Cole and Brooklyn laid in bed, covered only by the sheets of Brooklyn's bed.
"Are you feeling alright, Cole?" Brooklyn asked.
"I am. Never better, actually." Cole said as he rubbed his shoulder and sat up, pulling the sheet with him, revealing Brooklyn's tanned form to the chill of the room.
Brooklyn pouted a bit and tugged at the sheet.
"Give it back, jerk." Brooklyn said as a knock came to the door.
"Yo, lovebirds. Up and at 'em. We've been received by an Italian battleship. She want's a head count." Wichita said.
"We'll be ready in a few minutes. Please buy us some time." Cole spoke as he tugged the sheets playfully, causing Brooklyn to pout even more.
A small pause before Wichita replied.
"You two did it… didn't you?" Wichita surmised.
"Wichita!" Brooklyn cried, her face flush with embarrassment.
"You two totally did! Oh my god this is great!" Wichita said as she began laughing outside the door.
Brooklyn's embarrassment turned to anger as she got up and stormed to the door, throwing it open with no regard for her state of dress. Wichita got a small glimpse before Brooklyn's rigging took her focus.
Wichita's laughs stopped immediately as she booked it down the corridor. Brooklyn sighed as she turned to Cole.
"I wanted to stay in bed a little longer… but now that we're up, we should probably get dressed and head above deck." Brooklyn said as she hung her head, allowing her rigging to fade away.
Cole smiled and kissed her forehead.
"There's always tonight. And Tomorrow. And the day after that." Cole suggested, causing Brooklyn to meet his gaze.
"I might take you up on that, Cole. Make sure to keep your schedule open." Brooklyn said with a wink.
Cole smiled.
"As ordered, Ma'am." Cole joked as he set about getting dressed. Brooklyn went to her private bathroom to dress herself as well.
"My name is Vittorio Venneto, Eternal Flagship of the Regia Marina. I welcome you to Gibraltar." Vittorio spoke as Ranger walked up to her.
"We have refugees from Bermuda. Bermuda has fallen, and so has our foothold in American waters." Ranger reported.
"I see. That explains the sudden visit. Thankfully, we were warned ahead of time of your imminent arrival. We have enough housing in the local riviera to accommodate your refugees." Vittorio spoke.
"We also are carrying an Envoy of Admiral Garner. We picked him up during our escape from Bermuda. Admiral Chester Nimitz and his family are aboard my vessel." Ranger spoke as Akashi came over to the two leading powers.
"Akashi needs to offload her refugees, nyaa. Akashi has orders from Shikikan." Akashi said.
"Orders? I wasn't informed." Ranger spoke.
"Shikikan requested Akashi's presence in the Philippines. He needs Akashi, so Akashi must go." Akashi reasoned.
Ranger scratched her head.
"You have no reason to lie… but I'm trying to figure out why he wouldn't relay that to me." Ranger said.
"Akashi doesn't know, nyaa. Akashi figured he would have." Akashi spoke.
"Well, no matter. Go ahead and offload. Which route are you taking?" Ranger asked.
"Shikikan said to take the Suez Canal, nyaa. Then pass across the Indian Ocean, nyaa." Akashi said as Vittorio looked at Ranger.
"Letting her go alone would be risky. But… since you all are here, I can spare one of mine if one of yours takes up the watch." Vittorio said.
"We can cover anyone you need to send. We will leave the decision up to you." Ranger said.
"Then I will take you up on that. I shall send Akashi to Italia. The route from here to there is the safest in this region, since we have New Jersey on high alert. There is a battleship there that I honestly would be happy to see leave my beautiful country." Vittorio spoke.
"Bad blood?" Ranger asked.
"You could say that, she is… rather abrasive and does not blend with the elegance known to my wonderful Italia. The thing is, I would also have to give up a battleship that I welcome to Italia. Since those two refuse to leave each other's side." Vittorio explained.
"These two sound like quite the handful." Ranger said.
"They may be… but their results are effective. They have kept the drone fleets at bay, making my and New Jersey's life easier." Vittorio said as she held a hand to her forehead.
"Who are they?" Ranger asked curiously.
"Massachusetts and Jean Bart. They've been holed up in Sicilia since they got here. Call it an extended honeymoon or whatever you call it." Vittorio said.
"Massachusetts is here too?" Ranger asked.
Vittorio nodded.
"Such a caramel beauty will always be welcome in Italia and her waters. Jean Bart however… I'd rather that pirate leave and never return." Vittorio said showing disdain at the mere mention of the Richelieu class battleship's name.
"I see. So you will give those two to escort Akashi?" Ranger asked as they watched the green cat offload her refugees onto the docks.
"Yes. But I will require a sizable force to be moved in to replace them." Vittorio said.
"Washington and I will take up the vanguard. I can leave the rest of my forces here then?" Ranger asked.
"The more the merrier, Signora. We always crave company here in Gibraltar." Vittorio said with a warm smile as she turned to see New Jersey approaching.
"Amore Mio." Vittorio said as she latched onto New Jersey's arm.
"Ranger, I presume?" Jersey asked.
"You must be the infamous New Jersey I've heard about from Nimitz. It is a pleasure for such an old carrier like myself to meet you." Ranger said as Akashi scampered back over.
"A pleasure to meet you as well, Ranger. It's always good to see another American here in Europe. Planning to stay?" New Jersey asked.
"We hope to. Bermuda is no longer an option, and the only safe place that we know of is in the Pacific." Ranger said.
"Well, as my wonderful love just said, what's ours is yours. Please enjoy everything the Mediterranean has to offer." New Jersey said as she turned to Akashi.
"You must be the green kitty Vittorio was talking about. Come along. I am to escort you to Sicily so you can link up with your escorts." New Jersey said.
"Hai!" Akashi replied as she followed the American Battleship towards the berths.
Brooklyn and Cole appeared on the deck of her vessel and looked out over the port. Sure enough, the serene white coast of Gibraltar stood proudly before them.
"It's… beautiful." Brooklyn said as she felt a hand cup her behind.
"It really is. But it's made better by taking it in with a beautiful woman at my side." Cole said, causing Brooklyn to blush wildly.
"Cole~ stop~~" Brooklyn whined softly as she took in the sights.
"Alright. I'll save it for later. After all, these beaches are said to rival some of the best on the West coast. It'd be a shame to not save some of our fun for that." Cole said, causing Brooklyn to look at him.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Brooklyn asked.
"I want to compare the beauty of the stars to the beauty of your body, only to look to the skies and laugh at it's pitiful attempt." Cole said, earning him a cruiser to his chest, burying her face in embarrassment.
"You're lucky I like you, Cole Spirits. Because if I didn't, you'd be the biggest flirt I've ever met." Brooklyn said as she softly pounded his chest with her fist, causing Cole to laugh.
"So that's the situation. We're heading North to halt the advance of Yamato, can I leave the assault in your hands?" Isaac asked.
"You need not ask. Maybe, we might even have Tester in chains by the time you return." Odin replied as she and Wilhelm's men made their way towards the tent that comprised the forward operations center.
"Good. Jager, are your men ready for round two?" Isaac asked.
"Willing and ready." Wilhelm responded.
"Who are these men and women?" Isaac asked as he saw Enterprise, who was carrying Vestal, and Stefan followed by his fighters.
"The man up front is Stefan. A local freedom fighter who has been pushing back against Tester since her invasion." Wilhelm said.
"And he checks out?" Isaac asked.
"He does. He managed to guide us right to the airfield and even had proper munitions prepared to demolish it." Wilhelm explained.
"Can we trust him?" Isaac asked.
"I would have shot him if I didn't." Wilhelm said.
"Good enough for me. Have him fall in under Odin. You and I need to find Ben and Michael." Isaac said.
"I understand." Wilhelm said as he gathered his men.
Outside the tent, Kashino, Tirpitz, Texas and Amagi all stood waiting.
"You four are the volunteers. Kashino… why are you here?" Isaac asked.
"Yamato Senpai is in trouble. I was made to serve her back during the war. I carried her guns as she was being built. I will not allow you to embark on this operation without me." Kashino said in her usual passive tone.
"But you're not a combat ship. You'd be in real danger from being lit up by Yamato." Isaac argued.
"If that is my fate, I will accept it. I will not allow my Senpai to suffer." Kashino said, this time in a more assertive tone.
"I will keep her defended, Shikikan." Amagi said as she held an arm in front of Kashino.
"Is it really so important for her to go?" Isaac asked.
"We have our honor, Shikikan. She feels pride, as do I. Yamato and her sisters are seen almost as deities in our navy. They all carry immense power that easily surpasses Nagato, myself, and Carrier Group 1. And to Kashino, being of use to not one but two of our legendary ships, is a matter of pride. For her to not be on that field of battle would be an affront to her service to Lady Yamato and Lady Musashi. So please, allow her to battle with us. She was trained in the use of the sword by the Takao class sisters. And her strength is to be commended, since she was the one to carry the eighteen inch guns of Yamato." Amagi explained.
"If you have faith that she can pull it off… I will allow it as a favor to you, Amagi. I am just not comfortable sending a munitions ship in to fight a battleship of that caliber." Isaac said.
"She will pull it off. I know she will." Amagi said.
"So be it. Kashino, you are to use the utmost caution when engaging Yamato. She has guns big enough to rip you apart before you know what hit you." Isaac said.
"I know. And I will manage, Shikikan. Thank you for allowing me to serve in this battle." Kashino said as she placed a hind on her Katana.
"As for the rest of you. Yamato is being forced, under threat of Musashi's execution, to fight us. I want you to focus on your shields and only deal damage that we can repair. The Bulins will be recalled from the front if we manage to bring Yamato in. Until we can ascertain whether she is no longer a threat, we are to follow this plan: We deal with any and all wolfpack members on her vessel. We then capture the bridge, radio room, and operations center. Only when she surrenders is she to be considered non-hostile. According to Shinano, there are no devices being used to control them, only fear. We eliminate the wolfpack, it's almost assured that she will surrender." Isaac said.
Michael and Ben pulled open the tent flap a few seconds later.
"We heard the gist of it. So the plan is to raid the Yamato and kill everyone onboard, except the girl?" Ben asked.
"That is correct. I don't care how you do it. Just make sure the wolfpack is dealt with." Isaac said as everyone present nodded.
"What about Iowa? Didn't you mention needing her?" Texas asked.
"Yes. We are going to hold anchor off of Luzon, the island north of here. Since Yamato is coming from Tokyo bay, according to Shinano, we can have Iowa here nearly a day ahead of Yamato, so we can get her up to speed. Iowa will be our driving force here. She will fight Yamato. We will support her. Texas will provide her shielding ability, Tirpitz will torpedo Yamato's propulsion, keeping her from advancing. Shinano will provide air coverage, just in case Yamato has any escorts. Amagi will carry the assault team into position then back off to provide artillery to keep the Wolfpack on the guns occupied. Kashino will receive the assault team and Yamato once we have apprehended her. Everyone has their place, understood?" Isaac said.
A chorus of affirmations graced his ears.
"Excellent. Odin. Command our fleet and troops well. We will return." Isaac said.
"You had better. You don't pay me enough to be the sole commander of this huge ass navy you've got running here." Odin joked.
"I'll ensure you and the rest of my wives are handsomely rewarded once we take these islands." Isaac said as he removed his helmet and kissed Odin's cheek.
"I'll hold you to it, Kommandant." Odin said as Isaac and the rest left the tent, running towards the water.
Isaac looked over to see Richelieu doing a check on her vessel.
"How's the repairs holding?" Isaac asked.
"The Bulins repaired the fire damage as good as new. Once we make port properly, I shall wish to have this section completely refurbished as opposed to spot fixed." Richelieu replied.
"You all will be fully repaired and replenished before we hit Tokyo. That I can assure you. We are running low on materials after the second battle of Australia, so freeing these islands is a must for new resources." Isaac said.
"I understand. Be safe, Commander. May God watch over you and grant his divine protection." Richelieu said.
"Aye. And same to you." Isaac said as Amagi and the other Kansens ferried Isaac and his men to their vessels to begin the new operation to rescue Yamato.