Isaac, Alice and Vestal all hoisted themselves up the ladder onto the flight deck of the Shinano.
"She should be below deck. If I know Kaga, she will have carried Shinano to her room, so let's start there." Isaac said as he saw the Bulins on the flight deck as well. With a sharp whistle, he had their attention.
"Girls, I want everything checked. I mean everything. Understood?" Isaac asked.
"I'll see it done, Commander!" Chief said as she directed her group of Bulins to begin checking everything.
"Are we good to go, Isaac?" Alice asked.
"Yes. Let's move." Isaac said as they ran towards the island and entered before heading below deck.
"Lady Shinano, are you alright?" Kaga asked as she saw Shinano's face contorted lightly in pain.
Shinano took a breath and shook her head before putting her hands on her stomach.
"Is it the child?" Kaga asked.
Shinano hesitated and remained unwilling to answer. Several seconds later, Isaac burst into the room with Alice and Vestal in tow.
"Shinano!" Isaac said as he ran to her side.
"Shikikan, I don't know what is happening to her. She is saying her stomach hurts." Kaga said.
"Thank you, Kaga. Please step back and allow Alice in. She's got to check Shinano to see if the baby is alright." Isaac said.
"Is this normal?" Kaga asked, suddenly concerned more about the pain than Shinano.
"I don't know. We're about to find out." Isaac said.
Alice quickly began performing a physical, being sure to take extra care around Shinano's midriff.
"Well?" Isaac asked.
"Vestal, can you come here? I need an extra set of ears." Alice said as she pointed to the bruise that was now visible on Shinano's stomach.
"Oh no..." Isaac said as he stood watching the women work.
Kaga looked at him.
"Is something wrong?" Kaga asked.
"Look at that bruise on her stomach. It's right where Yume's head would be." Isaac said, referencing his minimal knowledge of the human body.
"And?" Kaga asked.
"Right... you wouldn't understand. A baby is a very fragile creature. Especially when they haven't been born yet. If Yume's head is under that bruise, she could have brain damage or worse." Isaac said.
"Oh... that's not good." Kaga said.
"No, it's not. Why do you think I kept Shinano away from the front in the last battle?" Isaac asked as Vestal inspected the bruise.
"You said she fell? Did you see what she may have fell on?" Vestal asked.
"Yes, there was a capped off steam pipe that was sticking out from the wall in the upper corridors. She stumbled on something and her stomach landed on that pipe. I watched it happen." Kaga said.
"Did the pipe look out of place?" Isaac asked.
"This is a hull that I never even saw during my time in the Sakura during the war. I would not know." Kaga said.
Isaac looked at Shinano and walked over to her.
"Hey there, love." Isaac said softly as he knelt down next to her.
"Isaac? Is Yume okay?" Shinano asked, her voice clearly pained.
"They are checking that right now. What happened?" Isaac asked.
"I was walking with Kaga down one of the upper decks, and all of a sudden my ankle gives out and I fell." Shinano explained as she grasped Isaac's hand.
Isaac was about to talk when she spoke again.
"I'm scared... I haven't felt her kick since the fall. I need to know that she's okay." Shinano said frantically.
"Vestal, update?" Isaac asked.
"There are still two heart beats. Hers and the child's. However, the child has shifted to a different position." Vestal spoke.
"Shifted?" Isaac asked, his confusion garnering all of Shinano's attention.
"Yes. As odd as it is, Yume has avoided any injury whatsoever as far as I can tell. But the only reason I can tell as to why is that she is head down... Yume, as you have decided to name her, is at the human equivalent of 34 weeks." Alice said.
"How does that work? Shinano has only known about being pregnant for a month at most." Isaac said.
"I may have the answer to that." Graf Zeppelin said as she walked into the room with Otto and Laura.
"Zeppelin?" Isaac asked.
"It was the same for me, Kommandant. Laura developed very quickly after I found out I was pregnant. It is very possible that Shinano will be giving birth in the very near future, even before we land in New Guinea." Zeppelin said.
"How the... I haven't had the time to prepare. How am I supposed to care for her?! I'm going to be raising a Kansen child, and a Kitsune at that!" Isaac began to freak out until Otto came over to him.
"Isaac. Breathe. Freaking out will only stress out the baby, and Shinano. Come, walk with me. Graf, my love, could you help the doctors with Shinano and give her some advice?" Otto asked.
"Of course. We need to stick together after all." Zeppelin said as Otto led Isaac from the room.
"What's got you so stressed out, Herr Isaac?" Otto asked.
"I never imagined being able to have a child. And I thought that if I ever did, I'd have time to prepare." Isaac said.
"That is where you got messed up, Herr Isaac. One is never truly ready to be a father. It is a learning process. One I am still figuring out myself. Do you think I was ready for a daughter merely one month after finding out Zeppelin had gotten pregnant?" Otto asked.
"For you I can understand. Nobody has ever heard of a Kansen being pregnant or even having children. So You would be given the most leeway in terms of being unprepared. But I found out from Zeppelin that it was possible before I found out Shinano was pregnant." Isaac said.
"So? Nobody is ever truly ready. You just have to do the best that you can. That's all anyone can ask of you." Otto said.
"But this one isn't human." Isaac said.
"Oh?" Otto asked.
"She... has the same ability as her mother. And during the battle, I saw her as a teenager. She had rigging comparable to Shinano. When Roon broke my arm and I was put under, I met my little girl, and she had 9 black tails and fox ears, just like her silver haired mother. This child is a Kansen, not a human child." Isaac explained.
"Oh?! This is an interesting development indeed. I wonder, will she already have a cube to produce her vessel, or will we have to introduce it for her." Otto said as his brain kicked into high gear, hypothesizing every possibility.
"What should I do?" Isaac asked.
"Well, I shall prepare a few cubes for her delivery. I would suggest introducing the cubes to the child right away. You said the child is a Kansen, so if this is truly the case, the cubes will take and there should then be a new ship born in port." Otto said.
"And what about food?" Isaac asked.
"Shinano will be a mother. She can tend to Yume for a while. And Yume's vessel may have to be towed until she can adequately control it. Do we know what she will be?" Otto asked.
"I believe I saw flight decks on her rigging. She may be another carrier." Isaac said.
"Is that all?" Otto asked.
"The flight decks were shorter. Like almost too short to launch anything that a normal carrier could." Isaac said.
"You have two Sirens within your fleet, Isaac. They seem to have knowledge of different times and places. If they know about that Union carrier, and the time she came from, then it would only stand to reason that they might be able to identify Yume's vessel." Otto said.
"You went aboard Enterprise?" Isaac asked.
"As soon as I was able. A specimen like that to study is a gold mine for someone like me." Otto said.
"We're getting off topic. Why am I involving Observer and Vengeance?" Isaac asked.
"If Yume's vessel is one we have not seen, why not ask someone who may have seen them before?" Otto asked.
"You think Yume might have a vessel like Enterprise?" Isaac asked.
"She is a second generation aircraft carrier. Who is to say that the cubes will not allow your daughter a glimpse of the future?" Otto said.
"This is beginning to hurt my head. We are talking about ships that have not even been dreamed of yet." Isaac said.
"I have spent most of my life with these girls, and by extension, the wisdom cubes. I do not know why or how they do what they do. At this point, I have just accepted that this is something where I have to just sit and enjoy the ride." Otto said.
"I... I mean I guess. We are dealing with things that we don't understand. It's only coincidence that the items used for our salvation are the ships we have been using during this wretched war." Isaac said.
"But now, back to your original problem, Isaac. Just breathe, and stay calm. You will do great by your daughter. And with the many wives you have... you might become a professional father quicker than you think." Otto said with a chuckle.
"Yeah yeah. When did you become the fleet uncle, old man?" Isaac joked.
"The day I found out that you married yourself to many of my daughters. Not my literal daughters... but the Ironblood is truly my family." Otto said.
"Aye. I guess I could see that." Isaac said as the fleet continued North East towards New Guinea.
"How are you feeling, Frau Shinano?" Zeppelin asked as Laura sat on the bed next to Shinano. Vestal and Alice continued their physical.
"I'm scared... for the first time, I do not know what to do." Shinano said softly.
"About what?" Zeppelin asked.
"Isaac, and about being a mother." Shinano said as she turned her head away.
"Otto is talking with Isaac right now. So don't worry about him. And about being a mother... don't worry there either. You seem to have a motherly feel about you. I think you have it in you to be a great mother to your little one." Zeppelin said.
"Were you ready?" Shinano asked.
"God no. Laura, while she has been the greatest gift I have ever been given... I was completely unprepared to be a mother. There were nights that Otto would take Laura so I could practice remaining calm. I used to hate the world and everything in it. When I met Otto, I was ready to face the world if the world deemed him it's enemy. But Laura... she is innocent. She did not deserve my anger. So I practiced every night when Otto had her. I managed to get it under control. But I was not ready to be a mother. I just grew to fill the role." Zeppelin said.
"You... grew to fill the role?" Shinano asked.
"Yeah. I learned what my daughter needed to succeed, and worked to make sure she had it. And when the war ended, and we saw the Sirens invading, I took her north to the Northern Parliament. While there, I truly learned to connect with my daughter. And now, I feel like she is just a miniature version of me. Chapayev has even taken to calling her Zeppy." Zeppelin said with a small laugh.
"So... everything will work?" Shinano asked as Laura looked at Zeppelin.
"I believe that if anyone can be a mom, it's you. You got this. And I will be here to help you should you stumble along the way." Zeppelin said.
"That... makes me feel better." Shinano said softly as she drifted off to sleep. Chief entered the room several seconds after.
"Chief, what did you find?" Vestal asked.
"Torpedo damage to the rudder and screws. It's honestly surprising she is keeping speed with the fleet. We will have to shut down the boilers and have her towed if we are to attempt repairs." Chief said.
"Isaac is with Otto. I will inform him. Do what you must and call if you need assistance." Vestal said.
"Will do, Vestal." Chief said as she left the room.
"Well, that explains the weakness in her legs." Kaga said softly as everyone looked at the Sakura carrier.