"Big Sis, it's time for lunch... You haven't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon. We're all really worried about the Commander, but you still need to take care of yourself."
"Mm, I understand, Montpelier. Let me calm down by myself for a while."
Hearing the hoarse voice of their usually cheerful and confident big sister behind the dorm door, the silver-haired, beast-eared sea knight Montpelier sighed with deep concern on her face.
As the third ship of the Cleveland-class light cruisers, Montpelier was a devoted big-sister admirer.
But even she couldn't lift her spirits now, unsure how to cheer up her Big Sis.
She looked helplessly at the girl beside her—an auburn-haired short-haired younger sister also from the Eagle Union, the light carrier Independence.
Though she was born as the first ship of the Independence-class light carriers, Independence was originally supposed to be the Cleveland-class light cruiser Amsterdam.
Due to various circumstances, she eventually became a light carrier, but even so, she still referred to the Cleveland-class girls as her sisters.
And she still proudly considered herself and her sisters as sea knights.
Now, seeing Montpelier turn her eyes toward her, Independence, despite feeling just as heavy-hearted, could only muster her will and knock on the door again:
"Cleveland, please come out and eat something. Everyone is really worried about you."
But all they received in return was a short reply from their Big Sis:
"Mm, I'm okay. Just not in the mood to eat."
"Sigh..."
After exchanging glances, Independence and Montpelier could only leave the dormitory in resignation.
The two returned to the first-floor lounge of the base. Though several shipgirls sat inside, the atmosphere was somber and lifeless. No one spoke a word.
Even the dartboard on the wall, the comic books on the table, and the video game console connected to the TV screen were completely ignored.
Four adorable little girls wearing bunny-ears hair clips and headbands sat with tear-streaked faces, pitiful and heartbreaking to look at.
There was also a white-haired twin-tailed girl, dressed in a black-and-white short-sleeved battle outfit with white stockings.
Though she lay on the table clutching a brown liquor bottle in her sleep, tears still slipped quietly from the corners of her adorable cheeks, dripping onto the table.
Seeing Montpelier and Independence return, a tan-skinned woman with golden eyes, dressed scantily with black braided hair, stood up.
She was none other than the lead ship of the South Dakota-class battleships, the possessor of the mighty shield and high-priority strike skills—South Dakota.
With a solemn face, South Dakota looked at the two and asked steadily:
"She still refuses to come out to eat?"
"Sigh, it's not just Big Sis. None of us are really in the mood to eat anything…"
Another girl in the lounge, wearing a red and white trench coat and red gloves, spoke bitterly on behalf of Montpelier and Independence, as if she had expected this result.
She was Denver, the fourth ship of the Cleveland-class.
And with that one statement, Denver voiced what everyone in the lounge was feeling.
The second sister of the Cleveland-class, the sunglasses-wearing girl with beige long hair—Columbia, the crimson short-haired sixth ship Birmingham, and the navy blue long twin-tailed twelfth ship Biloxi—all had gloomy expressions.
Even the usually optimistic and strong-willed sea knights had been "wiped out." The four Benson-class little destroyers burst into tears again.
"Commander... Waaa... Commander…"
Witnessing this scene, even the normally composed South Dakota clenched her fists.
Last night, they had received an emergency transmission from Saratoga.
From the Iron Blood side, Bismarck and Friedrich der Große had relayed via hologram to the Eagle Union: the Commander had been captured by the Siren Observer.
The terrible news hit them like a bolt from the blue. They could hardly believe their ears.
That was their Commander! The one most precious to their hearts!
They had only just managed to find him again—how could they lose him so suddenly?!
In this unfamiliar world, trying to retrieve the Commander from the Sirens would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
"Ugh... Laffey wants a hug from Commander... Don't go, Commander…"
At that moment, the white-haired twin-tailed little girl who had been sleeping on the table murmured in a tearful voice, as if stabbed through the heart.
Laffey, the seventh ship of the Benson-class destroyers, was the Commander's most beloved—his dearest of dears.
She had been with him the longest of all.
Even in her sleep, Laffey longed for the Commander with all her heart.
Just then, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed from outside.
A long-haired woman with blue-gray twin tails, dressed in a dark blue and black uniform and sheer black stockings, walked in with a serious expression.
"Intrepid, you're back."
South Dakota looked at the newcomer and called her by name.
It was the flagship of this military base—the third ship of the Essex-class carriers, Intrepid.
The Essex-class was also known as the "dumpling class," a nickname earned due to the sheer mass-production of Essex-class carriers by the Eagle Union during World War II, churning them out like dumplings.
In Lin Lan's port area, there were currently five Essex-class carrier shipgirls: Essex, Intrepid, Ticonderoga, Bunker Hill, and Shangri-La.
Of course, in Blue Star's history, Yorktown II and Hornet II could also be considered part of the Essex-class.
However, in the game, their mentalities remained unchanged from their originals, and their Mark II equipment was created using a unique application of the Wisdom Cubes—so they weren't technically considered part of the dumpling class.
"Yeah. I just contacted Essex again for an update. According to the information from Iron Blood, the Commander is very likely to have been taken toward the Eastern Continent."
"Is that true?!"
Hearing Intrepid's words, not only did all the sea knights shift their gaze to her, but even South Dakota's expression turned to shock.
Intrepid took a deep breath and nodded. Looking at her heartbroken comrades, she forced a smile despite the worry she felt:
"Yes. So we need to pull ourselves together.
We'll increase patrols during this period and expand the patrol range. Who knows—we might find traces of the Commander at sea."
At her words, a spark lit up in the shipgirls' eyes.
"Then we need to tell Big Sis right away and help her get her spirit back!"
Columbia, the second sister of the Cleveland-class, removed her sunglasses and placed them on the lounge table before standing up.
She was about to head to Cleveland's dormitory and deliver the only piece of "good news" amid all the heartbreak.
The Cleveland sisters and Independence were all strong sea knights.
Now that they knew the Commander was likely on the Eastern Continent in Siren hands, they would fight with everything they had to rescue him.
The other four Benson-class little bunny-eared girls—Benson, Bailey, and Hobby—also wiped away their tears.
Their eyes were still red, but they understood that crying wouldn't help. They had to bring the Commander back.
"Laffey, Laffey, wake up. Let's all go look for the Commander."
"Big Sis" Benson gently shook her sleeping white-haired twin-tailed sister on the table and whispered.
"Mmm... Huh...? Commander? Commander's back...?"
The just-awakened Laffey sleepily raised her head, mumbling in confusion as she looked toward the lounge door.
"Commander... Laffey wants a hug~"
Suddenly, Laffey opened her arms toward the door.
"Laffey, are you still half-asleep? I meant we're going to look for the Commander together."
Seeing the tear streaks still visible on Laffey's pink cheeks, Benson felt a stab of pain in her heart, and so did all the other shipgirls.
They all wanted so badly to see the Commander. If only he could just suddenly appear in front of them.
But was that even possible?
The mood sank once more into suffocating sorrow as everyone began to recall their past moments with the Commander.
None of them noticed the arrival of an "unexpected guest" who had just entered the base.
Then, as if responding to Laffey's words, a young male voice suddenly rang out from beyond the door—shocking everyone to their core.
"Hey hey hey? Anyone here?"
"What kind of military base has zero security? Aren't you afraid of intruders? Hellooo? Anyone?!"
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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