After a few minutes, Odin, Norfolk and Isaac found themselves on the deck of the Iowa, where Perkins and Kaga were standing on the bow looking out over the port.
"Looks like this is where we part ways for now, Lieutenant." Isaac said as Perkins and Kaga turned around.
"So it seems, Admiral. So it seems. I must thank you for the punishment you gave MacArthur. They really did get this old girl back in pristine condition." Perkins said.
"Come on. Commander is just fine. Admiral is nice, but I've gotten so accustomed to what the girls call me, I feel like it's my nickname now." Isaac said as he and Odin stepped forward next to Perkins and Kaga.
"Well then, Commander. I doubt that you're here just to say goodbye. That isn't how you roll." Perkins said.
"You're half right. I came to give you a couple gifts." Isaac said.
"Gifts? For what?" Perkins asked.
"Firstly. Scans have shown that Observer Zero has left Japan and is heading North. So at least for now, she should be less likely to throw everything including the kitchen sink at you. So all you should have to do is maintain patrols of the port and the city until I return with reinforcements from Australia." Isaac said.
"That sounds wonderful actually. At least we can remain mostly on guard from land threats since we shouldn't be seeing a bunch of drone fleets." Perkins said.
"You had mentioned another gift. What is it, Shikikan?" Kaga asked.
"Well, you two look like you've been getting along quite well since we landed here. So, I figured you might need this." Isaac said as he pulled a small blue box from his pocket and tossed it to Perkins, who lit up almost immediately.
"Thank you very kindly, Commander. I will be sure to use it well." Perkins said as Kaga looked at him with a confused look on her face, prompting Perkins to pet her between her ears.
"Be sure you do. If I know anything about these girls... they don't like to be kept waiting." Isaac said as he felt an overwhelming presence behind him.
"You have that right, dear husband." Friedrich said as she rested an elbow on his shoulder.
"I would have to agree with that assessment, Kommandant. Considering I waited the longest." Odin said as she elbowed him in the side.
Isaac laughed nervously as Perkins and Kaga looked at him.
"Commander, I swear, you must have some kind of death wish." Perkins said as he shook his head.
"Me? I must say, you're pretty up there with what I heard from a certain Battleship." Isaac said.
"What do you mean?" Perkins asked.
"How's your knee holding up?" Isaac asked, forcing a blush from Kaga.
"Ah. So I guess we both have a flair for the... extravagant." Perkins said.
"So we do. Kaga, how are you holding up with your assignment?" Isaac asked.
"While it will be a bit different with Akagi so far away... I believe we both have changed since Pearl. She has her lover to grieve... and I have one to savor. While we were together, it was nothing short of constant bickering, so the peace will be nice. She's still my sister though..." Kaga said.
"Well, I'm sure you two will be reunited at some point in the future." Isaac said.
"I'm sure you'll see to it." Kaga said as she put a hand on her hip.
"Probably." Take care, and I wish you well." Isaac said as he turned to leave.
"Shikikan..." Kaga called out to him.
"Yes?" Isaac called back.
"Thank you for everything." Kaga called as Isaac replied with a wave over his shoulder.
Kaga turned around to see Perkins down on his good knee with the blue box in his hand.
"What are you doing?" Kaga asked.
"Making it official." Perkins said as he opened the box, showing Kaga the ring he had received from Isaac.
"Lieutenant... It's beautiful." Kaga said softly as her tails swished about excitedly despite her heartfelt tone.
"Your tails tell all, Kaga." Perkins said.
"Damn. I was trying my best to hide it. To make it special." Kaga said.
"Everything is special when you're around. There's no doubt in my mind about that." Perkins said as Kaga extended her hand. Perkins pulled the ring out of the box. It looked different than the ones Friedrich and Odin were wearing. Instead of white stones, this stone was blue and swimming with a mysterious power. It was then that Perkins noticed a small piece of paper sticking from under the ring holder in the box. He pulled out the paper and read it.
"Congrats on your union, Lieutenant. I had Vengeance cook this little gem up just for you in the few hours before I gave the orders to the fleet. I know you'll use it well. Signed, Commander Garner." The note read.
"If I had only one wish, it would be that I could help you more to achieve your own goals, Lieutenant." Kaga said as Perkins slid the ring onto her finger.
"You do more than enough. It would be wrong to ask more of you." Perkins said as he looked Kaga in the eyes.
"Kaga. Would you make me the happiest man alive, and marry me?" Perkins asked, steeling himself for either answer.
"It would be an honor to stand beside you, Jack Perkins." Kaga said as the ring began to glow a soft blue glow.
"Is that a yes?" Perkins asked as Kaga pulled him to his feet.
"Yes. Yes it is." Kaga said as her body was enveloped in a harsh white light. Perkins looked on in awe as Kaga's form changed into a more mature version of herself with flowing robes and a white armored Kimono. Perkins then turned out to the port to see that there was now an aircraft carrier sitting where the battleship Kaga had once sat.
Isaac smiled from the bridge of the Norfolk as he watched this all go down.
"Looks like he was raring to go." Isaac said.
"So it would seem, Isaac. I still don't understand though, why go through such an arbitrary ceremony?" Vengeance asked.
"It confirms the love you have for another person, and it confirms their love for you. On a side note, what exactly did you do to that ring? I thought the battle damage she sustained at Midway ruined her cubes." Isaac said.
"You forget that we invented the wisdom cube after discovering the ore on earth. No cubes are truly ever beyond repair so long as you're allied with someone who invented them. I just used one of the cubes you got from the explorers and replaced the stone on that ring you asked me to modify. Using the data model from that cube, I was able to allow it to return her to her carrier state, as you had predicted." Vengeance said.
"I wouldn't have come up with the idea if you hadn't used Nimi's ring to bring her back from the dead. So this achievement is all yours." Isaac said as they watched further, seeing Perkins get up with help from Kaga and embrace his newly wedded lover. They shared a passionate kiss as the night sky filled with the sounds of engines. Zeros took off from the newly minted deck of the Kaga and circled slowly over the Iowa, showering the deck in Sakura petals.
"I think she likes it." Vengeance said.
"I think she does too." Isaac said as they looked at each other.
"Shall we head out now?" Isaac asked.
"I think that handles out to do list, so yeah, I'd say now's the time." Vengeance said as Isaac turned to Norfolk.
"Send the order to Admiral Nimitz. We're heading out." Isaac said.
"Understood." Norfolk said as horns around the remaining fleet sounded, heralding their departure.
Norfolk turned to leave the bridge as they pulled out of port.
"Where are you off to?" Isaac asked as they watched the others in their massive flotilla follow behind them.
"I'm going to check on Bismarck and the submarine she brought aboard. Vestal said she should be waking up any moment now." Norfolk said.
"Well, I shall join you then. After all, we now have plenty of time to kill before we reach Brisbane." Isaac said.
"Brisbane? Why there?" Norfolk asked.
"They have shipyards capable of building warships, provided we use the bulins." Isaac said.
"And we'll have to recruit more ground forces there as well." Vengeance said.
"That we will, but we will be more than prepared after our short stay there because we will have plenty of new assets." Isaac said.
"Agreed. And then I can finally begin living up to my name." Vengeance said.
"Stay with me, and you will have it." Isaac said.
"I plan on it. This is much better than standing with the other Sirens and watching you humans from afar." Vengeance said as she looked at Isaac.
"You most of all continue to astound me with your resilience and tact. No wonder you are in command of such a capable fighting force." Vengeance added.
"Well thank you for the compliment. But I really am just a humble mechanic. I never had a military background." Isaac said.
"I can tell. Your emotional outbursts are nothing short of Civilian. But yet, you continue to plow through any opposition, and you use the mood of your fleet to augment not only their strength but yours as well." Vengeance said.
"I guess you could put it that way. I just like to think that we are part of a much larger machine, and I am just the brains putting the pieces where they need to go." Isaac said.
"So humble. It's almost sickening." Vengeance said as Isaac laughed.
"I almost tend to forget that humble isn't what you or my girls look for." Isaac said as they all entered the med bay, where Bismarck was knelt quietly next to one of the beds.
Isaac knocked quietly on the frame of the bulkhead.
"Ah... Kommandant." Bismarck said as she turned to face him. The dark circles under her eyes and the redness of her nose told him she had spent the night crying and without a wink of sleep.
"Bismarck. How is she doing?" Isaac asked.
"They fixed her. Good as new. But she has yet to wake up." The blond Ironblood battleship responded.
"It will take time. She had to use her own energy to reproduce the arm and eye so she could use it properly. She doesn't have the Siren capabilities like myself, so a prosthetic wasn't an option." Vengeance said.
"What she is saying, is that U-556 will need to sleep for a while longer. And you should as well. You look tired." Isaac said.
"I won't leave her." Bismarck said.
"Bismarck. I don't know the connection you and her have, but I am sure she would want to see you at your best when she wakes up." Isaac said.
"She was never far away. Before that fateful mission, she would always run around me and ask to play with me, despite knowing that I was always busy with Ironblood business. I miss those days more than one could hope to know." Bismarck said.
"And you will have them back soon enough. I'm sure once she is back on her feet, and she has time to heal from what ws done to her, you will have that playful companion back on your heels." Isaac said.
"But how would you know that?" Bismarck asked.
"I've worked with you girls for my entire mechanic career. You girls are by far the most resilient beings on this planet. And that rivals humanity at it's best. It isn't too far to say that you girls are better at adapting than we are. And it shows." Isaac said.
"Will... will she be safe?" Bismarck asked.
"Do you trust me?" Isaac asked.
"As my Kommandant, yes." Bismarck said.
"Then I will personally keep her guarded while you rest." Isaac said as he extended his hand to the battleship, who took it and rose to her feet.
"Please, keep her safe." Bismarck said as she walked to a bed just a few feet away.
"I'll keep an eye on both of you. Don't you worry." Isaac said as he pulled up a chair and sat down.
"You're looking good too, Commander." Vestal said as she glanced over at him.
"Arizona did a good job patching me up a few days ago. That ability makes light of almost anything." Isaac said, flexing his leg to prove his point.
"You know that it digs at her energy reserves. After a day of work, she has to rest or else she will overexert herself. So don't go playing the hero and add to her workload." Vestal said.
"I didn't know that, I'll keep it in mind and adjust my tactics accordingly to try and reduce injuries and casualties." Isaac said.
"Commander, I am going to go find Nimi and check on her. I haven't heard from her in a bit." Norfolk said.
"Alright. Radio up here when you find her and give me an update." Isaac said.
"Will do." Norfolk said as she left the med bay and headed for the Pond.