"Come on you guys! This isn't cool!"
"Cooper, for the last time, you're not coming with us!" Ingraham held her younger sister firmly by the shoulders, pushing her easily back into the hospital bed. "Vestal still needs to run tests on you to make sure there are no lasting effects of handling that mental cube."
"That, and the research team needs to study the friggin' thing to make sure it's even safe to have around in the first place." Allen added. She flanked Cooper from the opposite end and put an arm around her little sister.
Cooper squirmed out of the hug. "But I feel fine!"
Allen looked a little hurt.
"Cooper…" Ingraham sat on the bed and held her sister's hands firmly. Crimson eyes met magenta, and Cooper fell silent. "I may not have witnessed the incident but judging by what Essex said, you were not yourself in any manner. That's cause for worry in my book."
Cooper hung her head, bangs covering her eyes from everyone present. "It's… not like I asked for it to happen."
"No one did Cooper." Essex spoke from behind Ingraham. She had been quiet for the last fifteen minutes as the older Sumner sisters did their best to settle Cooper. "Believe me, if the cube had affected me, the admiral or anyone else the way it did you, then we would be staying behind as well."
Cooper did not so much as twitch a hair in her direction but brought her knees to her chest and choked back a sob as she buried her face in them. "Why me?"
Ingraham stroked her head gently, pressing her forehead to the top of Cooper's. "It could have happened to anyone. We're just lucky you didn't get hurt."
Cooper groaned, tightening her grip on the bed sheets; her mood not alleviated one bit.
Essex sighed, running her fingers through her bangs, giving them a slight tug to quell the growing headache. She wanted to sympathize with the destroyer. But the incident had genuinely spooked her; not that she could admit it to her team. They needed to be assured she was still in control of the situation. Them, and senior command.
Speaking of which…
She cleared her throat, grabbing Allen and Ingraham's attention. "I know you hate the idea, but think about it this way Cooper. You might as well stay behind so Vestal can diagnose your ship and you can get those upgrades Enterprise suggested."
Essex didn't think Cooper could frown any harder, but the destroyer managed to do so. "Ingraham hasn't had her upgrades yet either." She pointed out. "So why am I the only one staying?"
"Actually," Ingraham cleared her throat as if bracing to reveal some bad news. "My ship will be done within the next hour or two."
"But what if you guys need me?" Cooper's magenta eyes were pleading as she looked between her sisters and finally at Essex. "If you guys got into trouble and I wasn't there to help…"
Ingraham's frown deepened and she hugged her sister into her chest. "Cooper, we'll be fine-"
"For a day or two while you get your gear taken care of." Allen cut in, giving Ingraham a questioning arch of the brow. Ingraham's lips pursed before sighing in acknowledgment.
"We need our number one anti-sub specialist." Allen stated warmly, which seemed to get Cooper to turn and look at her eldest sister. "But we need you to be okay. Or you're not going to be able to help anyone like I know you want to."
Cooper and Allen locked gazes before the younger destroyer sighed, burying her face into Ingraham's shoulder. Allen wrapped her arms around both of them, covering them with her jacket as though it were a shield. After a long moment of silence, the eldest Sumner lifted her scarlet eyes to meet Essex's and gave a slow blink.
Seeing that Allen had control of the situation, Essex nodded in thanks, and moved towards the door to leave the sisters in peace. No sooner had she crossed the threshold than Cooper called out to her.
"Don't win the war without me." Her voice cracked slightly, despite putting on a strong front.
Essex chewed her lip for another breath before leaning back to see Cooper looking at her from over Ingraham's shoulder. She was holding her sisters' arms tight, and Essex couldn't help but give a warm and confident smile.
"We can't do it without you even if we tried."
This made Cooper blink, clearly fighting tears of frustration.
Essex rapped her knuckles on the doorway to grab her attention. "Get well soon." She lifted her brows as if to say "That's an order".
Cooper gave a long, exasperated sigh and nodded, not saying anything as she leaned into the embrace more.
Confident that the matter was settled for the time being, Essex took her leave, making her way towards the exit. However, rather than taking the direct route, she made a slight detour, taking the stairs up to the third floor. Upon exiting the stairwell, she could hear the soft sound of music playing from an old radio, crackling with light static but delivering a welcoming note on the afternoon breeze. As she neared the source of the music, she could hear the clicking of utensils on a plate.
Poking her head around the doorway, Essex found Vestal sitting beside the bed watching intently as the young man cut a slice of turkey on his platter. It was a slow process and Essex could see his arms trembling as though the fork and knife weighed a hundred pounds each. She cringed, realizing how weak he must have been in his current state.
Upon hearing her knock, Vestal and the young man both perked up. Vestal immediately smiled and rose to her feet.
"Essex! Good afternoon." The repair ship shifted, pulling her own chair out to offer Essex a seat. "What brings you here?"
"I wanted to stop by and see how our guest was doing." She entered the room, wearing a warm smile as she nodded to the two occupants, but politely declined the invitation to sit.
"Doin' better." The young man spoke up and had to cover his mouth as his voice came in a raspy hiss. He coughed into his far shoulder before Vestal handed him a glass of water.
"That's good to hear." Essex said with a gentle nod. "We were pretty worried you wouldn't make it when we found you."
It took a couple of heartbeats for the young man to realize what she was saying and his brows lifted. "You're the one who found me?"
Essex rocked her head to the side a little. "I was just on site. It was one of my teammates who discovered you in the ruins."
The young man's expression fell as though she had just said something mildly irksome. But it passed in the blink of an eye, and he bobbed his head. "Thank you… Essex." He gave a sheepish smile. "I owe you. Bigtime."
Essex felt her cheeks warm and she cupped an elbow before shyly twirling one of her twin tails. "I-it was nothing."
Vestal gave a huff. "Oh don't be such an Enterprise. From what I've heard, you handled the situation without so much as a hiccup."
"Vestal…" Essex tried to hide the uneasiness in her voice as her cheeks continued to burn.
"Don't Vestal me." The repair ship puffed herself up and placed her hands on her hips, giving a rather adorable pout in the process. "You did a good job. And because of that you saved someone who likely would have died otherwise." As if to press the point home, Vestal turned to the young man with an expectant look. "Right?"
There was only the briefest of pauses before he nodded with a weak smile.
"By the way," he started and leaned forward with hand extended to her. "I'm David. But most just call me by my last name, Kooper."
Essex blinked and allowed a smirk to form on her lips. "Interesting name." She took his hand to shake. "Nice to meet you Kooper."
Yeah, that felt weird to say and not picture the destroyer in bed downstairs.
Vestal let out a disappointed hum. "Aw, you're not going to try and charm our dear Essex?"
Essex's brown raised inquisitively while Kooper shot Vestal a look that said 'Really?' The repair ship giggled and flashed him a mirthful smile.
"You and Hornet, I swear." He taunted and blew a raspberry at her. It only provoked another giggle from his nurse.
When Essex looked to Vestal for an explanation, the nurse only gave her a dismissive wave. "Her majesty and him had a slight… miscommunication during their first meeting earlier."
"I see…" Essex stated warily, unsure if the joke was directed more at her or towards 'Kooper'.
"I could have made a far worse first impression." Kooper huffed, giving a roll of his ocean-blue eyes. When his gaze met hers, a slight blush formed on his cheeks. "You really want to know?" He asked, sounding almost hesitant to offer.
Essex could not deny, she was curious as to what had gone down between this young man and the leader of the Royal Navy. Out of the corner of her eye, Essex spotted the grin on Vestal's lips nearly double in size, unable or unwilling to hide her amusement.
"You might as well, since I'm going to find out at some point." Essex let her own smile grow, figuring that a little teasing would be all right if he wasn't outright protesting it. A minute later she was chuckling along with Vestal while Kooper grinned sheepishly in spite of himself. "Seems we brought home quite the prize." She looked to Vestal. "We better be careful about letting him loose in the port or we're liable to have a stampede on our hands."
Vestal continued to laugh and pinched the air near Kooper's cheek. "But just think of the morale boost he could give. We've never had a human on base before. It'd be like meeting a celebrity."
Essex was about to say something about gathering a limousine and a red carpet when she saw Kooper's expression fall. Apparently, the mention of being the only human had been enough to turn the playful banter on its head.
"Kooper," She drew a little closer to him and reached into a cloak pocket before extending to him the folded piece of paper. He blinked at it before taking and unfolding it.
Vestal, watched quietly, having picked up on his sudden mood change, her hands folded anxiously in her lap.
"This is the list of names I gave out." Kooper finally spoke as though his throat was full of sand.
Essex nodded solemnly and knelt beside the bed. "My team and I will be heading out soon, so if there are any further names or instructions you may have forgotten that may help us find your family…" She let the last part hang in the air before giving a small incline of her head towards the page.
Kooper swallowed hard as his eyes grew misty, but he drew in a deep breath before rubbing at them with the back of his hand. "I think it's all here." He said, starting to read again, but his eyes quickly began to stare through the page and into the floor.
Beside the bed, Essex's legs were beginning to cramp as she waited. But despite the burn, she refused to fidget in front of him. She would remain solid and unbreaking. A great monument for him to hold onto so he would not have to drown in sorrow. She would be the sun to break through his storm.
"Her…"
Kooper's voice caused Essex to blink several times as she had spaced out. He was pointing out the name at the top of the list.
Amanda Roselee.
"Girlfriend?" She asked, keeping her tone light and hoping she was reading him right.
He blushed and shook his head. "No… but if… If she's… It would mean the world to me if you..." He bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting, or possibly knowing, how to finish his request.
Vestal reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. Kooper reached up and gave it as firm a squeeze as he could manage. He forced a smile, but appeared to appreciate the comfort.
"You have my word."
Kooper lifted his gaze to her, and Essex finally allowed herself to rise to her full height, placing a hand on her hip and extending the other to him. "I will do everything within my power to find her and the rest of your missing family."
Kooper stared from her to her hand as if he had asked for a life vest and been given an entire ship to keep him from drowning. He actually had to blink himself out of his stupor before taking hold of her hand and squeezing with all his might, which wasn't much in his emaciated state. But Essex could feel the intense gratitude behind the gesture.
"Thank you." He gasped and a couple tears escaped down his cheeks.
Essex flashed him a warm smile and gave his hand a strong shake, retrieving the list as she did so. "In the meantime, you can help by making sure you recover. Can't have you looking like a toothpick when we reunite you with your girl." She flashed him a wink and it had the effect of bringing a genuine smile to his lips and a slight blush to his cheeks again.
Taking that as her cue, Essex backed towards the door, smile still spreading across her face. "I best be going. Stay strong and listen to Vestal."
Kooper gave a dubious half smirk. "I will, Mom."
Vestal snickered.
Even Essex had to agree she had sounded rather motherly with her words and joined in.
Kooper didn't laugh, but he kept his smirk and mouthed a silent 'Thank you' to her.
With a final wave, Essex turned into the hall, her heart fluttering with the breeze. Her grin only spread wider as she descended the stairs and out into the warm afternoon sun. The salty sea air filled her like a balloon as she relished in the fulfilling sensation of having brought hope to a distraught soul.
"You look happy."
The sudden voice startled Essex out of her moment and her head snapped around to see San Francisco strolling down the path, hands casually stuffed into her pockets and an amused grin on her lips. "What gives?"
Essex gave one of her twin-tails a triumphant toss. "Just had a little meeting with the new kid."
Fran blinked, clearly having not expected that answer. "Oh? How's our boy doin'?"
Essex rocked her head from side to side. "As well as can be expected under the circumstances." Her smile spread a little more as she looked back up at the only open third-story window of the building. "But I think I was able to make a good impression."
Fran could only stare at her in befuddlement. "I see…"
Essex shot her a grin and stuck out her tongue playfully. "What's with that look?"
The cruiser shook herself out of her momentary confusion and locked eyes with her. "Nothing. Sorry." She scratched at her head absentmindedly, looking a bit sheepish. "At first, I thought Cooper took the news of being sidelined with rainbows and a smile."
Essex gave a huff, her mood from seconds ago all but deflated. "No, she's pretty upset."
Fran's smile vanished. "Figured as much."
Essex approached her long-time friend and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry to have asked you to stay behind as well. But-"
"Bleh…" Fran stuck her tongue out and blew a dismissive raspberry. "My upgrades ain't done yet so it only makes sense I stick around to sit on Cooper." She arched a brow at her team leader. "Round of drinks and a pizza says she'll try and sneak off."
Essex withdrew her hand and placed it upon her hip. "That's a pretty safe bet for you."
Fran shrugged. "Safe. Real. Either way, I'm prepared to see it happen at least once."
"At least." Essex couldn't help rolling her eyes, despite the smirk. She knew Fran could and would handle the eccentric destroyer just fine on her own. There was no need to worry about her. "So what brings you here? Grabbing Ingraham and Allen?"
Fran nodded. "That and playing Fleet P.O."
Essex tilted her head curiously, looking for any sign of postage on her friend's person. Finding none, she expected to see Fran looking at her with a more serious expression.
The cruiser jerked her head back the way she had come, apparently from the east most side of the main campus. "You have a few visitors waiting for you. They looked like they were waiting to catch you before you and the others set sail."
Essex's smile fell. "Who?"
Fran rolled her eyes as if annoyed to have to say it. "Mama Eagle herself and all the brass."
Essex's stomach plummeted into the concrete and her skin suddenly grew clammy. Enterprise was here? Now? Waiting for her? No doubt with Queen Elizabeth and her escort as well. She looked to Fran for confirmation, but the cruiser only shook her head, seeming to read her mind.
"All… the brass." She repeated.
It took a moment for the penny to drop and suddenly Essex's throat went dry. The sun that had been warming her skin minutes before seemed to have vanished and all she could feel was an icy chill. She looked in the direction Fran had indicated, imagining the sight of her faction's lead carrier just around the bend. She could practically see those steely violet eyes locking onto her as soon as she rounded the corner, an impatient frown on her face as she waited for the one she had summoned to show herself.
"Hey! Look at me." Fran was suddenly there in her face, nose to nose and hands cupping her cheeks firmly. She shook her head and repeated herself. "Look at me. You're okay. There's no need to be a Stressex. They're not here for your ass."
Essex's eyes darted to the side, trying to look past her friend but Fran gave her a sharp jerk back. "Stop." She said sternly. "Just stop." She pressed her forehead to Essex's, all the while keeping her lavender eyes staring into her.
Essex hadn't realized that she was breathing heavy, borderline on hyperventilating.
"Breathe…" Fran murmured gently, letting her eyelids droop. Essex could feel her friend's breath caressing her skin as soft as a feather.
It took a few moments for her to settle her own breathing and by then she was ready to collapse. Why did she feel so dizzy?
Fran slid one hand to the back of her neck and gave her muscles a squeeze. A chill like a cold shower rushed down Essex's spine and she shivered, shaking herself out of her inner turmoil.
"There we go." Fran cracked a half smile when Essex was able to look her in the eye without panicking. "Just go see what they want." She gave her neck another squeeze. "I keep telling you… You're going to be fine."
Essex swallowed hard and drew in a deep breath before nodding. "Right… Thanks, Fran… Sorry…"
Fran only eyed her another moment before letting loose a sigh of her own, stepping to the side and giving her a firm push on the back. Essex took a couple steps but stopped to turn back to the cruiser. Fran only stuffed a hand into her jacket pocket and waved her off.
Essex half expected her to say something. Tell her to 'Git goin' '. Or that she would be waiting for her after she found out what was going on. But her friend only turned and walked towards the entrance to the building she had just left.
Feeling a rock form in her chest, Essex returned to reality.
She was on her own.
Drawing on what confidence she could muster, she made her way towards the east sector Fran had indicated. Each step felt as though anchors weighed her down. By the time she rounded the bend she was sweating and vaguely aware the weight in her chest had become an unending rattle.
As she rounded the corner of the academy, she spotted them. A tall blonde woman, clearly Iron Blood spotted her first and locked her eyes onto her as though she were a target on a range. When the others accompanying her followed her stare, Essex felt as though the entirety of Azur Lane had its eyes on her.
Giving a sniff and a deep breath, she approached, trying to look casual and not as though she were on her way to a court martial. She was halfway across the lot when the familiar figure of Enterprise stepped out from behind the Iron Blood who had apparently been large enough to block Essex's view of her senior.
She almost stopped right there. But a cursory glance down at herself distracted her and she brushed some imaginary dust off her skirt, attempting to make herself presentable.
"It's going to be fine." She repeated under her breath as she set her sights on the older carrier. "Everything is going to be fine."
To her surprise, Enterprise smiled and stepped forward, hand outstretched. "Hello Essex. I take it San Francisco delivered my request to see you?"
Essex opened her mouth to speak but found that her voice had abandoned her, right when she needed it most.
Enterprise blinked, looking at her curiously. Her lips moved to speak but Essex quickly gave an affirming grunt and nodded before looking around the group. Queen Elizabeth, Warspite, Wales and Belfast, flanked by Shoukaku and Zuikaku and to their left stood who must have been Bismarck and to her surprise, Prinz Eugen.
So, this was Admiral Hipper's younger sister.
Firelight eyes met copper as the two stared at one another. Then Eugen cracked an alluring smirk and gave a twitch of her head towards Enterprise and Essex realized that her senior had been speaking.
"I'm sorry," she interrupted, catching Enterprise in mid-sentence. "Could you repeat that?"
Enterprise blinked in confusion for a moment. "Are you okay Essex?" She moved closer and tilted her head inquisitively as though inspecting her for damage.
"I-I'm fine." Essex stammered. Her face felt as though it were on fire. She had to get herself under control or risk blowing it in front of her nation's icon. She straightened and clicked her heals together, squaring her shoulders and locking gazes with Enterprise. "I've been thinking about the situation, and I let myself get distracted by the business at hand." She snapped a crisp salute. "It won't happen again ma'am."
Enterprise blinked again as her mouth fell open in surprise. "Uh..um.. Right." She took an awkward step back and Essex nearly died on the spot when she saw the faint rosiness on the carrier's cheeks.
Damnit. She was blowing it.
"What's gotten into you Essex?" Elizabeth asked, taking a commanding step towards her. The battleship was barely up to Essex's chest, even shorter than Admiral Hipper, and in that moment, looking just as irksome. "I've never seen you so spacey before. This is highly unacceptable behavior for any knight of mine, honorary or not."
Essex wished a high-explosive round would just vaporize her on the spot. She dropped to a knee and bowed before the battleship, finally giving into the pull of gravity. "Forgive me Your Majesty. I'm just trying to make sense of the situation and mission that has been bestowed upon me."
Elizabeth hummed, as if her words were less than convincing. Essex couldn't blame her. How could she convince the queen of the Royal Navy when she couldn't even convince herself.
"I suppose there's some truth to that." Elizabeth finally stated, and Essex looked up to see the petite girl's arms crossed over her chest and looking less than impressed. "But I still expect you to be just as professional as any carrier of the Eagle Union regardless of the circumstances."
Essex bowed her head again with a nod.
"It's all right." Enterprise interjected, drawing everyone's attention away from Essex, giving her a few precious seconds to straighten and compose herself. "I didn't expect the mission to take the turn that it did. No one could have predicted what they found."
"Indeed." Wales nodded, shooting Essex a sympathetic smile. "You handled the situation well."
"I… I did?" Essex blinked as she scanned the faces around her.
"Of course!" Elizabeth practically scoffed as though to say otherwise would have been like leaving muddy tracks on her carpet. "You discovered and seized enemy assets bringing to light that this attack was no mere coincidence."
"It was strictly by chance Your Majesty." Essex pointed out.
"Perhaps." Bismarck spoke up. "But not everything can be planned down to the second. And according to the report I received, you were unwilling to leave my subordinates to guard said assets should the phenomenon that befell your own subordinate inflict itself upon them. It was a practical decision. One not all Iron Bloods are so quick to subject themselves to."
"And furthermore, you took measures to ensure that everyone was protected from the power of the black mental cubes." Shoukaku piped up. Her voice was sweet and seemed to dance on the wind. "That is a sign of a good leader. To be able to look after those under your command with insight and consideration while maintaining order isn't easy to do."
"I… but…" Essex started but stopped when Eugen chuckled.
"You should just accept the compliment and be done with it. We have you outnumbered." She flashed a wink and pressed a finger to her lips as though she were about to blow a kiss.
Essex could only blush and nod dumbly. "Thank you everyone. If you'll allow me to do so, I'd like to continue to do my best."
"Well why do you think we're here?" Elizabeth practically barked and Essex flinched.
"The discovery of black mental cubes not in possession of the Sakura Empire is a big cause for alarm." Zuikaku stated and stepped up beside Enterprise, practically brushing shoulders as she did so. "A singular cube is bad enough. But that many… all in one place?" She looked uneasily at Enterprise. "I'd like to disregard the part of the reports stating that Kaga and Akagi might have some knowledge of this place, but…"
The older carrier nodded, seeming to agree with whatever silent conversation might have passed between them.
"I apologize if any offense was made." Essex piped up, looking between the two. "I felt that it would be better to bring it up as a possibility, however unlikely." She glanced over her shoulder back at the hospital building, remembering Cooper's reaction to the mental cube. "Is it possible to have your First Carrier Division elders' rendezvous with us once my team and I return?" She glanced at Elizabeth. "You are still sending us back to continue our investigation, aren't you?"
"It's not going to be just you this time." Wales said, her expression hardening. "We are all in agreement that this venture is going to be far greater than just your team to handle alone." She pulled out a data pad tucked under her arm and hidden below her cape.
Essex took it and scanned the open document on screen, and frowned almost immediately.
"You're breaking up my team?" She wasn't sure if she should be outraged or hurt. She had worked with the Sumner sisters for years along with Bremerton and San Francisco. Sure, Essex had her sisters of her class. But the destroyers and cruisers were just as dear and precious to her.
"It's not so much breaking up, as it is intermingling." Warspite stated. "If we're going to be standing together against the sirens then we need to do so as one. Not Azur Lane. Not Red Axis. But as sisters in arms."
"I see." Essex glanced at Bismarck who may as well have been a rock wall for all the emotion she showed. Maybe this had been a test to see how well she and her team got along with the Iron Blood?
"Does that meet with your approval?" Bismarck asked in a borderline mocking tone.
Essex's nostrils flared as she tried to think of a retort.
However, Elizabeth stepped in between them and shot the Iron Blood leader a disapproving look. "Lord Bismarck, I would appreciate it if you left the disciplining of my knights to me. I know Essex well enough to know she's fully capable of handling this operation, despite her age."
"I do hope your confidence is well placed, Your Majesty." Bismarck gave a slight incline of her head.
God she was tall.
"However, considering the situation we now face ourselves with, I will be reassigning Prinz Eugen to her task force."
Essex furrowed her brows. "Reassigning? What about the admiral?"
Bismarck frowned, clearly not taking kindly to Essex inquiring about her decision. "If you must know, she will be reassigned to another taskforce. One with a less sensitive mission."
"But why?" Essex couldn't stop the words before they passed her lips.
The muscles around Bismarck's eyes tensed as she stared into Essex. Essex held her gaze until Bismarck looked to Enterprise. "You never mentioned she was so mouthy."
Enterprise, along with Elizabeth, both wore expressions of disbelieve as they found themselves unable to utter a word.
Essex felt her skin burn and took a step towards the battleship who turned her iron gaze back to her. "Lord Bismarck..." She inhaled deeply and set her jaw as she let out her breath. "With respect, if this situation is as sensitive as you claim, then would it not be beneficial to everyone participating in the operation to be present until its completion?"
Bismarck's eyes narrowed. "Explain."
Essex blinked, surprised she was not outright berated. Shooting a quick glance at Enterprise and Elizabeth, she continued. "The admiral has already been familiarized with some of those who will be on site, as well as myself and the area we're currently investigating." She nodded towards Prinz Eugen. "If you wish to reassign her, that's fine. I can't stop that. But if we're supposed to work together, I will humbly request reassigning the admiral be done after my operation is deemed complete." She gave an apologetic nod towards Eugen, expecting to see the heavy cruiser sharing in the stern leer Bismarck was now giving her. But Hipper's younger sister only grinned in amusement, rubbing the corner of her mouth with a finger.
"She does bring up a good point, Lord Bismarck." Elizabeth piped up, also seeming to be considering Essex's reasoning. "It would be an inefficient waste of time to replace Admiral Hipper at a time when we are uncertain if things are more dire than we expect."
Essex sent a silent thank you towards the Royal Navy battleship. "It's already going to take to further organize and coordinate the teams once on site." She continued. "Her sister is more than welcome to join, but she will need to be brought up to speed so she can work effectively with the rest of us."
Bismarck gave an incline of her chin, staring down her nose at Essex. "So, you think that Prinz Eugen is not suited for the role of leadership in this scenario."
Essex fought the urge to swallow the lump in her throat. "Yes."
Silence fell over the group. Even the seagulls seemed to have quieted, as though waiting to hear an explosive outburst. A cold trickle ran down Essex's back, catching at the elastic band around her waist. Her fingers twitched but she refused to budge before the battleship; even if her tights were going to be slick with sweat.
Finally. Bismarck's eyes twitched as she looked down. Essex blinked, wondering if she had made a move that had drawn the Iron Blood's attention. It was then she noticed that she was trembling.
"Very well." There was no shortage of gruff annoyance in her voice. "I will inform Admiral Hipper that she is to rejoin your taskforce, if only to bring Prinz Eugen up to speed, as you put it." She looked down at the cruiser in question. "Do you have any objections?"
Eugen gave a slow shake of her head with an almost sultry look in her eyes as they swept over Essex.
Was she checking her out?
"Nein." She finally answered. "It would be good to work with an Eagle Union carrier for once, rather than being on the receiving end of their temper." She licked her lips before shooting a look at Enterprise.
Essex's face grew hot, and she broke her gaze away from the heavy cruiser. She found Enterprise only returning Eugen's grin with a blank expression of her own.
Bismarck cleared her throat, pulling the brim of her cap down until a shadow covered her eyes. "I will take my leave here then. Clearly we will need to expedite Admiral Hipper's refueling and resupply so she is ready to depart with the rest of the fleet, no?" She tilted her head so that just one steely blue eye could lock onto Essex.
"O-of course!" Essex snapped to attention and nearly saluted on reflex. It was a poor choice of decorum, but she doubted a handshake would have fared much better after she had just more or less protested the orders of another faction's leader.
However, not another word came from either Iron Blood as Bismarck led Prinz Eugen away from the gathering to a waiting car.
"I think you just narrowly avoided a full salvo from her." Prince of Wales muttered as the vehicle motored off over the bridge.
"I'm inclined to agree." Elizabeth stated. "While I concur with your reasoning Essex, I can't help but ask: What in the devil has gotten into you?" The petite battleship strode up to Essex and thrust her scepter under her nose as though it were a weapon she planned to use. "We are putting our trust in you to handle an extremely uncertain task and you begin the operation by backtalking an allied leader."
"Your Majesty, if I may." Warspite interjected, stepping into Elizabeth's peripherals. "I do not believe that Miss Essex intended to come off in the manner she did. But in doing so, she may have gained a modicum of respect from the Iron Blood."
Elizabeth blinked at her sister. "Would you care to explain Warspite. Because I'm only seeing possible tensions arise between us and the Iron Blood in the near future."
Warspite straightened with a nod. "The Iron Blood value strength. Not just physical or political, but strength of ideals."
Elizabeth's frown deepened. "Essex could have made her case clear and be done with it."
"It wouldn't have been enough." Enterprise interrupted, taking a step forward and locking eyes with the younger carrier.
Essex felt goosebumps ripple over her skin.
A hint of a smile tugged at Enterprise's lips but she broke her gaze to look at the shrinking car in the distance. "I get the feeling that Bismarck wanted to test her."
"Test her?" Elizabeth did a double take back at the bridge.
"If Essex was going to have the audacity to question a faction leader, then she had to have the spine to stand by her words." Wales wore a smile as she pinched her chin between thumb and forefinger. She looked towards Essex with a pleased glimmer in her crimson eyes. "Well done Essex."
Essex could only stammer incoherently.
She had strapped a saddle to a tiger and now she was going to have to ride it.
This was definitely not going to be a straight-forward mission.
