"Well? Ready to give up?"

Taihou growled angrily.

"You expect me to surrender to a lowly mutt like yourself?!" Taihou growled at Isaac.

"Lowly mutt? You dare call my Dear Husband a lowly mutt?!" Friedrich's voice was heard behind Taihou.

Taihou turned with her fan in hand, only for Friedrich's rigging to chomp down on the fan, rendering it useless to Taihou as Friedrich and her small group of soldiers advanced.

"Friedrich, she doesn't have a physical form, you can't hurt her." Isaac said.

The look on Friedrich's face was more than enough to cause Taihou to visibly shake.

"Physical body or not. Nobody mocks my dear husband." Friedrich spoke slowly, each word accented by a calm fury.

"Y-you can't hurt me, demon." Taihou spoke, though all base in her voice had been lost.

"On your knees." Friedrich spoke, a red shine in her eyes was impossible to miss.

"You would dare speak down to the mighty Phoenix?! Taihou tried, only for her false bravado to be met with a blast from Friedrich's other serpent.

"A Phoenix who's all bark and no bite. KNEEL." Friedrich demanded, her serpent snatching Taihou's cubes from Amagi, who still had them extended in front of her.

Taihou's eyes grew wide as Friedrich's rigging appeared to be preparing to chomp down on the cubes.

Isaac breathed a sigh of relief as Taihou did as she was ordered, much to her own disdain.

"Good. Now apologize to my dear husband, or I shall crush these cubes without so much as a second thought." Friedrich spoke, the red glow still present.

Taihou growled but complied.

"Fine. I apologize for disrespecting that Union Dog." Taihou spoke.

"You don't know when to quit, do you?" Isaac thought to himself as Friedrich's rigging began to close on Taihou's cubes.

"Lady Friedrich. Please wait." A voice called from the shore. Isaac turned to see who it was.

"Hood?" Isaac asked.

"Lady Hood! You can't be out of bed like this!" Warspite said as she chased after the elegant woman draped in a Union Jack.

"Hood. This flaming Pigeon insulted my husband. Why should I show mercy?" Friedrich asked.

"It's clear to me… that she shares the same pain as me. She has been forced to face a reality that she was not prepared for. The look of hopelessness hides behind her eyes, the fear of a life unknown." Hood spoke as she looked down at Taihou.

"Lady Hood, please back up. She is still a threat." Warspite said as she put herself in front of Hood.

Taihou kept her eyes locked on Hood.

"A new path awakens." Taihou spoke softly as she sighed.

"I… surrender." Taihou spoke up as the fan in Friedrich's rigging disappeared.

"Smart choice." Friedrich spoke as her rigging delivered Taihou's cubes to Isaac.

Isaac thought quietly for a moment.

"I can't restrain you, and I hate to use these as a way to force your compliance… but please follow us, Taihou. I need to keep you aboard the Norfolk for the time being, until I get Vengeance to awaken these cubes." Isaac said.

This took Taihou by surprise.

"You're… going to give me my ship? After… everything I've done?" Taihou asked.

"Taihou… You just woke up from a very long sleep. It's not surprising that you'd be disoriented. And from what Amagi has told me, you were sunk in a time when victimhood was widespread throughout Imperial Japan. So of course you'd be on edge seeing someone you didn't know, speaking the language of your enemy." Isaac said.

"Such… leniency. Are you really from the Union?" Taihou asked.

"I was. But… since it's fallen to the Sirens… This fleet has become my home." Isaac explained as Taihou turned to face him.

"Then I shall follow you, Union Shikikan. You have given me my ship, or at least the chance to obtain it once more. You have shown mercy to one who has attempted to harm you and your family. I am grateful." Taihou spoke as Isaac turned to Hood.

"Are you feeling better, Hood?" Isaac asked.

"I've gotten over the initial shock and the injuries of my… last battle, Sir." Hood spoke softly.

"Bremerton is always available to talk, Hood. Or if you prefer, Belfast, Warspite or myself." Isaac spoke.

"Thank you, Sir." Hood spoke with a humble bow.

"So what made you come out here?" Isaac asked. Azuma and Friedrich flanked Isaac as Taihou stood slowly.

"I wanted to come out for some fresh air, then I heard arguing and a battle. I wanted to see if I could lend a hand. But after hearing her side, I realized that she feels the same way about things that I do. So I thank you for calling them off." Hood said.

"It was your words that convinced them. I ordered Azuma to engage, and Friedrich… made her own decision. Although… with Taihou having the powers of a Phoenix… I doubt we could have beaten her in this state, not without taking her cubes hostage." Isaac said as she showed Hood Taihou's cubes.

"I see." Hood said as she looked at Taihou.

"I'm beginning to grow tired, shall I show you to the Norfolk on my way to rest?" Hood asked.

Taihou looked at Isaac.

"Do you promise not to cause further trouble?" Isaac asked.

"You have my work, Union Shikikan." Taihou said with a small bow.

"Then Hood, please escort Taihou to the Norfolk before returning to the sick bay. I shall return after surveying the survivors." Isaac said.

"Understood, Sir." Hood said with a small bow before leading Taihou out towards the sea.

"How goes things here?" Isaac asked.

"So far we've only found a few survivors hidden among the rubble. This place was completely decimated by the sound of the reports. These were the only ones who made it." Ben reported as Isaac watched a few locals, covered with blood, dirt, and ash, be escorted onto the waiting lifeboats to be shuttled to the Chinese cruisers.

"I see you're still in one piece, Admiral. Lucky break?" Ben asked.

"We got her to calm down enough to talk to her. She surrendered to us after Hood talked Friedrich out of killing her." Isaac explained.

"Surrender… huh? You managed something that the Pacific fleet never could. Getting an Imperial to surrender is no easy feat." Ben said.

"Well… when you're cursed to die forever, only to be revived like that, you'd get tired of the prospect of dying too… at least that's what I'd assume." Isaac said as he removed his helmet, scratching his head.

"You surround yourself with many strange people, Admiral." Ben said with a chuckle.

"Need I remind you that you are one of those strange people, Captain?" Isaac spat.

Ben let out a hearty laugh.

"I guess that would be the case, huh? Not too many people have the strength or survivability that I do." Ben said

"My point exactly." Isaac said as he looked out over the fleet.

"Such a sight to behold. A fleet capable of shaking the heavens and boiling the ocean." Isaac said.

"I have to agree, Admiral. I wish this fleet had been with us at the Normandy landings… maybe we wouldn't have suffered so many losses." Ben lamented.

"And you wouldn't have been captured." Isaac said as he looked to the sky.

"Aye." Ben said as he followed Isaac's gaze.

"How much longer?" Michael asked.

"We just entered into Phillipine airspace. I'm taking us lower to avoid any form of Radar." Wilhelm said as the Catalina dove to around 1000 feet.

"Eugen, Atago, get ready, we're going to have to jump." Michael said as he strapped his rifle below his parachute.

"Fine by me, mind explaining the mission?" Eugen asked.

"We're scouting the islands. We need to have relevant information ready for the Admiral by the time the main fleet arrives. Drone movements, Siren activity, Local population dispersion, points of interest, and other bits that will help the Admiral ensure a swift end to the fighting here. The population here is massive, even after bearing the toll of the war. So the quicker we end the fighting, the less we have to worry about Civilian casualties." Michael explained as the lights changed from red to green.

"Alright girls… It's go time." Michael said as he stepped out of the aircraft, pulling his chute immediately despite being over the water.

Eugen and Atago looked at each other and smiled.

"After you, Atago." Eugen said as they jumped from the plane after Michael.