"Mommy, are we getting close yet?" Laura asked.
"Hmm. Let's check. Can you bring mommy a map?" Graf Zeppelin asked as they sailed south towards Australia.
The white haired child ran into the Island of Graf's vessel and went searching for a map.
"Let's get some recon as well. I hate being out here without backup." Zeppelin said as several Messerschmitt ME-155A's appeared at the end of the flight deck.
Laura returned several seconds later, forcing Zeppelin to hold the takeoff until Laura was right beside her.
"I found a map, Mommy." Laura said, beaming happily.
"Very good. Now, let's sit and take a look. We left Wrangel Island two days ago." Zeppelin said as her AA guns suddenly turned towards the sky and began to fire.
"What?!" Zeppelin asked as she shielded herself and Laura from plasma bolts coming from the overcast sky.
"Laura! Inside now!" Zeppelin yelled as the Me-155A's spun up their engines and roared down the flight deck, taking to the skies to give Zeppelin a better view of their attackers.
"Mommy!" Laura yelled as she pointed to the end of the flight deck opposite from Zeppelin.
"Shit. So that's what this is." Zeppelin ground out as she turned whatever guns she could towards the figure on the other end of her vessel. She also activated her rigging and sent it to protect her only daughter.
"Ironblood Carrier Graf Zeppelin. Carries Me-155A fighters, Ju-87c dive bombers, and Ju-87 D-4 torpedo bombers. Armed to the teeth with 10.5 cm AA guns and a general hatred of everything she deems unfit." A girl with white hair said as a massive jellyfish looking rigging appeared behind her.
"Observer Zero. So we must be near Japan." Zeppelin said to herself.
"Not quite. I launched that diversion to get here undetected... I haven't come to fight." Zero said as she held up her hands.
"How am I supposed to believe that?" Zeppelin asked.
"You're operating on His orders... aren't you?" Zero asked.
"Who?" Zeppelin asked.
"Apollyon..." Zero said hesitantly as she kept her hands raised, knowing that Zeppelin had already handled the miniscule force of aircraft that Zero had sent.
"I'm not under his command yet. But I am going to meet up with him." Zeppelin said as her fighters circled overhead, waiting for any errant move to give her the reason to strafe the Siren in front of her.
"Well... I can't really back out now. I don't think I can even beat you in the state I'm in... so I have no choice but to surrender now." Zero said as she deactivated her rigging.
"This seems way too easy. What tricks are you going to pull?" Zeppelin asked as her rigging managed to get Laura inside the island.
"I gave up my fight against him. After seeing what he did to Oceana... I just couldn't take it. So I abandoned the others and fled Japan..." Zero said.
"Why should I believe a single word you're saying and not bomb you into oblivion?" Zeppelin asked caustically.
"Because... I spent my time on this island thinking of a way to stay alive... or at least not die by his hand. And I came to the realization that if Smasher was able to surrender and pledge to fight for him... maybe I can use my abilities to help in some miniscule way." Zero said.
"A Siren elite like you? It is a tempting offer... but I need to confirm with him as to what I am to do." Zeppelin said as she glared at the Siren.
"I can contact him through your ship." Zero spoke slowly.
"And what keeps you from contacting Empress? We aren't too far from Eagle Union territory, which she controls." Zeppelin said.
"Empress would send every elite and foot soldier she has to this location to kill me before she kills you. I betrayed the Hierarchy by abandoning Japan. Sure the explorers are keeping Japan in Siren control, but... I abandoned my post against a direct order to hold the line. I'm marked for death." Zero said as she walked over to the receiver on the edge of the flight deck.
"I didn't say you could touch that." Zeppelin said as Zero saw the twin barrels of a 10.5 cm AA mount pointing directly at her head.
"I have to be in contact with your radio system to increase the range." Zero said as she raised her hands again.
Zeppelin sighed.
"I know my vessel down to every last weld and rivet. If you change anything, I will blast you without hesitation." Zeppelin said as she approached slowly until she was just outside the range of Observer Zero's rigging, which she had quickly memorized back in Russia.
"I have no intentions to sabotage... I just don't want to die." Zero said as she grabbed the receiver.
Suddenly, Zeppelin picked up the frequency of Isaac's fleet.
"Azur Lane. This is Graf Zeppelin, come in. This is urgent."
"Azur Lane. This is Graf Zeppelin, come in. This is urgent." Zeppelin's voice came over Friedrich's radio as she dropped anchor outside of Ground Zero.
Friedrich turned to Isaac.
"I will take the call. You are free to grieve your loss in any way you see fit." Isaac said as he sat at the table on the bridge, picking up the radio receiver.
"Graf Zeppelin, this is Isaac Garner. What is the issue?" Isaac asked.
"I have hit a slight snag on my trek down to your location." Zeppelin replied.
"A snag?" Isaac asked.
"Observer Zero is currently standing on my flight deck. She has surrendered to me and is the one making this conversation possible." Zeppelin said.
Isaac scratched his head before replying.
"I'm sorry... I don't think I caught that. Could you repeat that or me?" Isaac asked.
"I have Observer Zero detained on my flight deck. I was passing St. Matthew's Island here in the Bering Sea, when I was caught under fire from Siren aircraft. She had sent them as a diversion to get onto my flight deck without being bombed to oblivion. So now, she is hoping to surrender to you in hopes that it will spare her insignificant life." Zeppelin said, her distain ever present.
"So you have Observer Zero?" Isaac asked.
"That is correct, Kommandant." Zeppelin replied.
"Can you safely transport her? Or did you want me to send an escort fleet?" Isaac asked.
"I can keep her under control. Did you want me to bring her in?" Zeppelin asked.
"Detain her fully. I'll accept her surrender pending your safe arrival in Australia." Isaac said.
"Alright. I should be there within a week. You have no plans to move yet, correct?" Zeppelin asked.
"That is correct. We don't have the bulin's necessary to speed this construction along. So we'll be here running commissions for a while to fund our stay." Isaac said.
"Understood. I'll see you in a week, Kommandant." Zeppelin said as she cut the connection.
Zeppelin was about to move in to detain Zero when sparks began to fly from the receiver in Zero's hand. Zero looked down at it, terrified, before looking up and seeing the rapidly approaching maw of Zeppelin's rigging clamp down on her other arm.
"You tried to trick me, you lowly Siren. For that, you'll pay!" Zeppelin yelled as Laura peeked out the door, seeing a girl that looked to be about her age being attacked by her mother's rigging.
"Mommy! Stop!" Laura cried as she ran out the door towards Zero.
"Laura! Get back!" Zeppelin yelled as she was forced to pull her rigging away or risk hurting her daughter.
"Mommy! I saw it! She didn't break it!" Laura said as Zero clutched her bleeding arm.
"What do you mean?" Zeppelin asked as her rigging sidestepped Laura and gently clamped down on Zero's arms and legs, detaining her as she had intended.
"Zero looked scared the moment it sparked! I don't think she knew it would happen." Laura explained as Zero nodded frantically, trying to relax so she wouldn't lose as much blood.
"Is that the truth?" Zeppelin asked as she glared at the Siren.
"Yes! I didn't think that me pulling away from the radio system would short it out. I didn't mean to break it." Zero said frantically.
"Mommy... let her go, please. She surrendered." Laura said softly.
"We have to detain her for the Kommandant." Zeppelin said.
"I know this isn't a good time, but I would recommend moving closer to Japan from here instead of going straight south. Before I left, I set a massive battle fleet to run patrols between Eagle Union and Sakura Empire to keep Empress off my back. I can track them, but they are on their way back from Union right now. If you go straight, you will run into them and you will sink. If we gun it for Japan, you can just barely avoid them while having enough time to turn out away from the Philippines, where Tester is." Zero said as she looked at Zeppelin.
"So you really did run away, huh?" Zeppelin asked as she allowed her rigging to drop Zero to the flight deck, prompting Laura to put her hands on Zero's wounds, keeping pressure on them.
"Laura... I don't feel comfortable with you being near that Siren." Zeppelin asked.
"Mommy, she's hurt. We have to help her." Laura said as she tore her jacket to wrap Zero's wounds.
Zeppelin sighed and smiled at her daughter.
"I'm glad you can have that level of compassion, my dear daughter. You shall grow up to be better than me one day." Zeppelin said.
"No I won't, Mommy. You're already the best." Laura said as she worked quickly.
"Then we shall turn hard to starboard and head for Japan." Zeppelin said.
Zeppelin looked at Zero, who had managed to get to her feet.
"Get moving. You're going to be detained below deck." Zeppelin said as her vessel began to turn and head for Japan.