"How is he?" Odin asked as she entered the blown out house.
"Not the best, but he'll live. If we could call Arizona from the guard, we could treat him more effectively." Vestal said without looking at Odin.
"Vestal… you know we need her back there to care for anyone who gets hit by those suicide boats. Yume and Heinrich were both hit by one, I won't leave the fleet undefended against something like that." Odin said.
Silence engulfed the room, broken only by the battered breathing of MacArthur and the grunts of pain from the loader.
"Vestal, are you okay? You haven't had any down time." Odin said.
"We're at war, Vice Commander. Down time is a luxury that we don't have." Vestal said shortly.
Odin looked to the floor for a moment.
"Tell me what to do. I want you to return to the fleet." Odin said.
"With all due respect, you have no knowledge of infections or any form of medical training. If I leave and something happens to him, you would be unable to react until it is too late. I'm fine. Enterprise doesn't hate me… that's enough for now." Vestal said as Odin caught a small tear falling to the floor.
"I will call for Bremerton. I'll assume command of her century so she can be here with you. We don't need you breaking down… I have heard of what your life was like before joining us. I refuse to be part of making that downhill spiral worse." Odin said as she put a hand to her ear and called for Bremerton.
"There weren't many…" Vestal said.
"What?" Odin asked.
"Back when this all started. When I woke up. Pearl was under Siren command, but one of the sailors managed to wake me. I wasn't what he expected, but I quickly grew to understand the situation and armed myself. There was a wolfpack presence on Pearl when I awoke but there weren't many. Sailors whose minds were naught but empty by war's end. The sirens became their god. Some of my own sailors… ones that I know served on my vessel during the war. Called my vessel home for the better part of four years. I knew them…" Vestal explained.
Odin put a hand to her mouth as she put the pieces together.
"... it was the lives of the many… versus the lives of my friends. And… my friends were on the wrong side. My first shot… the first time I ever fired a rifle. I grazed his neck in an attempt to take him out clean. I had to watch as he clutched his neck, calling for the Sirens to save him as he bled onto the docks on Ford island. The medical training I had screamed at me to save him… but I knew if I did, he'd kill me on the spot. By the time I had decided to put him out of his misery… he had already bled out completely. He was dead by the time I chose to grant him mercy." Vestal explained as she replaced the soiled bandages on MacArthur's body.
Odin looked at Vestal with a look that could only convey sympathy.
"I'm sorry." Odin spoke, causing Vestal to look up from her work.
"Why are you sorry?" Vestal asked.
"Nobody will apologize for the enemy using your friends against you. I figured it might help, if only a little, if you heard it at all." Odin said as she walked over and gave Vestal a chaste hug.
"You're quite soft for a Gerry." Vestal spoke softly as she grabbed Odin's coat.
"How so?" Odin asked.
"You aren't as abrasive as one would expect… it's comforting." Vestal said as she released Odin.
Several seconds later, Bismarck and Bremerton walked into the building.
"I'm here, Vice Admiral." Bremerton spoke.
"I have to return to the battle. But keep Vestal company. I think she could use some time to… unpack some things." Odin said as Bremerton nodded.
"My men are outside with Baltimore." Bremerton spoke as she walked over and began to assist Vestal.
"Lord Bismarck, what are you doing here?" Odin asked.
"I got bored sitting with the defense fleet." Bismarck spoke.
Odin sighed.
"I know you're the figurehead of the Ironblood navy, but you can't just do whatever you want." Odin said.
"But since you're here, you're going to assume command of Bremerton's century. We're going to hold the line until MacArthur is on his feet again. We need him to command the tanks." Odin said.
"Understood. The line will not fall." Bismarck spoke proudly as she left the building.
Brooklyn stood with Cole as she steered her hull into its birthing position and she saw her sisters waiting for her on the dock.
"Look there Cole! Those are two of my sisters, St. Louis and Phoenix." Brooklyn spoke excitedly. Cole hugged her close and kissed her temple.
"Red and blue hair? I won't lie, that's a far cry from your blond locks and tanned skin, Brook." Cole said, earning him a blush from Brooklyn and a swat on the shoulder.
"Hush you! If you can handle me and Wichita as different as we are, you should have no problems with them." Brooklyn replied.
"I understand. I can't wait to meet them. I have a feeling we are going to be operating out of here for a while so we will have plenty of time together and to spend plenty of it with them", Cole smiled and laid his lips on hers, an act she joyfully reciprocated.
After a few moments, the lovebirds allowed each other to back away.
"Cole, go with Wichita and take your men and I-25 to meet with our new hosts please. I feel my sisters are waiting for me and I would like some time alone with them."
Cole smiled then kissed her lightly on the lips once more.
"Of course. Family is important so take your time. I'm sure I will meet them soon enough, but if you drag your feet it might be Wichita that introduces me and not you, knowing how she operates." Cole warned.
Brooklyn hugged him.
"Wichita likes you too. So I'm sure you can convince her to play nice." Brooklyn reasoned.
T walked over to join them.
"I'm fairly sure that's because Sgt. Spirits took that riding crop from her and swatted her ass with it earlier when she threatened him that if he ever hurt you or broke your heart she would whip him senseless." T spoke, earning a blush from Brooklyn and Cole alike.
St. Louis stood with Phoenix watching as Brooklyn came down the ramp onto the pier. After watching her sister indulge in a very passionate kiss with a human, she couldn't help but be concerned for her oldest sister. But watching her come down the ramp to meet them she looked nothing like an abused and victimized woman. She looked confident and had a healthy glow to her completion.
Phoenix held Lou's hand and even she could read Louis's thoughts.
"Lou, relax. Brooklyn is fine. She looks like she even found a guy she likes." Phoenix said softly.
The two sisters watched the mystery man go over to Wichita with two more men dressed in Army fatigues.
"See? Looks like even Wichita Is poking and joking with him so he can't be that bad." Phoenix reasoned. St. Louis sighed softly.
"God I hope not but can you blame me for being scared for her? After what I went through?" St. Louis asked. Phoenix gently squeezed her hand in response.
"No I can't but please don't let your experiences ruin Brook's happiness. I have no doubt that she can help you even better than I can." Phoenix said as she rubbed St. Louis's hand with her thumb.
The tears that St. Louis were shedding went unnoticed until the moment she saw Brooklyn make a beeline towards her. Unable to address them in time, she was wrapped in a loving embrace from her oldest sister. Unable to contain it any longer, she broke down in Brooklyn's arms, devolving into a sobbing mess, supported only by her sister.
Brooklyn's eyes began to water. She knew St. Louis had seen her and Cole on her deck, and had thought nothing of it until just now. St. Louis's reaction now meant that what Brooklyn had thought before was entirely true in terms of her sister's treatment by the Admiralty in Pearl.
"Lou. It's alright. I'm here." Brooklyn said softly.
Phoenix came over and wrapped her arms around St. Louis as well, enveloping her between her two present sisters.
"I'm glad you two are safe." Brooklyn said softly as she stroked St. Louis's hair, comforting the sobbing cruiser.
"He's treating you right… right?" Phoenix asked.
"He very much is. His name is Cole Spirits. And he would love to meet you both. He is one of the few who sees us as more than warships." Brooklyn said as she held St. Louis's head.
Odin watched from the city as Ark Royal stood on the fantail of her ship looking out to sea with the rifle from her rigging.
"Ark is there a threat out there or is the battle in front of us no longer exciting enough to hold your attention any longer?" Odin asked via radio.
When Ark Royal didn't respond but instead launched a pair of aircraft in the direction she had been looking, Odin's curiosity was piqued.
"Ark where are those planes going? The fight is inland unless you know something we don't I'm ordering you to focus on supporting the -"
"I get your point now shut up. Yes I suspect something but I don't know what yet. We won't miss one scout aircraft", Ark spoke shortly before cutting the line.
On the distant neighboring island the two watchers grimaced as they watched the plane launch and make its way towards their location.
"Damn that woman!" The first watcher spoke.
"You knew she could detect us didn't you?" The second watcher asked.
"Yes but I had forgotten her protective instincts and how intense they are. She must have felt us watching." The first watcher asked.
"What do we do?" The second watcher asked.
"I fear if we interfere here, things will go very wrong. So for now, we must retreat. I have a plan regardless." The first watcher said as the two of them disappeared into the forest, escaping the all seeing eye of Ark Royal's aircraft.
Odin opened the line again.
"Well? Was it worth anything?" Odin asked in a slightly agitated tone.
"It was. However, I was unable to identify our watchers. We must remain on high alert." Ark spoke.
"I understand. Keep watch for them. I will have Graf assist the forces here." Odin said as she cut the line.
Musashi continued steaming at full speed.
"I can finally see you again, my sister." Musashi spoke.
Musashi had managed to pick up a single large ship on the extreme range of her radar.
"I found you. Hold on just a little longer, I'm coming." Musashi spoke softly.