As it was almost every morning, I awoke about five glorious minutes before my alarm went off. Now, for most people, they would find it utterly annoying that they would be robbed of five minutes of precious sleep, and, if we're being honest, I was one of them for the longest time. But, unlike most people, I now woke up to a spectacular view. You see, the same cold morning light of winter that filtered into the room and woke me up also illuminated my bed partner. Ruler of the Iron Blood, the pride of her navy, unstoppable dreadnaught and love of my life, Bismarck, slumbered peacefully and contentedly next to me. The dawn's early rays lit up her blonde hair as if it had been spun of gold, and her bare skin practically glowed. To see her like this, every morning, was well worth the lost five minutes of sleep.
But as it is with every morning, the alarm comes far too soon and she slowly stirs, stretching languidly before she opens her eyes, the blue-gray irises like a stormy sea, and graces me with a soft smile that lights up the room far more than the sun ever could.
"Guten Morgen, mein Liebe," she greeted me, and I leaned in for a soft and tender kiss.
"Good morning, my heart," I answered when we broke the kiss, reaching out to brush an errant lock of hair out of her face.
"What time is it?"
"Same as always, six o'clock."
"Thirty minutes, then. Let's get to it."
"Jawhol, meine Dame." With that, we began our morning ritual. We got out of bed, showered, and while I shaved, she prepared two cups of coffee and a cup of tea. Once we were both dressed, I dropped six slices of toast into the toaster and prepared the sausage while Bismarck made eggs.
"One minute," she announced and I made my way to the door, unbolting the lock before helping her finish setting the table. Everything in place, we checked our watches as the final seconds counted down.
"Ten seconds."
"Five."
"Four."
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
Right on cue, the door flew open and U-556 burst into the apartment, a bright smile on her face. "Dame Parzival, reporting for breakfast!" she declared with a happy salute. The girl was shockingly punctual, as we had rapidly learned over the past month. We both returned the salute with a sharp one of our own before she crashed into us for hugs.
"Oof! Good morning, Parzival," I said as I wrapped my arms around her. "Did you sleep well?"
She nodded eagerly as she sat down at the breakfast table. "Mhm! U-96 was up a bit late though, still planning that trip around the world once this is all over."
"It's good to hear she's making plans for the future," Bismarck chimed in as she took her own seat. "One is more likely to fight harder if they have something they want."
"So what do you and Herr Kommandant plan on doing once the war is over?"
Caught off-guard by the question, Bismarck and I stammered and looked at each other for guidance. Eventually, I spoke up first. "Ah...I don't think either of us has really talked about it yet. Probably get started on rebuilding, I guess…"
Bismarck nodded slowly as she thought it over. "I think you're right. We'll need to rebuild, especially the Iron Blood after everything we've been through." A dark cloud settled over her face as she had the same realization as I did. Rebuilding would mean that Bismarck would go back to Wilhelmshaven to oversee reconstruction, and I would likely stay here, on the other side of the world.
"But that's all a long way off still," I said, reading her thoughts and giving her a reassuring smile. She smiled sadly back and nodded.
"Indeed. Still plenty of time to work things out."
U-556 nodded as she wolfed down her eggs with a gusto rarely seen outside of starving animals. She took a sip of her tea before dropping a major bombshell. "You two should get married," she declared matter-of-factly as she speared a sausage link with her fork.
Bismarck and I flushed beet red and chuckled nervously as we looked between each other, then back to her. This time, it was Bismarck's turn to speak first. "And what would make you say that, Parzival?"
"You guys live together, you love each other, you spend all your free time with each other, it's what married people do, right?"
"Well, yes…" I began, still glancing over at Bismarck. "It's a bit more complicated than that, though. You want to make sure you're comfortable living with that person, that there aren't any unforeseen disagreements, a few other things…" Like the fact that I hadn't disclosed my relationship with Bismarck yet to High Command. While I haven't done anything improper just yet, marrying the head of the Iron Blood while I'm in command of Azur Lane would be...problematic to say the least. I wasn't even sure how High Command would take the news that we were romantically involved, to be honest.
"Shouldn't be that complicated," Parzival shot back with a sour look on her face.
While I agreed with her somewhat simplistic statement, I simply smiled and shrugged. "That may be," I said, "But sadly, it is. Nothing you need to worry about, I'm sure things will work themselves out in due time." I glanced over at Bismarck, who was giving me a curious look and so I simply mouthed "Lunch" to her while Parzival was distracted by the toast on her plate. It was something we probably should address, and soon, but not in front of U-556. No sense troubling her about grown-up matters.
Bismarck gave me a nod and a tight smile and fortunately, U-556 hadn't decided to press the matter further, so the battleship was able to steer the conversation back to less serious matters. "If I'm not mistaken, today is Tirpitz's first day as your secretary, is it not?"
"It is!" I happily confirmed after taking a swig of coffee. "I'm excited to have her in the office, and I think Prince of Wales will be happy to be out on patrols again. Any juicy sisterly gossip I should know about before we start our first day together?"
She laughed softly and shook her head. "Not really, I'm afraid. Just that she's excited to get to work with you at last. She teased me about making sure you were 'worthy of my affections.'"
I took that as a good sign that their relationship was continuing to mend and grow. "Ah, the old protective little sister bit. Glad she's become so protective of you, though."
"Me, too," Bismarck agreed as she leaned back in her chair, a contented smile on her face. Those happy, unguarded moments were rare to see, even now, but every time it happened, my heart swelled. To get to see the real Bismarck, the woman underneath, and to see her happy...well, it made it all worthwhile.
I turned my attention back to "And you, Parzival, what's on the agenda for Bismarck's adjutant?"
"Patrol," she grumbled. "Me and a few others are doing a quick recon up north. Intel said it's probably gonna be boring."
I grinned at her reaction. "Well, they can't be all thrilling combat and high stakes action. And the quieter it is, the faster you can get back and help out Lord Bismarck."
U-556 tapped her fork against her lips as she thought it over before nodding and giving me a great big smile. "Alright, then! Let's get out there!"
Any objection to our departure died when I noticed that we had all finished our breakfast, and a quick inspection revealed that my coffee cup was similarly empty. I glanced over at Bismarck, who simply smiled and shrugged back at me. "Guess it's time to head out, then."
We gathered our respective caps and jackets, set the dishes in the sink, and all filed out the door. While I locked the door, Parzival gave us one last wave before dashing off to the sub pens for her patrol. Bismarck waited until I locked up and slid the keys into my pocket before pulling me in for one last kiss before lunch.
"Good luck out there today, mein Liebling," she whispered.
I leaned in to steal just one more kiss before smiling back at her. "And you, mein Schatz. Victory to the Iron Blood."
"Victory to us."
I strode into my office, still riding the good mood from this morning to find Tirpitz already hard at work. As soon as I entered the room, she quickly stood from her desk, snapping to attention, and saluting me smartly.
"Guten Morgen, Herr Kommandant," she began. "I've taken the liberty of compiling the daily commission reports, as well as oil expenditures and patrol routes, and have them awaiting your signature on your desk."
I checked my watch to make sure I hadn't been running behind and sure enough, I was right on time. "That's...very efficient, Tirpitz, thank you," I said, my voice somewhat subdued. "How long have you been here this morning?"
"About fifteen minutes."
"And you've already gotten all this work finished?"
She nodded curtly. "There wasn't much else to do beyond filing reports when I was stationed up in the fjords, so I became quite skilled at it." A sad, soft smile crossed her face. "It would appear that I haven't lost my touch with that, at least."
For a moment, my heart went out to her. I'd rather her first day as secretary didn't dredge up such painful memories. "You know, you could have just waited for me to arrive."
"Once you get used to waiting, you lose sight of what you were waiting for."
"Fair enough," I conceded. "I guess you've had your share of waiting." She nodded, and I gave her a soft smile. "How about we get to work then?"
"That would be excellent, Herr Kommandant."
We both took our seats and began to dive into the day's paperwork. A few minutes passed before Tirpitz spoke up. "Looks like some of your personal mail got in with the official base mail."
"Oh?" I looked up from my work as she crossed the room. "Wonder who it's from…"
Tirpitz glanced down at the envelope before handing it over. "Same last name on the return address. Family?"
My smile broadened as I looked down and confirmed it was indeed from my family. "Yep. Wrote to my sister about a month ago."
"Would you like me to give you some privacy?"
I emphatically shook my head and gestured for her to sit. "No, no. After all, you're practically family as it is." Tirpitz suddenly froze up, her cheeks flushing red, and I wondered if I'd said something wrong. "You okay?"
She stared off into the distance for a few moments longer before snapping back to reality, shaking her head as she took a seat. "Sorry, Kommandant, it's just...I spent such a long time, cold and alone, and in just a few short months I have a sister, friends who care about me...a family. Sometimes it can be a little...overwhelming."
"Understandable," I smiled, "Hopefully it's something you'll get used to, and that it's a good sort of overwhelming in the meantime."
"It is," she reassured me. "It very much is."
"Good, good. Now, if you don't mind, I'm just going to read this real quick."
"By all means."
I tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter, quickly reading it over and feeling a sense of relief wash over me as I finished it. Setting it aside, I looked back up at Tirpitz, who raised an eyebrow.
"Good news?"
"It is," I confirmed with a grin. "My last letter mentioned that Bismarck and I had become romantically involved, along with a photo of her and me. This letter was their reaction to it, and they are both happy and supportive of us."
She cocked a snowy eyebrow. "You were concerned they wouldn't be?"
"A little bit," I admitted. "Mom and Dad are sorta fuzzy on kansen and how you guys work. I've explained it a few times, but it's never really stuck for them. They're happy for us, though, wish us all the best. My sister, however, she was going to be the hard sell."
"Why her?"
"Because she partly blames the Iron Blood for Mary's death. Even though this occurred well before the Crimson Axis was formed and broke away from Azur Lane, the fact that you allied yourselves with the creatures that were responsible for my sister's passing was something she said she could never forgive."
Tirpitz grew very silent, staring down at the floor for a long time. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, subdued. "I don't know what drove my sister to make the bargain she did, but I do know it haunts every one of us. Even Eugen, though she'll never admit it. It feels like it is a shame may never wash away…"
I leaned back in my chair and sized her up for a moment. "She never told you?"
"Nein. And I have always been afraid to ask."
I hadn't, and we had discussed why she had done what she had done fairly early on into the relationship. The fear, the concern for her people, that they would face further hardships and decline if they didn't side with the Sirens, use their technology to improve life at home. In the end, it had been a devil's bargain, and they had nearly lost everything. I debated telling Tirpitz all this, after all, she was Bismarck's sister and deserved to know, but in the end, I decided it wasn't my place to tell her. "Perhaps you should ask her anyway."
Tirpitz raised her head back up and peered at me. "She told you?"
"I asked her."
"Weren't you afraid of her answer?"
"Of course I was," I laughed softly. "I was beginning to fall in love with her. I didn't want to have all these feelings for her and find out she did what she did out of hatred or spite."
"What was it then?"
I nearly answered her, but simply smirked and shook my head. "Nice try, but you'll have to ask her."
"Can't blame a girl for trying," Tirpitz smiled back. "So, your sister…?"
It took me a second to realize she was getting the original conversation back on track. "Ah, yes! She wrote back saying that if I could find it in my heart to make peace with the Iron Blood, then so could she. It won't be easy, and I suspect the first few gatherings will be a little more awkward than usual, but...I think we'll be okay."
"Wunderbar!" she proclaimed. "Sounds like you two are almost at your 'happily ever after', ja?"
I chuckled and shrugged. "God, that'd be nice. Win the war, get the girl, and call it a day. But I suspect we've still got a bit further to go on both counts. For starters, I haven't even told High Command that we're dating."
"Why would they need to know that? Are there rules against it or something?"
I leaned back in my chair and sighed heavily. "Yes and no. It's complicated. Kansen seem to operate outside of the regular chain of command, so in my mind, there's no problem. But because I issue orders, and I am the Commanding Officer, a case could be made that what we're doing is fraternization, and High Command could take action."
That seemed to greatly disturb Tirpitz, and I couldn't blame her; this had kept me up late on more than a few nights. "What sort of action?"
"Well, if they were feeling generous, I'd be reprimanded but I'd be allowed to keep dating Bismarck. If they weren't feeling so generous, we would have to stop dating, but remain on base together. And in the worst-case scenario...I would be relieved of command and transferred elsewhere."
It took her a second to recover from the shock, but once she did, she quickly objected. "They can't do that! Not after all you've done! To hear Charles Ausburne tell of it, you took a handful of kansen and built up the greatest fighting force the world has ever seen! And they would remove you from that for daring to love someone?!"
I nodded solemnly. "Can and will. Navy takes fraternization pretty seriously. So you can see why I'm a little hesitant to let them know. I'm pretty confident that my war record will prevent me from being relieved, but everything else is a possibility."
A sudden sadness came over Tirpitz and I knew she came to the same realization I had a few weeks ago. "So they could ask you to choose between Bismarck and remaining as the commander of Azur Lane…"
"That's the most likely scenario," I confirmed. "At least, if they think it's fraternization. If they don't care, then all this worrying will have been for nothing and I should have told them a long time ago."
"Mein Gott," she whispered. "I don't think that would be a choice I could make...if they ask that choice of you, what would you even say?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but it was cut off by the sound of a ringing telephone. We both looked over at the receiver, the light below it pulsing a deep red, indicating something I'd never seen before: a direct call from High Command.
"Well this is new," I quipped. "First time they've ever called the direct line."
"You don't think they know…?"
I snorted as I reached for the phone. "Doubt it. And they wouldn't be calling me if they did." After taking a deep breath, I snatched the receiver off the cradle and answered the call. "Azur Lane HQ, Admiral Blum speaking."
A stern voice on the other end said only one word. "Verify."
"Kilo India Echo Lima One Nine Four Zero."
There was a pause, and then. "You are instructed to contact High Command via satellite immediately. Acknowledge."
They've never asked for an immediate meeting, and I could feel a knot of worry beginning to form in my stomach. "Acknowledge, will contact High Command immediately following this phone call."
The line went dead, and I gently set the receiver back in its cradle. Tirpitz was still looking at me, concern in her eyes. "Well? What is it?"
"I've got to call them immediately via satcom," I said as I stood and grabbed my cap. "Again, first time they've ever asked for an immediate call. Clear my schedule until I get back and keep things running while I'm gone."
"Yes, Herr Kommandant," Tirpitz dutifully responded as she headed back to her desk. She paused, hesitating before she added. "And good luck."
"Thanks."
By the time I had made it to the CIC, the knot in my stomach was doing backflips and somersaults as I wondered what could be so dire they demanded an immediate video call. Even a scheduled one was rare, so I had no idea what was waiting for me. A massive Siren offensive? Peace? No, peace would've been broadcast on an open channel. Whatever this was, it couldn't wait and it was serious enough to warrant an actual face-to-face communication.
I quickly secured the CIC and punched in the authorization code for the satcom array. There was a moment as the satellite dish on the roof aligned itself, and then five screens flickered to life on the back wall. The Admiralty board, better known as High Command, the most senior naval officers, and the only people I answered to.
The first to join the meeting was Admiral William Ramsay. An older man with a salt and pepper beard, he was brutally honest to the point of being harsh but fair overall. A compliment from him was always one that was earned.
Next was Admiral Margaret Tiller. The longest-serving member of High Command, she was irascible, and most of the time, downright hostile to the very notion of Azur Lane. There have been times with her where I seriously considered resigning my commission on the spot just to tell her where to stick it.
The third screen that resolved itself revealed High Command's only General, Rae Williams. A dark-skinned woman with a severe expression, she kept her hair in a military mohawk and looked as fierce on camera as she was in person. She tended to keep to herself unless invasions were being planned. So far, I've managed to keep on her good side by not losing any troop transports.
The fourth was the newest member, Admiral Don Franklin. Having been promoted to High Command a week after I was assigned to Azur Lane, he has been more receptive to the idea of kansen, and willing to give me room to maneuver. I hoped I would continue to have him in my corner.
And the last screen was the head of High Command, Fleet Admiral Chester Atkins. A no-nonsense, gruff, and more often than not, inscrutable commander, he was often the deciding vote when it came to debates and liked to keep the rest of us guessing as to where he would come down.
With all of High Command now present, I snapped to attention and smartly saluted. "Admiral Eugene Blum, reporting as ordered."
Tiller wasted no time in coming after me. "Admiral, what in the hell do you think you're doing out there? Do you have any control over those things?"
Confusion and anger bubbled up within me, and I bit back a scathing retort. "You'll have to be a bit more specific, ma'am."
She rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. "We have reports that one of your little creatures has attacked a friendly convoy! Now I want answers, and I want them now!"
Such an accusation left me stunned, and while I had no doubt Tiller was going to play this up for her own political gain, she wasn't about to lie about this. "As do I, ma'am. I haven't had any combat reports filed recently, and none of them returned with battle damage. What was the kansen that was identified?"
Atkins answered with just one word, but that was more than enough to freeze the blood in my veins. "Bismarck."
A/N-Dun dun dunnnnn! First off, welcome back to my loyal readers and a hearty hello to all of you new folks! As with Trouble in Toulon, I'm not sure how long this will run for, but it's at four chapters completed thus far with no end in sight. I am, however, super excited to get this finished for you all. Until next time, fair winds and following seas!
