Six more days passed.
"This must be what they call happiness." thought Bismarck and she was definitely happy. Someone who became very close to her was by her side. She loved Heinrich without a doubt. He understood her, taught her how to live a far more likeable life than in the past, how to be an individual person, how to not be afraid of feelings and how to care about the loved ones. And most of all, he was kind. Really kind.
She was smiling constantly every day. They decided for New Year's Eve to have a quiet, private night this time, like a date. They watched the seconds to pass at midnight, wished good things to each other and made a quiet simple dinner.
Then in the first morning of the New Year they were ready to leave the Sogne-fjord behind. They wanted to sail the open ocean again, and it would be better to move away as after the sinking of the Prince of Wales the Fog might be interested in this area.
They stood up in the bridge hand in hand.
"Let's take her out to the high seas, shall we?" asked Bismarck.
"Go ahead dear, you steer." said Heinrich smiling at her. The engines started and the battleship sailed out from the fjord. They headed to the north as they thought that it was a more uninteresting area for the Fog.
A day passed uneventfully.
"Where should we go?" asked Heinrich.
"To the far north at first." replied Bismarck. "I think we can disappear there."
"And then? What will we do?"
"Then… What do you want to do then Heinrich?"
"Nothing matters when you're with me Bismarck. However…"
"You don't want to spend your whole life in the arctic right?"
"Well. Not explicitly."
"I see your point." said Bismarck. "Look." she turned to him taking both of his hands. "Just go to safer waters for now. Then we find a place somewhere where we can live undisturbed. There are many recesses on earth."
"Just the two of us?"
"Just the two of us."
Heinrich dug into his thoughts. They can't sail for eternity but also there are not too many coasts on the planet where they can avoid unwished looks. It would be the best to live in a coastal city or town but it's too dangerous because of the Fleet of Fog.
"Alright Bismarck." he nodded. "Let's go a find a place only for us! Let's run away from this dark world! Live there together in quiet."
"And I promise: if anyone tries to separate us, I'll make him or her a hard time!"
"I was sure about that." said Heinrich kissing her forehead.
The next day came. They were sailing somewhere between Norway and Iceland when Bismarck had two radar contact.
"They are here again." she said.
"Do you know who they are?"
"Just two destroyers, the Hans Lody and the Erich Giese. None of them is a threat. They both have five single 127 millimeter guns and two quadruple 533 millimeter torpedo tubes. No mental models."
Heinrich took a binocular. He could see two slim silhouettes on the horizon at north-west. Suddenly data rings appeared around Bismarck.
"They are transmitting a message from the Fog." she said.
"What do they want?" asked Heinrich.
"They warn me to return to the fleet otherwise they'll hunt and sink me. They say they'll forgive me if I rejoin them."
"I think I know your answer."
"I did nothing to apologize for. I ain't ask any pardon for anything I've done since I met you."
"Then if you allow a suggestion: sink them before they report our position!"
"Not a bad idea Kapitän."
In the next moment four shots which came from the forward turrets of the Lody and the Giese bounced of Bismarck's Klein-field.
"Sorry destroyers. It must be a blue joke." said Bismarck, turned her broadside toward them, her main turrets moved and the huge cannons fired a devastating volley. The laser tore through the hull of the Erich Giese and the ship exploded leaving behind a smoking wreck. The Hans Lody has severely damaged but she was still afloat. "Finish her off a get away from here! She managed to report where we are!"
"Do it Bismarck!"
The battleship fired again and sent the destroyer to the bottom of the Norwegian Sea.
"Now turn westwards! If these two came from there others must be around there too. I don't want them to know where we were heading originally." ordered Heinrich.
"Ehm… Alright." said Bismarck. It was her first time seeing him commanding. "Towards the Denmark Strait?"
"Yes Bismarck, towards the Denmark Strait."
"Okay." Bismarck turned. A few hours later they crossed the Arctic Circle. That area is not the friendliest one even in the middle of summer but at that time it was winter and the environment was just inhuman. The sky was covered with black clouds; the grey waves were so big that they constantly broke over the railing in the bow. Bismarck had to zigzag because of the drifting icebergs that were becoming bigger and bigger.
They were nearly at the entrance of the strait when it turned out that Heinrich was right. Bismarck's sensors detected two massive warships coming between Iceland and Greenland. Bismarck read the data.
(Battlecruiser Hood)
(Battleship Gneisenau)
(Weapon status: armed)
(Closing at high speed)
(Mental models detected: two)
"We got company." said Bismarck. "What do you want Heinrich?"
"Get closer than twenty kilometers to them. Your deck armor is good but not the strongest. Charge them at full speed."
"Verstanden. (Understood.)"
Soon the two enemy Fog battleships became visible in the storm.
Hood's POV
Hood's mental model was standing at the bridge. She had long dark blond hair, blue eyes and she wore some kind of a woman suit.
"She's right there." pointed Hood at Bismarck.
"Prepare to attack Gneisenau!"
Gneisenau had black hair wore in a ponytail and blue eyes too. She wore a black shirt, blue jeans and a pair of heels.
"Any tactics?"
"We have to sink her, that's all we have to do." replied Hood. "Turn to port to fire a full salvo!"
Bismarck and Heinrich's POV
Bismarck turned to starboard so she could fire all her main guns on them. The fight has begun from eighteen kilometers.
"Hood is the bigger threat; fire your main artillery on her! Gneisenau has only 283 millimeter guns, shoot at her with your secondary armament for now!"
"As you wish darling!" said Bismarck and she unleashed a salvo of grey 380 millimeter lasers. Her secondary guns bombarded Gneisenau.
They fought like this for a time without any of the sides gaining advantage.
"I think it's time to call in the reinforcement." stated Hood and sent out a message.
"Huh?" Bismarck surprised.
"What happened?" asked Heinrich.
"There are two more of them! They are coming from north-east! Distance 500 kilometers! Cruisers!"
"How could they hide from us until now?"
"They've must have been hiding behind Jan Mayen Island."
"Who are they?"
Bismarck ran an analysis.
"Norfolk and Blücher."
"Blücher." whispered Heinrich. Slowly his face turned to angry. Bismarck understood it.
"She was one of those who…"
"Who killed my parents? Yes." replied Heinrich. "And now? How will we fight in two different directions?"
"I can use my secondary guns on my starboard side against them along with the rockets."
"Are you able to do all of this at once?"
"You can handle the cruisers if you want, so you can also take revenge."
"How?"
"Like this." said Bismarck and made a control panel for him so he could use the weapon system. Heinrich looked at it. Okay, it looked pretty simple. He pushed some glowing buttons and the secondary lasers turned against Norfolk and Blücher who were closing at their maximum speed and left the kilometers behind as they were only meters. Quickly they got into firing range and opened fire at Bismarck. Heinrich fired the lasers and some of the rockets but it didn't have too much effect.
I mean time as four ships were bombarding Bismarck at the same time from two sides her Klein-field downed to 70%.
"Verdammt! (Damn it!) We can't hold this too long!" said Bismarck. "Do you have some crazy human ideas?"
"I have one but yeah, it's crazy."
"Must be better than nothing."
"It's risky but it can work. Concentrate all your shield energy to your port side! The battleships are the bigger threat. Then the weapons on the starboard side will have enough energy to make a deadly blow."
"Yeah, it's crazy. To leave one of my sides unprotected."
"Do you still trust me?"
"Always Heinrich. And actually this craziness is one of the reasons I love you." said Bismarck with a faint smile. "I'll count down. Fire as soon as the Klein-field is shut down! Don't give them time to take advantage!"
"I will not fail." said Heinrich and stood to the panel while the ship was shaking in every second because of the hits. "I'm ready.
"Ok. 3… 2… 1, now!" Bismarck concentrated her shield on her port side and at that exact moment Heinrich fired the 150 and 105 millimeter guns and launched all the rockets they've had. The first ones bounced of the two cruisers but as their Klein-field weakened more and more rockets and lasers reached their hull and superstructure. Norfolk and Blücher just couldn't imagine what happened, the only thing they've felt was that their ships started to fall into pieces. A minute later nothing remained after the two proud cruisers just two broken hulls.
Hood and Gneisenau stared in awe. What on earth was that? How was Bismarck able to use such a tactic? They had never seen anything like that before.
They didn't have more time to think about it for Bismarck fired everything she had on Hood. The Battlecruiser fought to keep her mental model balanced as she took a constant bombardment of lasers and missiles. She was taking heavy damage. She experienced a new feeling: panic. She panicked because she was in serious trouble and she was unable to hold her Klein-field or mount a counterattack. Gneisenau fired back but it was useless.
Hood found herself lying on the floor. This was the worst feeling she ever had. She wanted to run or escape but where could she run on a ship? She slowly stood back shivering and shaking. Her hull was badly damaged and it was listing and groaning constantly due to the hits.
It was the end. She's going to die. And she was terrified of dying.
"Gneisenau! Run! Run fast!" she yelled. She couldn't explain it but she wanted the Scharnhorst-class battleship to survive.
"But.. But Hood!"
"Go now!" Hood repeated herself and this was the last thing she did before her stern submerged taking the rest of the ship under the waves.
Gneisenau was in some kind of shock. She decided to listen to her instincts. She quickly turned around and begun to flee.
"Prepare the super-gravity cannon!" said Heinrich.
"We finish her off?" asked Bismarck.
"No. Target her hull and try not to hit the mental model!"
"Why?"
"Don't ask me." Heinrich shook his head.
Bismarck turned her bow towards the withdrawing Gneisenau, her hull opened and the cannon started to charge. Gneisenau was watching it in despair.
The sea has divided because of the terrifying shot. As soon as it reached Gneisenau, the blast separated the nanomaterials from each other and she started to collapse.
Gneisenau couldn't tell how much time had passed. She must have been still operational because she was able to think. But she couldn't move. Wait! Holy God! She was reduced into a union core and she was lying on the remains of the deck of her flaming, destroyed ship.
Next, suddenly someone picked her up. Who is this? No way! A human? What is he doing here? She didn't know but that male human was looking at her in a pretty neutral way.
And then… Bismarck's mental model appeared behind him!
"Bismarck! What the hell are you doing?!"
"It's my business Gneisenau." replied Bismarck.
"What should we do with her dear?" asked Heinrich.
"Dear?" gasped Gneisenau. "What…"
"I think I'll deactivate her for a bit of time. Then we can take her with us."
"Perfect. Here you are." said Heinrich and gave Gneisenau's union core to Bismarck. In the moment she touched it shut down.
"Huh. It's over." sighed Heinrich.
"It was a pretty hard one wasn't it?" asked Bismarck as they went back to the ship and continued their way northward.
"It indeed was." replied Heinrich and he placed Gneisenau into a small box on the saloon's bookshelf. "Hmpf! Amazing. I've fought together with a Fog ship side by side."
"And I fought side by side with a human. When could I imagine this before? Thank you for saving my starboard side."
"It was you who really fought. It was your energy and strength Bismarck."
"But still it's not certain that I could've stood against those four. Thank you Heinrich." said Bismarck hugging him.
"And what would I have done without your protection? Thank you Bismarck." replied Heinrich holding her at arm's length.
"Let's just say that both of us saved the other, alright?"
"I'm in." said Heinrich giving her a kiss.
The next day they sailed on. They passed between Jan Mayen and Greenland and they went on and on until there was no more light at all. They've reached an area where there is no sunlight for about 110 days in every year.
They've decided to get anchored between the islands of an archipelago along the eastern coast of Greenland. They had to break their way through the ice of the Greenland Sea between the world's biggest island and Svalbard.
The environment was nearly unearthly. It was dark. Ice and snow surrounded the ship everywhere and here and there were rocky islands and shores. And it was quiet. Dead quiet. As there were no other living creatures on the planet out of Bismarck and Heinrich. The spicy wind and the rumble of the ice were the only things they could hear. They weren't very daring to leave the ship. Luckily Bismarck improved her heating system further. No matter how cold was it outside, inside it was always nice warm.
Mostly they were sitting in the comfortable armchairs of the saloon, talking drinking tea or vine, reading books, playing the organ or the guitar, cooking and listening to music.
Surprisingly for both of them they've found peace in this frozen world. They could live here together undisturbed. That was all they needed. Peace, a quiet life and most of all they've head each other. They've had someone they could love and trust.
At night (If it was night at all. The clock showed 10:00, but without the Sun Heinrich wasn't sure if it was 10:00 a.m. or 22:00 p.m.) Heinrich decided to take a warm shower. The outer parts of the ship's interior were still a bit colder. Bismarck got curious.
"Can I try it?"
"Of course Bismarck. By the way if you've never washed yourself how you can have a nice scent in all twenty-four hours of the day?"
"No idea. And don't make me flush you stupid!" she gave him a small slap for joke.
"Just go ahead." offered Heinrich.
Bismarck went inside the bathroom and closed the door behind her. She looked around then took of her shirt, skirt and stockings. When her underwear was the next she stopped. She realized: this will be the first time even for her to see herself without any… Eh, but you can't shower in clothes. She stepped into the bathtub and turned the water on. She nearly jumped out of the tub, it was so cold. Then she turned the tap and the temperature became much friendlier until it was warm but not too hot. She just let the water fall over her. It felt really nice. Like it was washing all the bad things off her. Steam filled the air and it made a cool atmosphere. When she finished she dried herself with a towel. After she put her bra and panties back she decided to make a silk bathrobe for her out of nanomaterials. It was black with red roses on it. Then she left the bathroom.
Heinrich was sitting on his chair leaning back. When he heard her coming out he turned to her.
"Well, how did you li… Oh. You… You look nice." he said roaming her with his eyes.
"Thank you." smiled Bismarck combing her wet hair with her fingers.
"Well then… I go too." said Heinrich, stood up and left for the shower.
A few minutes later he came out. Bismarck was already at the edge of sleeping. The fight the day before was tiring.
"Man, she surely looks cute. Thank you Lord for her!" smiled Heinrich and climbed into the bed too. They hugged, he gave her a kiss for the night then they fell into sleep. Since that day in Bergen they always slept together, they've felt safe in each other's arms.
A week passed in the arctic. Showering became a part of Bismarck's evening routine, she really liked it.
Then one night while she was drying herself she felt something strange. She couldn't describe it but it was like, like she was burning inside. What could have caused it? She tried to evoke her memories from that day. Nothing really special, they did what they used to. Talking, eating, and listening to music together.
Together… This last word set her thinking. All her thoughts were around Heinrich when she thought about them. She tried to think for something else. She closed her eyes and thought about her past life, the battles and the loss of Tirpitz. The heat disappeared from her. Then she thought about Heinrich and it immediately came back. She still didn't exactly know what was going on but she felt as if something was driving her and she felt that she must listen to this something. But she was afraid. Why? "Okay, deep breath and… go!" And she opened the door.
Heinrich was already lying on his back in the cabin. Only the small reading lamp was lit. His mind was around his home, Germany, Niedersachsen, Bremerhaven, his family friends etc. Then he heard the bathroom door opening and looked there. Bismarck stepped out in her bathrobe but her face was somehow strange. As if she was nervous but also confident at the same time. She didn't say a word. She rolled her eyes a few times then she started to unfold the bow on her robe's belt.
He froze. What is happening right now? You don't say…
He got this far in thinking. Bismarck's bathrobe opened and she let it fall to the ground revealing… everything.
"I must have died. And this here is the hereafter. There's no other option. But when and how?" the young man thought.
But he had to realize that he was alive. Bismarck walked to him slowly with gentle steps looking directly in his eyes. She kneeled down on the bed with one of her legs, leaned over him, placed both of her hands on his faces, closed her eyes and kissed him.
All of Heinrich's former thoughts disappeared. He kissed back with pleasure. Her lips were even softer and warmer as they used to be. Bismarck smoothed his chest and he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She was now fully kneeling over him leaning on him as they continued the kiss.
Bismarck still felt that something but she didn't felt anymore that she should resist it. She felt her body heating up until it was nearly unbearable. Her breathing was faster than ever even it wasn't necessary for her to breath. Anywhere where Heinrich touched her she felt the small electrifying shock. It was like her hand was moving by its own. A few seconds later she could only notice that his t-shirt was in her hand and she's throwing it to the ground. Now she felt his whole upper body touching hers. Her skin touching his was a so fantastic feeling she couldn't describe. She felt how warm his body was and how fast his heart was beating.
In the twinkling of an eye he turned around with her curled around him. Now it was her lying on her back with him on her. She could never imagine that something can be this intimate. This closeness. When there is nobody else in the world just him.
It looks like she totally forgot to think. Her hands slowly slipped down on his back. Then they reached his shorts. She didn't stop her hands she allowed them to remove that last piece of clothing.
Then she felt something around her abdomen. They separated their lips a bit but still they were only one or two centimeters away from the other, they could fell their hot breath on their faces.
"Dear… Dear…" Bismarck whispered sighing heavily as he moved that something further down.
The next moment she was certain that it's absolutely useful to have a physical body. The pleasure and warmth totally filled her.
And when they were after it they were lying side by side holding each other in silence.
"What's the date?" asked Bismarck after a long time.
"I think it's 9th January."
"9th January. I note it."
"Why?"
"Because this was the day when you really loved me first." she smiled. And with this our couple fell into sleep.
Not usual ending, is it?