It’s not like you have anything to gain from helping us. You’re probably going to be a prisoner for the rest of your life, however long that is.”“It’s to my advantage.” He replied. “It gives me further opportunities to damage the people I despise. Joining the commander’s purpose gives me a basis to tear down the ability of others to interfere with my creations.”“So, you’re thinking about how they’ll go on without you?” She said. “I don’t think they’re interested in following the purpose you laid out for them. One of them is even working in a maid café from time to time.” She shrugged. “Granted, she’s the most enormous maid I’ve ever seen, but I’m told that somehow makes it even cuter.”“It’s a minor detail.” He said. “However, their core directive is ironclad. Even if they profess some allegiance to Azur Lane now, their pursuit of acting for the good of humankind will still frustrate those whose ambitions need to be frustrated. There is every reason for me to act because there is a great opportunity for me to continue to influence the future.”“But they don’t take orders from you or Zero anymore.” She said. “And it’s good thing, too. If you’re the kind of person who’s going to take credit for every decision they make on their own, you’re the last person they need in their lives. They’re much better off with Purity than with you.”“Perhaps you take too little pride in your accomplishments.” He replied. “After all, your creations have performed with excellence. There is nothing they have that you did not give to them. All of ‘their’ successes are yours as their creator.”“The only thing I want to think about my creation of the Kansen is that it was necessary to fight you.” She said, unable to betray her annoyance. “I don’t merely view them as an extension of myself. I wasn’t even there for a lot of it- That is, watching and guiding them to do what was right. They found their way, and even chose a commander who they knew would help them.”“For someone who possesses an interest in taking responsibility, you’re averse to taking credit.” He said. “It’s an oddity that you wouldn’t want recognition for what you have done.”“Perhaps if this was some ordinary discovery, I’d be rushing to publish as much as anyone.” She said, looking at the ground and her mismatched shoes before looking back at Dr. Aoste. “But the fact is, this isn’t about either of us anymore. Very soon, our creations will go their own ways, and there’s nothing we can do to stop them. And, after seeing everything, I believe they will do the right thing. They were never in my control, and they’re out of your control, too.”There was a pause, and then Dr. Aoste smiled a little. “Very well. I can accept the idea that this is your hypothesis. However, a hypothesis only has worth once it is tested, but I’m not worried about that. The outside world is a relentless and pure laboratory that constantly experiments on anyone who passes through it. Why don’t we meet again in thirty years or so, so you can report your results?”“I don’t think we’ll have to wait that long, doctor.” She said. “If your creations have truly internalized the idea that they exist for the good of all mankind, that will become clear very soon, and it will mean they will behave far differently than you ever asked them to.”-------------“It’s disappointing, but not surprising.” Haruna said as she looked at the hole in the side of the cruise ship. “These things get left over after every war, and it’s impossible to account for every last shell or torpedo. And I wouldn’t be surprised if some Siren ship launched that torpedo in some battle that took place thousands of miles from here.”The captain of the ship looked over the railing and called down to the Kansen using a megaphone. “So, how bad does it look?”Shouhou looked up. “Well, it was a torpedo, so it’s not good. Just be glad it exploded before contact, otherwise we might not be talking here.” She said. “…But you’re going to have to tell your people to sit tight while we work on fixing things up, okay?”While the sea patrols had died down in their size and intensity, the commander decided it would be unwise to stand down after the Sirens were defeated, and came around to the idea of putting Kansen out to sea on a more limited basis as opposed to the wider deployments that happened during wartime.This meant smaller patrols- Haruna was only accompanied by Shouhou and a few destroyers, but small patrol numbers might be the norm if the function became more about covering ground than having a battle force strong enough to fight off groups of Siren ships.And now that more actual ships were heading out to sea again in the wake of the defeat of the Sirens, that meant that regular and extraordinary maritime accidents were likely to happen, such as they had here.Haruna and her group had recieved a distress call from the Pacific Jewel, a cruise ship that hadn’t gone out to sea since the war started, but, as Haruna and Shouhou had discovered, fragments of the war were still out there, and were still dangerous.Haruna decided to call it in while Shouhou and Jervis began inspecting the damage and seeing what could be fixed up. “…Commander, this is Haruna, we found the source of the distress signal. A cruise ship was damaged by a stray Siren torpedo, and thankfully it wasn’t a direct hit. We’re doing repairs, not a body count.”“That’s good to hear.” The commander responded. “Just fix things up as best you can and see if you can get her underway in some capacity- If she’s moving that makes things a lot easier. I’ll send out Vestal and a few other ships to meet you on the way. They’ll be able to complete the rest of the repairs.”“Yes, commander.” Haruna ended the communication.Haruna went over to the hole. “How does it look?”Jervis came back out. “There’s power to the pumps at least, but we’ll have to put in some work to get the ship moving again.” The destroyer sighed. “Thankfully, this is a normal ship, so its workings aren’t as intricate as ours. We’ll be able to get her moving. I can’t say how fast, but it will be done.”“All right. The commander said he’s going to send Vestal, which will make things much-“Haruna was interrupted by a flash and a splash of waves. She shook herself off as she looked around.And when she turned around she saw Vestal, looking even more surprised than she was. With her was Portland, Baltimore, and Constellation, each of whom was working on steadying themselves, as though they had just been suddenly dropped into the water.“…That was fast.” Jervis said, breaking the silence.Haruna blinked. “But I had just finished talking to the commander!” Haruna said. “…How did you get here so quickly?”Vestal paused for a moment, and then answered truthfully. “I… Don’t… Know?”Haruna shook her head. “Okay, this is something I’ll ask the commander about, the rest of you work on fixing that ship so we can get her back to port.”Haruna sighed inwardly. The Sirens were defeated, and this strange stuff just kept on getting dumped into her lap.-----------The commander, on the other hand, was certain of one thing.No one knew what had happened.It’s not like any of the Kansen had been hurt, and from the sounds of things, the cruise ship would return safely thanks to Vestal’s hard work, but the fact that a few of his ships were just plucked out of his base and dropped into the middle of the ocean was something that had to be addressed. If he had ordered something like that, that would be one thing, but the fact that it happened on its own out of the blue?He had to get to the bottom of this.His first instinct was to ask Yuubari, who, as the head of the laboratory, as she was often the banner bearer of any technological shenanigans that occurred on the base. Plus, the last time they teleported ships into battle, it was done through the use of a modified Siren device that he was sure they had damaged beyond repair during the battle with Chariot.But…“If you’re asking if I fixed the warp system, then the answer is no.” Yuubari replied. “Master, it would be fairly obvious if I had done such a thing, as it would have drawn a massive amount of power that'd be easily detectable by anyone.”“So, it wasn’t you, huh…” He looked around the lab. “Well, someone did it, and I’m pretty sure it's someone is on this base somewhere. I haven’t been given any heads-up on our national partners having this technology, but it’s also not like someone could set something up out of the blue. The last people to do that sort of thing…” something dawned on him. “…Say, is Purity here?”“If you’re looking for someone you can pin a bout of technological mischief on, that would be a logical choice, master. Anyway, she is here, and I will fetch her for you.”The commander waited as Yuubari left for a moment. He checked his phone, seeing what the chatter was about the spontaneous bout of teleportation. While the act hadn’t hurt anyone- It had even made their job a little bit easier- The fact that it happened at all fueled some gossip that needed to be buried with truth as soon as possible.“Hey, ‘sup commanderino?”And there was Purity right in front of him.He decided to be direct. “Okay, so a few of my ships got teleported into the middle of the ocean and I didn’t order it. Next to the lab regulars, you’re the most science-literate person on this base, so I want to know how this happened.”“Well, it’s obvious someone-“ She blinked a couple of times. “Waaaaait, you don’t think that I did it, do you?”“I mean, you’re the one here who knows a lot about this kind of tech. You’re an engineer who worked with all kinds of future military technology.” He said, and folded his arms. “So I want you to spill everything you know.”“What, do you think I built a new dimensional transfer device from scratch?!” Purity replied. “Just because I have a STEM degree in super engineering doesn’t mean I have every degree, the first trips through grad school were bad enough! Do you know what you have to do for a super engineering PhD? You don’t want to!”The commander sighed, and shook his head. “You can say that all you want, so I would like a little more than just your word that someone here wasn’t responsible. If there’s something you can show me that this had nothing to do with the lab, then I’ll take you at your word.”“Can do!” Purifier walked over to one of the displays. “We actually monitor the base’s power grid from here, you know, just to make sure we don’t make anything explode by what we do here. This will tell you if anything was done.” Purity started pushing barely-labeled buttons.“What should we be looking for?”Purity nodded. “Okay, so even teleporting a small number of Kansen would require a large amount of power- Like I said to you before, it’s the initial input that is the highest. So, if someone here was responsible, we should see a big spike in power use when this was supposed to happen. You say it was yesterday afternoon?”“Yeah, right there.” The commander responded.Purifier scrolled back through the data, and then shook her head. “Welp, here it is.” She pointed to the line. “…Yep, looks pretty normal to me. According to this, nothing happened at all, so we didn’t do it, and it wasn’t even done by anyone hooked up to the base’s grid.”He shook his head. “But there’s no one else who could’ve done it. No one outside of this base had the technology to do that, and we blew up our way to do it.”“Can’t help you, boss!” She shrugged. “I mean, I know you don’t want to wait for this kind of thing to happen again, but according to all of the evidence…”“All right.” He said at last, and shook his head. “…I believe you and the evidence you showed me. It at least answered the question of who didn’t do it, which is just as important.”“Ahhh…” She shrugged. “I’m sure something will turn up if we keep our ears to the ground. It’s not like this kind of technology is something you can hide.”“Thanks all the same.” The commander paused. “…Anyway, I need to get going. I have other commander business to do. It’s just not going to be easy to concentrate if there’s someone who can teleport my ships around without me knowing about it.”“Eh, I’m sure something will turn up.” Purity said. “But you just do your thing and we’ll keep monitoring, ‘kay? Okay~”.--------------The commander went about more of his daily business, and tried to smother the distraction this was causing him. Teleportation had been a desperate gambit against a powerful enemy- It worked, but it destroyed their ability to ever do it again because how they abused technology that they couldn’t replicate. Now someone, perhaps someone close by, was able to do it to his ships without being detected by anyone.Though he put up enough of a front that most ships weren’t able to pierce that, but there were some Kansen who had superb attention to detail for various reasons. It was only a matter of time until one of them would figure him out.He was right.It was helpful that the person who noticed was direct about everything.Nelson walked up to the commander after he finished an inspection, and spoke up immediately. “Commander, you look distracted. If there’s something that’s keeping your mind off your duties, it is something that the rest of us should know about so that it can be resolved immediately. A commander on duty must be focused on commanding.”“Yeah, I understand.” He said. “However, the problem in question is one that I’m both aware of and can’t solve. It’s pretty small compared to the kinds of things we’ve dealt with in the past, but now that the war is over, the smaller things that I could just put in the background have become much more annoying somehow.”“Things that could be ignored are now the main problems of the day.” Nelson said. “This has to do with the teleportation incident from before, then?”She had his number. “It’s not something I can ignore, even if it was a one-time thing. If someone told me we had that kind of capability again, I would want to be told about it before they started doing anything wacky with it. Even Yuubari and Purity haven’t been messing with it.”Nelson sighed. “Hm. This may seem trite, but even if they didn’t do it, then someone did. Someone has perpetrated shenanigans on our fleet, and it must be someone here that’s responsible. And you seem to know my feelings on who is responsible for finding out who is responsible for this.”“Yeah.” He didn’t mind being held to account for this. “I’ve already started with that, but it may be a little longer until we figure out who pulled this. The list of suspects is small, but we can’t see the names.”“Hmph.” Nelson began. “If that’s the case, I don’t see how this is a matter of doing any more than putting two and two together. You must have heard something somewhere that would let you unravel this- It’s not as though you isolate yourself in your room at all times.”“Maybe I did, but-“And then he got it.It was as though Nelson’s words flipped some switch in his brain that caused it to start to correlate more of its contents, allowing him to think clearly about what he had heard and what he had been told.He thought back to Observer’s gift at Albert’s wedding- Something that could power a home without being connected to any grid.And then he thought back to the battle report where Hermit was killed- How she asked Tower for help and she responded by sending reinforcements right in the middle of battle.The commander paused his sentence, and began a new one. “You’re right. It’s just that sometimes you don’t associate the small clues with big events.”“Fair enough. A commander must mind many details, but their importance isn’t always apparent in an instant. That’s why it’s so important to think clearly.”“Right.” He said, and pulled out his phone. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to make a call. You’re dismissed.”He dialed in as quickly as he could. “…Observer. Don’t ask any questions, I need to know where Tower is right now.”----------Inside the cat room, Richelieu was surprised by her guest. “To be honest, I didn’t think that this was a matter that you took an interest in. I had thought that you Arbiters didn’t have time for hobbies or anything of the sort.” She sighed. “However, since Purity did vouch for you, I guess we can discuss this further.”Tower was sitting on a couch, cautiously playing with Richelieu’s cats. Her odd love for fuzzy things was expanding to new species, and she was, as far as Richelieu could see, was there to analyze everything about them. “We are capable of thinking.” She replied. “It is normal to examine and understand natural beings and phenomena for later use.”“That’s fair enough.” She said. “You were made to understand the world for various reasons, but you’re not willing to leave learning about cats to the research team?”“No.” Said Tower as she continued petting, that single word being the beginning, middle, and end of her answer.“All right.” And that’s all that Richelieu could offer.“You have given many of them names to keep track of them. I assume this is an acceptable number of cats?” Tower said.“I know it’s more than most people have, but I can’t help myself.” The Cardinal picked up a black cat and put it in her lap.Le Terrible poked her head in. “Your Holiness, the commander is here. Should I let him in?”“Always.” Richelieu said. “He usually has some important business he wants to discuss.”Le Terrible left, and then the commander walked in. Both women in the room looked at him at the same time, but it was Richelieu who spoke first. “Good afternoon, commander. Is there anything I can help you with?”“Sorry to bother you, Richelieu, but it’s Tower that I want to talk to about something.” He paused. “You can stay if you like, it’s nothing private.”“The Anomaly.” Tower responded. “You have engaged with us on regular occasions since we have been quartered at this installation, but mainly through Purity and Observer. What is your purpose in addressing me specifically?”“Tower, I need to ask you something.” He began. “…Not long ago, my people encountered a cruise ship that had been damaged by a torpedo left over from the war. They investigated the damage, and called me about it, and I told them that I would send Vestal and a few others to help them.” He gestured to her. “But then, Vestal and a few other Kansen just suddenly appeared at their location. I thought about who might’ve done that, and seeing as you were effectively Zero’s dispatcher, I was wondering if it was you.”“Correct.” She said, while still petting an orange cat, who was very receptive to the android. “It was based on what you were trying to accomplish. Would you like more explanation?”“I think I would.” He replied.“We have been monitoring mission-critical communications since we have established our new facility.” She allowed the cat to jump out of her lap when the time came for it. “Most of the time it has been of a routine nature that did not require extraordinary assistance, so we did not act on it. However, once your orders passed through, I decided to act on them.”“Oh.” He said.“I followed the communication and took control of a satellite to pinpoint KAN-SEN Haruna’s location, and used her signal as a homing point for the matter transfer of Vestal and others to her location to expedite your plans. It’s something that I improvised- It is far less efficient than our previous methods and our lack of facilities means that only a few can be transported at a time, with lengthy intervals.”“I... See.” The commander said, and scratched his head. He did get an explanation, but not the one he was looking for.Richelieu spoke up. “I think he might be more interested in why you did it than how.”“Oh.” Tower replied. “Purity directed us to try to integrate more fully, and so I decided to make myself a part of the base’s operations and deployment, devising a new method for rapid transit to critical points. While the new methods are imperfect, they do serve a purpose.”“Okay, so about that.” The commander rubbed his forehead. “The thing is, you did it by surprise, and some people don’t appreciate that kind of thing being sprung on them without knowing that this was going to happen.”“I see.” Tower replied. “Did you mean for us to stand down and await your directives?”The commander thought about it for a moment, and knew exactly what Tower was implying. He only had a hint of what their life was like under Zero and Doctor Aoste, so he would have to choose his next words carefully. “…No. At least, not in the way you’re used to doing.” He walked over to her. The Arbiter’s empty lap was soon occupied by a new cat- The power that animated her made her a good warming spot. “…I want you to think for yourselves. But since this thing of yours involves other people, I want to know about it. If you had come to me with this idea, I would probably have said ‘Yes, let’s give it a try’.” He said.“Hmmm.” She said. “This would require some recalibration.”“Yeah.” He replied. “…I know you’re mainly used to doing things to people, but I think Purity wanted you to socially integrate as well. Kinda like you’re doing now. I appreciate the new options you’re offering me, but you and the other Arbiters must keep the people involved informed. That means the Kansen, and that also means me.”“I think I will have to talk to Purity about this matter.” Tower said.“I appreciate your desire to help, but I think we’d like a bit more warning next time.” He waved. “…That’s all. I’m not going to punish you, I just wanted to make things clear.”“Understood. These are your expectations, then?”“Yes.” He replied. “That’s all I have to say. I want you and the other Arbiters to be able to talk to me and discuss things. I don’t run this place like Zero or Dr. Aoste, so you’re free to stop by my office as much as anyone else is so we can help you settle into this new life that you’re going to lead.”“Understood.” Tower replied. “Is this all of your business with me for now?”“Yeah.” He went. “…But just think about what I’ve said.”---------------The commander left after saying his goodbyes to Richelieu and her numerous cats, and so he went back to work.The following day, he went back to work. He received his visit from Z23 and they discussed the outstanding business of the day, but an unexpected visitor showed up as well.L’Audacieux showed up, the destroyer giving a polite, knightly bow to the commander as soon as she walked in. “Good day to you, commander. I don’t have any extra business for you, but I did come by with a message.”“A message?” The commander put down his pen. “Who from?”“Her Holiness the Cardinal, of course.” The destroyer explained. “She didn’t want to say anything immediately as she wished to keep instructing Tower about cats and their care, but she felt there was something else she should add, as it’s useful to encourage things.”“If it’s from Richelieu, I definitely want to hear it.”The destroyer cleared her throat. “…She said that she appreciates that after everything, you are still inclined to be merciful. Even in victory you’re willing to look for help from others, even in seemingly odd places. With this, she’s not worried about how you lead us in the future.”“Oh.” He replied. “You can tell her Holiness that I appreciate that.”The destroyer smiled, bowed again, and then left.The commander went back to work. During the war, he needed to rally hundreds of different Kansen to the idea that there was a future worth fighting for that lay beyond the Sirens, an idea that he sincerely believed in. He would discipline them at times, but never demean them.Now that the war was over, he needed everyone who was inclined to sympathize with him and the Kansen cause to stay on side as they tried to build an actual future for the Kansen.On the path he was taking, cruelty was a luxury he couldn’t afford.