Dawson was onboard the transport ship and had just uncovered the Catalina on the top deck when Isaac's voice came over the radio.
"Dawson, come in." Isaac spoke.
Dawson ran to the radio and picked up the line.
"Sir, Dawson here." Dawson said.
"I know I haven't seen a Catalina before, but the specs I've been shown by Norfolk just now differ greatly from what I am seeing." Isaac said.
"Yes sir. We, mainly I, came to the consensus that the waist guns were no good for the purpose we were using it for. So, I removed the waist guns and hollowed out that part of the plane, making it considerably lighter and able to drop a squad into enemy territory." Dawson said,
"It's a flying boat though. How do you keep it from taking on water?" Isaac asked.
"I replaced the panels that were used for the guns and placed in panels that can be sealed and unsealed from the inside. We don't fly high enough for it to be a danger to the usual crew." Dawson said.
"Sealing the panels? What does that entail?" Isaac asked.
"Two locking lugs on the top and bottom of the panel pull the panel against the plane, sealed by the rubber gaskets around the outside of the panel." Dawson said.
"I see. Quite the ingenious invention. Will it be able to carry the girls?" Isaac asked.
"Yes. Four is a snug fit, but they all will fit. You said the other two were on the smaller side?" Dawson said.
"Yes. 13 and Laffey are smaller than most of the fleet. Will that help?" Isaac asked.
"13 and Laffey will have to take copilot and nose gunner seats to fit, but it should work." Dawson said.
"Alright. Run me through how this so called 'sky hook' works." Isaac said.
"So basically, there's a hook on the bottom of the plane near the panel. When I spot the miniature AA balloon, I will fly towards it, causing the hook to impale the ballon and pull anything attached to it into the sky." Dawson said.
"Does it have any issues that need to be addressed?" Isaac asked.
"I'm sure you will order your girls to an open area before launching the balloon. I cannot control what the rope does after the balloon has been skewered. So an open area would be preferred for pickup." Dawson said.
"That's understandable. How will you get the girls back into the plane after they are picked up?" Isaac asked.
"If I have someone staying on the plane with me, they can use the winch." Dawson said.
"Winch?" Isaac asked.
"Yes. I have a winch mounted to the left wing. It can be used to tow in the rope to the crew compartment where the rope can be towed in and the jumpers retrieved." Dawson said.
"Have you done this before?" Isaac asked.
"Three or four times off the record. Nothing has ever been recorded by the Army or the Navy, so no evidence of these operations exist." Dawson said.
"Teach Odin how to operate the winch and whatever you use to bring the rope in. I don't want anything to go wrong here." Isaac said.
"I will do so." Dawson said as he dropped the line.
"Akagi, Eagle, Anything?" Isaac asked.
"Yes. I spotted I-13. Laffey is following close behind. They are about halfway to where I found MacArthur." Akagi said.
"How are they finding their way?" Isaac asked.
"I-13 still has her rigging. So her aircraft tube is still capable of launching her spotter plane, albeit at a much smaller scale. Akagi said.
"I see. Alright. Then we shall commence the operation." Isaac said as he dropped the line.
"Norfolk, call in everyone who is taking part in the rescue operation." Isaac said.
"Understood. Calling for Odin, North Carolina, Atago and Baltimore, correct?" Norfolk asked.
"That is correct. The aircraft can only support 6 extra passengers." Isaac said.
"Alright. I have called them. They should be here any minute." Norfolk said as she and Isaac waited.
"Is anyone else nervous about how quiet it is?" Heinrich asked as she looked around frantically.
"Heinrich, calm yourself. We haven't done anything to alert the enemy, and they should be too busy ensuring dominance in their own regions. It only makes sense that we would be left alone." Bismarck said.
"It just feels weird. I feel like we're being followed." Heinrich said.
"From my experience, Heinrich, your hunches don't tend to amount to anything more than speculation." Bismarck said.
"No, she's right. We're being followed." Elizabeth said as a blip appeared on her radar.
"Can we contact them?" Zara asked.
"No. We cannot afford to be found out. We are carrying very hazardous material." Bismarck said.
"It's a cargo ship. A steamer from the Royal Navy." Elizabeth said.
"What are they doing out here?!" Zara asked.
"I don't know. Should we hail them?" Elizabeth asked.
"Elizabeth, you do it. I'm sure your countrymen have all heard my voice. It might not be the best thing for me to be the one hailing them." Bismarck said.
"Yeah. You do have a point." Elizabeth said as she hailed the steamer.
"Royal Navy Steamer. This is Queen Elizabeth, battleship of the Royal Navy. Identify yourself." Elizabeth said.
"It is good to hear your voice again, Your Majesty." A man's voice came over the radio.
"May I ask who I am speaking to?" Elizabeth asked.
"Flight Lieutenant Malan." Malan said.
"Ah. Her Majesties Ace. What brings you to these waters?" Elizabeth asked.
"Her Majesty arranged for me and several documents to be sent to the Pacific, acting upon the information you sent her." Malan said.
"I see. How did you manage such a thing? Last I heard, Temperance had taken the isles in a death grip." Elizabeth said.
"Her Majesty has many tools at her disposal. I was instructed to become one of them." Malan said.
"Well, it is good to hear then. I am not alone out here. I am with Ironblood and Sardegna Empire." Elizabeth said.
"It matters not. Her Majesty has instructed me to fall under the command of your Commoner. Apparently one of your own is already under his charge." Malan said.
"Yes. From what it looks like, Eagle has finally gotten herself a man." Elizabeth said.
"That would make sense. She did say it would take the end of the world to find a man." Malan said.
"That she did. Please, catch up and join our little formation. We are carrying dangerous cargo, so please maintain distance from Bismarck." Elizabeth said.
"Bismarck?! I mean no disrespect, but have you lost your mind, your majesty?" Malan asked.
"I will disregard that statement, and say that the war is over. Old enemies are now allies. And I would much rather be with Bismarck than without." Elizabeth said.
"Need I remind you that I can hear you..." Bismarck said over the radio.
"Ah... My apologies." Malan said, sounding a bit hesitant to be speaking to the leader of the Ironblood, and the most powerful ship the Royal Navy had faced.
"May I ask what you are carrying?" Malan asked.
The Purin tugged at Bismarck's coat. Bismarck relented and handed her the radio.
"We are carrying powdered wisdom cubes. Highly explosive. Very dangerous for humans." The Purin said.
"I see. Well, we have about 100 souls onboard. Most of us are soldiers and sailors, with the exception of the captain." Malan said.
"Well, from the looks of it, the Commoner could use all the help he can get." Elizabeth said as the Steamer pulled into the formation.
"What documents are you carrying?" Elizabeth asked.
"I have a blueprint for an experimental fighter. One that could be useful if the carriers were to learn them." Malan said.
"And the others?" Elizabeth asked.
"Top Secret. I cannot allow even you to know." Malan said.
"But..." Elizabeth was about to protest when Bismarck stepped in.
"We understand. We need to cut the chatter. Something else is out there. I can feel it." Bismarck said as the fleet readied to defend.
"Bismarck, transfer that barrel if you plan on fighting.
"I can't. This little golden girl keeps saying it's dangerous to humans. I have it tucked away deep, and it's strapped down tight. I can always have Heinrich move up. She likes to deal damage up close." Bismarck said.
"Well, either way. I am getting something ahead of us on radar. All hands, prepare for combat." Elizabeth said as their fleet steamed forward into the unknown.