legends are remembered in stories but heroes will always rise again to protect the weak

-Author

3 Days after the Stronghold battle

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 No One's POV
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only 3 days after the final battle at the stronghold,the fleet was restored to full strength but was never restored to its full might,no amount of ships,no variety of weapons,no amount of people could fill the gaping hole that was made from the death of the White Calamity 

the news spread fast to the other half of the fleet that was not present at the final battle and learning of the tragedy,their emotions and mood fared no better than the rest that were present at the battle

his death would echo as a reminder to them all,there was no victory in sacrifice but there would be no victory without it,even breaking through Iron Blood's iron pride,it was a solid reminder to all ships of Azur Lane,from here and to the future,no matter how powerful you are,no matter how strong,how smart,how fast and how kind you are,only those who are truly strong and understand have the strength to sacrifice for everyone around them

it did not matter what battle they had fought,how many they fought or how they fought it,the truest battles were fought against themselves and only the strong won came out on top in the battle against one self

Ladon had set the bar for a what a ship should be and he left it to the girls with his death but the girls knew,that no one would meet the bar,there was no way for them to be like him,they had won but what cost,they were lost,without purpose and without meaning,with nothing to do but stay in their base,their home,that now held little meaning for the world

the Leaders continued with their now dull and lifeless duty,keeping order between the factions on the base and organizing to keep everything in order,the ships of Azur Lane lived like any other day,waking up,doing work,going to sleep,repeat

Enterprise and Laffey however,being the ones who were struck the hardest couldn't go and live their days back to normal,both were locked in their rooms,isolated at their own wish to be alone,thinking back to the loss they suffered 3 days ago

they couldn't just go back,their will,their reason,their beacon was gone,sunk beneath the waves to never shine his light,to them,everything was dark,there was no reason to move from where they were and the people around them could do little to ease their pain

10 Days after the Stronghold battle

though Azur Lane's morale and spirit was down and low,the report to their superiors went forward to bring humanity the good news,despite their loss in the battle,they had won the war,the Sirens were no more,after all the years of strife,death and war,humanities enemy was no longer there to bring them all pain

the nations and factions celebrated with cities turning into the largest parties the world had ever seen,it mattered little where you were from or what you had done,there was so much joy in the world that people did not care

Azur Lane HQ even held their own party,looking to celebrate the victory over the Sirens after their long and grueling fight against the Sirens for years,many of its staff were victims of the Siren's attacks and it was safe to say that they were all glad to know the cause of their pain was no more

HQ,wanting to celebrate with everyone,sent an invitation to the fleet as the whole of HQ partied in full throttle,with beer,soda,expensive food and all the knobs turned to the maximum,realizing the message would take too long to reach the fleet,1st Seat High Admiral John Tempest picked up the phone in the main multi purpose role hall in the base as he dialed up the Azur Lane pacific base to invite the girls to the party

waiting for a small amount of time,the other side of the phone picked up as the High Admiral listened to Q.E's voice come from the other side,sounding quite gloomy,raising slight wonder and curiosity in the High Admiral

John:ah,your Majesty

Q.E:High Admiral,what is the purpose of the sudden call

John:haha,why do you sound so gloomy,your Majesty,humanity has won over the Sirens,the world in party overdrive,come with the fleet,join us for celebration

Q.E:........................

John:your Majesty???

Q.E:have you not read the report,High Admiral

John:the report?,I've read it al-

Q.E:all of it??....

sensing a very displeased and hinting tone in the Queen's words,the High admiral became immediately suspicious as to what she could be implying about the report as she seemed very upset with him for some reason,unknown to him why

John:no,I was excited with the news of our victory against the Sirens I didn't finish it,I'll be

Q.E:I suggest you finish reading it before calling this base again,it would be bad if you angered one of the girls for your lack of empathy 

abruptly cutting the call,the line between the High Admiral and the Queen of the Royal Navy cut as the High Admiral put down the phone and began wondering what had gotten the Queen into such a bad mood,he had thought that the fleet would be celebrating at the time as well but clearly they were not

deciding to find out what he had missed in the report that had caused the Queen of the Royal Navy to be angered at him,the High admiral had the report fetched form his office in order for him to see where he had blundered

after little while,the report was handed to him by the one he had to sent to get it as he began to pick up his reading from where he last left off on,as he read through the report,he saw how much he had missed as the Admiral went over to the stereo system and turned it off,so he could focus on reading,catching the attention of everyone however as fellow Seats of the Azur Lane alliance went to find out what was wrong

Kenneth:Admiral???,what's wrong,why'd you stop the music

Eliza:is there a problem,1st Seat

John:I need you all to quiet down

focusing on reading the report while the rest of the HQ building wondered why the party had stopped,the High Admiral eventually reached the grim part of the report,seeing what had the Queen of the Royal Navy in such a bad mood

he had been rude,disrespectful,none caring,he shouldn't have been so excited to see the news,he overlooked the cost they paid to achieve the victory they were celebrating,he disregarded the loss they took when they won

Jerome:1st Seat???

Harry:Sir,what's wrong

John:.............this is no victory

Kenneth:what!?!

Eliza:Sir,we don't understand,what happened

John:..................as of this day,I am afraid and sorry to say....................the USS Ladon,Super Modified and Super Upgraded Benson Class Destroyer..............has been sunk for the second time in combat........bravely sacrificing himself to defeat the Siren Leader

the base,hearing this news immediately realized why the !st had gone so quiet and gloomy,they were no celebrating their victory against the Sirens,they were celebrating the death of the White Calamity

though they were not ships and though most of them had not even met him,they understood the gravity of the news,they did not lose a weapon in their arsenal,they did not lose a ship in the fleet,what they lost was a dear friend,a true hero,a defender of humanity

and while they were all celebrating,they knew that the girls of Azur Lane,the girls of the fleet that kept him close and one that kept him even closer,were all grieving for his death,they had lossed more than what humanity did,they had lossed the shining beacon of the sea,the one who lit up the darkest corners in the darkest times

1 Month after the Stronghold battle

solemnly expressing their condolences to the fleet and the loss of a dear friend to them all,all Admirals visited the base to explain to them all what would become of them,now that the war was won

the threat of the Sirens were no more and now the ships of war that had been brought to life had no reason to live or purpose,this day was expected to come however,as a single protocol was made by the lossed ship that fell in battle

he wanted them to live free,away from the problems of the factions,he wanted them to live as they pleased,not dictated by the orders of others,he wanted to let them see the world from their own view and with that ideology in mind,Ladon,long before he became a legend forged the "Post Siren Azur Ship Protocol" with the council,forbidding the Council to scrap any ship after the war and letting them live as their own person 

they were free to go wherever they wanted to go and see the world whenever they wanted to see it,the Pacific Base was also now their property,letting them use it as the base as their main household but also letting buy their own wherever they please 

documents,files,history and background would be made for them all by HQ for them to live in hiding as humans should they want to feel the normal human life,though they were given the opportunity,only few took the offer,wanting to see the world for what it and how it really was

most of the girls decided to stay and live in the base they had already grown very accustomed to,they would still be supplied and funded by the Alliance with everything they needed as they lived their lives but there was still a downside to the protocol

for the Alliance Seats to have agreed with the proposed Protocol,Azur Lane had to make sure they would get something out of it,for whenever a new threat rises or should our enemy return to threaten the world again,Azur Lane's ships were to return to service no matter where they where in the world with no questions asked

they would be given recall devices to alert them of their needed return to service but while peace lasted,Azur Lane would continue to create ships for its navy,to continue to guard the world and bolster it's forces

it was an easy offer that both Ladon and the Seats agreed on and though he could not see it,the  council Seat members in front of the girls knew,he would glad to know that his protocol got to be used 

1 Month,13 Days after the Stronghold battle

after a long while Enterprise and Laffey came to their senses,they made a promise to Ladon,to their beloved,to their Brother,they would live their life to the best they could,giving the only form to contact them to their Sisters,the two left the base to live together

Ladon's mansion was more than enough space for the two and with the advanced AI of the household activating after his death,it would always be in the best of conditions,the location of the household remained guarded behind the minds of the only people who knew where it was,Enterprise and Laffey were untrackable on any network or device after their recall device was deactivated using a device prepared in the mansion to keep them off the radar

using the mansion as their main place of rest and with Ladon's vast fortune,the two lived like queens but only spent what was needed,content with what they were already given,from there they kept their promise,Laffey did what she wanted,having fun,going out with friends and exploring the world,Enterprise,with her human background disguise,got a job and worked,using her free time and day offs to see the world's beauty as she had promised

 Justice and Antenna we're taken in by the two,now serving one each,Justice going to Laffey and Antenna going to Enterprise as the two Meowficcers dedicated their days to serving the loved ones of their previous Master,they had learned of what had happened to him but they knew what he would have wanted from them,he wanted them to live freely like everyone and so they did,freely choosing to stay with the closest people to him

the two kept relatively in contact with the rest of Azur Lane and it's forces as Enterprise was still in fact the leader of Eagle Union,with Washington taking charge for the ones who still lived in the base,often chatting with their Class and friends on occasion and sometimes even meeting up to hangout and have fun

safe to say,all was right in the world,now that the Sirens we're gone and the sacrifice one ship took to give it to them would never be forgotten for as long as one ship lived to tell the tale to the next generation

4 Months,19 Days after the Stronghold battle

after some time,Azur Lane got back on its feet,their morale in spirit back at its highest after months of grief,a new generation of shipgirls had been created to serve along the old generation but only few had been deployed to bases around the world,none of which sent to the Pacific Base and none coming into contact with the old generation

the girls that the world was familiar with was living their lives as they wanted but today,they had all returned to the Pacific Base,they had received a call,stating that something was coming to the base and it was imperative that they all see it

Enterprise and Laffey were indicated the most,the message specifically stating for them to be at the base,no one knew what was happening or what was arriving but they knew it had to be important if HQ wanted them all back there to see it 

they were all waiting on the docks,the entire fleet,assembled fully for the first time in months,they were all waiting to see what was arriving but when it came into view,it shocked them all

just before the horizon,the entire fleet looked to see a massive ship approaching the base,much bigger than any ship that had ever docked in their port before,a Carrier of a size that was bigger than the Shinano

behind it was a smaller but still incredibly large ship and this one shook the fleet to it's core,they recognized the ship,how could they not,it belonged to their most dearest friend,an ally to all of humanity and it's defenders,it was Ladon's ship,following close behind the giant carrier

Enterprise could barely hold herself back from charging forward and checking the ship but she showed restraint and waited for the answers to come to her as she looked back to the giant Carrier that approached them all

as it approached,the radio of the fleet went off,signifying a call from someone was Enterprise was the first to pick up,hearing the voice of the caller,she immediately recognized it as the voice of her beloved's creator,she had only met her 2 week prior to this arrival but she didn't think to hear from her so soon

Enterprise:Ms.Emma,is that you

Emma:please drop the Ms,Enterprise,you make it sound like I'm married

Enterprise:sorry but what is with the sudden call

Emma:are you and the fleet all at the docks

Enterprise:uhh,yes we are,are you the one who called for us to come here

Emma:yes,at this time you should be seeing a large Carrier approach the base 

Enterprise:we do,it's nothing like we've ever seen before

Emma:I know,it's newly activated ship from HQ,I was put in charge of it and it's shipgirl,so I'm calling you all to inform you about it and some details about it

Enterprise:I see

coming to halt just before reaching too close to the port,the giant Carrier came to a full stop as everyone admired in awe at it's massive size,thinking it carry probably hundreds of aircraft in it's hangars

Emma:listen to Me all of you,you may all board the ship but do not make too much noise,the shipgirl on it is most likely still asleep,it would be bad to wake her up now

hearing the green light to boar,Enterprise relayed the instructions and rules to the rest of the fleet as they all went to the Carrier and jumped up to the flight deck which was big enough to have all of them on it 

as they all got on though,Enterprise was already looking at the surroundings of the flight deck as it was much larger than anything she's seen before as even her own flight deck was not as large or as long

as she looked around though,she found a disturbing sight that she almost couldn't fadom,as she looked at it,the rest of the fleet saw as well as they all looked at a young girl,laying on her side on the flight deck,she had silver hair and lilac purple colored eyes and was wearing a sleeveless white uniform with a black belt around her waist and a long black jacket over it with a commander's cap on her head

she was unconscious and was lightly snoring as she slept but resembling her so much,Enterprise couldn't believe what she was seeing,it was like looking into a mirror but the mirror made you look younger,she was the spitting image of her and the fleet could only assume that this girl was the shipgirl of this ship

Enterprise:Ms.Emma what is this!

Emma:let Me explain to you all,the sight in front of you,a few days before your attack on the Siren Stronghold 4 Months ago,I was contacted by Ladon,he understood that he might not make it back from the battle,because of that,he asked Me to create something,something to symbolize both him and Enterprise together,their undying bond,so 4 months and many perfection checks later,I finished her

Enterprise:is this-

Emma:Enterprise,in front of you is the product of Ladon's love for you,a child,made of both your's and Ladon's data,the ultimate shipgirl,possessing the natural airpower and strength of her Mother and the willpower,knowledge and experience of her Father,she is the next White Calamity,her name......is Enterprise,CV-65,codename Silver Skyline or as Ladon put it Lil E

hearing the news,Enterprise approached the child as she continued to peacefully sleep,she remembered Ladon's words,"take care of her for Me",she thought he had meant Laffey or the fleet in general but no,he had other plans and it was right in front of her,the product of their undying,unwavering,undeniable love

a tear formed in her eye,remembering Ladon as she immediately wiped it away,wanting to be strong in these time as she picked up the child and brought her into her arms,cradling her so that she would not be sleeping on the ground of her flight deck

Emma:I'm sure you know what Ladon wanted of you regarding her

Enterprise:I thought I understood what he said before he died but now I truly understand,I promised him,that I would take of her,I'll keep that promise

Emma:she has the basic combat learning already mastered and both your's and ladon's combat experience in her but it'll be up to you to teach her,just know she'll learn fast

Enterprise:I bet,Ladon learned fast too

Emma:he was the fastest to learn,that is why he was the best

speaking of Ladon reminded Enterprise of the ship that came along with the giant Carrier as she looked toward where the ship came to a stop as well to find laffey already looking down on it from the side of the flight deck

everyone moved to the side of the deck to see the ship as they all looked at the very familiar ship,it was one that ended a civil war in the alliance,it was one that brought together the factions,it was one that brought peace to the world and it was one that gave them all freedom to live as they wanted

Laffey:Ms.Emma,what is this

Emma:we're not sure Laffey,it appeared from nowhere when no one was looking at through the scout panel,there's no signatures or life forms on it but it is definitely Ladon's ship

Enterprise:has it done anything

Emma:other than follow Lil E,no,it's done nothing

as they talked,Ladon's ship began to glow brightly,catching the attention of everyone as Ladon's ship deconstructed and turned into a Wisdom Cube,it floated above the water before levitating up up to eye level of the fleet as it spun in it's rotation in front of the fleet

glowing again,the Cube released a bright light,brighter than before as the fleet covered their eyes to shield themselves from the light,when the light died down,the fleet looked in front of them to see that the Cube had become 3 necklaces and a small device 

AN:i know it looks scuffed but give Me a break,painting with Windows 7 paint with mouse and keyboard isn't easy and I'm no artist,this already took Me around 30 minutes and it's bunch of lines

the three necklaces floated to Enterprise,Laffey and the sleeping Lil E as their strings wrapped around their necks and sealed together with an easy to seal lock,the device floated to Enty as she took it into her hand to examine it 

before she could see what it fully looked like,a screen on the device lit up and projected a few words or commands that it had as Enterprise and Laffey looked at the commands and found them more as requirements for the device,"must be in mansion proximity","Lil E must be in proximity","Enterprise and Laffey must be the only people in proximity of the device aside Lil E","area must be secret or empty of any other person no mentioned prior"

Enterprise:Ms.Emma do you know what this device

Emma:no,I suppose you'll have to see for yourself as I have no idea or clue about it

Enterprise:I see,thank you for all of this

Emma:Losing Ladon hit you and laffey more than anyone,he wanted you to take care of her because he didn't want you to be lonely,take good care of her

Enterprise:I will,you can count on it and even if he's not here,he can too

hearing her response and her answer,Emma cut the call between her and the fleet as everyone,seeing what they had come to see and seeing the situation all hopped of the giant Carrier while Enterprise and Laffey talked about what they were going to do with this sudden turn of events

2 Hour after Lil E's arrival

half past noon and it had already been awhile since Enterprise and Laffey returned to the mansion,they closed the windows,locked all the doors and activated every safety precaution the mansion AI had to conceal themselves from any threat 

it was the moment of truth,they were in the living room with Lil E still asleep and laying on the couch and with the device on a coffee table in front of Laffey and Enterprise,sensing that all requirements had been met,the device opened up,and projected a hologram of a figure

the figure was Ladon as it was accurate holographic recreation of the shipboy that died 4 months ago 

Hologram Ladon:hey there you two,if your listening to this then that means,I'm no longer alive,I'm not sure how long it will be from then and now but I want you both to be strong,I'm gone now so I won't be there to protect you both,the safety of the world,our oceans,our friends and everyone,their in your hands now,I've left Azur Lane with big shoes to fill but I believe there were no better people to protect these oceans than you girls,I hope you both get to live in this peaceful life for a long time-

Enterprise looked at the hologram as it talked,it was too convincing,it looked all too real,she approached the hologram and reached out her hand to touch his but was disappointed to not find his warm and caring touch as she reeled her hand back

Hologram Ladon:as for Lil E,I already know you'll take care of her well,I know you'll teach her,train her,nourish her with everything she needs,don't force yourself to talk about Me to her,if you don't want her to feel empty about losing her father then don't bring Me up at all,it's up to you,protect her for Me and remember,as long as you wear those necklaces,I'll always be right beside you,watching over you and protecting you,don't lose it,that's all I have to say,let this be my final message to you two,I am glad to have met you and love you Enterprise and I'm glad to have given you this peaceful world Sis,take care

finishing his message,the hologram disappeared back into the device and once it was back,the device glowed,turning back into a very small Wisdom Cube and quickly going to Lil E as it infused itself into her necklace

Enterprise walked over to the small but also big carrier as the child slept peacefully on the mansion sofa,she looked at her examining her entire being and appearance,she was the same but smaller,she was her child with Ladon yet she would never get to meet the wonderful man,that is her father 

Laffey;what is Enterprise going to do now

Enterprise:nothing changes Laffey,I'll take care of her,even without Ladon,I know this is what he would have wanted,I'm going to prepare her to defend herself,I must make sure she's safe

Laffey:Laffey will help

Enterprise:I know you will,I know everyone will,that's why he trusted us so much

picking up her child from the sofa,Enterprise cradled the small version of herself as she carried her to bring her to a room,so she could sleep peacefully and wake up to a much better start than any before

Enterprise(mind):Ladon,I hope you're watching,you'll see,I'll take care of her,I'll make sure she grows with every bit of love and care you wanted her to have,I'll make sure she grows to be just as strong as you,so she can protect every like you did 

Author:and with that,the epilogue concludes and the books ends,I truly hope you all enjoyed this story and for all it's worth,I had a blast and an emotional circle making it,it had ups and downs,the start was not that good as I was a novice writer but I hope you all enjoyed thoroughly 

as I stated by a past announcement on my profile,thi story will be replaced by 2 new stories,1 Azur Lane and the other is Honkai Impact so I hope you all look forward to them both,until next time

Shadowgamer254 out

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Ladon's POV
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waking up,I could remember dying in front of Enty and Sis,bleeding out from the Arbiter's lance,for the second time,I had died but it wasn't like last time,instead of the cold grasp of eternal darkness,I found myself in a white void

in front of Me was a sofa and some memories that we're coming back,realizing where I was,I approached the cushioned seat and sat down,reclining back on the soft surface of the pillows behind Me 

all before glancing back to see a glitched out figure of someone I was getting memories about,I already knew who it was but I wondered why he was here

Ladon:I didn't expect to see you

???!?!?!??:neither did I

Ladon:what are you doing here

???!?!?!??:that's my line,I'm here to see if I had enough questions to answer

Ladon:heh,don't let Me hold you up then

???!?!?!??:no,no,this is far more interesting

Ladon:know why I ended up here??

???!?!?!??:your story ended,finished,reached it's finale

Ladon:I thought my world would go into universal freeze like your original

???!?!?!??:my original world didn't continue,not end,our situations our different

Ladon:I see,how long will I stay here

???!?!?!??:not sure,that's up to the Author to decide,you'll probably be here for a while but I know he's not done with you

Ladon:heh,good to know

???!?!?!??:need anything while I'm here

Ladon:no I'm good

???!?!?!??:alright then,get comfortable,solitude gets real boring real fast

Ladon:I know