Isaac made his way onto the bridge, followed by the women that had, minutes before, crowded his personal quarters. On the bridge, stood Texas, Gangut, and Richelieu, who were all seemingly waiting for his arrival.
"Hey, Queeny, where's the pooch?" Gangut asked as Texas slapped her upside the head.
"That is Queen Elizabeth. At least have some form of decency when you talk to her." Texas snapped.
"Ow! What the hell was that for?!" Gangut asked.
"You need to have respect for her. she might be uptight, but she is still the leader of the Royal Navy." Texas growled.
"You wanna take this out to sea, Texas?!" Gangut asked as her rigging shimmered to life.
"You know I'd never turn down a fight." Texas said as her rigging also shimmered to life.
"That's enough!" Isaac yelled, instantly stopping the proceedings before they could begin.
"Gangut, while that comment was highly offensive... it is nice to see you. And if you were referring to Warspite, she is currently holding down the Bermuda base with Illustrious, Tirpitz, Graf Spee, Roon and Eugen." Elizabeth said.
"Ah damn. I was hoping to share a drink with that uptight shadow of yours." Gangut said.
"Same here actually. It's been quite some time since I've crossed paths with that old war dog." Texas said.
"Well, I'm sure we will cross paths with her at some point." Isaac said as everyone looked at him.
"So what Elizabeth said is true?" Bismarck asked.
"What did she say?" Isaac asked.
"You had plans to liberate the entire world." Bismarck said.
"I do. Or I will die trying. If my life in the Union has taught me anything, being lorded over and kept down is something nobody should have to endure. And that is all the sirens are doing. They are enslaving humanity. Forcing them to mine for wisdom ore, or turning them into cultists to fight us or any insurrection that they can't stop themselves. That is not the life anyone was meant to live." Isaac said.
"A noble and worthy cause." Bismarck said as Friedrich and Odin nodded.
"And I don't believe I have met you two. You're undeniably Ironblood, But you two did not exist during the war. Who are you?" Bismarck asked.
"VizeKommandant Odin. My hull was designed to be the predecessor to the Scharnhorst class battleship. I now serve Kommandant Isaac Garner as his second in command." Odin said.
"Hmm. I knew Scharnhorst before I was sunk. I wonder what ever happened to her." Bismarck said.
"Duke of York sank her during the battle of the North Cape. We got revenge for Glorious during that battle." Elizabeth said.
"Ah. I see. Then it is likely that we will face her on the field of battle. If Roon and Eugen were any indication." Bismarck said.
"And we will crush her if she stands against us." Friedrich said as she stepped forward.
"And you are?" Bismarck asked.
"I am Ironblood Battleship, Friedrich der Große." Friedrich said, keeping the fact of her design a secret.
"It looks like the Fatherland was busy after my sinking." Bismarck said.
"Bismarck... do you know how the war ended?" Isaac asked.
"No. All I know is that the war is over." Bismarck said.
"Lord Bismarck... we lost." Nimi said.
"We lost?" Bismarck asked as she looked around the bridge of the Norfolk. Everyone present looked uncomfortable as they nodded.
"I figured it would happen eventually. The führer was a bit of an idiot." Bismarck said as she put her hands on the table. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Things were looking dicey for the allies up until December 11 in 1941." Nimi said.
"Why that date?" Bismarck asked.
"Because that's when we joined the war." Texas chimed in.
"WHAT?!" Bismarck cried as she looked at Heinrich and Nimi, who both nodded.
"The Sakura empire attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, seven months after you were sunk. That was when Eagle union really kicked into overdrive. Their lend lease went through the roof, and their convoys across the Atlantic were too much for our U-boats to counter. Royal Navy, Northern Parliament, and Iris Libre all received a massive boost to their ground forces which helped begin to turn the tide. Then Eagle union and Royal Navy came together on the 6th of June in 1944 to assault and ultimately take Normandy to begin pushing into the Fatherland. The Fatherland surrendered in May 1945." Nimi said.
"And what of the Sakura?" Bismarck asked.
"The light of the sun was unleashed on our homeland not once... but twice. The sirens attacked the day after our home was defiled, but there were talks of surrender." Shinano said as she looked at Isaac.
"The light of the sun?" Bismarck asked.
"The atomic bomb. The cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have been wiped off the map." Isaac replied.
"A bomb that can do that?! And we thought the V-2 was bad..." Bismarck said as she hung her head before pinching her arm.
"No matter. I have been given a new purpose. A worthy purpose. And until I draw my last breath, and my cannons fire their last shell, we will not fail." Bismarck said.
"I will be counting on you, Bismarck. The Pride of The Kriegsmarine will now be A flagship of Azur Lane. I expect the best from you." Isaac said.
"And you will have it." Bismarck said as she put a hand to her chest in an Ironblood salute.
"Excellent." Isaac said as he turned to the port.
"Now... we need to come up with a plan." Isaac said as he stood in front of everyone on the bridge. Norfolk and Odin walked to his sides as he turned back to the steel table.
"What is the goal?" Odin asked.
"Less goal, more decision. It has just come to mind that we have left every single island that we have visited undefended. And in order to keep this island chain secure after our declaration of war, we are going to need to leave a massive portion of the fleet behind to defend it. Because these islands don't have the capabilities to produce their own Navy." Isaac said.
"So we need to decide who stays with you, and who will stay in the island chain." Norfolk said as Isaac nodded.
"I know everyone in this port will do what I ask, but I know that some of the girls are more suited for open combat and international conflict." Isaac said.
"Agreed. We need those that can deal with anything. Powerhouses and an excellent support." Odin said.
"I may be biased, Kommandant. But I believe Ironblood ships may have the qualities most suited for a well rounded fleet." Bismarck said.
"On that we can agree. But I cannot allow one nation to represent Azur Lane." Isaac said.
"You know the Union ain't no slouch either." Texas said as she looked at him.
"I know that. Turning the tide of the biggest war in history is no easy task." Isaac said.
"Commoner, I believe you will find that the Royal Navy's knowledge of the world and her seas may prove useful on your quest. After all, the sun never sets on the Royal Empire." Elizabeth said.
"Listen, girls. This isn't a fight. It's a general statement. I'm going to sit down and think it through based on who I feel can give me the most in terms of power and ability. We will be facing Tester Beta in the Philippines, and something in the back of my mind is telling me that there is going to be something nasty waiting for us. I am going to need the best I have in the fleet for this. Everyone here is amazing in their own right, but as previously stated, some are meant for localized containment, while others are meant for global domination." Isaac said.
"Dear husband... your talk of domination is worrying after your... recent struggle." Friedrich said.
"H-H-Husband?!" Bismarck asked. The three Ironblood girls aside from Bismarck and Heinrich all held up their hands to show their rings.
"No wonder you agreed with Lord Bismarck so easily, Kommandant." Heinrich said.
"What are you implying, Prinz Heinrich?" Isaac asked.
"You have a thing for us Ironblood girls. After all, all of your rings belong to the Ironblood." Heinrich said.
"Not all of them." A voice said as they turned to the door.
"Eagle. Welcome." Isaac said.
"Norfolk said you weren't feeling the best, so I came over after running aerial recon for MacArthur." Eagle said.
"You did what?" Isaac asked.
"MacArthur wanted me to fly recon for an excursion to his old base." Eagle said, realizing why Isaac was questioning her.
"Who authorized that?" Isaac asked.
"It was ordered by MacArthur himself, Commander" Eagle said.
"Odin, you said you left Perkins in charge?" Isaac asked.
"Yes, Kommandant." Odin said.
"So why in the hell is MacArthur giving MY fleet orders?" Isaac asked.
"I cannot give you an answer, Kommandant. I was with you ensuring you were okay." Odin said.
Isaac growled as he looked around the bridge and found his helmet. He put it on and activated the radio system inside it.
"Lieutenant Perkins." Isaac said, waiting for a response. Three minutes passed with no response.
"Bismarck, turn your guns out to sea and give me a salvo. Time for a wake up call." Isaac said.
"Is that really necessary, Kommandant?" Odin asked.
"Probably not. But I refuse to sit around and wait for someone to let this happen again. He showed his incompetency when dealing with Kansen. And to think he had the gaw to direct my fleet, jumping the chain of command like a fucking jump rope?!" Isaac said angrily.
"Commander, please. It was nothing more than recon. I didn't leave port. I was just following his orders." Eagle said.
"He had no right to give you orders of any kind. He is ARMY, not Navy. I don't care if he IS a General. I am the Commander of this fleet. You come through me or those I appoint to make use of my fleet." Isaac said.
"I have to agree Commoner. That type of disrespect is untoward of someone in such a high position. And from the sounds of it, this MacArthur does not seem to think too highly of the Kansens." Elizabeth said.
"He ordered two of your own to give their lives as meat shields, Lizzie." Isaac said.
Elizabeth froze.
"HE WHAT?!" Elizabeth exclaimed.
"He figured that his men were more important to save than Prince of Wales or Repulse. Both of their cubes are here on the bridge." Isaac said as he unlocked a small metal box on the bridge and handed the cubes to Elizabeth.
Elizabeth took a few deep breaths before recomposing herself.
"Then it seems like me being here is the right course of action. No more of my girls will fall to that man." Elizabeth said.
"I will not allow it." Isaac said.
"Commander, you called for me?" Perkins' voice came over the radio, the tiredness in his voice was unmistakable.
"You were asleep?" Isaac asked.
"Yes sir. 32 hours without sleep... I must have blacked out." Perkins said.
"No worries. You're human after all. But, did you give MacArthur permission to access Eagle and her fighters for an reason?" Isaac asked.
"No sir. He had been asking for several hours before I went dark, but I denied every request due to your refusal to allow his use of your forces without permission from you." Perkins said.
"So you agree that he would have had to jump the chain of command to assume control of anyone in my fleet?" Isaac asked.
"Yes sir. He may be a General in the Army, given command of ground forces. But he does not have command of the Navy. Why?" Perkins asked.
"Because Eagle is telling me that Macarthur ordered her to assist him in recon for his forces to retrieve items from their old base. And if you didn't authorize it, he did it without permission." Isaac said.
"What do we do about this?" Perkins asked.
"I don't know. This is a massive breech of trust and an abysmal disregard for command." Isaac said.
"You told him you wouldn't allow him to use your fleet in any capacity without your approval, correct?" Perkins asked.
"That is correct." Isaac said as he rubbed his helmet, trying to dissolve some of the stress.
"His blatant disregard for your orders could be considered insubordinate behavior. Just because he is a general does not mean he can walk all over you. Make an example of it." Perkins said.
"And how would we do that?" Isaac asked.
"I shall send my MPs to pick him up. We can make him an example to the ground side of things that the Kansens are under your command. The use of Kansens must pass your desk or whoever you want to have that judgement." Perkins said.
"Alright then. Then this is an official call for the arrest of General MacArthur under the charge of insubordination. I want him brought in immediately." Isaac said.
"It shall be done." Perkins said as he cut the line.
"Alright girls, looks like we have work to do." Isaac said.