Isaac stood in port as Warspite, Roon, Kitakaze and Graf Zeppelin skated to shore.
"Wow. Well, allow me to introduce myself. I am Admiral Isaac Garner, commander of Azur lane, as many of you may already know. Welcome to Brisbane." Isaac said as the four girls looked at each other.
"You're Admiral Garner?" Warspite asked.
"I am. I apologize if I don't look as you would expect me to." Isaac deadpanned.
"I meant no offense... I didn't expect the Queen to take interest in someone so... brutish." Warspite said.
"Brutish, that's a new one." Isaac retorted sarcastically.
"Once again, no offense. You're just built more like a loader than an Admiral." Warspite said, trying her best to save face.
"Ah. That's what you meant. Well, Elizabeth is in drydock having her vessel rebuilt. If you wish to see her, I will not stop you." Isaac said as Warspite glanced at Roon.
"I assume you'll be alright, Roon?" Warspite asked. Roon nodded frantically, eager to meet her new Kommandant.
"Then I leave her in your care, Commander. Please be fair with her. There's a lot of pain under that smile." Warspite said as Isaac caught a glimpse of her arm.
"Before you go, I would like you to go see Arizona. She can patch up your arm for you. I won't ask how it happened." Isaac said as Warspite nodded.
"Where would I find her?" Warspite asked.
Isaac pointed to the Norfolk.
"She's in the medical bay on that vessel. Hood is still being tended to while she awaits rearmament, so you should run into her in there too." Isaac spoke.
"I see. I shall head there posthaste." Warspite reported as she walked away.
Isaac looked at the small moth-like destroyer.
"And you must be the Destroyer Kitakaze." Isaac deduced.
"That I am." Kitakaze spoke softly.
"Excellent. Nimi should be around here somewhere. We're sending Laffey to Tonga and receiving Eldridge in return, so get to know the other destroyers." Isaac said.
"You know I was the one who destroyed the base in Niue, right?" Kitakaze asked.
"Let's... keep that information tight lipped." Isaac said, remembering the chain of events that stemmed from that incident.
"Understood." Kitakaze said as she walked away to find Nimi.
Isaac felt a chill down his spine as he stood up straight and turned to look behind him. Roon was standing behind him to his left.
"You must be the Heavy Cruiser, Roon." Isaac stated, shaking off the insidious feeling he was getting from her.
"That would be correct. I am very happy to be here, Kommandant. What can I do?" Roon spoke in rapid succession.
"Well, I do not command Ironblood directly, but I assume you'd rather not be led by Bismarck." Isaac stated.
"You would be correct. I would rather receive my orders directly from you, Kommandant." Roon said defiantly.
"I am sure a quick talk with Bismarck will allow me to do so without stepping on toes. You're in line to get your vessel back, seeing that you don't have one sitting in port." Isaac stated.
"I don't see many heavy cruisers, Kommandant." Roon observed.
"Baltimore, Mainz, Atago, and Prinz Heinrich... Bremerton took massive damage and has been declared unfit for battle at this time. That's where you come in." Isaac said.
"What happened to this Bremerton?" Roon asked.
"Bremerton took a high explosive shell to the bridge with her still on it. She was heavily damaged, and while her ship is back to pristine condition, the Kansen herself is in no condition to fight." Isaac said, replaying the last battle in his head.
"I see. Then I will do what is expected of me, Kommandant. I will not let you down." Roon said as she ran off to find Warspite.
"And I know who you are, Graf Zeppelin. I wanted to thank you." Isaac said.
"I am unaware of anything I have done." Zeppelin replied.
"You brought me Observer Zero, and you gave me a new insight to the beings known as Kansens. Because of you... I discovered that I am going to be a father soon as well." Isaac said.
"Ah, so you did do it. Who's the lucky lady?" Zeppelin asked, now fully invested in the conversation.
"Yamato class Carrier, Shinano of the Sakura Empire. We found out the day you informed us of the news." Isaac said.
"I see. Do you have an idea of when she is due?" Zeppelin asked.
"We think it'll be around 4-5 months from now. Apparently Kansens don't need the full 9 months that humans need." Isaac pondered.
"You would be correct. Laura was born exactly 5 months after conception, so you should have a beautiful baby girl by spring of next year." Zeppelin said.
"Speaking of, Otto is onboard the Norfolk. I know he is eager to be reunited with you and your daughter." Isaac said.
"I shall be reunited with him shortly. But I must transfer Observer into your custody." Zeppelin stated as her ship pulled into port.
"I understand." Isaac said as he looked at the Norfolk, seeing Bismarck standing by the rail, he waved her over.
"Ja, Kommandant?" Bismarck asked as she looked at Zeppelin.
"Graf Zeppelin, how was your stay up north?" Bismarck asked as if she were talking to an old friend.
"Very cold, Lord Bismarck. Very very cold. But with all our time in the Baltic and the Atlantic, I quickly got used to it." Zeppelin said with a small smile.
"Bismarck, we need all hands on deck. Graf Zeppelin has been carrying the Siren known as Observer Zero, and she has finally delivered her to us." Isaac said.
"I understand. Friedrich, Mainz and Odin have all been called." Bismarck said as Isaac turned, seeing the three Ironblood girls rapidly approaching.
"Good. Once they are here, we'll begin extracting her from Zeppelin's vessel." Isaac stated.
"What will we do with her?" Zeppelin queried.
"Vengeance has business with Observer Zero. I promised her that she would be able to do whatever she wishes, so long as we can still get information from her." Isaac said darkly.
"Vengeance?" Zeppelin asked.
"Smasher class Siren Elite. She defected in lieu of the explosion on Niue that killed the Navigator class Siren elite. She swore to get revenge for the lack of intel from Zero. I figured that it would be as good a chance as any to get some more help." Isaac said.
"And I am assuming that the sleek looking monstrosity sitting out in the harbor belongs to her?" Zeppelin asked.
"It's my own design, based off the A-150 hull from the Sakura. It's a Hybrid Battleship, or a battle carrier." Isaac said.
"So she can fill both roles?" Zeppelin asked.
"We shall see... according to Norfolk, we have something coming from Pearl Harbor, and we don't know if it's friendly." Isaac said.
"So we are still in an active warzone?" Zeppelin asked.
"Yes. I would recommend keeping Laura with Shinano if you would rather her not be with you and the rest of the carriers." Isaac suggested.
"I'm joining the other carriers?" Zeppelin asked.
"I'm afraid so, I need all hands here. the only reason Shinano has to stay behind is because she is actively unable to launch planes according to her Bulins and Vestal. So she has been relegated to the rear guard." Isaac said.
"I see. Well, if those are the circumstances, I can understand. And with such a big ship, I'm sure Laura will be fine." Zeppelin said as she turned back towards her vessel.
"Shall we get this transfer under way?" Zeppelin asked.
Isaac turned to head back to the Norfolk.
"Give me one minute please." Isaac said as he walked quickly onto the bridge of the Norfolk and into the changing room, where his suit was hanging. He slipped it on and placed the helmet on his head, seeing the display he had become used to in ground combat.
Isaac returned to the port, walking over to the gathered group of Ironblood kansen who now included Roon and Nimi.
"Alright girls, bring her out." Isaac spoke sternly, standing tall as the girls walked aboard the Graf Zeppelin to retrieve her prisoner.