"A pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Stud. Glad to see Brook has finally got that stick out of her butt and found herself a man." Wichita said, somehow producing less shame than before.
"She didn't seem like that to me." Cole said as he looked at the blushing light cruiser.
"She used to be really uptight. Always 'rules this' and 'procedures that'. Glad to see she's found some sense." Wichita said with a sinister smile.
"Stop~" Brooklyn whined as she tried to push Wichita off her bridge.
"Brooklyn, she seems like a nice person." Cole said, stating an observation.
Brooklyn huffed.
"She keeps embarrassing me… in front of you…" Brooklyn said as she tried to hide her face.
"But she managed to get you to stop moping. She really is a good friend." Cole said as he extended a hand towards the heavy cruiser.
"Glad to see a man with some sense. The Admiralty was a bit of a circus if you ask me. What did you say your name was again?" Wichita asked as she grasped his hand, surprising Cole with a firm handshake.
"Cole Spirits. Just call me Cole. I'm a Sergeant in the Army's 82nd Airborne unit." Cole said.
"Well met, Cole. Glad to know that Brook here has found herself a decent man. On a side note, Ranger would like to offload you three so Brook can get some rest." Wichita said.
Cole looked at Brooklyn.
"I'm sure she wouldn't mind me staying to keep watch over her. I owe Brooklyn my life after all." Cole said, causing Brooklyn to look at him, her head swimming with thoughts that she couldn't make sense of.
Wichita nodded.
"I'll let Ranger know. But please be ready to offload once we reach Gibraltar. We should be there in about twelve hours." Wichita said as she took T and Joe and left the bridge.
Brooklyn remained still as she hid her face.
"Your friend seems rather eccentric." Cole said as Brooklyn came over and hugged him silently.
"Just… be quiet. Can't you see that I'm embarrassed enough?" Brooklyn spoke softly.
Cole smiled.
"I have to say, for the woman that commands this much power…" Cole said as he looked around the bridge.
"... You make a really cute face when you get flustered." Cole finished as Brooklyn turned beet red, lightly hitting Cole's chest as he laughed for the first time since leaving the beaches of Normandy.
"I would like to head to my room… you wouldn't mind accompanying me, right?" Brooklyn asked.
"I did say I'd keep an eye on you. I'm a man of my word." Cole said as Brooklyn led him by the hand back to her quarters.
"How are we doing with those bombers?" Isaac asked as he turned his visor to the sky and saw several formations of land based bombers closing in on the main fleet. Around the bombers, Richthofen's BF-109s and Shinano's Zeros buzzed about, tearing into whatever planes they could get a bead on.
"These bombers are easy to take down, but there's too many for us to take out before they become a threat." Richthofen said.
"Do what you can. I'll figure something out." Isaac said as a knock came to the door of Norfolk's bridge.
"Come in." Isaac said.
"Admiral." Malan said as he stood at attention.
"Mr. Malan. What can I do for you?" Isaac asked.
"I'd like to get in the air, Sir. Those bombers are closing in rather quickly." Malan said.
"What will you fly?" Isaac asked.
"My Personal aircraft is stored onboard the Eagle. It has plenty of Fuel and Ammunition." Malan said.
Isaac looked at the Eagle.
"Get your fighter into the air. Have Eagle follow your lead with her Spitfires. Assist Richthofen and Shinano as best you can." Isaac said.
"Thank you, Admiral." Malan said as he turned and left the bridge just as a loud crashing sound came from outside.
"What's going on?! What got through?!" Isaac asked as he ran outside and saw a suicide boat glide effortlessly through the mass of battleships and cruisers.
"It's going for the carriers! Take it out!" Isaac ordered over the general channel as Australia, who was towards the back of the formation with Warspite, took aim with her secondaries and fired, landing shots all around the PT boat, but not landing a decisive shot.
"Damn. Slippery little bugger, ain't ya?" Australia said as she aimed her main guns and fired, hitting the waves around the boat, her shells detonating below the surface, only succeeding in tossing the boat on the waves, making Warspite's shells fall short.
"Come on, Aussie! If we can't take that boat out, it'll hit one of the carriers!" Warspite said as Australia breathed and steadied her hull. She fired again, but the driver wrenched the boat's wheel, causing the salvo to miss.
"Damn it!" Australia spoke as the shells from her farthest reaching secondary guns fell short.
"Report!" Isaac yelled.
"One more… second…." Warspite said as a sudden detonation at her side threw off her aim, sending her shells flying way over the carrier fleet, missing the PT boat entirely.
"They're breaking through! Our guns can't depress low enough to hit them!" Warspite said as several more PT boats broke through the defensive line and made runs for the carrier group.
"Fuck!" Isaac yelled.
"Carrier force, this is Isaac! PT boats inbound! Prepare to defend yourselves!" Isaac yelled as Enterprise launched several squadrons of Corsairs from her flight deck to aid in strafing the water around the carrier force.
A distant explosion focused Isaac's eyes as a sharp cry came from the bridge of the Norfolk.
"Wha… YUME!" Isaac yelled as he turned to see Norfolk trying to console a crying and whimpering Yume, whose vessel had just been struck amidships by one of the suicide boats.
The entire radio call went quiet as Yume's cries were heard on every radio in Isaac's fleet. A surge of chills ran down Isaac's back as a terrifying metallic ripping sound was heard. Isaac turned to see Friedrich's rigging chomping down on a captured PT boat, the contents of the boat spilling into the ocean before detonating beneath her vessel.
Isaac guessed that he was well outside of one thousand meters of Friedrich's aura, but he could feel his eyes lock with hers, and in that moment, an immeasurable bloodlust was felt.
Suddenly, the radios of the fleet began to play a somber melody. One that struck fear into Isaac's heart, but one that calmed Yume's cries to a mere whimper.
"Es ist in Ordnung, Mein Kind. Mama wird alles reparieren. Shush jetzt, mein Kind. Lass Mama ihre Arbeit machen." Friedrich's tone was one Isaac had heard only once before. It was when she had first taken him to bed. The softness of her tone was but a facade that hid the depths of her anger. Yet, with her words, it seemed that Yume had calmed enough to be transferred to Isaac, who held her close in his arms.
"It's okay, baby girl. We'll get that patched up real quick." Isaac said as Friedrich's heels were heard hitting the Norfolk's deck, along with the sound of something scraping behind her.
Isaac looked to see Friedrich walking effortlessly, while Roon desperately tried to hold her back, but found her feet being drug into the steel deck.
"Dear Husband. I am going to take a walk, if you do not mind." Friedrich's voice was soft, just as it had been when she comforted Yume.
Isaac heard her words, but his mind translated it differently.
"B-Be careful, my love." Isaac said as Friedrich looked at Yume, who had a small bruise developing on her leg, as a result of the damage to her hull.
Isaac felt the immense pressure from Friedrich increase ten-fold, to the point where he felt like he could collapse at any moment.
"Thank you, Dear Husband. I shall return shortly." Friedrich said as she wrenched herself from Roon's hold and deployed her rigging before jumping from the deck of the Norfolk onto the waves below, heading towards where the PT boats were coming from.
"Herr Kommandant… who is she?" Roon asked, her voice wavering just a bit.
"That… is Friedrich. One of the Ironblood's Blueprint Battleships. She has taken on the moniker of Mother of the Fleet… and someone just hurt one of her daughters." Isaac said as Roon looked at Yume.
"This little one?" Roon asked.
Isaac nodded.
"She's so small." Roon said.
"She is the daughter of Shinano and myself… but since I have promised myself to several of the ships in this fleet… Friedrich is also her mother, as is Eagle, and Norfolk, and Nimi. Several others as well… but of all of them… Friedrich is the most volatile." Isaac said.
"How did she get hurt?" Roon asked, confused.
Isaac pointed to Yume's hull.
"Yume is a Kansen. She's slowly growing into her role. But for now, she's only able to maneuver her vessel and use her AA guns. She doesn't have any aircraft yet." Isaac said.
"And one of the boats got through…" Roon spoke as Isaac felt another tingle on his neck.
"That is… correct." Isaac said as he felt the mechanical breathing of Shrimpy on his back.
"I may not have a vessel… but if she is important to you, Kommandant… then I will destroy all who would harm her." Roon spoke as Shrimpy walked to the edge of the Norfolk's deck and opened its mouth, aiming for one of the closer PT boats that continued to pour through their defenses. Isaac felt the density of the air drop for a moment as a bright light shone from Shrimpy's mouth before a mechanical roar and a blast erupted from what Isaac could only assume was a cannon within Roon's rigging. The blast tore through the air and shot a massive hole through one of the PT boats, destroying it instantly before it could leave the range of the main fleet. Isaac looked at Roon. Her eyes were wide and her pupils constricted to pinpricks as Shrimpy fired off blast after blast, covering Friedrich's slow advance.
Australia, Belfast, and Warspite had all turned broadside and were firing as fast as their guns could manage, keeping the flood of PT boats from passing them.
"Admiral, I'm sorry." Australia's voice came in.
"Don't worry, Australia. We can't always be perfect. Let us learn and adapt, alright?" Isaac asked as he witnessed Friedrich pull a hooded man from a speeding PT boat, only to twist his neck at an impossible angle before tossing his body into the maw of her rigging, where it was mangled further before being washed away by the growing waves of the bay.
"Understood." Australia said as her shells began to connect, with support from Belfast's intel from her fire control radar.
"You have a very scary family, Yume." Isaac whispered into his Kitsune's ears just before a shriek was heard on the radio.
"Lady Shinano?" Kashino asked as Isaac immediately connected the dots.
"Your mom is pretty scary too…" Isaac said as a flash of silver fur flew past the Norfolk.
Ahead of Friedrich, several PT boats simply fell to pieces as soon as the flash of silver touched them. It took Isaac's eyes a few moments to catch up, but he could now clearly see Shinano, standing on the wing of one of her fighters with all three swords from her rigging brandished.
"I thought those were just an aesthetic choice…" Norfolk spoke softly.
"Tell that to the blood dripping from the edge… Mama fox is not happy." Isaac said as Friedrich disappeared around the corner of the island, where a mass of explosions began to erupt, sounding almost like drums to some satanic ritual. Isaac's heart jumped when he felt Shinano's heels touch the deck next to him. He looked to the sky and saw her bloodstained Zero tightly circling the Norfolk.
"Isaac. Our Daughter." Shinano spoke. Isaac turned to see Shinano's kimono covered in viscous red blood. He handed the whimpering kit to Shinano, who checked every exposed inch of Yume's body before hugging the child to her voluptuous chest.
"Daijobu desu. Haha wa koko ni iru." Shinano spoke.¹
"Are you alright, my love?" Isaac asked as he looked over Shinano's tails, which were streaked red with the blood of the men she had slain.
"I am alright, Isaac. MY ankles might not have liked the sudden movement however." Shinano said as Isaac spotted bruising around Shinano's bare feet.
"Have Norfolk help you get some ice on those bruises. I'll send Vestal and her Bulins over to inspect the damage." Isaac said.
"The damage Yume has sustained is light. Carbon scoring on her hull and a small crack in the plating above the waterline. Nothing some light welding and a new coat of paint can't fix. But… Yume is terribly frightened of these PT boats. Is there any way we can keep her safe?" Shinano asked.
"I have an idea." Isaac said.
"What is it?" Shinano asked.
"I can assign Eldridge to personally escort Yume everywhere. Wherever Yume's hull is, that is where Eldridge will be patrolling. And since our ASW destroyer has a great one track mind, she will ensure that no harm comes to our baby girl…" Isaac said. Shinano could sense his hesitation.
"But…?" Shinano asked.
"That would leave Allen, Belfast, Laffey, Nimi, and Omaha along with our submarines to protect the fleet from Submarine threats, since they are the only other vessels that have Sonar. And with a fleet of this size, that could lead to some gaps in coverage." Isaac said.
"Right. Because the subs protect the interior ships and our cruisers and destroyers protect the outskirts." Shinano spoke, seeming to understand Isaac's logic.
"Correct. If we had more Sonar, then I wouldn't be so hung up about it." Isaac said.
"Well… I can say with certainty that there are plenty of cubes waiting for us in Japan. Lots of Destroyers and Cruisers." Shinano said.
"Well… it is a pretty straight shot from here to Japan, so we can make it without a huge ASW force. Alright. I'll make it so." Isaac said as Shinano used her tail to caress Isaac's cheek.
"Thank you, Isaac." Shinano said softly as she brought herself and Yume closer so Isaac could hug them both.
"It is a thankless gesture, my love. Protecting my daughter… our daughter… the daughter of this fleet… it is something I want to do." Isaac said as he opened the radio channel.
"Eldridge." Isaac spoke.
"Isaac call?" Eldridge asked.
"Yes. I want you to shift your duties." Isaac said.
"To?" Eldridge asked.
"I want you to protect Yume's vessel. She cannot defend herself just yet. So I will require you to be her immediate protector." Isaac ordered.
"Eldridge protect small fox?" Eldridge asked.
"Correct. Please do so from now on." Isaac said as he watched the Eldridge break formation and head directly towards the carrier fleet to take it's new position in Yume's shadow.
Isaac turned back towards the island, only to see massive columns of smoke erupting from around the edge of the island with the sounds of screams and explosions filling the empty air.
"I hope Jager is getting underway. These bombers, on top of dealing with these boats… we're looking at a prolonged battle. And we can't reasonably launch the landing craft with enemy planes in the sky." Isaac said as he saw Spitfires launching from the Eagle.
"Godspeed, Malan. Get those bombers out of our way." Isaac said as he continued to watch over the battlefield.