"What happened to the others?" Benson asked.

"I ordered them to return to Gibraltar to help bolster their defenses. We just killed two enforcers of the Arbiter Hermit. So it is likely that Hermit might attempt a push out from Rome to claim dominion over the entire Mediterranean." Isaac replied to the upbeat destroyer.

Benson's smile faded.

"What about us?" Benson asked.

"We three are going to return to the main fleet. Akashi has a matrix that we desperately need to get several girls back in the water. Plus, I have a promise to Taihou to give her body back." Isaac said.

"So just the two of us and Akashi? One battleship, one destroyer and a repair ship? Can't say I like our odds should we run into trouble, Commander." Benson said.

"I can see where you're coming from. Thankfully everyone here is capable of 30 knots. So if you keep speed, we should be able to avoid being caught up anywhere." Isaac reasoned.

Benson nodded hesitantly.

"Even so… I have a bad feeling. Perhaps we should stick to open water instead of coastlines. Something tells me that if we hug India, we could be in for a bad time." Benson voiced her concern.

Isaac scratched his head.

"Let's give Norfolk a call before we make that decision. Going that far out of the way could delay our travels by several days if not an extra week." Isaac said as he tapped his helmet.

"Akashi, can you hear me?" Isaac asked as he looked out at the repair ship, who was managing to keep speed despite having a Submarine lashed to her starboard side.

"Hai. What can Akashi do for you, Admiral?" Akashi asked.

"Contact Norfolk and connect her to my helmet. I need information." Isaac said.

"Understood. Connecting you now." Akashi said as Isaac heard static in his helmet.

"Norfolk?" Isaac asked as the static faded.

"Isaac? Were you able to save New Jersey?" Norfolk's tired voice asked.

"We were. However, I fear we have awoken another beast. I need you to check on the big guns for me. Where are the Arbiters and Sirens of importance?" Isaac asked.

"One moment please." Norfolk spoke as she made a grunting sound, indicating she was pulling herself from wherever she was resting.

"Sorry for pulling you from your rest. I will make it up to you." Isaac said.

"I know you will." Norfolk spoke softly.

"Empress has not moved from Midwest America. Strength has moved from South America and has latched onto Bermuda. Temperance has moved from Rio de Janeiro to an unmarked location in Central South America. Hermit has not spiked in energy either as she is still in Rome. What concerns me is that Purifier has been in Germany for quite some time now. Meaning she has laid waste to Russia and the Northern Parliament fleet. And Compiler has left the UK… and set up shop in India. My energy tracker has also picked up another signature at the south pole, but I am still working on decrypting who it is. Those are all the important notes regarding our enemy, Isaac." Norfolk spoke.

"I see. Thank you Norfolk. Get some rest. I'll be there in about two weeks." Isaac said before cutting the line.

"Well?" Benson asked.

"Your intuition is correct. Compiler is acting as a sentry in India. They probably moved her in response to New Jersey leaving Gibraltar. So we will have to take the long way back." Isaac said.

Benson smiled softly.

"Thank you for trusting me, Admiral." Benson said quietly.

"I trust all of you. None of you have given me any reason to doubt your intentions." Isaac spoke as he removed his helmet.

Iowa sighed.

"Something wrong, Iowa?" Isaac asked.

"Nothing much, Admiral. Just a bit upset." Iowa said.

"Anything I can do to help?" Isaac asked.

Iowa shook her head.

"I was just hoping for some more time with Jersey. And after hearing about what happened to Mo… It makes me worry for her safety all the more." Iowa lamented.

"You're worried about your sister. Nothing wrong with that. Sadly… all I can do is hope that she and the forces of Gibraltar can withstand the potential storm that Hermit could rain upon them. They only need to hold out until the assault team returns from their mission in Germany. I can't shift the entire Pacific fleet in any meaningful way without jeopardizing the other fleets and the people we have liberated. I'm hoping the two blueprints they are going to retrieve contain the power needed to decimate Hermit." Isaac said.

"Blueprints? What do you mean? My sister is risking her life while an assault team is stealing blueprints?!" Iowa cried.

"They are blueprints for ships that Otto has deemed capable of being awakened. A powerful Aircraft Carrier known as August von Parseval, and a Large Cruiser, Agir. With any luck, Observer Alpha is the one who the Sirens have left blueprints with. I heard rumors way back before the world went to hell. Perhaps we may also find Anchorage, Another large cruiser." Isaac explained.

"So you're banking on these ships being the deux ex machina to deliver the Gibraltar forces from the clutches of Hermit?" Iowa asked skeptically.

"I am. Otto spoke highly of their designers. And he mentioned some of the weapons that these vessels could bring to bear. They are definitely some heavy hitters." Isaac reiterated.

Iowa sighed again with a hand on her hip.

"Fine… I don't have a choice but to trust in your judgment… But if Jersey dies, I will end you." Iowa spoke coldly.

"I have faith that she will not go down without one hell of a fight. She survived the enforcers screwing with her instruments and launching a surprise attack, so she should be able to hit above her weight class in terms of holding out against Hermit. Our biggest concern, aside from that, is the silence from the Northern Parliament. Gangut was sent to us to request aid, and Sovetskaya Rossiya said she would remain in contact. However… I have heard nothing from anyone within her forces since she said that Graf Zeppelin was coming to join us." Isaac said.

Iowa stiffened a bit.

"Nothing? Not a word from the Ruskies?" Iowa asked.

Isaac shook his head.

"And wasn't Purifier in charge of that region, that's what Norfolk told me when I was getting to know everyone in port." Iowa said.

Isaac nodded.

"I do not want to believe that Purifier is capable of shutting down the Russian Navy… but the pieces seem to indicate that as the case… we may be walking into a graveyard of ships once we hit the Arctic." Isaac said.

"That can't be possible. All my sailors said that the Russians were some of the most die-hard soldiers they had ever heard of. The Russians held off the Blitz and clawed their way all the way back from Stalingrad to force the Germans out of Soviet land after losing more than 1,000,000 men. They fell to a single Siren?" Iowa asked.

Isaac looked at her.

"The United States is gone too… Empress has taken hold with an Iron fist. The first nation to be liberated… will be Japan when we invade to clear out the remaining Wolfpacks and low-level mass-produced sirens. Thankfully Australia has remained free, and we managed to keep the Sirens away… not without losses." Isaac said as he remembered the explosion of the Hood that took Rosie from him. And the rockets that tore apart the Warspite, leading Queen Elizabeth to sacrifice her life to save her sister ship.

Iowa's eyes darkened.

"I will not stop. Before… I thought you were just some bigwig who ordered around my Commander… But… the pain in your eyes is real. You have truly lost a piece of yourself to this war. My home has been lost. My sisters are spread throughout the world. I will not stop until I have something to call my own once more. You have earned my respect Admiral… I will give you my guns until the heat of hell warps them into uselessness. I swear this on the Iowa Class name." Iowa said with a certain anger to her tone.

Isaac smiled softly, his mind lingering on the losses he had accrued since the start of this war.

"I appreciate it, Iowa. I will do everything I can to ensure that you can see your sisters again. I only hope that they all made it. Missouri got lucky, by all accounts. And Jersey seems to be doing well… Wisconsin…I don't know. Last I heard from Nimitz, She should still be in Japanese waters." Isaac said.

"Then let us not waste any time. I want to return to the fleet so we can continue our march north." Iowa spoke as Isaac felt the ship kick to life beneath his feet.

"Aye Aye, Iowa."

"Mirror sea closing in three. Two. One." Vengeance spoke as she released her control on the mirror sea. Several seconds before, the battered hull of the Missouri splashed down in one of the empty spots in the fleet.

A collective gasp from the fleet could be felt as they all laid eyes on the war-torn hull of the American Battleship.

Musashi looked out from the Norfolk to see the battleship she would have faced.

"A great sadness bears down on this heart of mine. To see such a majestic ship be reduced to this state… it pains me so." Musashi whispered.

All eyes turned when a high-pitched roar came from the bow of the Norfolk.

Shrimpy was releasing a mechanical howl in the direction of where the Mirror Sea was, drawing everyone's eyes to see the fact that the mirror sea had yet to close.

"Vengeance, did you not close the Mirror Sea?" Zero asked.

"I did. I released control nearly a minute ago." Vengeance spoke, her tone now frantic.

Static on the radio permeated the fleet as Roon connected herself to the fleet's radio network.

"I can smell the stench of Siren… prepare for hell." Roon spoke as Perkins lifted his binoculars to see hundreds of Explorer class and Oceana class Sirens, as well a massive fleet of Drone ships, begin pouring from the mirror sea directly to the right of the fleet.

"ALL HANDS, BATTLESTATIONS! AMBUSH!" Perkins yelled over the radio as he hit the red button on Norfolk's bridge, sounding the battle alarm right before the first shells splashed down around the fleet.