Once we got to the hospital, we were split up. The last I saw of Bismarck was her being rushed into the ICU, Vestal at her side as Perseus directed me to my own room to recover from what she described as a "mild case of hypothermia and a major case of stupidity." I didn't dispute that diagnosis, nor did I volunteer that, given a choice, I would have done so again in a heartbeat. If Bismarck didn't survive, I wanted her to at least have a warm, happy memory to take with her into the afterlife.

I thought back on our conversation, our plans for the future, and I was keenly reminded that future was now, once again, in jeopardy. I hadn't done myself any favors by rudely dismissing High Command's investigator, but by the same token, he should have realized he was interrupting something of dire and waited until things calmed down. I sighed and took another sip of the hot broth I had been "prescribed" as I waited for someone, anyone, to knock on my door.

After what felt like an eternity, I finally heard a knock on the door. I leaped out of my chair and swung the door open wide to find Tirpitz and Parzival standing there, anxious expressions on their faces.

"Have you heard anything yet about Lord Bismarck?" U-556 blurted out, having abandoned all pretenses.

I shook my head as I ushered them inside, shutting the door behind them. "Haven't heard anything since they took her to ICU. I was hoping you would have something to tell me, actually…"

"Just that she isn't allowed to have visitors yet," Tirpitz sighed as she stood next to the unused hospital bed. "I did, however, take the liberty of assigning an emergency repair and refloat team to the Bismarck. They're already hard at work."

I allowed myself a small sigh of relief as I leaned against the wall. "Thank you, Tirpitz. And our new guest from High Command?"

"I haven't received any reports from Gneisenau, nor heard any unusual screaming, so I think it's safe to assume he's staying put for the moment."

"Good."

"And how are you holding up?"

I grinned slightly and shrugged. "I'll live. Just needed a little hot liquid and a lecture from Perseus and I'll be back to one hundred percent. Right now, I just want to make sure Bismarck will be okay."

"I'm sure Lord Bismarck will be fine. Vestal's a great doc!" Parzival tried to keep things upbeat, but I could hear the undercurrent of worry in her voice.

"The best," I agreed. "Still...just worried."

Tirpitz shot me an empathetic look and nodded. "We all are, Eugene."

I paused for a moment, peering into the mug of hot broth in my hands as if it would suddenly shimmer and reveal the path ahead for me. When that failed, I simply chalked it up to having reached my quota for miracles that day and sighed. "Well, enough waiting around and worrying. Base won't run itself and I doubt Lieutenant Commander Heatherly will wait patiently until we get an answer on Bismarck, one way or another. Clear it with Vestal first, but go ahead and send him on over. I want to get this process over with as soon as possible. And then tell Gneisenau she'll be relieving you as secretary until we have an answer on Bismarck, understood?"

For a moment, Tirpitz looked shocked, although the expression was quickly suppressed by her professional veneer. "Sir, I'm more than capable of executing my duties as-"

"I know," I answered softly. "But you shouldn't have to. You should be here for your sister when she wakes up."

For a moment, her family bonds warred with her military bearing, until a small smile won out. She bowed her head and quietly said, "Thank you, Eugene."

"Anytime," I smiled back. Tirpitz snapped to attention, saluted, and then marched out of the room.

With her gone, I turned to Parzival. She had hopped up onto one of the guest chairs and was leaning back, her little legs kicking back and forth. "Hey, in a few minutes, I've got to talk to someone from High Command about my relationship with Bismarck, ok?"

"You mean how you two are boyfriend and girlfriend?" she asked innocently.

"Exactly that," I nodded. "Now, when he gets here, you're going to have to leave, but don't go far because he's probably going to want to talk to you, too?"

U-556 peered up at me with a curious expression. "Me? Why me?"

"Because you've seen us together, you were probably the first person to know we were a couple. You're not in trouble," I clarified, much to her great relief. "Just answer his questions as honestly as you can. If you don't know, just say you don't know. Any questions?"

"No, sir!"

"Alright, then. Off you go."

Parzival hopped off the chair, gave me a jaunty salute, and bolted out of the room. I sighed and wished I had a tenth of her boundless energy…


Fifteen minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and before I could answer it, Lieutenant Commander Heatherly let himself in. Without apology or even any remorse that he'd just barged in, he presented himself to me and saluted.

"Lieutenant Commander Matt Heatherly, reporting sir."

I tried to keep the disgust from my face and returned his salute. "At ease, Commander. I know who you are and why you're here, so let's dispense with formalities. You're here to conduct an investigation into my conduct with Bismarck, leader of the Iron Blood navy."

Finally, I managed to put him on the back foot, and I took a small amount of pleasure as he fumbled to try and catch up to me. "Uh...y-yes. Yes, sir."

I sat back in the chair and waited for him to finish fishing his notepad and documents out of his briefcase. Once he'd gotten what he needed, he pulled the other chair in the room over and sat across from me, his notepad on his lap. I took another sip of hot broth, eyed him up and down, and said, "Ready?"

"Yes, sir," Heatherly answered, and cleared his throat. "For the record, please state your name."

"Eugene S. Blum, Admiral, Surface Warfare, Eagle Union Navy."

He scribbled the answer into his notepad. "And your current assignment?"

"Commanding Officer, Azur Lane joint task force."

More scribbling. "Just to confirm, you are in a romantic relationship with a...member of this task force. The kansen known as Bismarck."

"Correct."

"When did the relationship become romantic?"

"A few months ago."

"Why did you choose to omit this relationship from your reports?"

I took a sip of broth to cover my exasperation and frustration, using the time to craft a more...diplomatic answer than the one that sprang to mind. "Because I was not violating any rule, regulation, or code of military conduct in doing so."

The officer scribbled down something yet again before he set his pen down and raised his gaze to look at me. "And yet, you kept it a secret."

"I did no such thing," I growled. "Had they asked, I would have answered them truthfully. I felt it was none of High Command's concern. And when it became pertinent, I immediately informed them of the relationship."

He kept his impassive gaze on me, his pen still at rest on his notepad. "During your relationship, did you give Bismarck any preferential treatment?"

"No."

"Did you pass on sensitive information that it was not allowed to access?"

Inside, I quietly seethed at his attitude but kept my outward appearance as calm as possible. "She, and no."

"Did you ever give preferential treatment to Bismarck or other members of Azur Lane based on her recommendations or requests?"

"No."

"Do you have any proof of that?"

"You and I both know it's hard to prove something didn't happen," I dryly responded. "But I stand by any of my decisions and can fully explain my actions for them."

"I see…" Finally, his eyes return to his notepad and he picks up his pen. "Does that include petitioning U-556 for Knighthood? Actually, creating an entire Order for one little submarine? Who, by all accounts, is very close to Bismarck? You didn't do that in order to get close to it?"

At this point, my blood was boiling and I was certain of two things. First, this was Tiller's man, through and through, and second, the chances of this report not being horrifically skewed was somewhere between zero and less than zero. "Call her an 'it' one more time and you will be going home on the slowest transport I can find and High Command can send someone without a glaringly huge bias," I threatened. "Do I make myself clear?"

His eyes snapped up, met mine, and I stared him down for a full thirty seconds before he finally relented. "...yes."

"Yes, what?" I barked.

"Yes, sir," he said between gritted teeth as if the mere act of saying the words was painful.

"Good. And to elaborate, no, I did not do that as a favor to Bismarck, I did it as a gesture of appreciation to U-556 herself for saving my life and going above and beyond the call of duty to do so. As I specified in my original request, which you have on file."

"And were you and Bismarck dating at the time you filed that request?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

My reply was dripping with sarcasm and scorn. "I'm fairly certain I understand how dating works, so yes, I'm sure."

Heatherly scribbled down one last thing before he put his papers, notebook, and pen away. As he stood, I did the same, hoping that he was done with this farce of an investigation. "Thank you, Admiral. I have no further questions for you at this time. I would, however, like to speak to Bismarck, U-556, and other members of your command."

"U-556 is awaiting you in the lobby, and Bismarck is currently in the ICU and unavailable until further notice."

"How convenient," he dryly noted.

"If Tiller doesn't like it, she can read it in the report they'll be getting later today." The brief shock that flashed across his face meant I'd called it correctly, he was Tiller's man. Damn it all. Any hope of getting a fair inquiry just went up in smoke. All I could hope now is that none of the kansen inadvertently gave Tiller any ammunition to use against me.

The officer opened his mouth to say something, whether to admit it, deny it, or just provoke me further, I'll never know, as it was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"It's open," I called out, and Vestal strode inside, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw Heatherly standing there as well.

Her eyes flicked between him and myself, and a scowl slowly crossed her face. "Commander, did you invite him here?"

"I did," I confirmed, and she relaxed somewhat, but I could tell she was clearly put out by his presence in her hospital without her approval. "I wanted to get his business out of the way so I could get back to running things once you cleared me. How's Bismarck?"

My heart sank when I saw the sadness in her eyes and the sympathetic look on her face. "She's stable," she said softly, "But she's in a coma. She took a lot of damage, and she...burned herself out somehow in that last fight. I think she'll pull through, but it'll be a while."

While part of me felt relieved at Vestal's optimistic prognosis, the other part was devastated that she had been injured so badly. "How long?"

Vestal shrugged helplessly. "I don't know, I'm sorry. Could be a few days, could be a few weeks, could be a month."

My heart ached, and even if she couldn't respond, I still wanted to see her, speak with her. "Can I see her?"

She thought it over for a moment, and then slowly nodded. "Given your relationship with her, I'll allow it. Tirpitz and Parzival, as well."

"I need to speak with her regarding the ongoing inquiry from High Command," Commander Heatherly interjected, drawing stares of disbelief from both of us.

"She's going to have a hard time speaking with you in a coma," Vestal replied sharply. "If you are still here when she wakes up, I will make the determination as to when she'll be up for visitors beyond the three I've cleared. Is that understood, Lieutenant Commander?"

Clearly, it wasn't, as he protested yet again. "I have an invest-"

Vestal was not having it. She stomped her foot and gestured for the door. "Out. Now. Or I'll have Perseus throw you out!"

He seemed to weigh the pros and cons of trying to push this any further, but in the end, he sighed as he realized he wasn't going to win and left the room. Vestal watched him go, arms crossed and a scowl on her face that probably would have been adorable if it weren't for the dire situation we were in. When we'd heard his footsteps slowly fade away down the hall, she turned back to me, with an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry, Commander. I just...something about him rubbed me the wrong way."

"It's alright, Vestal," I smiled. "I think he's doing that on purpose. The sooner he leaves, the better."

"Can't argue with that," she sighed before she switched gears and smiled up at me. "Would you like me to take you to see Bismarck now?"

"Please."


After one last temperature check to make sure I wasn't suffering from hypothermia anymore, Vestal led me back down to the ICU ward. Considering we hadn't suffered a major fleet action in some time, it was nearly empty. Rows of empty beds, emergency equipment sitting idle, unused, no lights on above them. All except one. Bismarck's.

She was lying motionless, her arms at her side, and her golden hair splaying out around her like a halo. She had numerous IVs and wires attached to her, each leading to a different machine. The only one I recognized was her heart monitor, the screen pulsing in time with her heartbeat and emitting that damnable beeping. I hated that sound. Even as a kid, I loathed the sound that monitor made. It was like an infernal clock, counting away the seconds of someone's life until, with a sudden, shrill cry, it announced the end. I didn't need that constant reminder that one day, Bismarck and I would be parted, and I certainly didn't need it at that particular moment.

We stopped at the foot of her bed, and I glanced nervously at Vestal. "Can...can I…?"

She simply nodded and gestured for me to go to her. "Of course, Commander. Just don't touch any buttons."

I smiled weakly at the joke as I took a seat next to Bismarck, and placed my hand atop hers. Without looking back at Vestal, I asked, "Can she hear me?"

To my surprise, the repair ship shrugged. "I'm not sure," she answered, but added with a smile, "But it can't hurt."

"Right," I nodded.

"I'll give you two some privacy," Vestal offered quietly. "If you need me, I'll be in my office."

I nodded but didn't take my gaze off Bismarck as I took her hand fully in mine. For a moment, I didn't know what to say, or more importantly, how to start. How does one have a conversation with one if you don't know if they can even hear you? In the end, I decided to just let her know how I felt.

"H-hey," I said, my voice soft and shaky as I fought the tide of emotions surging inside me. "I, uh, I don't know if you can hear me, but if you can, I want you to know that I'm here for you. Even when I can't be by your side, you will always be in my heart and in my thoughts." I took a shuddering breath, blinking tears out of my eyes. I glanced at my watch and sighed heavily as I realized I needed to get back to the office. "I want to stay at your side, but duty calls, sadly. I'll return as quickly as I can. Come back to us soon, mein Schatz. We're all waiting to give you the proper hero's welcome you deserve."

I stood, brushed an errant lock of her golden hair from her forehead before kissing it softly. I took one last look at her in peaceful repose, then headed off to Vestal's office to get cleared to go back to work.


The next week was a blur. Between filing reports on Bismarck's fight with Scherzo, wrangling Commander Heatherly, and spending every available second with Bismarck, I can barely remember it. The first few nights, I wound up falling asleep in the chair next to her, our hands still clasped together. When Vestal found out, however, she instituted visiting hours to ensure I was getting enough rest. You never really know how big a bed is until someone else isn't in it.

Waking up was the hardest part. The sun would wake me up, I'd smile and turn to face...no one. And for a half-second, my sleep-addled brain wondered why. Then it would all come crashing back, smothering my spirit. U-556 and I did our best to keep our spirits up at breakfast together, but without Bismarck, it just wasn't the same. I have to hand it to her, though, without Parzival's forced cheer and Tirpitz's cool and steady hand in the office(who refused to leave her position), I'm honestly not sure if I could have made it through that hellish week.

Things finally came to a head that Friday when High Command called on me to hear the results of the inquiry. My heart was in my throat as I dialed in and found myself staring at the five people who would determine not just my fate, but the fate of Bismarck as well.

Admiral Adkins wasted no time on the pleasantries or standing on ceremony. "Admiral Blum, we've gone over the report filed by you regarding this…'Scherzo', as you call it, as well as the official report filed by Lieutenant Commander Heatherly. Before we begin, would you like to add anything else to either report?"

I shook my head. "I haven't seen the final report filed by Commander Heatherly, so I will withhold any comments on that. As to the report regarding Bismarck, no sir. Everything is in there."

The old admiral peered down at the written copy of the report, his glasses perched on the end of his nose. "I see. And you state here that your R&D team believes this 'awakening' can be repeated on other Kansen, is that correct?"

"It's possible," I confirmed. "All kansen have limiters on them, and they believe that if Bismarck was able to overcome them, so can others. We're still at a loss as to how, though."

"Maybe you need to sleep with all of them," Tiller snarked.

"You're out of line, Admiral," I snapped, shocking all five of my superiors. I knew I had just crossed a line at possibly the worst possible time, but I just couldn't stand by quietly anymore. "I am the commanding officer of this operation and as such, am entitled to a modicum of respect."

The room went dead quiet as Ramsay, Williams, and Franklin all watched to see what would unfold. Would Adkins step in, would Tiller descend into another shrieking rage, or would they all let me continue to fall on my sword.

Against all expectations, Tiller didn't fly off the handle or even scowl. Instead, she smiled coldly and leaned back in her seat. "Let's talk about your role as commanding officer, then," she sneered, and I realized I had just walked right into her trap. "I've got the report here filed by Commander Heatherly. You don't run the base so much as barely contain its chaos, it would seem. Not to mention the complete lack of any sort of decorum. Snowball fights? Volleyball swimsuit tournaments? This isn't your personal harem, Admiral, this is a fleet of warships."

"Who are human," I fired back. "They need to let off steam, to decompress sometimes. We have placed the literal fate of the world on their shoulders, whether they asked for it or not. That is an immense strain to be under. And I would remind you, that we are making gains across all fronts, beating back the Sirens at every turn. With those hard-won victories come a few privileges, in my estimation."

"Even if it results in a violation of regulations?"

"Where's the regulation?" I exploded. "Name one rule, one reg, that I have violated and I will resign here and now. But until you do, I will stay right here, fighting to keep humanity safe!"

Tiller sneered down at me, gesturing to me with contempt. "See? He's lost any sort of decorum or control. All over a single ship. I say we vote now. All opposed to removing Admiral Eugene Blum as commander of Azur Lane?"

Franklin and Williams quickly raised their hands in an emphatic denial, both giving me a tight smile and a nod of support. I gave them each a nod in return, and I will always be grateful that they had my back when I needed it the most.

"Those in favor?" Tiller gleefully raised her hand, and Ramsay slowly followed suit, clearly unhappy about it, but sticking to his principles. All eyes were now on the penultimate head of High Command, and the deciding vote, Admiral Chester Adkins.

Admiral Adkins peered down at me and sighed. "It would seem that I am the deciding vote. I don't want to lose a promising officer like yourself, Admiral, but from this report, there are some serious lapses in good order and discipline in your command. So I will give you a choice. You can either cut all personal ties with Bismarck, or you can request a transfer to a new command. I understand this is an important decision to make, so you have twenty-four hours to come to a decision." Without giving me a chance to object, to answer, to even ask for clarification, he said, "High Command out," and terminated the call.

So there it was. My worst fears come to life. We made it through Scherzo, through her awakening, we made it through so much, and now, for all of this to be undone by bureaucracy...it was nearly too much to bear. I couldn't abandon my mission to save the world, but if I managed to save everything at the cost of renouncing Bismarck, could I even look myself in the mirror anymore? And if I abandoned my career for Bismarck, could I live with the fact that I would be leaving all of these wonderful kansen to someone who wouldn't understand them, or treat them well?

An impossible choice, but one I had to make…


Bismarck lay there, motionless, sleeping, as she had for the past week, still beautiful as ever. I sat by her bed and took her hand in my own shaking grip. My heart thundered in my chest, and for a moment, I didn't think I'd be able to get the words out.

"My heart," I began, my voice barely above a whisper, "I'm sorry. I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this, but it has. High Command has given me an ultimatum, the one we feared. They gave me a choice: either renounce our relationship or resign as commander of Azur Lane. I've struggled with this, and I don't want to leave, but in the end...I can't deny you. I can't go day after day, and deny my heart doesn't soar at the sight of you, that I don't love you with every fiber of my being. You are the best part of me, and to deny you would be to deny myself. And I just...I just can't. So I won't."

I took a shuddering sigh, squeezing her hand tightly. "As of fifteen hundred today, I have resigned my post as commanding officer of Azur Lane. They're shipping me back to the mainland for debriefing this evening. I'm...I'm so sorry I won't be here when you wake up. I'd hoped you'd be awake before I had to make this choice, to help me find some way out of it, but I'm afraid we've finally run out of time."

I lifted her hand up to my lips, kissing her one final time as I got to my feet. "I'd hoped I'd be able to give this to you under better circumstances, but I want you to keep it, as a promise I will return to you. Somehow, someday, I promise." I pulled the small jewelry box out of my pocket and set it down on the nightstand next to her. "I love you, Bismarck, and I always will. Auf wiedersehen."

As I turned to walk away, I nearly ran into Vestal, who was looking up at me with a shocked expression. "Is it true?"

I sighed and nodded slowly. "It's true. I'm actually on my way to go grab my things and board a transport back."

She let out a little gasp, clutching the chart in her hands close to her chest. "What's going to happen to you?"

"They'll debrief me, go over a few things I might have left out of reports or forgotten to include. And then reassignment." I chuckled darkly. "I'll probably be running a supply depot in Iowa. If I'm lucky."

"I...I see, sir…" she said absentmindedly as if her mind were elsewhere.

"Take good care of Bismarck for me, will you? She's going to have a rough time of it when she wakes up."

She continued to stare for a moment before snapping back and looking up at me. "Y-yes, sir. If you'll excuse me, Commander…"

Before I could give so much as a "by your leave", she was off like a shot, heading back towards her office. I turned back, took one last look at Bismarck, and headed to what was once our home.


Everything I was taking with me had been packed up already, which wasn't much. Just a few uniforms, a couple of books, and my toiletries. Anything else stayed with Bismarck. It pained me to leave this place, where so many happy memories had been made. I'd always known I'd have to leave it someday, but I thought it would be when we moved out for a new home together, someplace permanent. Never like this. I took one last look around, straightened Parzival's Certificate of Sponsorship that we had proudly hung on the wall, and left.

As I was headed down to the docks, I was intercepted by Z23, who had run up to me at breakneck speed before skidding to a halt and saluting.

"Herr Kommandant," she said between breaths, "High Command is demanding your presence in the CIC at once."

Confusion flooded my mind as I tried to make sense of that. They'd accepted my transfer request, they had a transport at the dock ready to go, and yet, they want me to go back into HQ for one last chat? It didn't make any sense at all. "I take it they didn't tell you why it was so urgent?"

She emphatically shook her head, still trying to catch her breath. "Of course not," I muttered. "Alright, lead on then."

We walked back to HQ and up to the CIC, where Nimi helpfully offered to watch my luggage before I strode inside. What I saw when I went inside caused me to take a sudden half-step back. Every single faction leader was there, along with their second, and they all looked very unhappy with High Command, who were currently on screen and looking equally unhappy. Of course, that may have had something to do with the haranguing they were getting from Queen Elizabeth.

"...dare you take away my servant?" she scolded them, standing on top of a chair so she could look directly into the camera. "I did not give you permission, nor was this agreed upon when I joined the Azur Lane, you dolts! Who authorized this? Who?!"

As the others hemmed and hawed and looked at each other, Tiller spoke up, that smug smile still on her face. "He resigned of his own free will. I'm sure he'll explain things when he gets here."

That was it. I wasn't about to let her throw me under the bus in front of my command, whether I was in charge or not. "Sure, if you call being forced into it 'of my own free will'...admiral," I called out and the entire throng turned to face me. I marched up to the camera and thrust my finger at it. "You gave me two choices: disavow my relationship with Bismarck or resign, and if I chose neither, you would have forced me out. You had the votes, so don't even pretend like this was something I did on my own."

"Yes, and now we see the depths of your incompetence," Tiller spat, "No sooner than you transferred command, this...child had called us and all of these ships were making demands of us. Now, we need you to get them back under control before you leave."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. They force me out and now they want me to help clean up the mess they just created? I simply smiled sweetly at the camera and said, "No."

Tiller flinched as if she'd been slapped. "What did you say to me?"

"I said, 'no'. Per the transfer orders you approved as of fifteen hundred hours, I am no longer their commander, and as such, I have no lawful authority over them. You saw to that. So now, they are your problem, Admiral." I sneered at her. "Maybe, if you talk to them like people, you can come to some sort of agreement."

"I doubt that very much, Herr Kommandant," Tirpitz interjected, "if what you said is true about you being forced out."

I half-turned to glance over at my future sister-in-law. "Why's that?"

"Because we were demanding you be reinstated."

To say I was stunned would be an understatement. It took me a minute to pick my jaw up off the floor and find my voice. "I...I didn't ask you to do this, I can't ask you to do this, not for me…"

Tirpitz sighed and shook her head, a soft smile on her face. "We know, Admiral. But we're doing it all the same. You have taken so many chances on us, all of us, been there for us, helped us grow. You have put your life on the line for us all at one point or another. So let us return the favor, just this once."

My cheeks burned and I felt incredibly self-conscious, but I couldn't stop smiling all the same. "Thank you," I whispered to Tirpitz. She smiled and patted me on the shoulder.

"As a wise man once told me, we're family. Families help each other, do they not?"

"They do, indeed," I grinned back before I turned around to face the assembled group. "So...we seem to be at an impasse. I doubt we'll be able to swing High Command around to our side, especially given this...impromptu, but deeply appreciated protest, and we don't want me going anywhere. So what are we to do?"

A strong, familiar, and at that moment, unbelievably welcome voice answered from the back, "We reform the Crimson Axis."

I, and everyone else, spun around, not believing who they just heard. But sure enough, Bismarck was standing there, in full regalia, looking every inch of the Iron Blood ruler I knew and loved. As gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd, I cried out, "Bismarck!" and ran to her. She smiled as she saw me, and I ran into her arms, holding her tight, decorum and consequences be damned. We exchanged a brief kiss and she smiled as she looked into my eyes.

"Don't worry," she said, answering my unspoken question, "we'll get through this, mein geliebter."

I smiled back, the relief almost palpable as it flooded through me. With her at my side, and that confidence in those stormy eyes, I had no doubt we would be able to do this. ...whatever "this" was. As I moved to stand by her side, she surveyed the members of High Command, her gaze finally settling on Admiral Tiller. She smiled politely at the other woman, but there was nothing warm in the gesture.

"Ah, Margaret," she greeted her casually, "It's so nice to see you again. It's been, what, five years? And admiral now, I must say, you certainly have a propensity for failing upwards."

Both High Command and myself were floored by this sudden revelation, and we all looked between both women, trying to process what we just heard. General Williams was the first to express out loud what we were all thinking. "Wait, you two know each other?"

"Oh, she didn't tell you?" Bismarck cooly inquired, a raised eyebrow beneath her cap. "She was a liaison to the Iron Blood's kansen program right before we severed diplomatic ties. Partly because of her attempt at espionage. She was quite cross with me when she was asked to leave."

Stunned numbness quickly gave way to a blood-boiling rage as Bismarck revealed all of Tiller's secrets. "Are you serious?" I asked, my tone low and threatening, but growing louder word by word. "For all the dressing downs and snide comments and trying to get me removed from command, not once, not once did you think to disclose this information, let alone recuse yourself you fu-"

"What the Commander means to say," Bismarck said, quickly cutting me off, "Is that you should have disclosed this information prior to any sort of board of inquiry. I'm guessing by the shocked looks of your fellow officers that you didn't tell them."

"No," Adkins rumbled, "She didn't. And I will be having a discussion with her later regarding her...indiscretions, but we've already accepted Admiral Blum's resignation and reassigned him."

Bismarck smiled and shrugged fatalistically. "So be it. But if Azur Lane cannot be trusted to stand by its own officers, I see no point in staying with such an organization. I will be withdrawing the Iron Blood from it, effective immediately. And I will be taking Admiral Blum with me." She turned to me and smiled, running her hands along my shoulders, sizing up my uniform measurements. "What do you say, Eugene? I think you would be stunning in black und gold."

Before I can answer, Nagato spoke up in a clear voice that belied her size. "The Sakura Empire will stand once more with our Iron Blood allies, and with Admiral Blum."

"As will Sardegnia!" Vittorio Veneto added.

I looked around at the others, some of whom were wavering, waiting to see what I would do. I grinned, shrugged, and reached up for the admiral's stars on my collar. "I say I would be delighted, Lord Bismarck."

Before I could finish, Franklin, Williams, and Ramsay all shouted in protest, and everyone turned to look at them, then to the one man who could prevent this mass desertion from happening.

Admiral Adkins looked like he'd swallowed cod liver oil, but eventually, he produced several papers, weighing them in his hands for a moment. "It has occurred to me that I never officially voted to censure you as a result of the board of inquiry." He tore up the papers and threw them off-camera, presumably in a trash can. "I will join with Admiral Franklin and General Williams to vote 'nay', and it seems your resignation and transfer papers have been...misfiled. I'm afraid you'll have to stay on as commanding officer of Azur Lane for a bit longer."

I let my hands fall to my sides and resisted the urge to jump for joy, although it was impossible for me to keep the smile from my face. "Thank you, sir. I'm sure I'll manage somehow."

"Yes, I bet you will," he remarked dryly before he cut the feed. We all stared at the blank monitors, waiting a heartbeat to be sure the connection had been severed before the entire room erupted into cheers. We celebrated for a few minutes, exchanging hugs and well-wishes as one by one, the faction leaders filed out until it was just Bismarck and myself. She stood there, a proud smile on her face for another second before she began to lean heavily against me.

"Easy, easy," I cautioned as I helped her into a nearby chair. "Are you alright?"

"Just tired," she sighed as she leaned back, the smile still doggedly clinging to her face. "I woke up just in time for Vestal to explain what was going on and I rushed over here. I'm honestly surprised she hasn't burst through the doors yet to lecture me."

"Probably got caught up in the outgoing crowd," I quipped. "We should probably get you back to the hospital. Or home, if she'll let you."

"Home sounds good," she agreed as she rummaged through the hidden pockets on her cloak. "Oh, and you forgot this at the hospital." She produced the small jewelry box, holding it out to me, a knowing smile on her face.

My own smile died as I stared at it. "Did...did you look inside?"

Her smile grew wider and she shook her head. "Of course not. It's not ladylike to pry."

I took it from her, her eyes never leaving mine as she nonchalantly pulled the glove off of her left hand. "Ah, well," I began to explain, the smile returning to my face. "It's not mine, I'm just holding onto it for someone. The right someone, that is. And I don't think I'll be holding onto it for much longer…"

"Oh?" she asked playfully.

I sank down on one knee and opened the box, holding it out to her. "I know I've already asked this, but I want to do this the right way. Bismarck, will you marry me?"

Her cheeks flushed and she held out her hand, her smile bright enough to light up the entire world. "Of course, mein geliebter."

I gently slipped the ring on her finger and stood up, leaning forward to kiss her tenderly just in time for U-556 to come barrelling through the door. She skidded to a stop, saw us kissing, and held up her hands as if to ward off the sight.

"Lord Bismarck, Commander," she protested, "No canoodling in the CIC!"

We both laughed and turned to face young Parzival, who was standing there with her hands on her hips and an adorably angry expression on her face. "I'm sorry, Parzival," Bismarck chuckled, "but it was in the heat of the moment…" She held out her hand, the ring glittering in the overhead lighting.

U-556's face lit up and she let out an excited gasp. "You guys are finally gonna get married?" When we both nodded, she leaped into the air with an excited cry. "Yipee! That's awesome! Can I come to the wedding? When are you getting married? Oh! Oh!" Before we could begin to answer her barrage of questions, she caught herself and grabbed a wheelchair from the hall. "Before I forget, Vestal sent me to bring Bismarck back home and said she'd stop by in an hour or so to check up on you."

Bismarck and I shared a knowing look and our hands found each other's, knowing we would finally be alright…


I closed my eyes and let the music flow through me as I played the familiar tune on the piano, my fingers dancing across the keys. It had been an eventful month after High Command had relented, but eventually, things settled back down to what approximated for normal on the base. U-556 was still over the moon about mine and Bismarck's upcoming wedding, both to see us finally become husband and wife, as well as to take part as my best man. Well, best knight.

While I never did find out what happened to one Admiral Margaret Tiller, she was no longer a member of High Command after that day, replaced by Admiral Jack Beatty, a competent sort but quiet as a church mouse, even when it was to his detriment.

Akashi and her team continue to work on "Project Awakening", and have made excellent strides in unlocking the combat potential in a number of kansen.

As for Bismarck and myself, well…

So engrossed was I in the music that I hadn't heard her come in, nor her footsteps as she crossed the room. Not until I felt those familiar hands gently run across my shoulders did I realize she was here with me.

"Good afternoon, mein Schatz," I said, playing on as I looked up at her. "How was your day so far?"

"Busy," she sighed. "Trying to organize a wedding is harder than an amphibious invasion. How have things been on your end?"

"The same," I smiled, "Busy, but productive. Got my family cleared to come in for the wedding, so they'll be here in two weeks. Sent Eugen to pick them up."

Bismarck looked horrified and she leaned away from me, trying to gauge if I was serious. "You didn't."

I couldn't keep a straight face for long and shook my head. "Of course not," I chuckled. "I sent Peter Strasser. Woman knows how to run things on time."

She laughed, soft and melodic, as she laid her head on my shoulder. "Good, good." She waited for a moment as I continued to play, focusing on the tune. "Claire de Lune?"

"Mhm," I nodded. "A fitting song to wind things down, I think."

"I would agree, although if this is winding down, I'm curious as to your idea of what dead quiet is like."

"You, me, a quiet patio overlooking the sea, with nothing to do but simply enjoy the moment…"

"That sounds like a beautiful moment, and one I cannot wait to enjoy with you, mein geliebter. But for now, a quiet lunch will have to do…"

I smiled as I play the last few notes, letting them echo through the room before everything goes silent. I turned to her, kissing her briefly before we slid off the bench and headed towards the next room where lunch, tea, and biscuits awaited. It was important to keep up traditions, especially when things get difficult and busy, and for me, there was no greater tradition, than biscuits with Bismarck…

~Fin~

A/N-Here we are, once again, at the end. Thank you to everyone who upvoted, faved, kudos'd, commented, and supported this story. Combining vol 1 and 2, Biscuits with Bismarck is currently the longest-running story I've written about any character, coming in at fifteen chapters and over forty-five thousand words. Only the New Year's series is planned to be longer.

Speaking of, there will be a New Year's Anthology post on 2/28, and sometime after that, the winner of the poll(by a landslide), Littorio! Until next time, fair winds and following seas!