"Omaha?" Odin asked as she walked to the bridge, seeing the receiver hanging from the table.
"Has someone returned finally?" Omaha's frustrated voice came over.
"This is Vice Commander Odin." Odin deadpanned.
"Ah... sorry, Vice Commander." Omaha said softly.
"The request for transfer has been approved. We're going to send the Italian heavy cruiser, Zara, to replace you in Intrepid's defense fleet. Once you are refueled and restocked, travel directly from your port in Suva to Brisbane through the Coral Sea. When can we expect your arrival?" Odin asked.
"I would say about 4 days since I don't have a carrier or battleship to cover. I can get there pretty quick." Omaha said.
"Then be advised that the port will be on high alert for your arrival. We have captured one of the Siren Elites and are bringing her in." Odin said.
"Understood. Also, we made an odd discovery upon our arrival." Omaha stated.
"Elaborate." Odin ordered.
"Well, remember the fire from the prototype matrix?" Omaha asked.
"The fire that put my husband in the hospital for the better part of two weeks. How could I forget?" Odin asked.
"Husba... that can wait... But that warehouse has been fully repaired and the matrix within looks more stable that the one we found here before." Omaha said.
"What?" Odin asked, clearly confused.
"Yeah. We are all wondering the same thing. Intrepid has been scouring the town for the past few hours trying to find any signs of life that could have done this, but we have come up empty on all accounts." Omaha said.
"Are you clearing the buildings with the rest?" Odin asked.
"The town is bare. No signs of life anywhere." Omaha said.
"And we can't really test the safety of that matrix without cubes to feed it... Alright. Thank you. Stay away from the matrix until Zara arrives. We have ships that can be revived. But I will be sending a bulin along to ascertain the safety of the device and to terminate the process if needed." Odin said.
"I shall inform the others before my departure. As for what you said earlier... when did he become your husband?!" Omaha cried.
"You were too busy stocking your ship for your new assignment, but he proposed to me during those last few nights in New Guinea. We made it official a few days later." Odin said.
"Jeez... all of you girls are getting to hog him, when I was the first one to spend any kind of time with him." Omaha said.
"Nobody here will stop you if you wish to align yourself with him as well." Odin propositioned.
"I'm sensing a but in there." Omaha said.
"Pennsylvania is looking at him too, so she might become the first Union girl to take his hand if you dawdle too long." Odin said in a slight sing-song tone.
"WHAT?!" Omaha cried louder.
"You don't want to lose to a battleship, do you?" Odin asked innocently.
"I shall leave for Australia immediately... definitely not because I want to marry that womanizing piece of hot... union... man... fuck." Omaha said as Odin could almost hear Omaha covering her face in embarrassment.
"I think you just sold yourself out there, little cruiser." Odin said with a lighthearted chuckle.
"Shut up!" Omaha yelled as she cut the line.
"Isaac, you're gonna have your hands full with this one." Odin said softly to herself as she looked out over the port.
Roon and Warspite stood a bit away from each other, both standing, out of breath and battered beyond what one could think possible.
"You're getting better, Roon." Warspite said as she let out a breath before Roon sank down to one knee.
Roon looked over at Warspite, the latter feeling a slight shiver up her spine as she saw the newly reignited fire raging behind the heavy cruiser's eyes.
"That's it. Get that fire back. You look less like a sorry puppy and more like the hound of war I expect you to be." Warspite said proudly as she walked over to her sword and pulled the blade from her deck.
"Come. Let us fight for real. Don't worry, I'll only hit you with the flat of the blade." Warspite said as gauntlets shimmered to life on Roon's forearms.
"Nein... fight me like you would Lord Bismarck, or Lady Tirpitz. I need no pity." Roon growled as she punched her knee, giving her the rush of adrenaline to bring herself back to her feet.
"If you say so. I won't hold back anymore." Warspite said as the two launched themselves at one another, the sound of their collision marked by the sharp sound of steel striking steel.
"Akagi, I can see land." Mikasa said as they looked out over the port side of the formation.
"So there lies our port of call." Akagi said as she turned her hull towards the island nation of Tonga.
"I miss Isaac." Eldridge said softly.
"I'm sure. But he said he would call upon us again." Rodney said softly as she pulled her hull up next to the depressed destroyer.
"Aye. And we will train mercilessly in his absence so that we will be better upon our return to his side." Akagi said firmly.
"I want Isaac's praise again." Eldridge said, slightly stronger than before.
"Then we train hard. We become invaluable, that way when we are called upon once more, we can steamroll the enemies of our Shikikan, and return this world to it's rightful owners.
"You dare turn your back on us, Subject E?" Empress scowled.
"You know I could end you right here and now. Then I can finally have the peace I have dreamed of since before this... retrofit you forced upon me." Enterprise said as her bow aimed squarely at Empress's head, while the long tendrils of Empress's rigging stood poised to lob off Enterprise's head.
"And doing so would mean your destruction." Empress argued.
"And you killing me would kill everyone here, but you knew that." Enterprise said as she kept her eyes trained on the Siren in front of her.
"Do you know why we travel the timelines like this? Why we constantly show up, no matter the era? This isn't the only era we've appeared in! In fact, the knowledge used to grant you power in this era was gained from when we appeared on Earth in the 70's of another timeline. You are years ahead of your time in this world! Do you know why?!" Empress yelled as Enterprise took note of the slowly building crowd of Explorer, Peace Breaker, Oceana and Strategist class Sirens growing around her.
"I haven't the slightest of ideas, but you have been made my enemy. Nothing you could possibly say can change that after you took over this world so cruelly." Enterprise said as she snapped her bow to the sky, raining down beams of light around her, giving her the chance she needed to escape.
Enterprise made a break for her vessel, that was held under guard from a massive fleet of Siren drone ships.
"STOP HER!" Empress yelled as whatever Sirens survived her attack ran after the white haired woman as she boarded a vessel that looked like a island of steel. The number on the side wrote CVN-65.
Enterprise looked back with a smile on her face as her usual fighters shimmered to life on her flight deck, only this time, in many more numbers than her previous hull could have.
"Enterprise... engage." Enterprise said, as if willing her ship to follow her orders. Sure enough, Dauntless dive bombers took off from the deck in droves, blanketing the sky with planes that rained hell upon the fleet blocking her escape.
"I'll be back to finish what I started. I can't risk disposing of you today, but once the world has been liberated, we shall come for you." Enterprise said, her mind set on finding the man that these sirens feared.
Isaac spent nearly 20 minutes trying to peel Friedrich away from Shinano's belly, the Ironblood battleship enamored by the sound of a tiny heartbeat.
"Friedrich, we still need to discuss commissions tonight. Come one." Isaac demanded softly as he pulled her out of the room, the battleship fighting him every step.
"But, the baby must be protected. My godchild must be safe." Friedrich said.
"Do you trust our fleet, Friedrich?" Isaac asked, calming the battleship.
"Yes..." Friedrich answered softly.
"Then have faith that nobody will ever get close to this vessel." Isaac said as Friedrich finally calmed herself.
"Alright, dear husband... but know that I am not happy about this arrangement." Friedrich said.
"I need you in front. Shinano is more than capable of defending herself. And I will be sure to allocate Laffey and Nimi to protect her in the rear guard." Isaac said.
"But..."
"But nothing. You're a battleship. Your guns are needed to help protect the fleet and attack our enemies. I am sure Shinano will allow you to spend plenty of time with her and the little one from time to time, but we can't let that overshadow our business here." Isaac said.
"Alright." Friedrich said sadly.
"After dinner, you can come back if Shinano allows it." Isaac said.
"That is... acceptable. "Friedrich said as the two of them headed for the galley onboard the Shinano.