Brooklyn woke up in her own Captain's quarters nearly two hours after the ordeal.
"I'm moving. Why am I moving? Where am I?" Brooklyn asked as she shot up out of bed.
"Easy there, little lady. You played quite the hero today, so take some time to relax." Cole said as he poked his head in after hearing the commotion.
Brooklyn threw a book at him as she quickly covered her chest.
"Don't just peek in here!" Brooklyn exclaimed as her face turned beet red.
Cole rubbed his head, massaging away the pain of being hit by a hard covered book.
"Apologies, Miss. I figured I'd take up the watch while my men took the liberty of helping Matchless guide us in." Cole said.
"Guide us in?" Brooklyn asked.
"Madeira. We were heading south to Santa Cruz." Cole said.
"We can't! Ranger and the others are headed for Gibraltar!" Brooklyn said as she jumped out of bed and quickly got dressed in her uniform.
"Gibraltar? Why?" Cole asked.
Brooklyn was about to tell him, but remembered Benson.
"Let's get above deck before that. I want to address everyone at once." Brooklyn said as she walked past the confused Sergeant.
"Alright… lead the way, Miss." Cole said as Brooklyn stopped ahead of him.
"Brooklyn. CL-40. A light cruiser for the Union. Please. Stop calling me 'Miss'." Brooklyn said.
"Right… Sorry 'bout that, Brooklyn." Cole spoke as he scratched his neck and continued following the cruiser to the upper decks.
Brooklyn and Cole arrived on the top deck to find T and Joe working tirelessly to keep the lines attached to the Brooklyn as Matchless poured all of her energy into towing the considerably larger ship.
Brooklyn tapped her foot on the deck as her engines roared to life once more, easing the burden on Matchless and causing I-25, T, and Joe to turn and look at her.
"Aye. She's awake." T spoke as he and Joe turned fully to face her.
"Both of you, remove your hats." Brooklyn spoke seriously as I-25 looked on quizzically.
"Ma'am?" T asked.
"Just do it, Private. Don't ask questions." Cole demanded.
"Yes sir." T said as he and Joe removed their hats, giving Brooklyn a clear look at their faces.
"Can we request a reason why?" Joe asked.
"I'm sure she has her reasons, Corporal. Now let her do what she needs to." Cole said, wondering the same thing as the other two.
"No blue eyes. No errant white hair. No off proportions. That's 3/3." Brooklyn whispered to herself.
"Alright. I guess I can trust that you aren't Explorers then." Brooklyn said as she remembered a report from one of the soldiers from Ranger's task group.
"Explorers?" Cole asked.
"Siren elites specially designed to infiltrate and blend in. The Sirens have been using them to hide out inside the pockets of resistance and destroy them from the inside… These Explorers also cultivate Cultists… People who revere the Sirens as Gods of Humanity… Those same cultists… killed my friend." Brookyln said as she produced her rigging and pointed a turret at everyone present besides I-25 and Matchless.
Cole and the others were immediately put on guard.
"Brooklyn… let's talk about this. We aren't Cultists nor Explorers. I've known these two idiots since D-day, over a year now. They haven't left my sight." Cole spoke as he watched the guns on her rigging drop in elevation, away from their heads.
"Can I-25 vouch for you? Or Matchless?" Brooklyn asked.
"I can. I travelled alone with them for a few days before meeting up with Matchless. They would have had ample time to kill me." I-25 said as she stood back, knowing full well how stupid it was to get between a cruiser and a potential target.
"I can't say anything to vouch for them, but they haven't hurt her or sent anything on her radio. This I swear." Matchless said, hoping it would bring Brooklyn some closure.
Brooklyn breathed as her rigging faded, allowing everyone to breathe freely.
"Brooklyn… I think we're owed an explanation now… and why Gibraltar?" Cole reasoned.
"Cultists destroyed Benson's damage control center before inciting a riot on her vessel. She was cut up badly… but with her damage control out of commission, she couldn't heal or defend against disease. She passed away no less than 24 hours ago due to an infection of her wounds." Brooklyn explained.
"And since cultists are just normal humans, you can't find them as easily as you would an Explorer?" T tried.
"Correct. And even then, it's not easy to sus out an Explorer." Brooklyn said dejectedly as she sat on the deck of her vessel while resting against the rail.
"Sounds like a big game of hide and seek." Joe said.
"Yeah. And losing costs you your life!" Brooklyn cried as she let out her emotions over being unable to save Benson.
Cole looked at his men.
"She was headed for Gibraltar. Let's get oriented and head back north." Cole said.
"Sir?" Joe asked.
"Why Gibraltar though?" T asked.
"New Jersey." Brooklyn said softly.
"The Battleship?" Cole asked.
Brooklyn nodded.
"New Jersey and the girls of the Regia Marina have created a foothold in Gibraltar and several cells throughout the Mediterranean." Brooklyn said.
"Well… if that's the case… Why not join them?" Matchless asked.
"That's where I was heading when I picked up your distress call." Brooklyn admitted.
"Are you by yourself?" Cole asked.
"No. Ranger and several other girls from the Union are about a day behind me. They'll be looking for me if we don't head directly to Gibraltar." Brooklyn said as she dried her tears and stood.
"Well… We'll join you then, Brooklyn." Cole said as Matchless turned her vessel around, prompting Brooklyn to cast off the tow lines and follow suit, turning North towards Gibraltar.
Isaac awoke to a light rap on the Med Bay door.
"Come in." Isaac said as the door opened.
"Odin. How goes the fleet?" Isaac asked.
"The Carriers have launched. I reserved Ark Royal for fleet observation and recon while the others are launching our preemptive strike." Odin said.
"Excellent. Laffey?" Isaac asked.
"She has lashed her ship to Vengeance's side and has entered Vengeance's vessel. Allen Sumner has also moved next to the Vengeance and has since joined Laffey inside." Odin answered.
"Good. There's hope yet."
"How are you feeling?" Odin asked.
"Alice said one more day and I should be alright. Norfolk came in earlier and told me that my armor has since been repaired." Isaac said.
"I'm happy to hear it." Odin said as she noticed Yume resting peacefully in Isaac's arms.
"She is absolutely adorable." Odin said with a soft smile as she approached and rubbed her hand on Yume's head.
"She is. Speaking of, what of her vessel?" Isaac asked.
"Well… it's begun keeping pace with the fleet. And after a small bit of comparison… she has the same AA as Enterprise, and the guns have begun to move." Odin said.
"Huh?" Isaac asked, stunned.
"According to the bulins… the guns that Enterprise used to save our skin in Australia… are the same ones that Yume's vessel has. And after asking Enterprise… she told us that those guns rarely act on her orders, and react autonomously based on radar information. So… Yume's radar is actively protecting the fleet." Odin said as she scratched her head.
"So we have another layer of AA defense?" Isaac asked as he looked down at his daughter.
"It appears so." Odin said.
"This is insane. To think… she has that level of power." Isaac said as he petted Yume's head, causing the child to smile in her sleep.
"Oh, I did receive two reports. One from Intrepid and one from Rodney." Odin said as she reached into a folder and pulled out two pieces of paper.
"I'll read them." Isaac said as he read the first report from Intrepid.
"Commander, we have had some limited success with getting the Construction Matrix repaired. It took longer than we hoped but quicker than we anticipated. The locals on the island have been a great help in getting power restored throughout the city and port areas and we have even had the Intrepid herself hooked into the power running to the Matrix should anything happen mid testing.
About the Matrix itself we have managed to inadvertently create 2 Bulins. The first one was a horrible mistake but after radioing Rodney, she told us how Akashi did it and the next 2 tests were perfect. We have not attempted any such tests with the cubes of our fallen sisters. We await your guidance on that matter.
Regarding the Bulins. They are very hard workers and have repaired and tuned all of our ships here and on Tonga. We actually sent one over to stay with Rodney and her girls because we have found that it is very unwise to leave Bulins with nothing to do and when there is more than one of them it gets worse. So, for our sanity and the island's wild animal health and well being.
As mentioned before, we have been in contact with the Tonga Fleet. Zara and Triomphant have been patrolling the waters in between our respective islands. We also have Surcouf and U-37 patrolling around each island. There have been some Drones spotted but they have been well out of visual range of the islands, so we have not bothered to engage them but have chosen to map out their movements and patterns. We will start having Surcouf and U-37 start shadowing them in the near future to see if more data can be collected.
This concludes my report. We eagerly await further orders." The report read.
"I see. Looks like Fiji now has a working Matrix… Send the order to revive and rebuild the Prince of Wales, Repulse, Indianapolis, and Houston. Once rebuilt, send the Union girls to Tonga. The Royal girls will replace Zara and Triomphant in the patrol route, allowing Zara to return to us." Isaac said.
"I understand. And what of the drone threat?" Odin asked.
"Intrepid has a good intuition. I trust her judgement to not engage the drones. If the Sirens believe that those Islands are not worth a closer look, then I won't take it for granted." Isaac said as he flipped to the second report, and nearly spit his drink at the contents.
"Commander, we have been in stable and frequent radio contact with Intrepid and her Fleet on Fiji. They sent us a Bulin after some trial-and-error experiments with the Matrix along with some very specific warnings about not leaving them alone and to their own devices to "entertain" themselves.
We have managed a primitive but effective patrol route with Zara and Triomphant between Tonga and Fiji while we have Surcouf and U-37 conducting underwater reconnaissance around their respective islands.
The only thing of significance we have found is a possible wisdom ore deposit. More investigation is required but if it is an ore vein it will need to be a combined effort with both of our fleets to extract it. This could be a job for the Bulins but we can discuss logistics once we know more.
On a very serious note, we need to discuss Akagi. Both Mikasa and I have talked with her and tried to help her through her "grief". She is not grieving like someone who lost the love of her life, it's more like a beloved pet like a cat or a dog who lost their master. I was stationed at Niue, I know how and why Forrest "married" her, and I know what he did with her. Their relationship was not abusive in any way that I knew of, but it wasn't healthy.
Forrest would only have her around when Helena and Hood were not in port. He would entertain her for only so long before sending her on her way blissfully ignorant and sexually satisfied. Although, thinking back on it… she always had a feeling that he was treating her differently than Hood and Helena. Hood and Helena never expressed anything in line with Forrest being a pervert. But Akagi… she always alluded to the things she and Forrest did, and they didn't sound proper… or very gentle. I fear that her relationship with him was nothing more than him using her for his own perverted deeds, veiling them behind the facade of true love. And Akagi… desperate for attention… bought it. Hook, line, and sinker.
I fear that if she continues to live in this deluded fantasy, she will be of little real use beyond rudimentary recon patrols… and even then, her reports are spotty. She often misses simple things after becoming distracted by thoughts of Commander Forrest.
I will keep an eye on her… but she needs help, Commander. I await your reply." The report read.
"Oh my god…" Isaac said as he hid the contents of the report from his view.
"Isaac?" Odin asked.
"Did you read that?!" Isaac asked.
Odin shook her head.
"I did not. I figured you'd like to be the first to read them. Was something wrong?" Odin asked.
"We need to figure out how to help Akagi. Apparently… Forrest was only interested in being a true man with Hood and Helena. Akagi… and Taihou by extension… were used by him to sate his perverted fantasies. He told them that only true lovers would do the stuff they did… but something inside me doesn't feel comfortable trying to decipher what was done. Akagi is damaged, and it's becoming dangerous." Isaac said.
"Should I send Bremerton to Tonga?" Odin asked.
"We can't. She'll be needed in this fight. But we do need to come up with a solution to this. She's becoming spotty with her reports, and if she misses something important, Tonga could fall to the Sirens and everyone there will be killed for aiding us." Isaac said.
"I understand. I shall work with Bremerton and Alice to see if there is something we can do." Odin said as she collected the reports and left the room.
Isaac laid back, stoking Yume's back, trying to repress the information from Rodeny's report to no avail.
"Used and Abused… Akagi… that ain't right." Isaac spoke softly as he looked to the ceiling. The fleet continued steaming ahead towards the Philippines.