True to her word, The albacore arrived at Azur Lane 2 hours after launch from Eagle's flight deck. It landed in a rough patch of green on the flatter part of the base. I-13 was the first to reach it and retrieve it's contents.
"Straight to Akashi, huh?" I-13 asked as she slowly made her way over to the Lab where Akashi was sitting quietly at the computer. She was still a bit shaken up from her battle.
"Akashi?" I-13 asked softly.
"Nyaa?!" Akashi screamed as if she had been awoken from a nightmare.
"Akashi! Calm down, it's just me. You're back on base. They can't get you here." I-13 assured her. After a few deep breaths, Akashi stood and looked at I-13.
"Akashi's sorry, nyaa. Akashi don't think Akashi'll get over that any time soon." She admitted dejectedly.
"Hey. It's okay. The commander has learned that you're not a combat ship. He won't make you fight again." I-13 said as she set the duffel bag on the ground and hugged the shaking cat in front of her.
"Nyaa..." Akashi whispered through her tears as she fully embraced the hug from I-13.
"If you're up to doing some research, Commander has sent you something wonderful." I-13 said as she picked up the duffel bag again.
"Nyaa? Does it say what it is?" Akashi asked as her demeanor changed the moment research was mentioned.
"I don't know. Why don't we open the bag and find out. But apparently we have to glove up first." I-13 said.
"Hai." Akashi said as she disappeared into the back of the warehouse and could be heard rummaging around.
"Did you find any?" I-13 asked.
"Hai." Akashi yelled out as she returned with two sets of oversized scientist gloves.
"Hopefully it won't take too long to decipher this project. These gloves are way too cumbersome." I-13 spoke as Akashi expertly used them to great effect.
"Nyaa?! Where did Shikikan find this?!" Akashi asked as she held the chunk of Wisdom ore in her tiny paws.
"Looks like it came from Tonga according to Eagle's ability to get it here." I-13 spoke.
"This is blank ore. And Akashi can get quite a few cubes out of this chunk, nyaa." Akashi said excitedly.
"I guess I'll leave you to it. The cables just detected a drifter." I-13 spoke as she used her own sonar to confirm.
"I shall return, I have to go and investigate." I-13 spoke, but Akashi mainly ignored her, as she was too enthralled with the chunk of ore, making sure that each hit of her tiny hammer wouldn't damage the final product.
"I'm glad to see that the Shikikan cares so much. I'll have to thank him when he gets back." I-13 said softly as she ran to her vessel.
"Mon Ami? Where are you off to?" The French captain asked.
"We have a drifter out in the bay. Can you gather a skeleton crew and man your ship, by the readings, this is a rather large vessel that I cannot tow in. So I will need your help, Captain." I-13 spoke.
"Call me Oswell. Getting called captain is for my crew, and you are not my crew." Oswell spoke kindly through his interpreter.
"I see. Then, as emergency commander of this base, I command you to man your vessel with enough crew to get this mission done. I will be with you to provide support should this drifter be more hostile than I assume." I-13 spoke. Oswell nodded and yelled his orders in French, I-13 slowly piecing together the language.
Within half an hour, the crew was ready and I-13 led the pair out into the bay. I-13 was quickly able to see that the drifter that they were encountering was not a threat, due to the bloodstains marking the steel over the entire top side of the vessel.
"Oswell... I hope you have gas masks... she's dead in the water." I-13 spoke as she pulled up alongside the vessel. Jumping up on deck, she was met with a grisly sight that could put the battle in Nanking to shame.
"Oh my god..." I-13 spoke as she looked around. Bodies littered the deck. Some had clearly been beyond the threshold for quite some time. Swastikas could be seen on their uniforms. The deck was riddled with bullet holes and plasma burns.
"My lord, what happened here?" I-13 asked as Oswell and his men climbed aboard. Some of his men got sick just from the sight of it all.
"Let's search the ship. We'll remove anything of value and scuttle the ship. The ocean will have to be a good enough grave for these poor souls." I-13 spoke.
"Understood. Men. Search the vessel. Bring anything of importance straight to the little lady." Oswell commanded.
The men scattered and began searching the vessel.
After about an hour, one man came back with a briefcase and three long metal tubes.
"This looks important." I-13 spoke as she took the briefcase and opened it. Inside were documents written in German.
"Damn. I'll have to send these to Isaac's fleet. Z23 is the only one that can translate." I-13 spoke as she dug deeper. She found what she immediately recognized as a duplicate set of documents in French.
"Oswell, looks like you're on translation duty. Can you and your translator give me a copy of these documents in English?" I-13 asked.
"Oui." Oswell spoke as he looked at the documents.
"Three descriptions and sets of proper measurements." Oswell spoke.
"Then what are these?" I-13 spoke as she pulled open one of the tubes.
"Oh... I know what these are. Blueprints. Mainz? Friedrich der Große? Odin?" I-13 and Oswell speak in unison.
"So we found blueprints for ships. That's great and all but why is this important?" I-13 asked as Oswell tapped her shoulder.
"Yes?" I-13 asked.
"Wisdom cubes are needed for the construction. The list of specifications isn't for how the builders are supposed to place the steel, apparently if we feed unsullied cubes with this information and blueprints, we can lay the framework for these ships and their Schiffsmädchen." Oswell spoke as he read from the French document.
"Schiffsmädchen?" I-13 asked.
"I'm assuming its the name by which the Germans call their Kansen." Oswell spoke.
"I see. Did we find anything else of use?" I-13 asked.
"Oil." Oswell spoke.
"Take it quickly. I want to get off this vessel. The smell is driving my cubes insane." I-13 spoke.
"Of course. Please allow us. Go and set up your shot. We can take it from here." Oswell spoke.
"Alright, Commander. I am fine to move under my own power now." Eagle spoke as the tow cables from Richelieu and Rodney fell away.
"Good. I'm glad that we got that back to base. Get our standard recon squads in the air. We've been blind for far longer than I would like." Isaac spoke.
"Understood, sir. Please clear the flight deck so I can launch." Eagle requested as Isaac made his way to the command tower. He watched from the bridge as three squadrons of Spitfires launched from the flight deck.
"A bit of deja vu, huh, Eagle?" Isaac asked.
"Just a bit sir. Here's to hoping this goes better than last time." Eagle said.
"I learned my lesson there. I'll remain on the bridge or below deck until we reach Fiji." Isaac spoke.
"That way my shields can protect you." Eagle said as she walked over to him and sat in his lap.
"Eagle. Is this really the right time for this?" Isaac asked.
"What? I can't enjoy my future husband?" Eagle asked.
"I didn't say that, but we are headed back into combat. We need you to be at the top of your game." Isaac said.
"I'll be alerted to anything my fighters see. So let me enjoy this." Eagle said.
"Eagle..." Isaac complained a bit before she glared at him.
"Fine. Fine." Isaac said as he gave up his fight, allowing the insistent carrier relax in his lap.
"Good. You're learning." Eagle said with a smile.
"Lady Yukikaze, we have finished the repairs on your vessel. Do you have an idea of where we are?" One of the men ask.
"Tell me, Taka. What did you do before the Sirens took over?" Yukikaze asked.
"I was a combat Medic. Best in my class. My efforts were even complimented by his majesty." Taka spoke.
"And what of the other three? It feels weird that I don't know who is on my vessel." Yukikaze spoke as she rested against one of the spools on her bow.
"Of course. I am Taka Sokuta, as you must have seen on my uniform. The engineer is Fu Tsashima. The Tactical mastermind is Hashirama Yamamoto, heir apparent to the Yamamoto family since their previous heir died in New Guinea. And the soft spoken guy sitting on the bridge is the son of his excellency's advisor. So we are quite the ragtag group, Lady Yukikaze." Taka spoke.
"I see. Well, since you all will be traveling with me, just focus on getting us in contact with that Shikikan. Paws off the weapons systems and controls. I control my vessel, nanoda. I just need you to plot the course since I don't have any form of charting table. I'm a destroyer so I have nothing that could help as a flagship. Lady Fusou and Shinano-Sama would have such equipment. Nanoda." Yukikaze spoke.
"I have a question, but I hope it is not rude." Taka spoke.
"Ask it." Yukikaze said softly as she looked at him.
"What is with your speech tick?" Taka asked.
"The person who designed my hull had a habit of repeating 'nanoda' in his head while he worked. It manifested as a speech tick when I was awakened." Yukikaze said as she stood.
"I see. So it is as they say. You girls really are the souls of your ships." Taka spoke.
"But of course, nanoda." Yukikaze spoke defiantly as she scanned the horizon.
"Commander. We have enemies within our Air screen." Eagle spoke.
"Round two it is then." Isaac said with a nervous look on his face. he grabbed a radio receiver and tuned it to the fleet.
"All hands, General Quarters. Enemy has been spotted within our air screen. Prepare for combat." Isaac's voice echoed throughout the fleet for a second before Richelieu stood from her silent prayer. A loud piercing sound of steel on steel rang out.
Three voices rang out.
"NOW COME MY SISTERS! TO BATTLE!" The ships of Iris cried out over the radio.
A hail of war cries rose from the fleet as the formation took their positions, ready to raise hell for their commander.
"Alright Sirens. Prepare yourselves. We're coming for you. Eagle!" Isaac spoke.
"Sir!" Eagle responded, her adrenaline high from the energy of the Iris ships.
"Launch albacores. I want to do this right this time." Isaac said as his fleet steamed forward into what would be the true start of their Island hopping campaign.