[Fluff]

"Aaaadmiraaaall... I know you're heeeere. Don't try to run awayyyy. I just want to have a little chat with you..."

The young Admiral in charge of the base in the middle of nowhere felt the sweat running down the side of his face. All while he peeked out through the tiny crack between the doors leading into the closet. Gazing upon the foreboding blonde beauty standing inside his office, who was in the process of trying to find him.

How had things come to this? Why did he have to hide away from somebody that he thought was a close ally and confidant? To explain that, one would have to think back to the day he arrived at the base...

---

Palmyra Atoll. A string of islands many miles from Hawaii, and yet still within Eagle Union territory. Due to the war against the Sirens, as well as the tenuous relationship between the Americans and the rest of the world's superpowers, a naval base had been erected on the main Palmyran island. A base in the middle of nowhere, mockingly named 'Nowheresville' by the rest of the Eagle Union Navy.

That was where the young Admiral, Prince, ended up stationed. The official reason that the higher ups had given him was the simple fact that his performance in skirmishes made him one of the utmost experts in the fight against the Sirens, therefore they transferred him to one of the front line bases for the sake of keeping him in the fight. But the reality of the matter, and something that he was very aware of thanks to the flashes every night, was that he had been the cause of several casualties on his own side. While he also fought back against the enemy, the humans that were supposed to be protected by his tactics often ended up forfeiting their lives. And he blamed himself for each and every single one of them, because no matter how great the victory, the cost was never worth it.

He wasn't the only one that bore hatred for him either. Most of his peers back on the mainland looked to him with a mixture of disgust and disdain. They were either appalled by the way that he recklessly threw lives at a problem, or simply envious that he was able to rise through the ranks thanks to these victories. He had no real allies, outside of the ship girls in the fleet. And even they weren't close enough to the point where they could go against a direct order and follow him directly to Nowheresville. All they could do was watch as he left.

"Are you alright, Admiral Prince?"

The only one that decided to join him was his aide and life-long companion, Lieutenant Queen. They had met in the naval academy and gotten through thick and thin together. And while Prince's expertise was within the chains of command and ensuring a victory at all costs, Queen was able to handle all of the logistics that were related to running the base. As long as he could support his Admiral with something as simple as that, then he was happy.

"Not particularly. And not because of the reassignment." Admiral Prince replied, as the two of them looked at the base from the boat that had ferried them out here. They had to get off sooner or later, but right now he just wanted to take everything in. Because he'd be stuck here until somebody started to show pity towards him.

The base itself was... Quaint was probably giving it too much credit. It was definitely functional, but it was clear that it hadn't seen proper maintenance in ages. Flaking paint, mild holes in the roofs... Everything that would make a base look more abandoned than anything. And yet they could both see several sailors just lazing around, so it was less that it was abandoned and more that there was no real motivation to carry out their duties.

The truth of the matter was that the base hadn't seen combat for two years. Right now, Eagle Union's focus was entirely on the growing tension between them, the Sakura Empire and the Ironblood. The Sirens had practically vanished by comparison, which meant that even IF Prince had the skills to combat that underwater menace, there were no real targets. All he was left with was a proverbially useless naval base.

"Still thinking about what she said to you, Admiral?" Lieutenant Queen asked, climbing out of the boat as he helped his dear Admiral onto the dock as well. "I know it hurts to think about. But she did what she did out of respect for you. You have to try and carry on, because that's what she would've wanted."

Admiral Prince quietly muttered as he heard Queen's spiel. But all that he could remember was that young girl's face. The young hopeful that believed in his skills. One of the many casualties of his style of commanding. If only he had stopped to think, she would...

"Ohoho? New meat already? I thought the last guy was going to be the last for sure."

Prince didn't get to dwell on his past failures for long before the sound of water dripping onto the hard pavement echoed out, with a smug short-haired girl approaching the two humans. The kind of tan that decorated her form, as well as the excessively wide grin, made it clear that she was a ship girl. That, and the fact that she still had a bit of her equipment on her still. She had probably just been out to sea a few minutes ago.

"Seems like you're stuck with me." Admiral Prince said as he gently adjusted his cap, bowing his head in front of the young-looking gal. "I am Admiral Prince. I hope that we can work well together and clear this area of the siren menace." His rehearsed and ordinary greeting to all of the ship girls that had been in his command. The first sign of courtesy that would lead them to trusting him.

This girl, however, just laughed in response to his formal approach. "Prince, eh? That's an awful name for somebody so lame looking like you." She snickered, before tossing her arms behind her head, casually emphasizing her wet armpits and her slim form, as well as the light hint of an exposed nipple thanks to the gap in the side of her swimsuit. "Name's Manta. I'm a Balao-class, and I've gotta tell you a thing or two before you get settled in, Admiral." That grin on her face only grew as she stepped closer, getting up on her tippy toes to make sure that she could talk straight into his ear.

"You better not try and ruin my routine, because I can ruin this base faster than you can blink."

Admiral Prince stood straight up, motioning for Queen to start writing down notes... Only to find that his aide had already begun. Always going a step above and beyond, even if he didn't need to. What a wonderful partner. "I see. How would you do that, Manta?" He took the threat seriously, but he still wanted to press and see what she might have up her proverbial sleeve. Surely it wasn't using that body of hers, even if that was an obvious solution.

"Ohoho? The last guy ended up shivering until he ended up jumping into the sea from sheer fear." Manta giggled, before turning around. "Let's just say that I've been here for as long as the base. And that means I know my way around the surrounding ocean. Especially if it involves getting around certain lawless individuals. But as long as you don't cause problems, Admiral, we won't need to worry about them. Maybe I can even leverage your presence for a little trade with them, ehe."

The base had truly fallen on the worst of times if a shipgirl was actively dealing with pirates like this. What was next, eagerly offering herself to the sirens? ...Considering the allies that he had fought alongside before, he wouldn't be surprised if there were ship girls like that. At least she seemed like the type to stay loyal to humanity, if only because she couldn't tease Sirens the same way she could tease humans.

"Very well. Would you mind showing us around, Manta? Surely you know everything if you've been here for that long." Admiral Prince asked, bowing his head respectfully towards his 'senior'. Even though she just barely reached up to his waist, which just made it look like he was looking down on her.

Manta tapped her chin for a moment before shaking her head and laughing. "You're outta luck there, Admiral. I've got a little patrol to finish up." She said, stretching as she walked towards the edge. "Give my regards to the Dok, alright? She told me that she'd get those upgrades done eventually, and I wanna speed across the seas so I can keep up my side gig!"

Before either of them had a chance to confirm anything, Manta had already taken off. Leaving both Admiral and Lieutenant to dwell on what they had just heard. She was a pirate in anything but name, when one took that kind of behavior into account...

"Well, this place is already showing its worst side." Admiral Prince muttered as he looked to Queen. "Lieutenant, can I trust you to keep tabs on her and figure out the kind of route she's taking? If nothing else, we can use her habits to our advantage."

"Already planning on it." Lieutenant Queen replied, grinning a little as he showed off an impressively-yet-haphazardly scribbled map of the area. "Once I confirm the kind of contacts she has, we'll be able to make contact ourselves. And from there, we might be able to secure the supplies to fix up the base. As long as we have something of value to offer in return."

"If only you didn't emphasize that last point." They were flat broke. At least, that's what the Admiral thought as he gave the base another quick look. If they hadn't bothered fixing any of it at this point, then they probably didn't have the funds to do so. "We'll have to see if we can trade labor, otherwise..."

"Already hard at work, new guy? Why don't you just relax?"

As Admiral Prince and Lieutenant Queen tried to plan out ways to fix the base, both of them were suddenly hugged from behind with impressively soft melons pressing up against the backs of their heads. Something that forced Queen to let out a yelp, while Prince just sighed. Great, they had another slacker to deal with. But would she be more agreeable..?

"If I relax, then I'll fall into the same routine that everyone else has." The Admiral said as he turned around to look at the culprit behind the hug. "I am Admiral Prince. And who would you be, young madam?" Given the fact that the woman behind him was significantly taller than the submarine they had encountered before, he adjusted the kind of respect he'd show accordingly.

Honestly, showing somebody like her respect kinda fell flat. Primarily because she just didn't look like the type of woman to receive respect. She had a tied top that showed off plenty of skin and a pair of booty shorts, while showing off her long blonde locks and her deep tan that had been so carefully maintained that you wouldn't be able to see any real tan lines underneath. Which... Probably meant that she enjoyed sunbathing in the nude. A thought that Prince tried to do his best to ignore.

"Young madam? Good grief, you're really wound up tight." The woman said as she slowly stretched after letting go of Queen. "Name's Pasadena. I'm one of those Cleveland-class girls, but you really shouldn't worry too much about that. It's not like you guys'll get a real fight or a fight that matters all the way out here." Pasadena explained as she idly strutted towards the edge of the pier, letting her generous curves sway as she almost instinctively added an element of seduction to her walk.

Both Prince and Queen stared towards her as she took a seat, right up until she casually laid down on the pier with her legs currently resting off the edge. "You humans just don't understand how to pace yourselves. You keep fighting and don't think to slow down and enjoy life. That's why you keep running into so much trouble. So just relax and think of all of this like a vacation." Pasadena explained, closing her eyes a little as she put her hands behind her head. "One long-ass, never ending vacation..."

Almost as quickly as she had started talking to them, Pasadena let herself drift off to sleep. Leaving the two young men to just look at one another, both of them deciding if they wanted to disturb her or not. Because while they disagreed with her philosophy, they still needed somebody to show them around. And it's not like any of the normal humans were willing to do so, because they had all headed straight inside when the sun started to shine a little too strongly.

"If these are the girls that I'm going to have to deal with... Then I have my work cut out for me." Admiral Prince mused as he rubbed his temples a bit. He had worked with hopeful girls. Difficult girls. Tsundere, yandere, all kinds of deres. But these two girls were something else. Because unlike all the other ship girls that he had in his fleet, they didn't seem like they actually wanted to do anything but relax and enjoy themselves...

Lieutenant Queen let out a nervous laugh as he pocketed his journal. "Let's just try and find your office, Admiral. I'll handle inventory after that, while you try and figure out how to handle these two girls." He always tried to look at things from a positive perspective. Even when there was very little room for positive interpretations like his.

"It's going to be difficult. But if we want to live here peacefully, vacationing like Pasadena suggested, we still need to ensure that we're compatible with both of them." Admiral Prince said as he slowly walked towards the main base, hoping that they'd find a way to-

Right as the two approached the main building, the ground underneath them started to rumble for a few seconds. Then a loud and intimidating explosion rang out, as a maddened laughter echoed throughout the base's grounds. Alright, they had a real basket case at the base as well. Just lovely. That meant that they had to deal with another troublemaker.

"Aaaah... Seems like this experiment was just as much of a bust as the other ones!" The troublemaker cried out as she walked out of her designated and personalized building, a bit of smoke drifting from her body. All while she idly started to trail towards the two arrivals. "But we've got brand new guinea pigs! Vunderbar!"

That wasn't a voice that belonged to a loyal citizen of the Eagle Union. That was an Ironblood native's voice. Why would there be an ironblood native here? Especially considering the current status of the two countries' relationship...

As both Prince and Queen gave the smoking lady another few looks, it was easy to tell that she was Ironblood through and through. Black uniform draped over by a lab coat, as well as all sorts of insignia that matched with the enemy. And then a couple that didn't, which actually seemed rather out of date and marked her as a veteran of one of the earlier conflicts with the Ironblood, not the one currently about to burst open. Combine that with her long white locks and her almost pristine figure, and she looked like some sort of experiment to achieve an outdated ship girl's beauty Which... Was a rather flimsy kind of experiment if both of them thought about it for longer than a few seconds. Why would an Ironblood scientist want to capture the past?

"Vat is zis?" The ironblood accent leaked through as the white-haired woman stepped closer, adjusting her enormous spectacles as they hid the crimson eyes behind the lens flare. "Oh, silly me, you're not the guinea pigs that I ordered. No no, you're the new staff! Excellent, wunderbar!" She laughed, clearing her throat slightly. "I am Doktor Koenig. Former Ironblood scientist and expert in the usage and modification of Wisdom Cubes. Honestly, it's a wonder that I'm still here to help you eagles. Mein kommandant left before I had the chance to join her for the trip back to the fatherland."

Admiral Prince slowly nodded as he heard everything that Koenig explained, before quietly extending his hand. "Thank you for your hard service since you ended up stranded on this island, Doktor Koenig. Is it possible that you can show Lieutenant Queen more about your research? It will help us decide on how to carry out the restoration of this base. In addition, it might allow me to look into the way that Pasadena and Manta operate, so I can adjust things to their liking for the sake of better chemistry."

Doktor Koenig laughed in response to the Admiral's questions, before she licked her lips at the sight of the Lieutenant. Why, he was absolutely adorable. Just feminine enough to the point where she could gobble him up if she was in that kind of mood... But at the same time, she could also... Oh yes, ooooh yes. "Ja, zat's very possible. I'll just borrow him, and he'll be as good as new once we're done." She said, practically ignoring what the young man had asked of her as she dragged Lieutenant Queen off.

"S-See you later then, Admiral!" Queen cried out, blushing a little as he was manhandled like this. Hopefully he could remain useful for his Admiral, no matter what Koenig was planning.

Little did Queen or Prince know at the time, but letting Koenig have a bit of fun would send everything spiraling out of control. Finally bringing a bit of action to Nowheresville, after what seemed like an eternity...