Iowa walked onto the deck of the Yamato with Perkins in tow. They looked around until they saw Isaac and Wilhelm sitting on the number one turret on the Yamato's bow.
Seeing the Admiral, Iowa and Perkins both saluted, prompting Isaac to come down to the main deck to meet them.
"Admiral. I noticed another of the Yamato class on the way over. Something you want to tell us?" Perkins asked.
"That was Musashi. She is currently taking her sister to our fleet for treatment. Things don't look too good for Yamato right now." Isaac explained curtly.
"I didn't hurt her too badly, did I?" Iowa asked as Isaac turned to her, removing his helmet.
"No you didn't Iowa. The man controlling her was the one who hurt her, according to the report. Your shelling of her vessel was negligible at best in terms of her overall condition. Do not worry yourself with it." Isaac reassured the Iowa class battleship.
"Good. I was hoping that she hadn't been hurt too bad by my guns. While it might be fun to fight her one day… hearing her story now… I'm glad I didn't have to hurt her too badly." Iowa lamented.
Isaac walked over and was about to lay his hand on her shoulder when he noticed the ring on her finger. Upon noticing the ring, he refrained from placing his hand on her.
"Iowa. You have a kind heart. I am sure Yamato would like to meet the one who helped save her skin." Isaac said as Iowa gave him a sad smile.
"Yeah…" Iowa spoke as she turned away.
"Something wrong, Iowa?" Isaac asked as Perkins turned to him.
"Sir… you may have spoken to her back on Palau, but she still feels rather useless, despite myself telling her otherwise." Perkins said as Iowa flashed him a look that conveyed shock and betrayal.
"Honey!" Iowa cried.
"Iowa…" Isaac said as he looked at the battleship.
"Admiral?" Iowa asked as she turned back to face him.
"Iowa. I would like you to stay here with the fleet." Isaac said.
"Sir?" Iowa asked.
"I sent a message to Perkins before you left New Guinea. Prince of Wales and Indianapolis are going to finish the final stages of occupying the islands. You and Kaga are to remain with the main fleet going forward." Isaac ordered.
"Sir… if you're only saying that to try and raise my spirits, please just stop." Iowa said.
"Nonsense. I may be a kind man, but if it wouldn't benefit us to have you and Kaga here, I wouldn't order you to stay. I actually have a surprise for you." Isaac said.
"Sir?" Iowa asked, her eyes picking up a shimmer.
"I just received word from Akashi before you arrived. She is coming to the fleet via the Indian Ocean. Escorted by three battleships from the Mediterranean. Hell, I even got the names." Isaac said.
"What are you going on about, sir?" Iowa asked.
"Well. In addition to our Sakura repair ship. We are getting Jean Bart, a Richelieu class battleship, Massachusetts, a South Dakota class battleship… and the last one is your surprise." Isaac said.
"Don't keep me waiting, Sir…" Iowa spoke.
"It seems that Vittorio Venetto has swallowed her feelings for the moment and has allowed your sister to accompany Akashi to this theater. New Jersey is coming." Isaac said.
"Little sis!?" Iowa exclaimed, casting an excited glance at Perkins who gave her a supportive smile.
"Yeah. It seems that you and New Jersey will be aiding this fleet along with the Yamato class as we take Japan and move North into the Northern Parliament territory. And knowing the power you have, Iowa, we should have enough strength, along with the Yamato class, to take on whatever the Sirens have in Russia." Isaac reassured the American battleship as he was lifted off his feet by said battleship.
"Ooo! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I promise you won't regret this!" Iowa cried as she lifted Isaac into a hug.
Isaac smiled despite the battleship squeezing him tight enough to feel his spine shift below his armor.
"Honey, please put the Admiral down, I can hear his spine cracking." Perkins said as he came to Isaac's rescue.
Iowa dropped Isaac to the deck as she bowed slightly.
"I'm sorry… I just got so happy." Iowa explained.
"It's not a problem. Maybe I can get you to talk to Warspite. She apparently helped Roon contain her strength." Isaac said as he stood up and stretched, rolling his shoulder to work out a bit of the pain of having his spine cracked.
"I'll help her with it, sir." Perkins offered.
"I think I'll allow it. She is your woman after all." Isaac said, causing Perkins to stiffen his back.
"T-thank you, sir." Perkins said as he turned away.
"Is there anything we can do, Admiral?" Iowa asked as several shots rang out from within the Yamato's superstructure, signalling that Wilhelms men had found and dealt with another lingering threat.
"Yeah. Yamato has been evacuated to the main fleet to under go emergency medical treatment for her numerous injuries. I need you, Texas and Tirpitz to tow this hull into the Archipelago." Isaac spoke as he turned to Wilhelm and nodded, sending the German Pilot away to check his men.
"We will get it done, Admiral." Perkins said as he and Iowa both saluted Isaac.
"It's damn good to have another mass of Union steel with us, Iowa. I know you'll make me proud." Isaac said.
"I'll do my best!" Iowa yelled as she took Perkins and returned to her vessel.
Roon woke up some time later to the sound of a bustling medical bay.
"Ugh…." She grunted as she attempted to sit up, only to have a hand rest on her chest.
"You shouldn't move yet, Cruiser of Ironblood." Enterprise spoke as she eased Roon back into bed.
"The Union carrier." Roon spoke flatly. She looked over at what was behind Enterprise and saw a rifle that looked oddly familiar.
"That rifle… it belongs to that repair ship." Roon spoke as Enterprise looked at it.
"It is. It's Vestal's rifle… the same one used to take out my sister." Enterprise said softly as she ran her hand over the sea-soaked wooden stock.
"Why would you hold on to something like that?" Roon asked.
"Despite what act this rifle was used for… it holds value to me. It is the rifle that has saved countless lives, both sailor and Kansen alike. She no longer wishes to use it… but I feel like someday in the future… there will come a time where she will need it… and at that moment… I wish for it to be ready for her use." Enterprise said as she turned to the rifle.
"What will you do with it? It looks like it was thrown to the sea." Roon spoke, looking around to see the faces of Taihou, Hood, Vengeance and Alice in the medical bay.
"I scooped it up after Vestal left to aid on the front line. I will clean it up and properly maintain it until she has need of it again… maybe I will give it to her as a gift. As thanks for all she has done for me, both during the last war and now this." Enterprise spoke.
Roon nodded, understanding the sentiment before looking down and seeing her arm reattached to where it had been cleaved from her body.
"I must have been asleep for quite some time." Roon spoke.
"You have been. News from the front says that without the Admiral, we've been locked in a stalemate since the Vice commander doesn't wish to move forward without him present. MacArthur was injured when his tank was destroyed. And apparently the new guy has rallied another 500 troops for this invasion. You've been out for well over a day and a half." Enterprise said as Roon shot up out of bed.
"Let me go to the front. I will end their pointless resistance." Roon spoke just as Ben kicked in the door to the Medical Bay.
"Alice! I need a stretcher now!" Ben yelled as all eyes turned to look at him, and the kitsune he held in his arms.
A singular scream filled the room as all eyes shifted from Ben to Taihou.
"Lady Yamato!" Taihou screamed as she ran over to where Ben was.
"Taihou, please. I need to get her wounds addressed immediately or she will not make it." Ben said as he moved past the emotional carrier and placed Yamato on a sterile bed.
"What happened?! Who did this to Lady Yamato!?" Taihou yelled, unable to be controlled due to her lack of a physical form.
"The perpetrator is dead. Michael saw to that personally." Ben said as he cut the remaining clothes off of Yamato's body as Musashi and Shinano all ran in.
"Lady Musashi… Lady Shinano…" Taihou spoke, looking at the other two Yamato class sisters with her jaw dropped.
Taihou's amazement was magnified when Norfolk ran into the room carrying a bundle of black fur.
"Shinano. Yume has been rather fussy since she woke up, can you try and calm her down?" Norfolk asked as Taihou got a good look at Yume.
Shinano nodded as Yamato and Musashi both turned to see Yume looking intently at both of them as she laid in Shinano's arms.
"She seems very interested in you, elder sisters." Shinano spoke as she poked Yume's cheek.
Musashi smiled and Yamato smiled as best as she could.
"That little one is the one who saved us. She was the one that told me that you were going to save my sister. Which in turn led to me being able to find the courage to break free of the chains that bound me. It is not too far to say that this cute little kit is the reason we are still alive, baby sister." Musashi said as Yume's arms stretched out towards her, prompting Shinano to smile and hand Yume to a suddenly bewildered Musashi who seemed to have no idea on how to react.
Yamato chuckled a bit, at the cost of intense pain in her stomach.
"Looks like the little one has taken a liking to you, little sister." Yamato spoke as Musashi cradled Yume in her hold.
Musashi turned to face Yamato, who was shocked to see Yume looking directly at her.
"Oh. It seems she's more fixated on you, Eldest sister. Did you perhaps also meet her in your slumber?" Shinano asked.
"I did. She kept me asleep through all of the torment that man put this body through." Yamato said as a small green shimmer caught everyone's attention.
"What is that?" Ben asked as he stepped back to try and catch a glimpse.
Hovering above Yamato was a bright green dragonfly, akin to the blue butterflies Shinano had used in the second battle of Australia.
"It appears to be a dragonfly." Shinano spoke, reaching out to touch it, finding a warm comfort the moment her finger grazed the luminescent insect. Suddenly, the dragonfly darted around the room before halting and coming into a hover over Yamato, where the small green insect landed on her chest. As with Shinano, the warm comfort flooded through Yamato's body. Within moments, she was sound asleep, a look of peace and serenity on her face as everyone looked at Shinano.
"It wasn't me." Shinano spoke in her own defense as she looked at Yume, who was now asleep in Musashi's arms. This sight had Shinano smiling softly.
"Perhaps Yume wished to help Yamato too." Shinano said as Musashi turned to her younger sister.
"You mean to say that this little dragonfly is her doing?" Musashi asked.
"My husband has stated a while ago that our daughter would conjure carrier class rigging with dragonflies zipping around her. Perhaps she is slowly growing the power required to activate said rigging." Shinano suggested.
Musashi looked down at Yume and smiled.
"Whatever the case is… she is a true godsend. I haven't seen my sister this comfortable since the day we awoke." Musashi said as Alice and Ben made space by Yamato's bedside.
"Please give us space. We are going to take this time while she's under to begin addressing her injuries." Ben said as he closed the curtain, shutting everyone but himself and Alice out so they could work.
"Come my sister, we can wait over here." Shinano said as she led Musashi to an empty bed.
"I cannot wait to see where this path takes us, Baby sister. This sure is an interesting place." Musashi said as the two of them looked down at the sleeping kit in Musashi's arms.
Howdy everyone. Sorry for the slight break. My entire family fell sick and I was unwilling to write until today. Rest assured I will attempt to get back to uploading every other day like I used to do. I hope you all enjoy. Thunder out.