"So… what are we doing then?" Prinz Eugen asked as she, Atago, Wilhelm, and Michael stood on the deck of the Enterprise.
"We're doing Recon." Wilhelm spoke shortly.
"Jager? Is that you?" Eugen asked.
"Long time no see, Frau Eugen." Wilhelm said. Beneath his mask, he allowed himself a small smile as he remembered the times that he would interact with the girls of Ironblood while he was testing aircraft with Zeppelin.
"It truly has been. So much has happened." Eugen said as a dark shadow crossed her face. Michael looked to the sky and saw dark clouds closing in on the island.
"Well, Isaac gave us an order… and with the look of those clouds, our launch window is closing. Load up and we can talk more on the way." Michael said as Wilhelm opened the modified drop door on the Catalina.
"Those little girls with the white hair added straps in the back. I would recommend strapping in. According to their… research… The catapult is a very jarring experience." Wilhelm said as he climbed through the fuselage and into the cockpit.
Michael, Atago, and Eugen climbed in just as the first drops of rain began to fall.
After strapping Michael's rifle down and getting strapped in, Michael turned towards the cockpit.
"We're good to go, Jager." Michael called.
"Taxiing." Wilhelm replied as the lights in the fuselage turned from white to red.
"Was that you?" Eugen asked, clearly shaken up about going flying for the first time.
"It was. It's becoming night time. Red lights are harder to pick out at night compared to white." Wilhelm explained as the Catalina slowly rolled up to the catapult, where Enterprise was waiting.
"This is the first time we are launching this plane with passengers and any substantial weight. Please be careful." Enterprise said as Wilhelm looked at her.
"What's the procedure?" Wilhelm asked.
"We have put a catch on the nose gear of the plane. There is a small device attached to my catapult system that connects to that catch and keeps you from moving while you put the engines to full throttle. On my mark, the device will activate, using the steam built up in the catapult system to throw the catch forward, pulling the plane with it. It then releases at the end of the deck and allows you to fly away." Enterprise said as she knelt down to attach the nose gear of the Catalina to the catch.
"Anything else I should know?" Wilhelm asked.
"Pull up as soon as you leave the deck to give you the best chance of not falling into the water or hitting Norfolk." Enterprise said as everyone looked forward, seeing Norfolk's hull sitting nearly 250 meters in front of the Enterprise.
"Well… that certainly increases the risk." Wilhelm said as they watched Norfolk walk around the deck holding Yume.
"Yup, so let's hope you can handle this." Enterprise said as she stood up and backed out of the way of the wings. Her voice crackled to life on Wilhelm's radio.
"Systems check, Pilot." Enterprise ordered.
Wilhelm did a quick check of the instruments and tested the moving parts of the plane before holding out a thumbs up.
"Alright. Hit the throttle, once you're at max RPM, I will count down." Enterprise spoke as Wilhelm pushed the throttle all the way forward and listened as the engines picked up speed.
"Alright, Enterprise, we're good to go." Wilhelm spoke as Enterprise began to count down.
"10."
"9."
"8."
"7."
"6."
"5."
"Are we sure this is safe?" Eugen asked as she moved over in her seat, straining against her restraints to get closer to Michael, who was showing a stoic expression in the face of this new experience.
"I'm sure this is safe. Isaac wouldn't have told us to do it this way if he didn't believe it was safe." Michael said as he looked at Eugen.
"4."
"3."
"2."
"Can you hold my hand?" Eugen asked as she held out her hand.
"1."
Michael reached across and grabbed Eugen's hand as a soft click was heard. Not even half a second later, the Catalina was practically thrown down the flight deck and ejected into the air.
"Kyaa!" Eugen yelped as her body was thrown into the seat by the sudden force. Wilhelm fought the massive G-force of the launch to gain control of the aircraft and begin his climb into the dark rain clouds that had descended over Palau.
"Successful launch. I can send a pair of Skyraiders to escort you halfway if you want." Enterprise's voice continued to broadcast on the radio.
"That would give me some form of security. I'll take it." Wilhelm spoke as Enterprise cut the line. After a few minutes of flying solo, the Catalina was flanked by two Douglas A-1 Skyraider fighters. The inside of the cabin was filled with the sound of Michael laughing.
"What's so funny back there?" Wilhelm asked.
"Eugen screamed like a little girl when we launched." Michael said, earning him a punch in the arm from Eugen.
"Mach dich nicht über mich lustig, Arschloch!¹" Eugen spat as her face turned bright red. Atago even snickered a bit seeing Eugen react to Michael in such a way.
"Ara Ara. Is Eugen-san embarrassed for once?" Atago teased.
"Stop it…" Eugen whined as tears formed in her eyes.
"Alright, you had your fun, Atago. We might not have reacted in such a way, but it isn't right to belittle Eugen like that." Wilhelm spoke from the cockpit, hearing the conversation in the back.
Atago looked down, feeling guilty for poking fun at the Ironblood cruiser.
"I offer my most sincere apologies, Prinz Eugen." Atago said as she sat back and relaxed, placing her hands in her lap.
Eugen paid her no mind as she looked, with tear-filled eyes, at Michael.
"Hmm?" Michael asked.
"Nothing." Eugen spoke as she turned away from him, refusing to release his hand nevertheless.
"I didn't hear you apologize, Michael." Wilhelm spoke.
"Why am I apologizing? It was funny to hear her yelp like that. It was actually kind of cute." Michael said as he turned to see Eugen's face bright red.
"Es war... niedlich?" Eugen asked.
"Yes. I thought it was kinda cute, seeing the once proud and arrogant Prinz Eugen of Ironblood acting like a normal girl." Michael spoke. Eugen's eyes flashed as she searched her memories for a familiar face.
Eugen gasped when her mind's eye settled on a teenage boy, looking at her as his father talked with an officer from the Kriegsmarine. She had met Michael a long time ago, before he was transferred to Japan. Suddenly, the name made sense.
"Herr Michael?" Eugen asked.
Michael was taken aback.
"You know my name?" Michael asked.
"Ja. I worked closely with your father when he served in the Kriegsmarine. I remember your face as a child. I remember you, Herr Michael. Your father, when he would have business meetings, would leave you with me specifically. We would sit and talk about all kinds of things. I would slip you swigs of beer when Lord Bismarck wasn't looking." Eugen said, remembering the time before she became a Siren plaything.
"So that's why I always preferred the taste of German beer despite all my time in Japan. I can vaguely remember being left with someone as a teen, but I never really took too much notice as to who. That was you, Prinz Eugen?" Michael asked.
Eugen nodded as she unhooked her restraints. She made her way over to Michael and sat right next to him.
"You were the cutest kid on base by far. I would never turn down babysitting duty when your father would ask me." Eugen said as she looked at Michael.
"I never knew what had happened to you. After I had returned from one of my many missions during the war, you and your father were nowhere to be found. I knew you were old enough to fend for yourself if needed, maybe 15 or 16 if I recall. But knowing where you and your father lived… I had feared the worst when the news came down that your neighborhood was hit in the allied bombing raids. I don't think I slept properly for the rest of the war after that." Eugen spoke solemnly.
"So… even since 1941… you thought I was dead?" Michael asked.
"I tried so hard to convince myself otherwise… but I never received a letter from you or your father… and after the loss of Lord Bismarck… things only got worse in the Fatherland." Eugen explained.
"Well… we have plenty of time, Frau Eugen. Why don't we catch up?" Michael said as Atago looked out back towards the fleet, sending a silent message via her rigging.
Onboard the Amagi, a message in morse code came through.
"Michael X Eugen?"