"Friedrich, come in please." Isaac's voice came in over the radio.
"Hmm? What is wrong, dear husband?" Friedrich asked.
"Could you acquire the coffee from Mainz and then all of you meet onboard the Shinano for tonight's dinner?" Isaac asked.
"It is doable... why the sudden change, dear husband? Is there something that you are hiding from me?" Friedrich asked.
"I will explain if you come alone right now. Where are Mainz and Nimi?" Isaac asked.
"They are down in the docks, helping with the transfer of materials from the storehouses. Apparently one of the storehouses sprung a leak and the water is threatening the goods stored within, so Odin has asked that they assist in moving some of the items for the dock workers." Friedrich said.
"I see. Well, get the coffee and come over to the Shinano." Isaac said.
"I guess I have to wait and see, my dear husband?" Friedrich asked.
"Yes, now come on." Isaac said as he cut the line and returned to caring for Shinano, who had fallen asleep during his conversation with Friedrich.
"Shinano?" Isaac asked.
"Hmm? What is it, my love?" Shinano asked softly.
"Friedrich and some of the others will be joining us for dinner tonight. I'll be sure to bring you some once we finish eating. I won't ask you to strain yourself in coming to join us." Isaac said as Shinano pouted.
"I'm not helpless, my love. I can still walk around." Shinano said as her tails swayed behind her as she laid on her side.
"I know, but I don't exactly know how pregnancy works... much less for you..." Isaac said.
"So we will learn of it together. There is no harm in that." Shinano said as she smiled softly, allowing her head to rest gently in his extended hand.
"Norfolk?" Intrepid's voice came over her radio.
"Intrepid?" Norfolk asked, more out of surprise and curiosity.
"We finished construction of the relay. This was our first attempt at getting through to you, can you hear us properly?" Intrepid asked.
"I can hear you just fine. Can you connect to other ships in the fleet, or just me?" Norfolk asked.
"I can connect to the others, but I figured the Commander would be with you." Intrepid said.
"Not at the moment. He is currently onboard the Shinano... and from what I heard from Alice and Arizona... we may have a new addition to the fleet in the next coming months." Norfolk said as she heard something drop behind her. Norfolk turned to see Odin, who was wide eyed and her mouth gaped open as Norfolk spotted a clipboard on the floor.
"Norfolk, explain this at once." Odin said as she walked hurriedly over to the radio.
"Well... from what Alice and Arizona said as they were passing by here, since Shinano hasn't been with another man besides the Commander... it stands to reason that the child she is carrying is his." Norfolk said as gasps were heard both from Odin and the radio.
"Shinano is pregnant?!" Odin cried, suddenly thankful that the door to the bridge was closed.
"And it's the Commander's?!" Omaha cried from the radio, where Norfolk assumed she had pushed Intrepid out of the way.
"That seems to be the case. Alice confirmed the heartbeat no less than an hour ago, meaning that the little one is growing a bit quicker than a normal human. Alice estimates it might only be 4 or 5 months until Shinano is due to deliver, considering the point of conception was only a week ago." Norfolk said as Odin looked down at her own stomach.
"I should go and get myself looked at as well... If there's one in me... who knows what Isaac will do." Odin said as Norfolk turned and comforted her.
"He'd be thrilled, probably pass out too, as that is what he did when Alice broke the news to him about Shinano." Norfolk said as Odin took a deep breath.
"To think... somehow she got pregnant... which means we all can." Odin said.
The sound of audible frustration came from the other end of the radio.
"I knew I should have stayed..." Omaha grumbled softly, just barely loud enough for Norfolk to pick up. Norfolk silenced her end.
"Someone seems to be a bit jealous." Norfolk said as she looked for Odin, but found her nowhere.
"Oh..." Norfolk said as she returned to the radio.
"Omaha, I can put in a request to have you transferred back to the fleet if you would like." Norfolk said softly, trying to calm the Union light cruiser.
"I would very much like that. I need to kick his ass." Omaha said as her jealousy raged internally.
"Alright. Well, since the Commander gave me and Odin joint command until he returns, I'll ask Odin, and pending her approval, you can make ready to come to Brisbane in Australia." Norfolk said as she stood and went off to find Odin.
"Give it to me straight, Doc..." Odin said as Alice listened to her stomach.
"Well, from what I can tell right now, you do not have anything living inside you. When was the last time you had intercourse with the Commander?" Alice asked.
"Lets see... I guess it would be the same time as Shinano. All of us took turns with him all night." Odin said.
"I see. So Nimi, Eagle, and Friedrich all need to be checked." Alice said.
"As do I." Norfolk said as she leaned on the doorframe.
"When did you have sex?!" Odin asked.
"Two nights ago, with the Commander." Norfolk said bluntly.
"That makes six of us... I swear, this man is building a Harem..." Odin said.
"So it would seem. And with how Penny was looking at him earlier today... I don't think it's going to stop growing any time soon." Norfolk said as she walked in and closed the door behind her.
"Pennsylvania wants him too?!" Odin asked.
"Apparently so. She had the same look on her face that you did right before you kissed the Commander back in New Guinea." Norfolk said.
"You... you were watching?" Odin asked.
"At the time, I still resided within his suit and the gauntlet on his wrist. I saw everything he did with that suit on." Norfolk said proudly.
"Perv..." Odin spat.
"That's rude..." Norfolk said, slightly offended.
"Well, when you watched me and Isaac the other week, that only confirmed it." Odin said as Alice looked at them both.
"Knock it off, you two. Now is not the time for this. I'll work on looking over Norfolk, Odin, could you find Nimi? Tell her that I would like her assistance if she wants to know why she's being called." Alice said.
"Understood." Odin said as she turned to leave.
"Oh, before I forget, Odin." Norfolk said as she hopped up on the table.
"What is it?" Odin asked.
"Omaha wishes to return to this fleet. Could we send Zara to take her place in Fiji?" Norfolk asked.
"I don't see why not, can I ask why, though?" Odin asked.
"She want's to kick Isaac's ass for getting Shinano pregnant. I believe that she is mighty jealous." Norfolk said.
"In that case, maybe a kick in the pants is just what our womanizing Kommandant needs." Odin said, knowing that it was useless to try and stop the number of ships that wanted to sleep with Isaac.
"Why the sudden change of plan, dear husband?" Friedrich asked as she walked into Shinano's quarters.
"Because Friedrich... I have to watch over my wife and unborn child." Isaac said.
"Hmm?" Friedrich asked, not quite sure she understood what he had said.
"Friedrich... Shinano is pregnant." Isaac said, sending Friedrich over the mental edge.
"She's... pregnant? With a Child? An actual child?!" Friedrich cried, suddenly excited at the prospect at a chance for her own flesh and blood child.
"Yes. I don't know how the little one will look... But Alice said that there is no doubt that it's mine." Isaac said as Friedrich walked over and kneeled next to him.
"But how is she the only one? That night, and I know of others, you... in all of us." Friedrich said, unwilling to speak in such blunt terms.
"I don't know. But Zeppelin said that it may have something to do with dates that are important to each of you. That your cubes, when reacting to the days you find importance in, allow you to become fertile and able to become pregnant." Isaac said.
"I was never launched... and I guess the one day I hold dear is the day we met in Fiji, when I saw you fighting that Sakura battleship alone..." Friedrich said as she thought back to the first time she had met him. She then counted forward to the date of their first romantic exchange.
"I guess you have to be pretty close to the day for it to work as you say, dear husband." Friedrich said softly.
"That was my thought as well, because most of you have launch dates within the time that we have known each other, but Shinano is the only one knocked up..." Isaac said as Friedrich turned her gaze to the Sakura carrier.
"Shinano?" Friedrich asked.
"Hmm?" Shinano asked as she looked at the Ironblood battleship.
"I would be most honored if you would allow me to take on the title of Godmother for your little one." Friedrich said softly.
"Hmm, Godmother Friedrich has a nice ring to it." Shinano said softly before falling asleep once more.
"Did she say yes?" Friedrich asked.
"I think that's about as good of a confirmation as you're going to get, Friedrich." Isaac said.
"Dear husband..." Friedrich said softly.
"Hmm?" Isaac asked.
"Is this what you were trying to hide from us?" Friedrich asked.
Isaac gulped.
"I was going to tell you, but I was kind of afraid of how everyone would react." Isaac said.
"Why were you afraid?" Friedrich asked.
"To be frank... I was most afraid of what you would do, Friedrich. Looking back over our short history... you don't have the most restraint when it comes to intimate matters such as this. I did not know how you would take the news, especially since we resigned ourselves to the slim-to-none possibility of you girls ever getting pregnant." Isaac said.
"You thought I would be upset?" Friedrich asked.
"For lack of better words... yeah. I know you have wanted a child the most, ever since you entered this fleet. You took to adopting the entire fleet to sate your desire, but now faced with the fact that you can conceive naturally, I was afraid you would either get angry, or that you and I would be spending so much time trying, that we wouldn't get anything done." Isaac said.
"While I am slightly upset with the reasoning... I can't say the reasoning isn't sound. In fact, it's mostly correct. Every bone in my body is screaming at me to take you now, and try our hardest for a child of my own... but I know that it won't work, as the day I hold dear will not come to pass for 11 more months. Until then, however... I am a godmother to this young child. This feeling, is enough for me." Friedrich said with a soft smile as she laid a kiss on Isaac's cheek.
"I wonder how the others will react to this." Isaac wondered aloud.