Sharp, crimson eyes intently watched the large monitor lighting up an otherwise dark room. The Battleship Princess sat with her chin resting on top of her fist as she listened to the Japanese reporter speaking on the screen, a neutral expression on the Abyssal's face.
"Hey, Dyson, what's that you're watching?" the Airfield Princess asked curiously as she walked into the room.
Battleship Princess didn't bother turning away from the screen. "It's a news report."
The Airfield Princess scowled. "I can see that. What is it about?"
"What do you think? Did you forget that the International Fleet's parade was today?"
"Ooooh, yeah, that," the Airfield Princess recalled. "So what happened? Did the ship girls humiliate themselves or something?"
Battleship Princess finally turned to shoot a glare at her comrade. "Why is it that you never pay attention to our activities if they do not directly involve you?"
The Airfield Princess scrunched up her face in thought as she tried to remember what she was missing. "Oh, right! Those gullible protestors we've been cultivating through the help of our friend on the ground finally put our plan into action today! We were supposed to assassinate one of their admirals, right?"
"Yes, specifically Rear Admiral Richard Drake of the United States Liberation Navy," the Battleship Princess filled in. "He is the only admiral to have defeated multiple Abyssal Princesses, and so the plan was to take him out and see if that would strike a blow to the International Fleet's morale. Unfortunately the operation was a failure, and I believe that he has survived."
"Eh, it's no big loss. Better to just win on the battlefield, right?" Airfield Princess grinned.
"I suppose," Battleship Princess sighed. She stood up. "Regardless, we must now contact Central Princess and Sun Princess in order to put the second phase of our ground plan into motion. This will prepare us for the third and final phase… Surely you at least remember these parts of the grand plan?"
"Of course I do! The second phase is to increase the dissent among humans and pit them against each other," the Airfield Princess answered confidently.
"Yes, the Sun Princess has been working on the foundation for this with the help of the Central Princess and a few idiot humans," the Battleship Princess smiled as her red eyes glowed gleefully. "However, with the recent assassination attempt, I am sure that the police and the military have begun to investigate the assassin and the group behind him. If they get in too deep, then it may be bad for us. Therefore, we need to distract the humans for a bit and remind them where their main focus should lie."
"We're going to sortie again?" Airfield Princess asked eagerly.
"Not you. You had your chance, didn't you?" the Battleship Princess pointed out.
Airfield Princess deflated. "Whaaaat? But I wasn't even taking it that seriously!"
"That is your own fault," Battleship Princess replied with disdain. "Furthermore, this isn't the time to joke around. We have lost more Princess-class ships than we expected, and it's undeniable that the humans are putting up more resistance than we thought they would. While our last attack may have just been a probing maneuver, it still did not do as much damage as I thought it would, and we did not manage to sink a single ship girl. The fact of the matter is that we have not had any major successes since the fall of Okinawa, and that must change. Do not forget that both ship girls and Abyssals run on emotions as their power sources, and if we allow the ship girls to think they have finally got the better of us, those thoughts may actually become reality. It is necessary for us to remind them and the humans of the true strength of the Abyssal Fleet."
"And that's why you should bring me along!" the Airfield Princess grinned enthusiastically.
Frowning, the Battleship Princess ignored that. "Well, even if this next attack doesn't do much, our strategy will still go as planned. Once we are able to sow the seeds of dissent in the various humans across the world, we will launch Operation Gaia. Do you understand?"
"Of course. Operation Gaia is when we will launch our multi-pronged global assault," the Airfield Princess stated as if she were a schoolgirl answering a teacher's question. "Unlike our previous operations, which have mostly been confined to one or two areas of the world, this time we're going to attack multiple locations around the world in short succession… But enough about that! Like I said, send me out today! I want to go too!"
"No. This time I will be the one to go," the Battleship Princess declared firmly. "The last time I took the battlefield I was able to sink the Imperial Japanese Navy's flagship, but even then, it took nearly all of my strength to do so. This time, with the power harvested from the humans at Okinawa… I wonder what I will be able to achieve."
Drake awoke to the sight of a blank, white ceiling. Blinking, he tried to recall where he was, but the last thing he remembered was getting into the ambulance.
I must have passed out…
"Ah, you're awake now!"
Drake turned at the familiar voice and saw Fleet Admiral Wei standing by his bedside. And now that he had a chance to take in his surroundings, he realized he was back at the Tokyo Bay Base's hospital. Rear Admiral Genji and Fleet Admiral Miiro were also present, the former wearing his usual unfriendly look while the latter had a more worried countenance.
Drake tried to sit up and winced at the pain in his side. He looked below the blanket to see that it was heavily bandaged, and he also noticed a blood bag connected to an IV that was inserted into his arm.
"Uh, you probably shouldn't move," Fleet Admiral Wei cautioned.
"Well, he's awake, so that means he's fine, just like the doctors said he would be," Genji said. "I've got other things to take care of, so I'll be going now."
"Apologies for him, Rear Admiral Drake," Miiro smiled as Genji left. "Regardless, we are pleased to see that you are awake now."
"Yeah, thanks," Drake managed. "So, what exactly happened? Why did some reporter try to stab me?"
"That wasn't a reporter. I don't know if you heard him, but he cried out something about how he didn't like foreigners," Wei supplied. "The MPs discovered that he was one of those protestors disguised as a reporter who managed to slip his way in."
"So it was a delusional nationalist?" Drake wondered.
The door to the room opened and Lira entered, still wearing her Royal Navy uniform. Her face lit up when she saw Drake awake and sitting up on the bed.
"Oh, you're awake now! That's good," she smiled as she made her way over to him. "You gave us all quite a scare, passing out like that! It's a good thing there is no lasting damage."
"Right…" Drake belatedly realized that the entire fleet and packed audience, not to mention everyone watching on television, must have seen him get stabbed. "I hope my parents don't find out about this…"
"I already called them and told them that everything is fine, so don't worry about that," Lira informed him. "Most of your fleet is still wondering about what happened to you, though, so…"
Right on cue, the door slammed open to reveal a nervous-looking Bismarck. Her frantic blue eyes darted throughout the spacious room until she saw Drake's bed on the far end towards the window.
"Admiral!" she immediately rushed over to him.
"Hey, you're not supposed to be in here…" Wei half-heartedly warned, knowing full well that Bismarck was just going to ignore him.
"Sorry, sir, I couldn't stop her," Iowa apologized as she also entered. "But I have to admit, I was curious too… Glad to see you're all right, Captain Drake!"
"Yeah, I'm fine. I told I would be," Drake said, guiltily looking away from Bismarck, who was kneeling by his bedside with tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
"Admiral…" Bismarck muttered sadly.
"Don't look at me like I'm dying…" Drake frowned.
Bismarck wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "S-Sorry. I was just worried…"
Drake glanced at her, idly recalling the last time he saw her cry back on the docks. She had certainly come so far since then, and he never would've expected their relationship to turn out like this. It does feel nice to have someone worry about you like this, even if I do feel bad about making her cry again…
"Yeah, um, I'm sorry I couldn't react in time, sir," Iowa said, now looking quite downcast herself.
"It's not your fault. No one expected something like that," Drake reassured her.
"It was an oversight on all of our parts. Guns are extremely rare in Japan and so we thought we didn't have to worry about anything like this as long as we kept the protestors far away from the venue, but we didn't expect someone to pull out a sword. Sorry you had to bear the consequences, Drake," Wei sighed.
"Well… At least no one died," Drake offered weakly. "Did they say when I would be able to get out of the hospital?"
"They said a couple days at least, so you should get comfortable," Lira told him.
"Oh." Drake was disappointed. "You all should probably leave, then. Don't hold up your work on my account."
"I'm staying here!" Bismarck almost yelled.
"There's no way I'm leaving either," Iowa grinned.
"I've also been given permission to stay on base at least until you're better, so you won't get rid of me that easily," Lira smiled.
"I wish I could say the same, but unfortunately I have a ton of things to do now," Wei groaned. "I'll also be on base for the next few days though, so I'll check up on you from time to time."
"All right, sir. Don't worry about me," Drake offered a small salute as Wei exited, feeling incredibly embarrassed about this whole situation.
That left Drake alone with Bismarck, Iowa, and Lira, and an awkward silence ensued. He really didn't know what to say right now, and though his ending up in the hospital was no fault of his own, he felt like he failed somehow by allowing this to happen. He also hated having people pity him, so the fact that his cousin and two ship girls were hovering over him made him feel uncomfortable.
"Uh… You guys really don't have to stay here," Drake insisted.
"Shut up, sir. You don't get to decide that," Bismarck retorted, sounding annoyed.
"Yes I do. I'm the patient here and I'm also your commanding officer," he frowned.
"Oh? Then make me leave," Bismarck taunted him, now switching out her glare for an amused smirk.
With a sigh, Drake decided to give up on that. His mind wandered to that night in Lubeck, and again he felt very guilty. Ever since that night, he felt like his relationship with Bismarck had changed significantly, and he knew that it couldn't have been easy for her to watch him get stabbed like that.
"I'm sorry… I should have been more careful, shouldn't I?" he muttered, almost unconsciously voicing his thoughts aloud.
Bismarck's eyes softened. "Admiral… It wasn't your fault. But I…"
"Eeeeeh? I'm beginning to feel like the third wheel here," Iowa complained.
Lira raised an eyebrow. "Huh, didn't know you and Bismarck were like that, Richard. And to think, you wanted Warspite instead of her at first!"
"W-What are you talking about? It's not what you think!" Bismarck hurriedly denied.
Iowa grinned. "Really? But didn't you tell me last night that you were planning to -"
"Don't say anything else!" Bismarck yelled, screwing her eyes shut in embarrassment.
"Hahaha!" Iowa laughed. "Well, fine, I guess. But anyway, I think I'm going to step out for a bit. Since I still have the key to your flat, Captain Drake, I'll take a quick nap in your bed. It's been a while since I've slept in it, after all!"
"Oooh, with Iowa too?" Lira giggled.
Drake merely sighed again at that while Bismarck fumed silently.
"I think I'll leave for now too, though," Lira said. "I'll be back soon. Text me in case you need anything and I'll bring it for you."
Iowa and Lira then left, and Drake and Bismarck were alone in the hospital room.
Another silence hung over the room as Bismarck looked down at the floor from where she sat beside Drake's bedside. The admiral himself didn't know what to say either, so he just stayed quiet, allowing Bismarck to speak first.
"... I should be the one apologizing," she finally said. "Even though I said I wanted to fight by your side from now on, I couldn't do anything but watch…"
"Don't be ridiculous. There's nothing you could have done, so there's no point in blaming yourself," Drake stated.
"That doesn't make me feel any better. The whole point is exactly that: there was nothing I could have done," Bismarck repeated Drake's words bitterly.
"Well, that's just how it is. There are going to be times where you're powerless to do anything no matter how badly you want to," Drake told her. "In those situations, the best thing you can do is be there for the person afterwards. And you're here, aren't you?"
Bismarck looked away. "I should be the one trying to make you feel better, not the other way around…"
Drake flashed her a rare smile. "Trust me, you have made me feel better, Bismarck."
The German ship girl met his eyes, and a warm smile came across her face as well. Unfortunately, the moment was cut short by the doors to the room violently swinging open once again.
"Admiral! Sorry I'm late!" Kiso yelled as she barged in.
"Late for what?" Drake asked as he watched Shoukaku, and Zuikaku enter along with the torpedo cruiser.
"Er… I dunno, I just thought that would be a good entrance," Kiso frowned. "Oh, Bismarck, you're already here?"
"Ja, nice to see you, Kiso," Bismarck replied, slightly frustrated that she just burst in here out of nowhere.
"My, my, Admiral, it seems I'm the one visiting you in the hospital this time," Shoukaku greeted with a teasing tone.
"Don't look so happy about it," Drake joked back.
"But it's a good thing you're all right, sir. Looks like you're doing just fine," Zuikaku said.
"Of course he is! That assassin had such a weak sword technique," Kiso declared. "If that were me, I would have run you through properly, sir!"
"Uh… Okay," was all Drake could say to that.
"But still, you did well to survive! I knew my admiral wouldn't be defeated so easily," Kiso nodded proudly.
Haha, I don't know about that, Drake mused to himself. After all, the last time I was in the hospital before this was when I fainted because I was so scared of the Abyssals.
But somehow he knew that he would never be that afraid again. He cast a glance at Bismarck, who was still by his side.
"Hey, Admiral? Are you listening?" Kiso pulled him from his thoughts. "Do you have a message you want to give to the rest of our fleet? They all wanted to come see you too, but that Wei guy or whatever said we weren't allowed to. The three of us are only here because we snuck in when he left."
"Just tell them that I'm doing fine and that there's no reason to worry. I'll be out in a couple days anyway," Drake answered.
"I hope we get a new mission by then. We still need to pay those Abyssals back for last time, after all," Zuikaku said, her eyes burning with determination.
"Okay, but first the Admiral needs to recover. So if you all could just give him some space…" Bismarck said.
"Nah, I'm sure the Admiral doesn't mind us being here. Right, sir?" Kiso asked.
"I guess not…" Drake weakly agreed. He would actually prefer it if everyone left him alone for a bit, but it seemed like that definitely wasn't going to happen, so no point in bringing it up anymore.
"Hey, instead of just standing here, we should play a game or something!" Zuikaku suddenly suggested. "You're probably bored laying in bed, aren't you, Admiral? We should do something more fun."
"Uh… Like what?" Drake questioned.
"Fear not, sir!" Kiso said as she pulled a pack of cards out from somewhere in her skirt. "Let's play poker! You know the rules, right?"
"Ah, he probably knows 'Texas Hold 'Em' since he's American," Zuikaku closed her eyes and nodded as if she were imparting some sagely wisdom.
"I don't think that's how it works," Drake sighed. "I assume you and Kiso also know how to play. What about you, Shoukaku?"
"Hm, poker? It's been a while since I last played, but I think I remember," Shoukaku answered as she pulled over some spare chairs.
"You're the same as me, then," Drake said. "Bismarck? You know the rules, right?"
Blushing, Bismarck frowned. "N-No…"
"Whatever, you can learn as we go," Kiso shrugged. "And sorry, I don't have any chips, but we can just play for fun and keep track with a paper and pen. That all right?"
"Sure. Not like there's much else to do," Drake replied.
"All right! I'm a pro at this. I can't wait to crush all of you," Zuikaku said with a cocky grin.
"Don't get overconfident, Zuikaku," Shoukaku warned with a mischievous smile.
"Heh. I didn't think anyone would be dumb enough to openly boast that they could beat me, but it looks like I'll have to teach you a lesson here, ZuiZui," Kiso smirked.
"T-That name again?! That's it! I'm going to destroy you!"
Drake watched their exchange with amusement and mild worry. Shit, they seem like experienced card players… Guess it makes sense considering they didn't have smartphones and stuff back in the 1900s. I hope I'm not about to get embarrassed here.
Beside him, Bismarck was staring quizzically at the cards she was handed as Kiso began dealing.
Haha, at least I won't come in last, Drake thought.
The game went underway, and it quickly became obvious to Drake that he was rustier than he thought. Luckily Bismarck was even worse than he was, and he silently thanked her for the numerous flubbed plays she made. Yet in spite of that, every time it was Bismarck's turn, the German ship girl stared at her cards with such intense concentration that it looked like she was trying to answer a difficult exam question rather than play a simple card game.
It's kind of cute how hard she's trying, Drake chuckled internally.
To everyone's surprise, the game ended with Shoukaku winning, with Zuikaku and Kiso close behind. Though Shoukaku had said that she hadn't played in a while, it was clear that was a lie or at least an exaggeration. Zuikaku and Kiso had been so busy trying to beat each other that they hadn't even considered Shoukaku a serious threat, and now they sat there fuming as Shoukaku merely giggled at their disbelieving faces.
"T-That was just a fluke! I want a rematch!" Zuikaku demanded.
"Yeah! Zuikaku was distracting me all game!" Kiso said.
"Huh? If anything, it was your terrible skills that were distracting me!" Zuikaku shot back.
"... This game was more difficult than I thought it would be," Bismarck sighed in defeat as the two continued to bicker.
"Eh, it was your first time," Drake consoled her, though secretly he was glad that he hadn't ended up dead last.
"Okay, if you two are finished, should we play again? Or should we try a different game?" Shoukaku interrupted her sister and the cruiser.
"Hmph! I'm a master of all types of card games, so let's play a different one! I may have lost in this game, but the breadth of my skill set is unmatched!" Kiso declared.
"Don't think you'll win this time just because we're changing the game," Zuikaku said. "It's the job of an aircraft carrier to be proficient with different types of aircraft, which is why I'm good at multiple types of card games as well! You're making a fatal mistake by underestimating me like this!"
"We'll play blackjack next, then," Shoukaku said pleasantly. "Admiral, Bismarck, do you two know how to play?"
Drake nodded, but Bismarck looked exasperated.
"I've only just gotten the hang of poker!" the battleship complained.
Nevertheless, her complaint was ignored, and the group shifted to a game of blackjack. When the game concluded, Shoukaku was once again on top and Bismarck was last, but the major change was that Drake had finished second.
"Haha! So much for the 'breadth of your skill set'!" Zuikaku laughed at Kiso.
"You of all people shouldn't be talking!" Kiso retorted.
"Good game, everyone. Now, how about a different one next?" Shoukaku suggested.
And so the group moved on to a game of rummy, which ended with Drake winning, Shoukaku in second, and Bismarck in last. They then played crazy eights and then a game of regular poker, both of which were also won by Drake.
"Ah…" Kiso lay slumped over in her chair once all the games were finished. "I ended up not winning a single one…"
"Argh, it doesn't make sense!" Zuikaku whinged, shaking her head in frustration as she had also failed to win a single game.
"I ended up last in every game…" Bismarck muttered, a dead look in her eyes.
"I told you not to get overconfident, Zuikaku," Shoukaku playfully chided her sister. "But still, Admiral, that was impressive. How did you manage to improve so much?"
"It wasn't anything special. I just got a read for everyone's play styles after a couple games," Drake explained. "Kiso usually makes bold and reckless plays, especially at crucial moments. Zuikaku is constantly trying to show her up, so whenever Kiso is about to do something big, you can count on Zuikaku to do the same the next turn. Shoukaku, you seem to play pretty conservatively, except in the rare lull when neither Kiso nor Zuikaku is making a big bet where you finally bust out a more daring play. Once I got used to what you three were doing, it wasn't too hard to cater my own play style to counter."
Kiso grinned. "Oho? As expected from my Admiral! I have taught you well!"
"You didn't teach him shit! But still, that's pretty impressive, sir. I didn't know you were taking these games so seriously," Zuikaku said.
Drake gave her a flat look. "I was the one taking it too seriously?"
"I suppose there's a reason why you're the admiral. No wonder you beat us," Shoukaku smiled.
"Wait, what about me?" Bismarck asked Drake. "Did you predict my play style too? How did you counter it?"
"Huh? Oh, I didn't really worry too much about what you were doing," Drake admitted.
Bismarck's face turned pale. "There's no way I was that bad!"
"Bismarck… You finished last every game. And you lost by a lot too," Zuikaku said with a grimace. Kiso and Shoukaku gave her pitying looks as well.
"W-Well, these games are stupid anyway!" Bismarck huffed.
"Someone's a sour kraut," Zuikaku teased.
The doors to the room burst open once again, this time revealing Fleet Admiral Wei. The American admiral wore a serious look instead of his usual laid back expression.
"Shit! This isn't what it looks like!" Kiso quickly blurted out.
Wei ignored her and walked over to Drake. "It's the Abyssals."
Drake blinked, confused. "The Abyssals, here?"
Wei nodded. "Three Princess-class enemies, two surface combatants and an aircraft carrying type."
"What? How big is their escort?"
Drake's heart started to beat faster. He had not expected an Abyssal attack of all things this soon after the last one.
"That's the strange thing: there is no escort," Wei told him. "Furthermore, it makes no sense that they're attacking this base again so quickly after their last assault on Japan failed. This has to be a distraction or a test or something."
"Yeah, it could be a distraction… I just don't know for what. Are they attacking another part of Japan?" Drake guessed.
Wei cringed at the thought. "If that's the case, we're in trouble. Facing three Princesses is a tough enough task on its own without having to keep an eye on the rest of the waters surrounding the country. Furthermore, the Sasebo ship girls are either still on their way home or they've only just returned. They're not in any position to be sortied right now."
"So it's up to this base alone," Drake surmised.
"This base has a sizable contingent of ship girls, luckily, and Admiral Borodin of the Second Soviet Navy is still here with some of his ship girls. We also have the Liberation in port, but I don't know how much use she's going to be," Wei said. "We're going to have to split our forces regardless. At least one task force is going to have to be sent out to comb the seas for the main attack while the remainder of our units stay here and prevent the three Princesses from destroying this base and making landfall."
Drake didn't disagree with that assessment. "Then you should go and search for any threats to the rest of Japan, sir. Trying to guess where an Abyssal fleet will show up and then intercepting them is an extremely difficult task, so you're probably the one who has the best chance of success there. I'll stay here and defend the base."
Bismarck stood up, fixing Fleet Admiral Wei with a hard look with her crisp, blue eyes. "Fleet Admiral, Admiral Drake is in no condition to lead an operation against three Abyssal Princesses right now."
"Bismarck…!" Drake frowned.
"No, she's right. And I was just about to say that myself," Wei stated. "Drake, you really do need to rest right now. We already have two perfectly capable admirals from the IJN stationed here who can lead the defense. I only came here to tell you about the situation so that you knew what was going on, but you can't be a part of this battle."
"But I can't let my fleet fight without me! I have to be leading them," Drake insisted.
Wei sighed. "Given the condition you're in right now, do you really think you can command your fleet effectively?"
Drake was about to answer with an emphatic 'yes,' but his mind forced him to once again remember that he literally passed out not too long ago during a battle with the Abyssals. He knew that he was stronger now, but he did lose a lot of blood last night…
"Your silence tells me you already know the answer to that," Wei said. "Don't worry, I'll have someone come in here to keep you updated about the battle. But I think it's best if you're not actively involved right now."
Drake still wanted to disagree, but he knew that Fleet Admiral Wei did have a point, and even if he didn't, it was clear that this was pretty much an order. Besides, Rear Admiral Genji was a good commander, and Drake could still offer his advice if the situation arose.
Lira then re-entered the room, her expression just as serious as Wei's.
"We've identified the three Princesses," she told the fleet admiral. "It's the Lycoris Princess, the Northern Water Princess, and the Battleship Princess."
"The one that sunk Japan's Yamato…" Wei muttered darkly upon hearing the Battleship Princess' name. "As for the other two, we don't have much data on them, but we can assume that they're extremely powerful… This certainly won't be easy. Captain Snowbrook, are the fleets ready?"
"They are preparing to sortie right now and should be finished within the next few minutes," Lira answered. "I can't speak for the Liberation, but both Admiral Miiro and Rear Admiral Genji are in the command room in the Administrative Building, prepared for battle."
Wei nodded. "That'll do for now, I suppose. You should stay here with Drake. I'll try to have a few sailors send over some equipment to this room so that you can both stay up to date on the battle."
"Understood," Lira said.
Wei then turned back to Drake. "I'm going to go and get the Liberation ready to sortie. I'm going to take your fleets with me, is that all right?"
"Yes, sir," Drake answered, knowing that he couldn't exactly say no to that request. Still, in spite of the fact that Fleet Admiral Wei was a phenomenal commander, he felt nervous about sending his fleet off to fight an unknown Abyssal attack without him there leading them.
"All right. I'll stay in touch," Wei said. He looked at the ship girls. "You all should get ready to sortie too. We're going to need your strength."
Zuikaku, Shoukaku, and Kiso immediately left to begin their preparations, but Wei stopped Bismarck before she could go.
"Not you. You should stay here as well," the fleet admiral told the German girl.
"W-What? Why?" Bismarck stammered.
"Are you all right with leaving your admiral here? I mean, not to pry or anything, but you seemed the most, er, emotional after Drake was rushed to the hospital."
"I…" Bismarck blushed as she tried to think of a retort.
"It's all right. Just remain here as a reserve unit in case the Princesses start to overwhelm our defense," Wei told her. "Well, I'd better be off. Hopefully I'll see you guys after the battle."
Bismarck sat back down silently.
Poor Bismarck… Now Drake felt really bad about having made her worry so much about him.
Before Wei could leave the room, a tall figure suddenly opened the door and blocked his path.
"Wait, what are you doing here?" Wei asked, dumbfounded at the sight of Musashi.
"Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear your conversation," Musashi said. "It seems this base is in need of some extra help."
"Uh… We'd be glad to have you, but still, how did you get here? Aren't you supposed to be back at Sasebo?" Wei asked again.
Musashi frowned. "I had to remain in Tokyo for a while to deal with the aftermath of that bullshit. As the new flagship of the IJN, I couldn't avoid that duty, but now I'm glad that I didn't… So that Battleship Princess is here, huh? Perfect."
"You're going to fight too?" Wei assumed, still taken aback that Musashi was here.
"Of course. My rigging is still on this base from the previous battle," Musashi said. Then, her red eyes turned a venomous shade darker. "And now that I know the Abyssal who killed my sister is here… I'm going to get my revenge by burying that Battleship Princess bitch deep underneath the seafloor."
No one knew how to respond to the pure killing intent radiating from the superbattleship, but luckily the tension was eased when Iowa burst into the room.
"Hey, Fleet Admiral! Preparations are done!" the blonde told Wei. "... Huh? Musashi, you're still here?"
Musashi didn't deign to respond to that and instead turned and left, presumably to get ready to sortie.
"Eh, what's her problem? Whatever. Are you ready, Fleet Admiral?" Iowa asked.
Wei nodded. "I was just about to head out. Iowa, you're staying here to fight. I want you to defend this base from those Princesses, especially that Battleship Princess. Don't let Musashi do anything reckless."
Iowa saluted. "You got it, sir! Good luck with your mission!"
Wei returned her salute and then exited.
"I'm going to go see if we can get some equipment in here since Fleet Admiral Wei is probably too busy now. I'll be back in a few minutes," Lira told Drake before leaving.
"Are you staying here, Bismarck?" Iowa asked, seeing that the German was still there.
"Ja, for now, at least…" Bismarck replied, slightly embarrassed that she was told not to sortie.
Iowa gave her a reassuring smile. "I see. I think that's best, actually. And don't worry, it's not like we need your help to beat back these bitches anyway."
"Is that so? Seems like you're forgetting that I actually sunk a Princess before," Bismarck told her, unable to restrain her prideful nature even in this situation.
"Hah! Don't forget that you had the help of Captain Drake and our American missile destroyers too," Iowa wagged her finger at Bismarck.
"And that should tell you not to underestimate the Abyssal Princesses," Drake pointed out with a stern frown. "I know you're just joking, but don't take this lightly, Iowa. They're dangerous… If the Battleship Princess could even sink Yamato, then…"
Iowa went over to Drake and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Captain, don't worry. We've all been remodeled and we're more experienced than we were at that time. I know just how powerful those Princesses are, but I believe in my strength… In our strength. I won't fall here, sir."
"I know. I believe in you too, Iowa. Just don't take any unnecessary risks, because we can't afford to lose you too," Drake said. He stared down at the blanket covering him as he sat in bed and clenched his fists. "I just wish I could help too…"
"Captain Drake," Iowa started, "remember what I said to you on the plane when we flew into Japan? There's a fighting spirit inside of us, sir, and even if you can't be there on the battlefield giving me orders, I'll still be able to feel your spirit. Your fire burns inside me, just as I hope mine burns inside you. That's what we share as fellow Americans. We don't look the same and we come from very different backgrounds, but that spirit is what unites everyone in our country. As long as I can feel that fighting spirit from you and the rest of America, I have no fears. I'm going to give everything I have for this battle, sir, and no matter what happens, my spirit won't ever be broken."
Drake felt his throat tighten. "Y-Yeah, I know…"
Iowa burst out laughing. "Haha! Come on, don't look so sad! It's not like I'm planning on dying out there! I'll come back for sure, okay? Even if I can't sink those Princesses, I can at least promise you that I'll defend this base and come back and see you when it's all over. All right?"
"Heh… Yeah, okay, got it. I'll see you after the battle, then."
Drake gave her a salute.
Iowa returned it, then grinned eagerly. "Now… It's time to crush these Abyssals!"