"Make sure all ammunition and oil is loaded. We are leaving the moment the sun rises. Carriers, Nimi, North Carolina and Mainz. On the Norfolk, double time." Isaac yelled as the port became a bustle of activity. Isaac went straight to the Norfolk and walked to the bridge, the ships he called, following close behind.
"Norfolk, front and center." Isaac yelled as he stepped onto the bridge.
"Already here, sir." Norfolk said with a soft smile.
"Good. Now, Rodney and Richelieu already know I will be in contact with them in regards to their orders. But we now have more battleships to account for. So, North Carolina, you will also be given orders directly from Norfolk, Odin, or myself." Isaac said as she nodded.
"Nimi, I am appointing you to be the leader of the destroyer pack. You will receive orders for the movement and actions of the destroyer pack. I know you will do amazing." Isaac said as Nimi saluted with a smile.
"Akagi, Intrepid, Eagle. You three are huge benefits to this fleet. More than worthy of leading your own fleets. But that will not be the case here. Norfolk or I will be giving you orders as to what aircraft we need in the air for what purpose. After that, you will be given free reign to control your aircraft within their intended purpose. AA will not be an issue due in part to Norfolk and the three other cruisers tasked with protecting you. Our AA should be enough to break anything that dares to come close." Isaac said as the entire room nodded in unison.
"North Carolina, you will be in charge of Penny and Mikasa. Rodney will command Friedrich. Richelieu will be in charge of you, Mainz. Meaning, you will be up with the battleships. You have the guns, so make sure you are covered by their armor." Isaac said as he looked around the bridge. Mainz nodded as she sipped her coffee.
"I will do this as you order, Kommandant. I expect to be rewarded for this, however." Mainz said as she stared at Isaac.
"New Guinea has some of the best blends of coffee I have ever tasted. I will make sure to get a few pallets worth of beans delivered to your storage room. Does that work for you?" Isaac asked as Mainz ran to him and hugged him.
"Works for me! Thank you, Kommandant!" Mainz said with a smile as she returned to her spot at the table. Isaac straightened his shirt as he looked around.
"There is a chance that we may receive backup from three additional battleships. If what I remembered from my dream is accurate, we may see Arizona, Kaga, and the Iowa." Isaac said as he rubbed his head.
"Kaga is no battleship, Shikikan." Akagi spoke harshly.
"Look, I don't know. I am just giving you what I got." Isaac snapped back. Akagi stared him down for a few moments before relenting.
"Now, with that said, we cannot bank on that occurring. So, we will act as if we are on our own. Once we leave here, we will send the Destroyer fleet ahead with the transport ship. I want three separate air groups covering every inch of a 50 mile radius. As Norfolk has divulged, Lurker has amassed a sizable air fleet along with plenty of destroyers. We need to detect them before the trap is sprung. Once we locate said fleet, I will want to pull the destroyers and transport back behind our Iron shield." Isaac said.
"And use the big guns and air power to annihilate her fleet." Norfolk finished.
"Extra meals for the one that brings me Lurker... dead or alive makes no difference." Isaac said in a low tone.
"Huh? I must have entered a mirror sea. Черт, damn. I could have swore this was Japan." The woman in white spoke as she reached into a crate and pulled out a clear glass bottle, topped with a cork.
"This one... has seen you before. Not here, but there." Shinano's voice permeated the fog.
"Какого черта?! What the hell?!" The woman in white exclaimed.
"Ship of the ones called... Northern Parliament. Battleship... You are...Gangut?" Shinano's voice asked.
"I am...You're not Siren, are you?" Gangut asked as she popped the cork from her bottle.
"Isaac Garner is preparing to move. I know you are in search of him. I have seen it." Shinano spoke as a massive carrier came into Gangut's view through the fog.
"Срань господня...Holy shit..." Gangut said as she looked at the massive carrier, stranded in the middle of the fog. A grey haired fox made herself known, gracing the edge of her own flight deck.
"And you are?" Gangut asked.
"I am the one called Shinano. Yamato class carrier of the Sakura Empire." Shinano said as she leapt gracefully from her flight deck, onto the waves of the ocean.
"I see. Well, what are you doing here?" Gangut asked.
"I am keeping the darkness from my homeland contained. The sirens have enslaved my people. I cannot leave this fog until Isaac Garner comes for me. His forces will allow me to retake my home from the Sirens." Shinano said as she jumped onto the deck of the Russian battleship.
"So this mirror sea is your doing?" Gangut asked, gesturing to the weird ethereal aura that surrounded them.
"No. The fog is of my design. But the mirror sea is of Siren make. It allows the one called Tester to make hundreds of Drone ships to throw into this fog." Shinano said as the sounds of explosions and machine gun fire filled the air.
"They're trying to break out?" Gangut asked as Shinano sat on her knees and extended a small sake dish. Gangut smiled and poured her a drink.
"Can you tell me anything about this Isaac Garner?" Gangut asked as she too took a swig of the homemade vodka she had stashed onboard.
"Your allies call him... the Lone Wolf. I have had the pleasure of conversing with him... but not in a way he will remember clearly. Dreams are... suggestive at best." Shinano said as she sipped at the cold clear liquid in her dish.
"But he has a fleet, right? He is working his way towards Japan?" Gangut asked.
"That he does... and it grows stronger by the day. They are preparing to move again. He wishes to secure forces from the Union. He will assault the Philippines and make the jump to Japan." Shinano said as she extended her cup again.
"You sure know how to drink, foxy." Gangut said with a warm smile.
"Isaac will help you and your people. Help him, and his guns are yours. That is the best advice I have..." Shinano said softly as a blush crossed her face.
"Looks like two is all you can take, comrade." Gangut said with a laugh as Shinano stood and bowed.
"Thank you for the drink, fellow Kansen. Set course for New Guinea... you will find him there." Shinano said as she jumped from the Gangut and returned to her own ship.
"До свидания, Goodbye. At least for now, fox." Gangut said as she corked her bottle and began moving forward again.
"Farewell, Parliament. I shall expect you as well." Shinano said as her ship disappeared into the ethereal fog.
"To New Guinea it is then, Lone Wolf. I hope you can hold your liquor as well as you command a fleet." Gangut said with a hearty laugh.
"How is the little one doing?" Kaga asked as she stepped aboard the Arizona.
"She is doing better, at least a little bit. She seems to be putting up a fight to remain with us." Arizona said as she led Kaga down to the Med bay. Medical officers were running about, making sure to keep a close eye on I-13 so she could remain stable.
"That is good to see. Had it not been for the kindness of the union, despite our transgressions... she would not have survived." Kaga said as she looked at Arizona.
"I was sunk at Midway. Enterprise did me in for the most part. A fitting revenge for what we did to Pearl Harbor." Kaga said as Arizona pouted a bit.
"I never got to see real action. The attack of Pearl Harbor made sure of that." Arizona said sadly.
"But you will now. And I must say, it is an honor to finally serve alongside you." Kaga said as she extended her hand, which Arizona happily took.
"We have officially left Union waters. We are on our own out here from now on." Perkins said over his radio.
"Understood, Lieutenant, all radar is set to maximum range." Arizona spoke as she nudged Kaga, silently telling her to do the same.