Within the storm

A battle with the sirens leaves Bismarck and Hood critically damaged and the two have no choice but to seek sanctuary on a nearby deserted Island chain. How will these two fair?

Authors note: This is one of a few ideas that popped up in my mind. Not sure if I'm going to finish it but it seemed a wast to let it just sit in a folder when it could spark someones fancy. I might continue it but I don't know. If anyone can use it they are free to try as long as its Hood X Bismarck. Also let me know so I can read it.

Chapter 1 Run aground

It was supposed to be a simple mission. Meet up with the Iron Blood fleet and convince them to rejoin the negotiation Table. After the disastrous breakdown between factions do to neither willing to compromise. Then when the worst was about to happen a proposal was given. One that suggested a ambassador be sent to try and bring the other party's back to the negotiation table before a two way war could evolve into a three way because in one very outspoken Eagle Union kansens own words.

"Because the jackasses in office and parliament cant get their head out of their asses long enough to see reason."

After all had they not researched Siren technology to create them? Had they not used the enemy's own weapons to create their own? Sure the current rigging of the Iron blood was a bit much but as long as their was some over-site their was nothing wrong with a bit of research with some rules applied.

Who's suggestion it had been to send out a convoy to begin immediately she couldn't remember. Only that she had instantly volunteered along with Wales and many others in an attempt to keep their factions from fracturing. All of which who had friends in said faction and with the list set the arduous task of getting a meeting was set. The negotiations involved where mostly between The Queen and George but eventually they managed to get what they wanted. It had taken a lot of talking to get this meeting but it had been accomplished with perseverance and a wish to avoid conflict if at all possible.

The first portion had gone well the two fleet meeting up in the arranged location in the North Sea to begin talks. There The Royal Navy fleet lead by Hood and Wales meet up with the Iron Born fleet who in turn where Lead By Bismarck Herself and Prinz Eugene. The meeting had been rocky at the beginning with none willing to give but just before things truly began to break down the Sirens appeared with a fleet that was nearly twice the size of their own combined.

The following battle had been brutal the sudden storm making it even worse as hurricane force winds and rain created near zero visibility. Then the fighting took a turn for the worst. A stray shot managed to explode one of her Turrets setting of an internal explosion that nearly crippled her and she was not the only one. Many had suffered damage and where threatening to sink beneath the waves. Iron Blood and Royal navy alike forced back to back as they struggled to fight the overwhelming tide. Seeing no other option Hood ordered those under her command to begin a fighting retreat bringing any injured with them as she tried to buy them time as Prinz Eugene took a hit as well the Heavy cruisers engines taking a hit that left her listing in the water as Iron blood Destroyers tried to keep her from drifting.

Seeing no other options Royal navy did as ordered Wales towing a protesting Prinz away as Bismarck came to her side as she to ordered the same. The Flag Ship holding her standard at the ready unwilling to retreat or back down as the Sirens bore down on them in force as their allies escaped.

The following battle was chaotic and a blur to her mind. Explosions in the dark roars of challenge as the Mightiest Battleship ever fielded fired of salvos with enough explosive power to sink towns into the ocean. Drawing as much attention to herself as she could and as Far from Hood as possible as the Admiral class battle-cruiser took down anything that tried to get to close. The two working in concert as the enemy swarmed them in a deadly dance of artillery fire and evasive footwork.

Then it happened.

From the rain three Peace Breakers arrived surrounding them. Boxing them in and leaving no escape. The first volley came from Hoods Starboard the sudden assault leaving her no time to evade but Bismark was far quicker to act. Shielding the Royal Navy Ship and taking the brunt of the attack as she unleashed a blistering return salvo that dismantled the Siren as the other two descended upon them. Hood managed to take one down with her three remaining turrets. The brute went down weapons smoking but still alive as the third fired as Bismarck moved. Like a dancer she spun herself and Hood about the churning waves Guns firing as Hood's own reloaded. By the time she fired her last Salvo Bismark had killed the third Siren as Hood finished off the one she had fatally wounded. But not before it fired managing to hit Bismarck side hull along with her rudder and damaging her navigation relays and in the process clipping Hood's own deck destroying her communications relay in a final act of spite.

That was two hours ago. Now the two where lost in the storm Navigation disabled and communication relays completely destroyed. Lashed together by tow lines in order to prevent the other from sinking. Bismarck keeping her afloat above the water as her damaged Hull took on water and Hood pushing her engines to the fullest in order to stir them both to what she hoped was safety.

Her engines groaned and sputtered at the abuse as they pushed her screws to near the limit. Beside her Bismarck did the same the proud Battleship of the Iron blood trying her best to ease the burden and pilot despite the fact her rudder had been completely destroyed and two of her screws where inoperable. It wasn't much but it was enough of a relief that Hood was sure her engines would at least be able to take the strain.

Still that did not stop her from worrying not only for herself but for her friends and the rest of the girls "I hope the others made it to safety."

Bismarck grunted pulling Hood up out of the water as the cruiser sank once more to her shins "Ja. But ve must concentrate on ourselves for ze moment." she said eyes searching the horizon "We should not be zat far from ze Frizian Isles."

"If this storm hasn't blown us off course." Hood said looking around.

Bismarck grunted in agreement and reached into her coat pulling out what looked like a brass watch with the symbol for the Iron blood engraved into its surface. Upon opening it it was revealed to be a compass.

"Ve have drifted North vest." she commented showing Hood the needle "We need to head north East towards ze Islands. Ve can shelter their until the Storm passes."

Hood Adjusted course rudder groaning a the two turned towards the Direction indicated. The time was paced in silence the two trying to keep a steady course towards safety. But as the time drifted on the Storm began to grow worse. Winds began to pick up speed now hail joined the rain . Hood flinched as one narrowly missed her eye and gasped when Bismarck pulled her under her Coat her Rigging coming up to shield them both.

"Thank you."

Bismarck nodded but said nothing as the two moved onwards then an hour later battered and bruised from the Hail Land finally came into sight. The lightning that split the sky lit up the coastline. A small Harbor just within sight enough to hold the two ships and a town barely visible in the night. Bismarck's battery moved the cannon coming to bare as a shot rang out. An explosion rang high above them a red flare lighting up the night allowing them to see better as they made it closer to port.

"Its seems to be abandoned." Hood remarked wincing as a piece of hale dinged off the rigging just above her head.

"Ja. I believe zis is on of ze Frisian Islands. Zey like many places along our cost, have long sense been abandoned do to ze siren raids." Bismarck informed as they made it into the Harbor. "We have been unable to retake it do to the Constant Mirror Sea just off our coast."

Hood grimaced at this tidbit of information. As a whole most of the Kansan aside from a few where unaware of the current state of the other factions. Do to either the Sirens causing a mess or breakdown in communications along with political infighting between the humans side. Though their had been moves to change this in the last few months. Though it now seemed such efforts where little to late with the way things where now.

"I wasn't aware of that." she said softly shame welling up in her heart as the other woman snorted.

"Vhy Vould you? Your Faction like the Eagle Union and many others. Pay little mind to the ongoings ov your allies or their situation." said the woman with no small hints of bitterness.

Hood remained silent at this remark. Understanding that this was a real sore point for the Battleship who had taken upon her shoulders the responsibility to lead and care for her people. The strain of such a position was well known to the battle-cruiser. Being named the 'Pride of the Royal Navy' did have its responsibility's though while no where near what the Queen or the King Gorge class ships had to deal with. It still put a strain on her all the same.

The two soon reached the docks. Silently leaping onto the concrete structure Hood staggering slightly as the wound she had been trying to ignore mad itself known. Bismarck looked down at her raising a brow in inquiry but Hood shook her head and as one the two began to walk towards the nearest building which happened to be The main office for the small Harbor. The door gave way easily and the two slipped inside. Bismark having a bit of trouble do to her rigging but managed when the partly rotted wall gave way t form a bigger hole. Hood with heeled a giggle at the mild look of annoyance Bismarck gave to the entry way as she wondered over to the main desk and began to rummage through it. Before long she managed to pull out a map of the town and hummed.

"It seems we have landed on Terschelling." Hood informed Looking at the map "Though where exactly is hard to say." Bismarck hummed but said nothing as she looked out to sea surveying the stormy waters.

"Ve are not far from Holland. zough ze closest major port vould be Harlingen." Bismark informed.

"Which is far beyond our capability's at the moment with this storm and the sorry stat of our propulsion systems." Hood said with a frown.

Bismarck nodded in agreement "Ve vill need to find shelter for ze night. We can beach our Hulls on the shore for the storm." left unsaid was the fact that Hoods hull suffered the risk of sinking beneath the water if left out in the Harbor.

With that settled the two found a decent spot near what had possibly been a small shopping center where they located a small cafe. Which had a perfect view of the shoreline. The two quickly made their way inside the building which was still surprisingly intact its stone walls in decent shape and the roof still intact despite the amount of moss growing atop its roof. Inside was in decent shape as well. Old furniture covered in a layer of dust but otherwise fine. The two separated Bismark heading towards the kitchen in search of anything useful while Hood headed upstairs and found to her delight that an upstairs apartment with all its furnishings remained. It was a mostly open floor plane. A kitchen and living room combo in front of a decent sized fireplace that had a rocking chair and a sofa in front. In the far left corner of the room however was a large bed by the window that was flanked by bedside tables and a large bookcase that was laden with books.

Then the sound of heavy boots sounded and she turned in time to see the imposing form of the Iron blood leader appearing in the door "Zer iz not much of anyzing of use downstairs." Bismarck informed as she heeled up what looked like a cast iron pot and a kettle "Ziz iz ze only zing of use I could find." she said sitting the items down upon the old table "How about you?"

"Well the upstairs is usable and theirs a fireplace to keep us warm. We will however need to make a supply run to our ships if we wish to eat and clean linens as well for the bed which is in surprisingly good shape despite this place appearing to be abandoned." she informed.

Bismarck hummed in agreement "I will see about getting supplies for our stay. I doubt zis storm vill be letting up anytime soon." she remarked looking out the windows.

Indeed the storm was just getting worse as time went on. The hail had at least let up but the rain had doubled down and the wind was worse than before.

"Should we wait for a reprieve?" Hood inquired.

Bismark shook her head "Nien. This storm will only get worse. I will go and gather what supplies we will need." she said looking down at the wound Hood had been attempting to hide.

Without the rain obscuring her vision she could see that it was a nasty one. A piece of shrapnel having lanced itself into her side and was sticking out by three inches. Then their where the various gashes across her body. The fact that she was still able to walk and not show a single sing of the pain she was in impressed the Iron Blood quite a bit. Bismarck for her part was not absent of wounds but most if not all where superficial such as bruising or faint cuts that she could ignore. Their where times when being heavily armored was truly a blessing.

Hood nodded "Right then. Food, water, some dry cloths, and a medical kit will be the main needs I think."

"Ja. I will retrieve them. But first let me get the fire going." with that she turned and walked to a dusty stack of wood which had a box of tender next to it. Within minutes she had a fire going the warm flames hungrily eating away at the dry wood as she stood up and with a nod moved back down stairs.

Once she was gone Hood grimaced and made her way over to a rocking chair. Slowly taking off her soaked outer coat and under layer to get a better look at her wound. The shard wasn't to big about the width and girth of her finger. By the looks of it, It was possibly a shard from her battery that had exploded on impact. With a groan she tilted her head back. Knowing that what she would have to do to treat if would be beyond painful. But it was better than blood poisoning.

Before she new it Bismarck returned two large duffle bags slung over her shoulder which she deposited on the table. One of which she quickly opened and began to pull out items. First was a kettle which she filled with water from a jug. Next was a medical kit and finally a bottle of something. With a nod she brought the items over and handed the bottle to Hood.

Hood slowly reached out and took it. Uncorking it as Bismarck began to rummage through the kit and took a small wife of its contents and hummed.

"Bourbon?" she asked the German who nodded as she set the kettle by the fire to warm.

"Ja. Most of my medical supplies vere damaged in ze battle." she informed as she began to lay out the items she would need. "All I have are medical kits and even zey are sparse."

The items she had where cotton swabs a bottle of rubbing alcohol that Hood was already dreading the sight of. Some thread and a curved needle a neat stack of bandages and finally a set of gloves. With a sigh Hood took a long sip from the bottle. Knowing she would want to be good a buzzed by the time that Bismarck was ready to begin. Which thankfully did not take long.

"This is... very good." Hood commented looking at the bottle curiously as Bismarck now bereft of her coat and her sleeves rolled up went about sanitizing the tools.

"Ja, It is from my personal stock." she informed As she took the kettle from the fire and poured the water into a tin.

Hood could steam rising from the container and with another long pull from the bottle as the blond turned.

"You vill have to remove your shirt." she informed a light dusting of color crossing her cheeks at the admission. But her face was resolute as she waited for permission to proceed.

Hood nodded leaning forward to sit the bottle down. Only for Bismarck to gently take it from her hands. Allowing her to begin unbuttoning her shirt. One by one the buttons came loose allowing the shirt to fall from her shoulders leaving her in only her bra which was a rather nice light blue in color with floral designs. Being exposed like this was an uncomfortable experience but Hood bore it as she slowly pulled her arms from her sleeves and settled back into the chair, Giving the German a firm nod as she gripped the arms of her chair. Seeing this Bismarck nodded back and after examining the wound took a firm hold of the fragment and with little warning. Pulled.

Hood barely with heeled a scream as white hot blinding pain ripped through her synapses as the shard was removed. Her stomach lurching violently as her body trembled harshly from the sudden pain. Though she did hiss when pressure was applied to the wound. She looked down to see Bismarck looking up at her waiting for the signal that she was ready for the next part. Gritting her teeth Hood gave a tight nod and Bismarck got to work. Cleaning the wound was nearly as painful as removing the shard. But thankfully after flushing it and removing some torn fabric from her coat that had gotten into the wound. Bismarck found no other trace of anything within it and began to stitch up the wound. At this point Hood could barely feel the pinpricks of the needle as Bismarck deftly stitched the wound closed. Leaving a slight hole for drainage before cleaning away the blood and once cleaned placed some gauze over the wound.

"Lean forward." she instructed gently.

Hood did so trembling in slight pain as Bismarck gently began to wrap the bandage around her middle. Making sure that they where not to tight but not to loose as she went. Once done she secured it with a pin and began to treat her other wounds. Their was a gash on her shoulder and some minor ones on her arms that where gently cleaned and bandage. Her touch light as a father to avoid further harm. The Royal silently marveled at the tenderness the Normally stern Battleship showed as she tended her wounds. Silently filing it away for later pondering as the kansen finally finished her task. She stood slowly removing the bloody gloves as she made her way over to the bag and pulled out a large white button up shirt and some sweats. Walking back over she gently handed them to Hood who took them gratefully.

"I vill change in ze bathroom so you have privacy." she informed.

Hood gave a slow nod as Bismarck went back to the table grabbed a gray long sleeved shirt and a pair of black sweats before disappearing into the bathroom. Once the door clicked shut Hood began to dress being mindful of the wound as she pulled on the shirt which smelled strongly of freshly cut timber and sea salt. Strange scent but one that somehow fit the blond it belonged to. Once done she turned to the rest of her cloths and with a bit of struggle removed her shoes, leggings and skirt before pulling on the warm and rather comfortable sleeping pants. Once down she called out to Bismarck who exited the bathroom.

"Thank you for the cloths Lord Bismarck." she said kindly as the woman hummed.

"You are velcome." she said softly before moving back to the bags. She pulled out some tins and small pots before coming over to the fire which had burned down slightly. She took the kettle and added some water to the pot and set it in front of the fire before refilling it with water and put it close to the flames once done she moved to the tin and pulled out some packets some potato's and carrots along with a knife.

Seeing what she was doing Hood heeled out her hand. Bismarck cast it a glance before placing the potato in it before reaching towards her belt and pulling out a knife and handed it to her hilt first. Hood took it gently from her hand. Careful not to cut the supple flesh pressed against the cold steel and began to peel the potato's which where placed in her lap as Bismarck worked. She shaved then diced the carrots as the water in the pot slowly came to a simmer. Once at a simmer she took one of the tins and and uncapped it. Showing that it was filled with a powder of some sort that once dumped into the pot smelled strongly of beef and onions. Once done she dropped the now finely diced potato's into the water and stirred letting it boil for a while before adding the carrots. Once stirred she let it boil as she reached into the small pile and pulled out two mugs and reaching forward grasped a rather banged up tin and opened it to reveal some tea bags, She placed them into the mugs and gently poured some of the now boiling hot water from the kettle in.

Hood smiled happily at the sight of fresh tea and waited patiently as Bismarck let it steep before handing it to Hood. The woman sighed happily as she took a sip ignoring the slight bitterness as she enjoyed the warmth the drink provided. Bismarck did the same a grimace on her lips but remaining quite as they waited for the food to finish.

Then the silence was broken by a soft inquiry from the blond "How are your wounds?"

Hood hummed "I am well despite my current condition. Aside from my side just some minor pains. How do you fair? Those hits you took for me where nothing to scoff at." she asked looking at the Battleship who had yet to meet her eyes.

Bismarck hummed watching the fire as she replied "I am fine. My platting took the brunt of it so nothing but bruises." she informed.

Hood sighed "I'm glad." she whispered looking releaved that her fellow had mostly escaped from harm.

The blond said nothing as she went about fixing the two bowls and handed Hood her own along with a spoon. The Battle-cruiser accepted it and took a bite. Humming in satisfaction at the rich flavor. It was a simple meal but it was more than enough to last them the night. Once finished the Iron blood set about stripping the old mattress careful to keep the dust from flying as she rolled the old blankets and such up before tossing them out of the room with little care to where they landed. Once stripped she dusted the mattress as best she could before putting new sheets and blankets on and a pillow she managed to grab before leaving her ship. Once made up she motioned for Hood who had just finished cleaning the items that Bismarck had used to make them their food.

"You can take the bed." she informed.

Hood blinked "And where will you sleep?"

"I will sleep on the couch."

Hood cast her gaze towards said object which looked quite... unstable. The wood looking worn and slightly unstable and the cushions where absolutely filthy "I don't think that would be a good idea." she said her nose curling slightly in disgust at the piece of furniture.

Bismarck looked at the couch and sighed "True enough. But its that or the floor." she said running a hand through her wheat blond hair.

"Don't be ridiculous. The beds plenty big enough for two to sleep comfortably." Hood said shaking her head.

Bismarck looked at her then the bed and... Hood refrained from giggling as the the Battleship gained a bit of color upon her pale cheeks. Looking unsure as she answered in a low tone.

"I should really." she began only to be cut off by the British woman.

"Come now there is enough room for he two of us to fit." she said waving the mumbled replay off before looking at the couch severely "As Is I doubt that the... lounge. Is in any condition to seat anybody without falling to pieces and it looks absolutely filthy. I dare say if any of our maids saw it they would have already burned it." she commented with an amused smile.

Bismarck grimaced but said nothing as she looked from the couch to the bed and sighed in resignation "Very vell." she agreed "Let me tend ze fire and I vill join you."

Hood nodded and got into the bed. Which was shockingly comfortable despite its age and disuse. Once settled she watched Bismarck a she added a few more logs to the fire before slowly making her way back towards the bed. Hesitating only briefly before slipping between the covers. Once settled the only sound within the apartment was the sound of the fire and the roaring storm that battered the store. The noise was enough to slowly lull her to sleep the fresh scent of wood shavings, gunpowder, and sea salt following her into the realm of dreams. Unaware of the slitted blue eyes that watched her as she drifted off into sleep.

End chapter