Odin strolled her way onto the docks, looking around and surveying the busy scene in front of her. Friedrich and Mainz had taken to tearing apart the warehouses and putting everything in piles for Rodney and Eagle to sort through. A small bunk house and office space had been constructed by the bulins in a short amount of time.
"Hello? Can anyone hear us?" Taka's voice could be heard over the radio.
"Ja. I hear you. Do you have that transport ship running yet?" Odin asked.
"Not yet. We just managed to get here and flip the breaker for the electricity. We have a generator but the engine is not starting yet. I'm about to look into it." Taka said.
"Please see to it that you do." Odin said as she cut the transmission.
Nimi and Eldridge walked over to Odin.
"How is Isaac doing?" Nimi asked as Eldridge nodded.
"He needs to rest. I fear that if he does not rest, he will not be in any shape to help take back much of anything, much less the world." Odin said.
"I see. So I am going to assume that he made you second in command?" Nimi asked.
"Nein. He may have called me a vice commander but I have not been formally tasked with any particular duties." Odin said.
"For all intents and purposes, you're going to have to be his second in command. You're the best qualified Kansen here and I don't think anyone would object." Nimi said as Eldridge shook her head.
"Ah. Well, then I will continue to do so. How is everything going down here?" Odin asked.
"Everything is running smoothly. Nobody has answered the radio call yet so we have no volunteers. We found plenty of blue prints ranging from different prop designs to new cruiser caliber guns. Eagle and Rodney are sorting out the ones we have need of. And the buildings that the Kommandant has asked for are almost finished being built." Nimi said.
"Good. I also just received word that Taka and his men have managed to get the electrical systems working on that transport ship. So we should hopefully have that ready for the time we leave here." Odin said.
"If it's all the same to you, Eldridge and I are going to go keep the Kommandant company. She refuses to work unless she gets to see him. And I am going to make sure she doesn't get rowdy while the Kommandant rests." Nimi said.
"I guess that's alright then. Just don't make a career out of it. I want you two back out here and ready to go on patrol. As evidenced by our arrival, these are not friendly waters. Surcouf has yet to surface, and she has been radioing me for the past few hours as she keeps an eye on the waters around here. So when you two are done, I want you two to join her on patrol." Odin said.
"Of course. It will be done." Nimi said as her and Eldridge walked past Odin and onto the Eagle. Odin walked into the port area to begin issuing orders when a few people emerged from the town.
Odin made her way over and stood in front of a small crowd of people.
"Halt." She said in a commanding tone. Sure enough, everyone stopped dead in their tracks.
Odin quickly took stock of the crowd in front of her. Many of the people were wearing clothes symbolic of a farmer or a fisher. The one few that stood out were a group of 5 people up front. An important looking man and four bodyguard type individuals.
"Who are you?" Odin asked flatly.
"Sir Alexander William George Herder Grantham. Governor of Fiji. Who may you be, young lady?" The tall, slim, British man asked.
"KMS Odin under the command of Kommandant Isaac Garner, Fleet commander of Azur Lane." Odin replied.
"A German?! My... things really have changed. Anyway, What brings you here, and why is there a radio transmission being repeated from this port?" Alexander asked.
"We have come from Niue in the south Pacific on a quest to retake everything the Sirens have stolen. This Island just so happened to be a good area to rest after our push from Tonga." Odin said.
"The message says that much. But why is it asking for those who wish to fight?" Alexander asked.
"As you can see, We are mainly a naval force. And unfortunately, not every single place can be cleared by Naval firepower. We have need of an invasion force to help us take Territory and lock it down." Odin said.
"And you all have the audacity to come to my island? Pandering for soldiers after the bloodiest war in human history?" Alexander asked. It was at that moment that Odin lost her cool. She strolled up to Alexander and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him down to eye level with her.
"We kansen have no care for your stupid human wars. Our enemy is the Sirens, the ones that currently have your world in a stranglehold. Hell, I'm sure you saw what happened to the city you saw on the way in. The sirens did that. They murdered an entire town without regret or remorse. So if you want to cower like a caged animal, be my guest. Because if you're not here to help, I will deem you as a threat and eliminate you myself." Odin said as her rigging formed, pressing one of the barrels of her main batteries against Alexander's head.
"This is preposterous! You can't do this!" Alexander yelled.
"Try me. We are at war, whether you like it or not. You're not special. We will pick up willing fighters from every place we can. But if you're content being used as forced labor and treated like cattle, be my guest, Du Flachwichser. But don't you dare come here and interrupt us when we are trying to save your dumb ass." Odin said as she threw Alexander back into the arms of his bodyguards.
"Oh my~~ What have we here?" Friedrich asked as she came up behind Odin.
"This pigheaded brit is here trying to undermine our operation." Odin said.
"Well, by the looks of it, this human is the leader of this island, so he does own this port." Friedrich said as she put a finger on her cheek.
"See? Why can't you and your commander be more like this fine upstanding lady? At least she has the courtesy to know who has charge around here. The orders of your stupid commander have no ground under my authority." Alexander said in a boastful tone.
"Uh oh..." Odin said as she slowly turned to see Friedrich with her golden eyes locked solely on Alexander.
"Friedrich, calm down." Odin said as one of the massive metal serpents snaked up behind Friedrich.
"I'm sorry, governor. Could you please repeat what you said about the Kommandant? I don't believe I heard you properly." Friedrich said, her voice struggling to keep it's calm demeanor.
"It is hard to believe that you all would serve such an idiotic commander. His orders mean nothing here." Alexander said as he took a step closer to Odin and Friedrich.
"He's dead." Odin thought to herself.
"I see. And tell me? How much will your orders mean when you have no voice to give them? How will you stand in front of your people when the legs you stand on have been ripped from your body? You see, unlike you arrogant brits, we Kansen respect our commander above all else. And an affront to Mein Kommandant... is an affront to me." Friedrich said as she began moving towards Alexander, despite Odin's best attempts to block her path.
"Wait... what?" Alexander asked as he saw a look of fury unmatched by anyone he had encountered before.
"I'll overlook your crude remarks, just run before she gets her hands on you!" Odin yelled, causing Alexander to flinch.
"Friedrich!" A yell from the Eagle caused the fury of Friedrich to immediately subside.
"Yes, mein Kommandant~~~?" Friedrich said as she turned to face the flight deck, where Isaac was being supported by Nimi.
"Stand down. We are guests here, after all. We don't want to make things worse." Isaac said.
"Okay, Kommandant. If those are your orders. "Friedrich said as she slowly turned back to Alexander with a demonic look in her eye.
"Badmouth my Kommandant again and I will tear you apart and feed you to the sea." Friedrich said as she walked away as gracefully as she had appeared.
Odin breathed a massive sight of relief.
"Christ. I knew she attached herself to the Kommandant rather quickly, but for something like that to set her off?" Odin thought aloud.
"You weren't expecting that?!" Alexander asked, still terrified of the tall woman who had just bored into his soul.
"Nein. That was definitely a first. She got into it with Mainz back at base. Same reason but definitely not as brutal." Odin said.
"I believe I was misinformed. If your commander can control... that. He has better leadership skills than I gave him credit for. In all truthfulness, I came here more to speak with him. Is something like that possible?" Alexander asked.
"Well, it seems that the Kommandant refuses to rest, so I will allow it. But please understand that he is injured. We had to fight off the Siren that massacred the city that this port is attached to. "Odin said.
"Oh. Well then I apologize for my actions earlier. Had I known that you and your commander did us this favor, I would not have said such things of a man deserving a knighting by the queen." Alexander said.
"I will accept it on his behalf." Odin said.
"No, Odin, I'll Accept it personally." Isaac said as Nimi helped him stand next to Odin, who threw his arm over her shoulder to give Nimi a break.
"Kommandant. I thought I asked you to get some rest." Odin said as she looked at him.
"Can't sleep when I get Nimi waking me up saying that Friedrich is about to murder someone." Isaac said with a yawn.
"I see. I guess I must have radioed her by accident. My apologies, Kommandant." Odin spoke softly.
"It's okay. 20 Minutes is good enough for right now." Isaac said.
"So you're the commander of this fleet?" Alexander asked.
"Yes. My name is Isaac Garner, Commander of Azur Lane. This is my Vice Commander, KMS Odin. Feel free to join us, this is still your port after all. Once I have some capital in terms of money, I will repay you for the warehouses." Isaac said.
"At this point, the fact that you spared my life is payment enough. With Suva no longer being inhabited, this port is pretty much useless to the populace." Alexander spoke.
"I see. Also, we found a Japanese stockhouse as well as a device to revive Kansens. We can discuss that during our meeting as well." Isaac said.
"Of course." Alexander said. Isaac looked past the Governor.
"Who are all of these people?" Isaac asked.
"People who have heard your call to arms. The have expressed a desire to fight for the fate of the world." Alexander said.
"400?! Kommandant. There are over double the amount of people that we can carry." Odin spoke.
"We still need people to help run the assault craft. So now we have a crew for the transport." Isaac said.
"Most of these people are fishers and farmers. All they will need is some proper training if you plan on sending them to battle." Alexander said.
"Occupation. I want to avoid sending noncombatants into an actual firefight. I will arm and train them, but I want to use them to occupy the country of New Guinea. If I can secure a passage to Australia, I will have a pool of soldiers that can be used for a ground invasion of the Philippines." Isaac said.
"I see. That makes me feel a little bit better about leaving them in your care. But how will you take New Guinea? They are several times the size of this island. "Alexander said.
"Come with me. The docks are no place to hold a meeting. If you have vehicles, there is an abandoned port two miles west of here. I have four men trying to fix up an old transport ship. The people you brought with could be of use there." Isaac said.
"I'll send them there immediately." Alexander said as the people retreated back into the city. The sound of trucks starting filled the air as they took off.
"I have an office here. If you wish to have a proper meeting, we can do it there." Isaac said as Odin assisted him in getting over to the newly built commanders office.
"So all of the girls here are ships?" Alexander asked.
"Yes. Odin here is a battleship. Friedrich is also a battleship." Isaac said.
"Are all battleships so terrifying?" Alexander asked.
"No. I think you just got on their bad side. I'm honestly thankful that Friedrich follows my orders. Having my ships murdering random people would not look good." Isaac said.
"I would agree with that statement, commander." Alexander said.
"Have a seat." Isaac said as Odin helped him into a high backed leather chair they salvaged from one of the warehouses. She stood next to him as he got comfortable. Alexander sat down.
"So you asked about our occupation?" Isaac asked.
"Yes. New Guinea has a lot more people and a lot more land. How do you plan on occupying such an Island?" Alexander asked.
"To be honest, I am hoping to occupy one city. Once there, I can try to enlist the help of the locals to take back their island. Once any siren influence is gone, I can recruit more people to help invade the Solomon Islands, providing I find more Transport ships." Isaac said.
"I have something of a relationship with the leader of New guinea. And If my Intel is still good, General MacArthur and a few battalions of soldiers were still mopping up the last vestiges of resistance from the Japanese. If you're lucky, your calls may draw them out of the woodwork. I'm sure they'll have transport ships and equipment to help you on your quest." Alexander said.
"General MacArthur?! Holy hell! That would be amazing!" Isaac said as he turned to Odin.
"I am assuming he is important?" Odin asked.
"Yes. He was the commander of the entire south Pacific campaign. His troops pushed Sakura and the Japanese all the way back to their mainland. If we can get him to back us, we can actually make this work!" Isaac said.
"I see. Well, when we are ready to move out and we reach New Guinea, I will begin looking for him." Odin spoke.
"Excellent." Isaac said.
"Anything else you wanted to discuss, governor?" Isaac asked.
"No. But I will send a messenger ahead to New Guinea. If MacArthur is there, I'll have him meet you at the closest port." Alexander said.
"That would help quite a bit." Isaac said.
"Indeed. Well, I wish you luck on your recovery. And may you be victorious in your endeavors." Alexander spoke.
"Wait. I just had a few questions about the warehouses here." Isaac said.
"Oh... I honestly do not know. Sir Freeston would know a bit more. The one with the Japanese material is nowhere in our logs back in the capital. The other two were owned by some scientist chap." Alexander said.
"I see. Well, if neither are owned by the Island, I'll just help myself to the contents. After all, I'm using some of the tech to revive another ship." Isaac said.
"Revive a ship? Explain." Alexander said.
"These girls are the manifestations of the souls of the ships they are named after. They are created via wisdom cubes. The cubes have all the information to create both girl and ship. Yukikaze, a Sakura destroyer that we rescued, delivered to us the cubes of a Union Carrier. So we are currently utilizing the machine to bring her back." Isaac said.
"I see. I would very much like to see this. These girls are a definite mystery to me, despite my knowledge that the British navy has a lot of ships like your fleet." Alexander said.
"I don't mind. But please defer to Odin for anything you need. I really should be going back to bed." Isaac said as he slowly stood and used the wall to get him to the door and out into the port.