"Commander on the bridge!" Perkins said as he and the officers saluted Isaac as he stepped onto the bridge of the Iowa.
"At ease. No need to be formal at the moment, Lieutenant. You all just busted out of Pearl harbor. I think you guys deserve a bit of a break." Isaac said as he held his helmet to his side.
"I did not know that the Commander of this fleet was a colored man." Perkins said, slightly shocked.
"That won't be a problem, will it?" Odin asked as she stepped out from behind Isaac.
Perkins kept his mouth shut. Nothing he could say would sound good to the Ironblood woman.
"Let me correct myself. That WON'T be a problem." Odin said as she summoned her rigging inside the confined space of the Iowa's bridge.
"It won't be easy... but I respect his command, and the wills of any Kansen's who serve him." Perkins said as he averted his eyes.
"I do not care what is easy, Lieutenant. You will respect my Kommandant if you wish to serve in this fleet. Having been disciplined myself for your current stance, I will not tolerate it towards my Kommandant." Odin said as she glared daggers at Perkins.
"Understood... but who are you?" Perkins asked.
"Ironblood Battleship Odin. Vice Commander of the Azur Lane Navel forces." Odin said as Perkins turned to Isaac for validation. He nodded in response.
Perkins was about to speak again when a familiar voice cried out from the bottom of the stairwell.
"Isaac!" I-13 cried out as she ran onto the bridge, leaping at her shikikan. Isaac caught her and held her close.
"13. Don't you dare go and do something reckless like that again!" Isaac said softly as he hugged her tight, not willing to let the blue haired submarine out of his grasp.
"Well... I don't have my boat anymore, so it will be difficult to get into too much trouble, Shikikan." I-13 said softly.
"You're still an important part of my fleet. Ship or not." Isaac said as he transferred her to the floor.
"I see your ships all love their commander." Perkins said.
"Some more than others, Lieutenant." Isaac said as Friedrich stepped onto the already crowded bridge.
"Herr Isaac. We may have a situation." Friedrich asked.
"What is it?" Isaac asked.
"Akagi seems to be expressing some... more violent tendencies upon the arrival of Kaga and Arizona." Friedrich said.
"Does it require intervention?" Isaac asked.
"That's why I came to you." Friedrich said.
"I'll allow you to handle it as you see fit. Just don't kill them." Isaac said.
"Understood Kommandant... also, I don't expect you to spend all night aboard the Norfolk, Herr Isaac." Friedrich said as she walked off the bridge. I-13 turned to look at Isaac.
"You made moves on HER?!" I-13 asked.
"Well... she made moves on me... I just reciprocated." Isaac said as he shrugged. I-13 looked at Friedrich's hand as she left the bridge, noticing a ring on her hand.
"I see you've been busy while I've been stuck on Niue." I-13 said, pouting a bit.
"We can discuss this later. But don't think that my heart isn't big enough for you too." Isaac said as he ruffled her hair.
"I hate to interrupt, but Kaga and one of your carriers appear to be engaging in an impromptu training exercise..." Perkins said as he looked over the fleet.
"Give it a second." Isaac said as Friedrich appeared in Perkins's view, appearing to pick up Akagi by one of her tails before tossing her off her ship and into the ocean.
"What even is the dynamic here, Commander?!" Perkins asked as he watched Kaga face off with Friedrich on the water's surface, their rigging in full view.
"Self governing with my direction. I let them choose their own path when it comes to interacting. As long as they do not engage in racial animosity, a reality I cannot seem to shake, then they have that privilege." Isaac said with a smile.
"I seem to have misjudged you, Commander. My experiences with... colored men... have been unfavorable at best. Thinking back, I can find no reason for that to be so if I see them in the same light that your fleet views you." Perkins said.
"I will accept that. No need to completely debase yourself, Lieutenant. To be honest, I only gained the rank and ability to be a commander out of necessity. Nimi is teaching me here and there, and my experience is growing. I used to work in the shipyards as a mechanic. And I was slated to graduate from MIT on August 11th for engineering. So truth be told, the Union has held many opportunities for a man as lucky as myself. But if you respect me the way I respect you, we'll have no problems." Isaac said.
"That is not a problem, Commander." Perkins said as he brought a snappy salute to bear. Isaac mirrored his salute.
"I am ordering the fleet ahead at 20 knots. Will you join me aboard the Norfolk, Lieutenant?" Isaac asked as he slipped on his helmet.
"I can leave the first mate at the helm. I would much like to see your vessel, Commander." Perkins said.
"Excellent." Isaac said he tapped the side of his helmet.
"All ships, we are going to continue our voyage. Ahead at 20 knots." Isaac said as Perkins watched the fleet all act in unison, setting their speed to match the max speed of Isaac's dreadnaughts.
"You seem to have a very good grasp on your fleet, Commander." Perkins said as he followed Isaac and I-13 through the corridors of the Iowa, arriving at the main deck after a short walk.
"How will we get here?" Perkins asked.
"I have ducks." Isaac said as he pointed to the small rubber boat making it's way to the Iowa.
"You're joking..." Perkins said.
"They have taken a liking to that particular waterfoul... I just let them do what they want. I watched them peel a Siren Aircraft Carrier like a tuna can, I won't argue the little hellions." Isaac said as the Head Bulin looked up at him from the boat before throwing a rope ladder up to Isaac, who hooked it to the railing.
"Seriously?" Perkins asked as he descended the ladder regardless.
"Yes. These little ones have been instrumental in maintaining my fleet." Isaac said as he ruffled the Head bulin's hair.
"How dare you do that to my sister!" Kaga yelled at Friedrich.
"The Kommandant has asked me to break up your little squabble before it affects the fleet. I am just following orders." Friedrich said with a shrug.
"Just like your soldiers followed orders by murdering innocents?" Kaga spat.
"Just like your emperor ordered the assault and pillaging of a Chinese city?" Friedrich spat back.
"What even happened to cause this petty argument?" Friedrich asked.
"She called me small!" Akagi yelled as she floated on the ocean's surface.
"Well, it's true. I can't be the little sister when you're half my size, Akagi." Kaga said.
"I will murder you in your sleep, Kaga!" Akagi yelled as she launched a zero, which Friedrich expertly shot down.
"Cease this foolishness. You two are supposed to be the flagships of the Sakura Empire. Start acting like it." Friedrich growled angrily as the shattered Zero fell to the ocean. Kaga averted her gaze, unwilling to stare the yellow-eyed demon in the face.
"Fine. But I will get you back somehow." Akagi grumbled, earning a fierce look from Friedrich, which shut her up for good.
"Smasher. This is your last warning. Pick up the line." Observer Zero said, still pacing the ruins of the Tokyo Imperial Palace.
"What do you want, bitch?" Smasher growled.
"The Empress has ordered you to return to China for repair." Observer Zero said.
"Tell the Empress to go shove it up her ass. You betrayed me. You betrayed my friend. You no longer have my allegiance. Abuse by the empress and the others has led to this peak. Your blatant betrayal of Navigator and myself... was the last straw." Smasher said as she reached her good arm back and tore a piece of skin away, revealing a black cube.
"Don't you dare turn your back on us! You will be hunted like a dog!" Observer yelled.
"Fuck you, and fuck your feelings. I am done being the fucking gopher, and paying the price every single time." Smasher said as she grabbed the cube and pulled it from her neck, screaming in pain as her rigging began to fade behind her.
"If you tear that away, you will die!" Observer yelled.
"And what do you care, bitch? You didn't seem to care when Navigator bit the bullet. Why am I different?" Smasher cried.
"Because she was replaceable, you are not. We don't have the resources to bring new Battleships into existence." Observer said.
"Oh, but if the materials were available, I'd be just as replaceable, huh?" Smasher spat.
"You already know the answer." Observer said.
"Fuck you. If I survive this, watch your backs. I will become the sole occupant of your darkest, most twisted of nightmares." Smasher said as she completely separated herself from the pitch black cube.
Her screams filled the sky as the pain flooded her body. Her nerves felt as if they were being burned at every nerve ending.
Once the pain faded, she looked at her hand, finding a black dust that used to be the cube from her neck.
"I will find that human... somehow." Smasher said as she made her way towards one of the deactivated destroyer class Drone ships.
"You will serve my purpose." Smasher said as she touched the armor plates, turning them black and yellow as opposed to red and black.
"I will have my revenge." Smasher said, breathing heavily as she put all of what remained of her power into forcing the drone ship to set and execute a course to New Guinea.
As the ship began to move, the remaining drone ships activated and turned back for Japan, ignoring the rogue craft.
"Oh well. If I die... I die." Smasher said as she allowed herself to collapse against the deck of the drone ship, giving herself fully to the idea of a shock induced coma.
Night fell as Gangut snuck into the harbor.
"Looks like it's crawling with humans. I wonder who they're waiting for." Gangut said, taking a swig of her drink as the floodlights burst to life, illuminating her darkened vessel.
"THERE SHE IS! OPEN FIRE!" A voice came over the PA system as all manners of small arms and light AA guns opened up on the Russian battleship.
"Сука!" Gangut yelled as she whipped around, summoning her rigging and opening fire as her main guns slowly turned to face the port.
"How the hell did they know I was coming?" Gangut asked herself as she spotted a blue glow coming from the bridge.
"What the hell?" Gangut asked, adjusting her eyes before realizing that there was a blue accented Siren standing on her bridge.
"You rat bastard!" Gangut yelled as her main guns opened fire on the port, blasting meter deep holes in the concrete.
"I'll kill you where you stand!" Gangut yelled as she aimed her rigging at her own bridge, opening fire without a single shred of care for the damage.
"I would be paying attention to the humans, stupid girl." Explorer said as she jumped from the bridge towards the port.
"Why would I care?!" Gangut yelled as a barrel exploded in the water.
"You're trying to sink a battleship with depth charges? Stupid humans." Gangut yelled as she fired another full broadside into the port, igniting the port's fuel depot, scattering those who had survived Gangut's onslaught.
"You better hope that idiot Comrade comes soon, stupid battleship. There will be more coming soon." Explorer said as she began running towards the port exit.
"Oh no you don't!" Gangut yelled as one of her 12 inch guns fired, the AP shell piercing the back of Explorer, painting the port exit black before the shell detonated, collapsing several warehouses in the process.
"Teach you fuckers to mess with us Parliament girls!" Gangut yelled as she smashed an empty vodka bottle on her bow before throwing it to the sea.
"Welcome back, Commander." Norfolk said with a smile, gasping at the sight of Perkins.
"If I had known you'd be bringing another human, I would have made myself more presentable!" Norfolk cried as she rushed to fix her uniform.
"Why was your shirt undone in the first place?" Isaac asked.
"Eagle said that it puts you at ease... is that not the case?" Norfolk asked.
"Norfolk... don't listen to Eagle anymore." Isaac said as he turned to Perkins.
"That is not a usual occurrence. I swear." Isaac said as he removed his helmet.
"I will just disregard the last few minutes, out of professional courtesy." Perkins said as he tried to hide the red on his face.
Anyway commander... I just got a piece of info from New Guinea. Namely the death of another Explorer class siren." Norfolk said.
"Huh. I wonder why." Isaac said.
"Well, Considering the actions of the sirens after our departure from Fiji, it may be the escaped Parliament ship." Norfolk said.
"Hmmm. How far are we from landing?" Isaac asked.
"Considering That we have been fighting Lurker for a day and a half... 2 more days." Norfolk said.
"Shit... Can we hail that ship?" Isaac asked.
"No. I have no records of any Parliament channels. We will have to close the distance." Norfolk said.
"I hope she'll be alright." Isaac said.
"Commander. Let me remind you that if it had not been Lurker controlling the last fleet, we may not be here having this conversation. So we need to worry about ourselves instead of dividing our minds worrying about those who are powerhouses in their own right." Norfolk said bluntly.
"Norfolk! I know damn well that you know better!" Isaac spat angrily.
"I'm sorry, Commander. But constantly worrying about those we have not met up with yet might not be the best idea when we could be ambushed at any time." Norfolk said.
"Norfolk, I will only say this once. You may be right, but that is not who I am. If you want to lead the fleet like a robot, do not address me as the Commander. I will not see you girls as pawns. That Parliament girl could be fighting for her life right now, and we are probably the only force capable of saving her, regardless of ship class. Numbers will always overwhelm strength." Isaac said as he laid his helmet on the steel table.
"I have to agree with the Commander, Miss Norfolk. As someone who looks after Kansens, they aren't pawns. You should know that." Perkins said as he followed Isaac down into the depths of the ship.
"That was unwise, Norfolk." Friedrich said as I-13 nodded.
"He cares about all of us. And I can see that he cares about you too. Why you had to do that... will elude me for some time." I-13 said as she ran after Isaac.
"I..." Norfolk couldn't find the words to retaliate a response, opting to disappear from view instead.
Friedrich grabbed Isaac's helmet and headed down into the depths of the ship, following Isaac.
"What will you do, Commander?" Perkins asked.
"She was right in one aspect. If it weren't for the fact that lurker was leading that last fleet... We wouldn't be here. The planes were easy to destroy, and the torpedoes didn't hit as bad as they could have. Lurker was redlining her energy reserves to send a full fleet at us in an attempt to distract us as she sunk us one by one." Isaac said as he sat at the table in the workshop.
"I see. So what are you going to do?" Perkins asked.
"I think I'm going to go back to my roots. Norfolk was a custom built ship. So I'm going to design another custom ship that can hopefully bolster our forces." Isaac said as he looked at Perkins.
"Shall I return to the Iowa?" Perkins asked.
"Have the bulins take you around the fleet. Meet the girls, get to know them. I'm sure your First Mate will be fine." Isaac said.
"Then I shall do that. Good evening, Commander." Perkins said as he walked out of the workshop, opening the door for I-13 and Friedrich to enter.
"You two... I'm sorry about that." Isaac said.
"No need, Shikikan. You have every right to be upset. It's natural to care for others." I-13 said as she sat on his lap.
"I brought this for you, Herr Isaac." Friedrich said as she laid his helmet on the bench.
"Thank you, Friedrich." Isaac said as he looked up at the ceiling.
"I won't request you tonight, Mein Liebling. But I will be waiting for you to grace my quarters." Friedrich said as she laid a kiss on his cheek, eliciting a blush from I-13.
"I won't let you down." Isaac said as he kissed her cheek in turn.
"Sis?" Arizona asked as she looked at a familiar hull in the fleet.
"Ari?" Pennsylvania asked as she whipped around, spotting her sister for the first time since pearl harbor.
"Oh my god..." Penny said as she fell to her knees, tears forming in her eyes.
"Penny?!" Arizona cried as she jumped to the waves and made her way to the Pennsylvania, jumping to the deck and running into the waiting arms of her sister.
"I thought you were gone for good." Penny said as she cried into Arizona's shoulder.
"I was brought back by that brave little submarine... poor soul lost her ship." Arizona said.
"How?" Penny asked.
"She took on a carrier class Elite alone to buy us time to escape." Arizona said sadly.
"And she survived?!" Pennsylvania asked.
"Kaga pulled her from the waves. Thankfully the medics of the Iowa were able to bring her back to health." Arizona said softly, enjoying the warmth of her sister's arms.
"I guess Ishould find that little sub and thank her." Penny said as she looked towards the Norfolk.
"I wouldn't be here without her. And she is a good crew member too!" Arizona said.
"Crew member?" Penny asked.
"She manned an AA gun during an air raid. I suffered no damage due o her marksmanship." Arizona said.
"No way." Penny exclaimed.
"She did. You can ask the Lieutenant." Arizona said with a smile.
"I think that can wait... I want to spend some time with my sister." Penny said as they two sisters stared into the starry sky.
"Shikikan. What ship are you going to design?" I-13 asked.
"I don't know yet. But I think I want to get some rest first. I haven't slept in a day in a half" Isaac said.
"Then let's get you to bed. You can't do your best work when you're tired." I-13 said with a small smile.
"You are just adorable. Alright, you win. Let's go see my quarters. I haven't seen them yet." Isaac said.
"I can show you where your quarters are... Commander." Norfolk said as her display appeared behind him. Her face was twisted into a frown, filled with regret.
"I'm sorry, Norfolk... I had no right to yell at you like I did." Isaac said as he stood and looked at her.
"No... You were well within your right, Commander. I failed to take into account that you have stood up for me despite the fact that I am able to handle myself. Your attitude towards life is one that I wish to learn more about, that way I can make decisions with you in mind." Norfolk said.
"Then, let's just bury the hatchet. I'm too tired to debate anything more today. You and Odin have command. Keep the course and wake me if an emergency arises." Isaac said as Norfolk pointed him towards his room.
Isaac entered his room and sat on the bed. Too tired to admire the room, he collapsed on the bed and fell asleep almost immediately.
I-13 placed a blanket over him, giving him a small peck on the cheek before laying down on the opposite side of the bed.
"Goodnight, Shikikan." I-13 said softly.
"Goodnight, Commander." Norfolk said as she disappeared from his room to the sound of Isaac's soft snoring.