Isaac watched as his fleet entered the shallows surrounding Palau. Tapping the side of his helmet, he cleared his throat.

"Taka, Ben. You two are to take the troops ashore and ascertain the situation." Isaac ordered.

"Uh… Ben is not here, Shikikan." Taka spoke.

"Where is he?" Isaac asked.

"He was with Gangut the last I checked." Taka said.

"Ah. I see. Well, then I leave this to you, Taka. Jager has reported no activity on shore. No AA emplacements or military presence. Nothing that can do us harm." Isaac explained.

"So the point of taking troops ashore, Shikikan?" Taka asked.

Isaac was silent as he remembered what Wilhelm had told him.

"Jager reported that houses appeared to be burned by plasma. Dwellings were assaulted by the sirens. And a lack of offensive capabilities like AA or Military machinery means that either it was all destroyed in a Siren raid… or this Island was attacked without provocation." Isaac said.

"So…" Taka started.

"This is search and rescue. We will cover this area and check for survivors. And either way, this place could be a good staging area for the Philippine operation." Isaac said.

Taka's tone dropped.

"Aye. It shall be done." Taka said as he cut the line.


"Everyone, listen up!" Taka's voice came over the PA system onboard both the Japanese and English transport ships. After a few seconds pause, he continued.

"All combattants head to your landing craft. Any doctors or specialized medics should consider themselves included. This is a search and rescue operation. We are going to be searching every dwelling we can safely enter. If we find any dead… bury them with honor. If we find wounded, treat them and get them to the beach, we can set up a perimeter around the landing craft. Once they are stable, we can contact Shikikan Isaac Garner and have him talk to them. Be on the lookout for Explorer class Sirens and any hostile force. Any armed civilians are to be disarmed and detained until we can ascertain their allegiances." Taka explained as the sirens on the transports rang out, finalizing his orders.


"Isaac?" Norfolk asked as she walked over holding Yume.

Isaac turned and took Yume from her before answering.

"Yes, Norfolk?" Isaac asked.

"Why are we invading this island?" Norfolk asked.

"Picking up the Chinese cruisers kind of put a kink in our plans. We need to split off a task force to escort them back to New Guinea And we can't exactly do that when we're under fire. So this place, as uncertain as we are about it, is our best bet." Isaac said as he watched the transport ships drop the landing craft into the water.

"Admiral, you called for me?" Ben's voice asked.

"Where were you, soldier?" Isaac asked.

"Taking leave with Gangut, Commander." Ben spoke in a proud tone.

"By taking leave…" Isaac asked.

"Sex." Ben said, earning a sigh from Isaac.

"I get the fact that you were held prisoner for over a year, and that this fleet is the very definition of freedom at this moment… but we are still a military operation, let's try to keep it toned down when we're on the clock. I know I might not be the best at it, so I won't get upset over it… but when we're preparing for a landing like this, I need my men ready to go, got it?" Isaac asked.

"I'll do my best, Sir." Ben spoke.

"Are you able to land on the beach?" Isaac asked.

"I can be ready in twenty minutes." Ben said.

"Get ready and assist Taka in the landing. I want the best people under me on the ground. You're a medic, so your job should be obvious." Isaac spoke.

"You want me to assist soldiers." Ben assumed.

"No. This isn't a combat invasion. This is a search and rescue mission. This island seems to have been razed by the sirens, and Jager's recon proves that. I want you to lead recovery efforts. Find any survivors and get them back here. Once we sweep the inhabited parts of the island, we can ship the survivors to New Guinea with the Chinese cruisers and the task force." Isaac said.

"I see. Then, I shall be there as soon as possible. Will you be landing with us?" Ben asked.

"I will be coming ashore soon. I must address the fleet." Isaac said as he cut the line.


Isaac walked out onto the bow of the Norfolk and looked over his fleet. He tapped his helmet, connecting him to the rest of the fleet.

"Everyone? Can you hear me?" Isaac asked. A wave of confirmations resided in the following seconds.

"Excellent. This is merely a detour in our plans. That said… some of you will not be joining us in our invasion of the Philippines. As disheartening as it sounds, I will need to split this fleet to escort the Chinese cruisers and any of the survivors we find here. I will not risk more than I have to. That said… My immediate orders are as follows: Alwyn, Torricelli, Iowa, Kitakaze, and Kaga. You five will escort Yat Sen, Ping Hai, and Ning Hai as well as the survivors of Palau back to New Guinea and await further orders. You five will also become instrumental in ensuring the complete takeover of New Guinea from the remaining cultist presence. I expect you to do your duties well. The rest of you, keep your guns trained on the island. Carriers, I want fighters on the flight decks just in case our ground forces request support." Isaac said.

The fleet went silent at Isaac's order.

"Darling… you're sending Iowa away?" Eagle asked over the fleetwide channel.

"She is Perkins' ship. And since he is going with Kaga, it makes sense that Iowa would follow him." Isaac reasoned.

"Darling… I may be a carrier… but even I understand the importance of having guns like that on the front line." Eagle spoke, earning several supporting votes.

"I get it, but if we are defeated in the Philippines… New Guinea is right in Tester's warpath. We need decent power there to defend what we have worked so hard for." Isaac said.

"But…" Eagle protested, only to be cut off by Iowa.

"Are you sure you won't need me here, Admiral?" Iowa asked.

"I appreciate your concern, Iowa. But your firepower needs to be used elsewhere. And while I have full confidence in your ability, you are still working to gain full control over your vessel. I was able to order fire support from Perkins during my invasion of New Guinea… but with you being your own entity, I feel like you will need practice. No offense to you, but I would prefer to keep you away from the front for the time being." Isaac said.

"I see... Then I shall work hard to be of more use to you, Admiral." Iowa said in a cheerful tone. Deep inside Isaac's chest, a certain feeling tugged at his heart, as if he had just crushed the dreams of an upstart.

"For clarification, Iowa. You are not useless. I am trusting this important task to you. I just feel like you should be at the top of your game when we face off against a Siren elite. The last time I went in less than one hundred percent… I lost a part of myself." Isaac said, but when Iowa never responded, Isaac realized that the damage had been done.

"The other four I called upon, be ready to depart pending the result of this landing." Isaac said shortly as he cut the line, turning to face Norfolk.

"Is my suit ready?" Isaac asked.

"Yes. Zero has completed the diagnostics and is developing an upgrade. We should see this project bearing fruit sometime soon." Norfolk said.

"Good. I'm heading ashore." Isaac said as he walked inside.


"Commander?" Iowa asked softly as she hailed Kaga.

"Iowa?" Kaga asked before Perkins picked up the receiver.

"Is the Commander there?" Iowa asked, the sniffle in her tone painfully apparent.

"I'm here, Iowa. Is something wrong?" Perkins asked.

"Am I a bad ship?" Iowa asked timidly.

"What?! No! Not at all!" Perkins spoke, his tone one of shock.

"Then why is the admiral sending me away from the front?" Iowa asked.

"Was that his order?" Perkins asked.

"Yes, Husband. Myself, Iowa, Kitakaze, Alwyn, and Torricelli have been ordered to escort the Chinese to New Guinea." Kaga spoke firmly.

"Hmm. Maybe he has a reason?" Perkins suggested.

"What reason could that be, Commander? He said I was instrumental in taking New Guinea, but now… I need practice?" Iowa asked. Perkins cursed himself for not being able to get to her quickly.

"Iowa. You are very strong. You proved your strength when you were woken up. But Isaac might have a plan. After all, you might be strong, but you haven't had combat experience as a kansen. And while memories are a good tool, nothing makes you stronger like actual experience. So maybe he's pulling you away since we are still in enemy territory. We might face resistance on the way back. So maybe he is expecting you to get some experience ahead of an even tougher battle, where your monumental strength will be the key to victory." Perkins explained.

"So… I'm strong, but inexperienced?" Iowa asked.

"Yes. But that is not a bad thing. You are so strong, that your inexperience is a non-issue when it comes to the drones. You can brute force it and make this mission a success." Perkins comforted her.

"So… I'm not useless?" Iowa asked.

"Not in the slightest. You are the most up to date ship that this fleet has." Isaac's voice was heard in the background.

"Admiral?!" Iowa cried out as she cut the line.


"Admiral?! Why did you sneak up on me?" Iowa asked.

"I had a sinking feeling that you might have misunderstood my orders, so I have come to clarify." Isaac said as he removed his helmet.

"Commander explained it pretty well." Iowa said as she looked at Isaac's feet.

"Look. Iowa… I would love to keep you here. I really would. You are a strong, powerful, modern battleship. Your guns are the most up to date piece of tech that the Eagle Union has aside from the atomic bomb. You are a marvel of modern technology. But I need your power to protect our troops that we are leaving undefended in New Guinea. Your guns will be their saving grace. Your hull will be their beacon of hope. You will be their guardian angel." Isaac said as Iowa slowly met his gaze.

"Will you call on me again, Admiral?" Iowa asked.

"You will be the first hull in Tokyo Bay. I swear." Isaac said as Iowa's face brightened the bridge of her vessel.

"I'll hold you to that, Admiral." Iowa said as Isaac smiled, feeling a bit better about his decision.


"What's going on?" Micheal asked.

"Shikikan has ordered our ground forces to land and survey the area for survivors. And then he is sending several ships to escort the Chinese cruisers to New Guinea. I can't tell for sure, but he sounded a bit upset towards the end." Amagi said as Micheal looked at her.

"Did he give any orders for me?" Micheal asked.

"No. I am assuming that you are just to prepare for the recon mission he wishes to send you on." Amagi said.

Micheal groaned impatiently.

"Gods. This is boring. When it was just us, we hunted every day. We were always ready to go." Micheal said as he stared at his 'rifle'.

"Well, we joined a fleet that has everything we didn't. We are no longer alone, we don't have to fight alone anymore." Amagi spoke softly.

"I know… but I want to do something. Sniper support, temporary command. I'd even be happy checking our supplies. But he has nothing for me to do?" Micheal asked as Amagi's radio crackled.

"Amagi, this is Isaac, come in." Isaac's voice spoke.

"I am here, Shikikan. What can we do for you?" Amagi asked.

"Send Micheal over to the Enterprise. I have Eugen and Atago heading there now. The Catalina is prepped and ready to fly. So I want to send him ahead to scout out our invasion path." Isaac spoke.

"I will let him know." Amagi said as she turned to Micheal.

"You asked for something to do, my love." Amagi said as Micheal took a deep breath.

"So I did…" Micheal said as he grabbed his rifle and headed to the deck to await his transfer.