"Welcome to the Muddy Shrimp. Is it 4 tonight?" One of the waitresses asked as she walked over to greet Isaac and Nimitz.
"That would be correct. Preferably a table not in the middle of the common area please." Nimitz said as the waitress nodded before looking at Shinano.
"Such a beautiful woman." The waitress remarked.
"On that we can agree." Isaac said as Shinano blushed a tiny bit at his comment.
The waitress grabbed several menus and escorted Isaac and his entourage to a table in the back room, seeming reserved for larger parties.
"Is this good enough?" The waitress asked.
"This shall do fine. It'll keep prying eyes and ears at bay." Nimitz said as he took off his jacket and laid it on the back of the chair.
"Can I get you gents something to drink?" The waitress asked.
"Diplôme gin and soda." Nimitz said.
"I'll take what he's having." Isaac said.
"Gimme a lager." The first mate said.
"Hmm... I would like some Sake, do you have any?" Shinano asked.
"I'm sorry miss. Sake isn't something we have been able to carry." The waitress said apologetically.
"It's okay. Just some water please." Shinano said softly as she produced a bottle of Vodka she had procured from Gangut upon their return to port.
"Right away. I'll have that out for you." The waitress said as she left the room.
"Miss Shinano, where did you get that?" Nimitz asked.
"I procured a bottle of vodka from Gangut. When we met in the bays around Tokyo, she gave me some and I find myself loving it as a close second to traditional sake." Shinano said as she opened the bottle and took a small sniff before pouring some into the glass that was present in front of her.
"Where do you even keep it? Your outfit doesn't look too conducive to securing anything like that." Nimitz asked.
Shinano smiled a bit.
"A lady must have some secrets, Admiral." Shinano said.
"Please, Chester. We're off the clock tonight. So you don't have to be so formal." Nimitz said as the waitress returned.
"Alrighty boys, and lady. Two gin and soda's, draft lager, and a glass of water for the miss." The waitress said.
"Thank you." Nimitz said as he and Isaac both took a sip of their drink.
"Is this what you high end officers drink?" Isaac asked as he savored the taste of refined alcohol.
"This is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Gin has flavors that you can't get from bourbon or scotch." Nimitz said as the waitress cleared her throat.
"Can I get you fine people some food? I can vouch for the steaks, they are quite lovely here." The Waitress said as she watched Shinano fill her water cup with Vodka for the second time.
"I think I'll do that. Medium please." Nimitz said.
"I think I'll go for the stew." The First mate spoke as he sipped his lager.
"I'll have the steak as well. Medium rare." Isaac said as they turned to Shinano.
"I too shall have the steak. Rare please. And if you have any fish, I would like some fish." Shinano said.
"We have some fresh fish in house tonight. I can ask them to prepare it for you." The waitress said.
"Tell them to please keep it whole. Grilling it is all I require." Shinano said.
"A whole fish?" Nimitz asked.
"But of course, Chester. Most eastern countries enjoy such a dish and even consider things like the eyes and head to be a delicacy." Shinano said as the waitress nodded after writing it all down.
"Ah wait." Isaac said as the waitress turned to face him.
"Have you had any new hires in the past two months? Or has someone called out sick for a day or two?" Isaac asked, earning him a confused look from Nimitz.
"No sir. The staff have been here since the beginning of the war, and nobody has been sick for a few months. But if I may, why ask?" The waitress asked.
"I have a cousin who moved down here nearing the end of the war, he telegraphed me back in the states saying he got a job at a bar on the coast. I was wondering if it was him. And I also heard from him that a bunch of people had been getting sick around the place he lived, so I was just a bit overly concerned." Isaac lied.
"Ah, well, no. Nobody has come in, and nobody around here has really been sick enough to need to call out. Sorry to disappoint." The waitress said as she walked off to give their order to the kitchen.
"Mr. Garner, mind explaining?" Nimitz asked.
"Explorers are very good as weaseling their way into society. They act as spies for the Sirens, and have caught me flat footed more than once. I don't want to die from eating poisoned food." Isaac said as he sipped his drink.
"Well, at least you have the cautiousness required for your position..." Nimitz said.
"Hmm?" Isaac asked.
"Listen... the real reason I brought you out here, is to try and connect with you in a different way than your Vice Commander. We need to give you a bit more... practical knowledge in terms of your command." Nimitz said as he sipped his drink.
"Should we really be drinking then? If this is serious..." Isaac said.
"While the subject is serious, this is still just a casual conversation. More of me giving you tips on how I was successful during the pacific war." Nimitz said.
"Ah. I guess historical knowledge that I got from Nimi isn't really enough when it comes to a constantly shifting battlefield." Isaac said.
"At least you realize that. Knowing your background and how you came up, it truly isn't surprising that you're quick to absorb new information." Nimitz said as Shinano sipped on her second glass of vodka, her tails swaying happily behind her.
Isaac looked at Shinano and noticed her soft eyes boring into his chest.
"Now. What I have seen as of late, is that, while surprises are unexpected and hard to plan for, you have a very hard time keeping a neutral stance on how your fleet operates." Nimitz said.
"Most of my fleet consists of battleships. I honestly can't see another way to operate this fleet other than defensive, using the battleships as our shield." Isaac said.
"Yes. I understand that, but you have to realize that Battleships are very important for bombardment. They aren't really meant to be all the way up front. And while they can save your fleet from a lot of damage, you also risk losing a lot of your firepower by keeping them in the front all the time. This last battle saw the Queen Elizabeth sunk by a trio of shells that pierced her shields. While I'm still learning about these girls, and their abilities are pretty much foreign to me, I can tell that based on class, Battleships are supposed to have the best shields. But even then, her shields failed. They aren't infallible." Nimitz said.
"I don't know what I can do about it. The shields are what keep them and myself alive. And Battleships share the top spot with the heavy cruisers, but I would hate to throw the heavy cruisers up front." Isaac said.
"Why? You just said yourself that the heavy cruisers tend to have comparable shields to your battleships, so why not scatter them throughout the battleship line and bring some of your heavy hitters back to defend the air group with their AA?" Nimitz asked.
"Because their guns aren't the heavy hitters needed to punch through the Enemy's shields." Isaac said.
"So see, there's another issue. You try to brute force everything. That is a foolish way to try to settle this war. You need to take a step back and think things through. If you have the shields to withstand an assault, then withstand it, then retaliate. Use what you learned during the enemy assault to your advantage. You did a bit of that during our last battle, but you didn't realize the scope of their power until it was too late. You can't open each battle in the same manner, or else your enemy will become wise to your tactics." Nimitz said.
"My carriers are my best weapon against the enemy shields. Strike them with something they can't reliably hit." Isaac said.
"An older way of thinking that still has effect to this day. Don't let the tried and true methods be the only ones you explore. I know Odin was saying something about you mentioning the use of wisdom dust to bring out so called abilities of your ships. Has this theory been tested?" Nimitz asked.
"Elizabeth and Heinrich both attest to Bismarck creating a black hole during battle through use of unrefined wisdom dust. But I don't think that the dust is the fuel, more of an accelerant of sorts." Isaac said.
"What does that mean?" Nimitz asked as the waitress returned with their food. She quickly and quietly placed everyone's meals in front of them before bowing quietly and ducking out of the room.
"Well, Eagle showed something akin to an ability during our first battle together. I was out on the flight deck aiding Akashi put out fires on her own vessel when a Siren aircraft bypassed the shields and slammed into the deck next to me, causing an explosion that put me in the med bay. But apparently, she got very angry, according to Rodney and Nimi, and launched every plane in her hanger at once. I don't know if it was an ability on her end, or just sheer will, but it saved our skin. And then there's Arizona." Isaac said as he began eating his steak.
"What about her?" Nimitz asked as he sipped his drink before digging in.
"Her abilities are nothing short of miracles. I told you about them back at port, but she seems to do it without trying, or putting in any effort. She just does what the nurses do, and those she helps, heal a lot quicker." Isaac said.
"So you might have something there. If you utilize that wisdom dust, you might enhance abilities that are already present in some of your ships." Nimitz said.
"That was one avenue we looked at." Isaac said.
"And the other?" Nimitz asked.
"Using the powder to produce weapons." Isaac said.
"WHAT?!" Nimitz said as he slammed a fist on the table.
"If we produce bombs with that kind of yield, nothing would stand in the way." Isaac said.
"And I assume you already looked into every possible way that could go wrong..." Nimitz said as he looked pointedly at Isaac.
"I haven't given the order to produce anything yet. I want to draw up rules of engagement for those weapons. The last thing I want is for Shinano here to be dropping hundreds of pounds of powder on whatever little thing happens to cross our path." Isaac said.
"Mr. Garner... I would advise against the use of those weapons. The risk to human life is massive, and if those become your conventional weapons, you could do more harm than good." Nimitz said.
"I don't wish to use them like that. The only reason that I even considered using them, was the appearance of those modified drone ships. Those shields are not something we can rely on heavy bombers for all the time. So having something like that would be an asset to my dive bombers and my battleships." Isaac said.
"Mr. Garner. I don't believe I have to tell you about how dangerous it is to use that powder for ammunition." Nimitz said as he sipped his drink.
"Once refined, it seems that the powder has the same properties as gunpowder, so it's no more dangerous to use than our traditional shells and powder bags." Isaac said.
Nimitz sighed.
"You're thinking outside the box, but I don't like how extreme this plan is." Nimitz said.
"As I said, I don't want to use them until I'm forced to... but to deny their capability..." Isaac said as he finished his steak, turning to see that Shinano had reduced her fish to bones on the plate.
"Quite the appetite, miss Shinano." Nimitz said.
"The fish was quite delicious. It was fresh, and flaky. Makes me sleepy." Shinano said as she rested her head on the table.
"You sure it was the fish and not the two full glasses of vodka?" Isaac asked as he rubbed her back.
"Mmm. Shikikan~~" Shinano said softly as she fell asleep at the table.
"Quite an interesting character." Nimitz said as he looked at the bottle of vodka.
"She very much is. I've been meaning to give her a ring actually." Isaac said softly.
"Is that so? How does that work? Is it like a regular marriage?" Nimitz asked.
"I can't explain it. It shows my love for them and their love for me. But I'm not constrained to one of them, more like they all share me." Isaac said as he looked at Nimitz before sipping his drink.
"So when you say share..." Nimitz said.
"Yes. Before you even say it, yes." Isaac said.
"So... Odin, Nimi, Friedrich, Eagle, and Shinano?" Nimitz asked.
"I won't disclose more than they would themselves." Isaac said.
"That brings me to another point, you lucky bastard." Nimitz said as the waitress brought them another round of drinks.
"Hmm?" Isaac asked.
"You have five, if not more beautiful women throwing themselves at you almost constantly. I could swear I've seen Bismarck and Queen Elizabeth looking at you like those five do. So why in God's name would you even attempt to throw it all away?" Nimitz asked.
"I... I can't defend my actions there. Letting them down is possibly the most painful thing I can think of. I let Nimi down that day in New Guinea, and I let my fleet down in this last battle. I... I just want them to know that without them, I have nothing to go back to. I have no worth without them." Isaac said, the alcohol clearly getting to him.
"I don't believe that to be the case. You have inherent worth, Mr. Garner. Your skills that have come to light in your short yet impactful career, make you a sought after asset, at least in my eyes. You just have a few issues you need to iron out like we discussed." Nimitz said as he slammed back his second drink, prompting Isaac to do the same.
The waitress returned, handing the bill to the outstretched hand of the first mate, who was still sober enough to pay for the bill.
"Do you all need a cab?" The waitress asked.
"Not at all. I have a car around back." The First mate said as the waitress looked at Isaac and Shinano.
"Well, you all have a good evening then. I assume this is meant to be kept secret?" The waitress asked, noticing the official uniforms worn by Isaac and Nimitz.
"That would be greatly appreciated." The First mate said as Nimitz drank a glass of water.
"That door over there leads out back. Please drive safely, Sir." The waitress said as the First mate gave her the money plus tip before helping Nimitz to his feet. Isaac stood and took a second to steady himself before attempting to help Shinano to her feet. As she was sleeping, Isaac concluded that he would have to carry her. He picked her up and carried her on his back as they all made their way out to the car. Just as Isaac was about to set her down, she opened her eyes and dragged him down into the back seat of the car.
Isaac laughed a bit as he helped Shinano sit up and strapped her in, sitting next to her as the First mate started the car and began driving back towards the port.
"You... have a ring for me?" Shinano asked softly.
"You heard that, huh?" Isaac asked.
"Just because I'm asleep, doesn't mean I stop listening." Shinano said softly as she caressed Isaac's face.
"Yes. I had meant to give it to you sooner. But it was my intention to give you a ring like I promised." Isaac said as he dug a blue box out of his pocket and opened it, revealing the ring to Shinano before placing it on her finger.
"Shikikan..." Shinano said as she leaned over and kissed him on the lips, pulling away before he got into it.
"No... You have to wait until we get back. I'd upset Eagle if I started without her." Shinano said as she smiled at Isaac, who realized that he was in for a long night.