Kibble scribble: and we have the next chapter. Hopefully chars aren't too out of character.

A grey ceiling was the first thing to be seen as the young man opened his eyes. The second thing he saw, or more accurately heard was the sound of waves and the smell of a Sea breeze. "I'm, alive? Dead?"

"Very much alive," an old blonde main in a suit said as he stepped beside the young man and looked down at him with a small smile. "You gave the doctors a run for their money. Some did not think you would make it."

"I see."

"You don't seem too thrilled with being alive, young man."

"Why do you care?"

"Hm, I suppose it is my nature," the man said as he took a seat on a chair to the young man's right. "My name is Karl Schreiber, I am a Psychologist that works for the Iron-Blood Navy. May I know your name?"

" Um . . . . Ryan."

"Just Ryan? You have no family name?" Karl asked calmly.

"I, can't seem to remember," Ryan said as he gently shook his head and tried to bring his arm up, only to find it firmly held against the bed.

"Ah, your body is held down to the bed for your own safety," Karl spoke up quickly. "Your body is not in a condition to move under your own power."

"How bad?"

Karl was silent for a moment before he spoke up. "What do you remember?"

Ryan looked conflicted for a few seconds before speaking. "Uh, a mall, screaming and pain. Then I was in some, tunnels, or some sort of facility. The walls were metal, and my leg was wounded. I was hearing voices and I, don't quiet remember what they said, or what I did. I, I think I was going in and out of consciousness. I don't remember anything more specific."

"That is alright. When you were found your body was in very serious condition. You lost a lot of blood, you were malnourished, had a number of bone fractures as well as internal bleeding, and to top it all off a crack in your skull and a concussion," karl explained.

"That, sounds like I shouldn't be alive," Ryan said grimly.

"Technically you were dead for a couple seconds during one or two or the surgeries I am told," Karl said before smiling. "Our doctors do good work though, and you will make a full recovery. Well, what remains of you will."

" . . . . So, I'm guessing that means not my whole body made it. Which is why I'm strapped down?"

"That is correct. Your right leg was unable to be saved due to its injuries and extreme trauma. Your left arm was saved but has a metal rod down the middle of it now though, replacing the bone."

"Okay. Why?"

"Well, the damage to the bone-"

"No, not why is there a rod in my arm," Ryan interrupted with a blank look on his face and he turned his gaze to the ceiling. "Why go through all this work to save me? I have no worth. I am a nobody with no one who would notice my disappearance if I were to die, so what are you planning to get out or this?"

"You are not worthless, no one is."

"No, I am just a man who can't keep any job from being unable to connect to people. I'm not useful to anyone, and no one would care if I simply disappeared. It is simply the way it is."

"That, may not be quiet the situation as it is," Karl said in a knowing tone. " Tell me, ate you aware of where you found yourself?"

"Some kind of facility?"

"No, you were found in the depth of a ship for the Iron-Blood's first priority design shipgirl."

"So, I'm under scrutiny for being on a military ship then?"

"No you , did, you not hear what I said?"

"I was found on a ship."

"A Shipgirls, ship. Her vessel to be precise," Karl stated finding that Ryan was not reacting how he expected. "You, do not know what I am referencing, do you?"

"A female ship captain?" Ryan asked as if it was obvious.

"Okay, let's try something different," Karl muttered. "You are from the Eagle union judging from your name, correct?"

"I've never heard of any union or something like that. Is it a workers union?"

"No, it is not a workers union," Karl said with a strange expression. "Let's try this; Have you ever heard of the Dragon Empry, Sakura Empire, Iris Libre, Sardegna or the Northern Parliament?"

"Sakura is a type of tree petal, right?"

"Yes, but that was not quite what I was looking for," Karl admitted before suddenly standing up. " Mister Ryan, thank you for your time. I cannot say what future awaits you as I am not the one to decide, but I hope you are as forthright with the next person you speak to as you were with me."

Before Ryan could respond Karl turned and disappeared out of sight, the sound of a door opening and closing to mark his departure.

Karl stepped out of the medical ward, trying to think of how to report what he now knew, only to find not just Bismarck herself standing before him, but also that she was accompanied by Prinz Eugen.

"What have you discovered?" Bismarck asked instantly, her expression cool and collected as her gaze felt like it was boring through his chest.

"Are we returning to an office for this debrief, or doing it right here?" Karl asked, turning his head and eyeing the door behind him cautiously.

"If you are worried we shall simply speak further down the hall," Bismarck said as she motioned for them to do just that. "Now, what did you find out? Is that man a Spy from the Royal Navy or Eagle union?"

"He did not know of either of them, nor the names of any faction," Karl stated as he followed beside Bismarck, though a half step behind her just to be sure. "He also did not understand what I meant when I had mentioned Shipgirl or their vessels."

"That sounds rather unlikely," Prinz Eugen spoke up with a smirk. " Perhaps a decade or so ago there could be some that would not know of us, but our existences are hardly a secret anywhere in the world now."

"I know that," Karl answered swiftly. " I believe that he may be from what the researchers have spoke of in the past, an alternate dimension of some sort."

Prinz Eugen gave him a look, while Bismarck's expression was totally unchanging. " You realize that sounds a bit farfetched, no?"

"Yes, I am aware," Karl responded to Prinz. " However after speaking to both he, and Miss Roon, I am sure of it."

"What does Roon have to do with it?" Bismarck asked simply before adding. " in your report on her Psych evaluation you did not give her a very good report after all."

"I did not give her a good report because the lady is far from what anyone, human of Shipgirl, could be considered sane. She is clearly insane, but after I gave her report I looked into something. I record all interviews I do, and during hers she hummed, and played music from her personal rigging, a number of tunes I did not recognize. I isolated these tunes, and have been putting them through some computer programs to see if they were recognized. They were not. She could hum, and was playing music and songs that were clearly professionally made, but that do not exist."

"And as that man did not recognize the names of any faction or the concept of shipgirls you believe he is rom a different dimension because of that?"

"Yes. I have spoken with some of the scientists and engineers on the Roon project, and they believe that something about that mans presence, his blood or perhaps something he left in the ship, is why Roon's vessel and self perhaps changed as drastically as it did. He told me he did not realize it was a ship, and that he was talking to disembodied voices within it."

"You believe that he was speaking with Roon while within her vessel, and that is the reason she has a fixation on him then, correct?" Bismarck asked very carefully.

"I do. I also believe that, if perhaps he had say a music player, hard-drive, or phone of some kind with music on it that was perhaps left in the vessel, that it, combined with his blood and speaking within her, could be an explanation to the situation. It is all purely conjecture of course."

"Hmm, as fantastical as it sounds, that logic does track," Prinz Eugen said before smiling. "Does he seem to have a side already?"

"He is, in the simplest of terms, a broken man," Karl said, before going into further detail. " I would need to speak to him in more depth to be sure, but I believe he is one who did not understand personal connections or social interaction well. He is intelligent, but has few social graces, speaking what comes to mind, and he holds himself to very low standards, thinking very little of his own worth. If I had to guess, I would say he had a complicated life up until this point and has little to no contact with what you could call friends, or possibly even family."

"Do you believe he is not simply hiding what he actually knows?" Bismarck asked.

"He showed no signs or lying, just low self esteem and considering himself to have little worth. He expects we healed him to get something from him," Karl answered.

"Well, that's not wrong," Prinz aid with a smile. "Do you believe that he would be willing to join us in some facet since he does not seem to have a side?"

" I do not know. I would need to speak him for much longer, and at length. Multiple days in all likelihood. If he is from a entirely different dimension it would be proper to see what kind of history his home had, and if there are similarities that could effect his opinions."

"I see. . . .do you think he would be receptive to payment or something similar if his opinions do not stray to far?" Prinz asked next with a strange look on her face. She then chuckled when she saw Karl looking at her. "leg replacements are not cheap after all."

"Again, I cannot say. I merely spoke to him first to ascertain if he was a danger to the Iron-Blood."

"Then I would ask you to ascertain what else you can learn from him when you can," Bismarck spoke up, her voice full of nobility, authority, and respect. " We need to be sure of his stances before we can-" Bismarck stopped as a ringing noise came from Prinz, who put a hand to her ear.

"Yes? . . . . . I understand, I will deal with it," She said before lowering her hand. "Roon has escaped confinement."

"How many are wounded?" Bismarck asked instantly, her tone turning to steel."

"Two guards are unconscious and likely have concussions. Otherwise there are no injuries, and the only damage is the door to her room is embedded in the wall."

"Strange. When she tried to break out yesterday fourteen were injured," Bismarck muttered to herself quiet calmly. " Where is she now?"

"Unknown, apparently," Prinz stated with a sigh. "She needs to be found before something is destroyed, or lives are lost."

"May I suggest our patients room?" Karl suggested, causing both women to look at him with expressions that awaited more information. "From my interview with Roon, it is clear she is enamored with the man. If perhaps, she overheard someone on the base talking of his location, it could have given her a reason to break out. To find him for whatever reason she May have."

"That does track with what she was raving about yesterday," Prinz agreed as she turned on a heel and began poweriung down the hall, Bismarck and Karl following behind her.

The group arrived at the door barely a minute later, and could hear noise from within, so without any notice Prinz stepped up to the door and threw it open.

And was promptly greeted by the sight of Roon sitting on Ryan's waist with her legs to each side as if mounting him, looking down at him with an expression mixed with anger, confusion and sorrow.

Ryan found himself staring at the ceiling after Karl had left, his mind wandering with questions that he had no answers for. He could not move his body, could not look to see what terrible state he was in. there was no one else nearby, no one for him to get answers from. All he had was questions.

What was the Eagle union, Sardegna, Iron-Blood and all the other terms that Karl had mentioned? Where they places? Groups? Organizations?

Was he at one of them?

Was he a prisoner? Was he simply strapped down actually for his own safety?

What was a shipgirl?

And of course the most important question, what was his fate going to be?

Not that he had a whole lot of say in it, being strapped down and all.

"Finally, I've found you."

Ryan turned his head to the new female voice. Or he tried to. His head had little movement being strapped as it was, so all he could do was look out through his peripheral vision, seeing a blurry blonde head of hair not by the doorway into the room, but by the window to his left that was now open.

Had it been open before?

"I do apologize for not arriving sooner, Captain, But I was tangled up with protocol and the like," The woman said as she walked up beside the bed, giving Ryan a better view of her. As Women's bodies went, hers was utterly gorgeous. A Curvy body with large breasts, a slim wait, wide hips and thick thighs. Her body could be considered perfect, and her clothing only accented her body's natural looks all the greater. A short loose skirt, an almost gothic looking blouse that held her breast in a pouch of cloth and reveled ample amounts of her cleavage, smooth leggings. The whole outfit was black and dark purple with accents of an almost neon purple and bits of neon red that seemed to actually glow. " Though," the woman began to say with a strange grin. " it looks like you are far more tied up, doesn't it, my Captain?"

It was at that moment Ryan's gaze fell directly on the woman's face. Her Blonde hair with red streaked bangs framed her face and yellow eyes. Eyes that felt odd, different than what he was used to seeing look at him. "I am, but, I'm no captain. I've never even really been on a boat."

"That's not right, Captain," The woman said with an odd smile as she ran a hand up the length of Ryan's arm closest to him. " you have ben on a ship. In fact, you were in one. Do you not recall talking to me?"

"This is the first time we have met," Ryan Deadpanned as he tried to figure out why this woman was touching him.

The woman looked hurt for just shy of a second before she smiled and gripped the side of the bed. "No, this is not our first meeting, Captain."

"Why do you keep calling me a captain?"

"Because you are a captain," The woman said before she then , using only her one arm gripping the bed, flipped herself up into the air to land, almost gently, upon Ryan's stomach. She then repositioned herself so she was properly straddling his waist with legs on either side of his body, and then leaned over, her breasts almost touching his chest as she stared at him as if fixated. "Because you are my Captain, and I am yours!"

"Um, I'm sorry, im not quiet sure what you're-" Ryan tried to say as he felt something in his chest. Sadly he couldn't continue as the woman leaned closer, her ample breasts resting upon his chest in plain view as her face was not even a foot away from his own.

"It's fine, if you don't remember, or don't understand, I'll just make you understand," The woman said as one of her hand was placed on Ryan's chest, and then was dragged down to his pants, making Ryan's eyes go a wide as he suddenly had an inkling of what was going on. "After all. You've been inside of me once, so we should make it twice."

Ryan's mind was a whirl of confusion. He never understood other people, and with the nearly nonexistent amount of friends he had in life, a significant other was more than just a pipe dream, so what was happening above him made no sense to him whatsoever. He tried to say something as the woman grabbed at the medical robe he was wearing, but found his voice would not cooperate.

Luckily it was at that exact moment that the door to the room swung open with a loud whack as it hit the wall, causing the girl to look to the door and whoever was there.

"Goodness, you move fast, don't you?" Asked a sultry voice that, try as he might, Ryan couldn't see the owner of. All he could tell was that they were by the doorway.

"Not fast enough it would seem, Eugen," the woman atop Ryan's waist said in clear annoyance.

"True. Though you would have had more time had I not been told of your escape. Though I admit, I am impressed you merely knocked those marines unconscious."

"They got in my way, but I am not dumb. Hurting them more would have expanded my supposed punishment," the woman said as she still sat on Ryan's waist, but appeared to be tensing up. "Are you here to get in my way again?"

"Perhaps " The one called Eugen said as she walked into the room right up to the side of Ryans bed, giving him a very clear look of her as she continued to speak. "I do understand what you want Roon, and I wont stop you if he wants it as well."

"Then why are you here?" Roon demanded to know.

"Two reasons," Eugen said as she held up two fingers with a sultry smirk . " You being with someone not currently part of the Iron-Blood is an issue; Not that we don't have a plan for that," She then added as her eyes darted down at Ryan for just a moment before moving back to Roon. " Secondly, there is a time and place for everything. In a public medical ward is not the place or time. Especially when his physical body is not at full strength and he has not been released as of yet."

Roon looked like she wanted to say something but didn't as he gaze drifted back to the doorway to the room, then back to Ryan, then to Eugen.

"Roon, I am not going to personally punish you for wanting to meet him, all I am suggesting is to act properly until you can have him to yourself, understand?" Eugen said in a sultry whisper that only she, Roon, and Ryan could hear.

Roon looked at Eugen with a hard, almost hateful gaze. " Nothing will happen to him, Right?" she pressed dangerously.

"Of course not. He may become an, important member, of the Iron-Blood," Eugen said with a smirk as she looked at Ryan, and then back to Roon. " Anything that occurs to him will be his own choice, unless he turns out to be a spy of the Royals or the Union."

" . . . . .no one will try to take him, right?"

"No, it is clear whose he is," Eugen said s she looked at him and then smiled. "Though, I might suggest perhaps speaking to him in the future before jumping him. He looks rather confused."

Roon turned and looked down at Ryan, her face then suddenly becoming conflicted. After a few more seconds she nodded, climbed off of Ryans body and got off the bed beside Eugen and turned to half look at him. " I will be back to, talk, when I am allowed."

"uh, alright?" Ryan said unsurely as Roon and Eugen slowly left the room.

Only for another woman to enter and walk up to his bedside. Unlike Roon who could be best described as Thicc or well endowed, and Eugen who could be best described as Sexuality incarnate, the woman who stepped up beside his bed seemed to be the picture of stoicism and Control. Her body was very mature, yet radiated a sort of strength of one who never faltered, and who had every plan and idea decided in advance deep within the mind.

"I am The Iron-Blood Battleship Bismarck, Leader of the Iron-Blood Shipgirls," the woman said, introducing herself in the most businesslike manner possible before continuing. "How would you feel about becoming a Naval Captain in our Navy?"