Crack

A gunshot rang out over the sounds of battle as an Explorer that had managed to penetrate the battleship shell was put down in short order. All eyes looked to the Yamato, where the sound had originated.

"Yamato, I appreciate your help in allowing me to utilize this vantage point." Michael spoke softly as to not disrupt his aim. He and Yamato had ran from the Norfolk when the sirens had been sounded. Michael had suggested using the top of Yamato's superstructure as a vantage point for their defensive measures. Yamato was hesitant, but ultimately agreed after some gentle coaxing from Michael.

"I do not understand how what I am doing is helping… but if I can be of use to the man who saved me… I will do what I can." Yamato replied softly.

"Your sisters can make up for you not firing your guns in retaliation. I need your vessel to remain still. Just keep pointing out targets for me. I'll put them down." Michael replied as Yamato looked out towards the edge of the battleship ring.

"Cruiser class Siren, Oceana. She's attempting to push in between Odin and Pennsylvania." Yamato spoke softly.

After a moment of calculation, Michael drew a breath and held it, waiting for his heart to beat before squeezing the trigger and sending a 20mm shell flying into the chest cavity of the offending Oceana class Siren, decimating the Siren and tearing her body in two, sending the remains to the depths in short order.

"You have good aim, Michael." Yamato spoke as she stood behind him, her kimono billowing in the smoke filled air.

"I was trained relentlessly in marksmanship. That in coordination with this talent I seem to possess makes me an efficient sniper in these circumstances." Michael said as he looked to her, giving his eyes a moment to rest.

"You fight hard for this Admiral. Why? Are you not German by birth? He is of the Union. Are you not enemies?" Yamato asked as she scanned for any infiltrating Sirens.

"I fight because he allows me to. He trusts me to protect his family, this fleet. We're both human. Nationality doesn't matter. Sure Germany and America fought each other during the war… but I hold no grudge against him. Why did you choose to stay?" Michael flipped the question.

Yamato was caught flat footed.

"He saved my life. He saved the lives of my sisters… I owe him a debt that cannot be repaid in this life or the next." Yamato spoke.

"Do you truly believe that? Do you think he holds that against you?" Michael asked.

Yamato shook her head.

"I may not have known him for long… but he does not seem to be the kind of person to hold something like that against someone… I guess… I am holding it against myself. To show him that I am grateful for his compassion." Yamato spoke softly as she lifted her arm to point.

"Pair of explorers have made it past Musashi's Stern." Yamato notified.

Michael turned to his sights and readjusted. Less than thirty seconds later, another gunshot rang out, sending the 20mm through the first Explorer, where the shell fragmented and blasted out the back of the first Explorer, only to shotgun into the second, throwing the second Explorer back into the rear plating of Musashi's hull. Yamato, using her onboard binoculars, saw the neck of the Explorer crumble after being thrown with such force.

"Both are down." Yamato confirmed.

"You're grateful for his compassion. That I can understand. He could have arrested Jager, Amagi and myself upon finding us. But he trusted us from the start, not exactly the smartest move when the Sirens want him dead more than anything else…" Michael trailed off.

"Something wrong?" Yamato asked.

"Yeah. That's Ben down with Kashino… What the hell is he doing?" Michael asked.

Down below, a pair of Mk2 Lurkers had made it past the submarines of Isaac's fleet and had boarded the Sakura Munitions ship. Ben stood at the bow ready to receive them.

"Wrong move, fuckers." Ben spoke as he aimed his rifle at the two sirens. Their riggings immediately fired a blast of plasma each, ripping the rifle from his hands upon impact.

"Oh, so you want it to be personal… I can get behind that." Ben spoke as Kashino ran onto the deck.

"Ben!" Kashino yelled.

"Get below deck! I'll keep them at bay!" Ben yelled as one of the Lurkers ran towards Kashino, only to fall face first onto the deck. Looking back, The lurker saw that her left foot was trapped beneath Ben's and was twisted at an impossible angle.

"Stay away from my wife, Siren scum." Ben spoke as he brought the heel of his combat issued boot down on the Siren's head, crushing it with a strength unmatched by most humans in the fleet.

Kashino recoiled slightly at all the bloody chunks of bone that now sat stabbed into her deck.

"Okay… but please don't do that again. I don't want to have to pull bone fragments from my deck boards…" Kashino spoke as she tossed Ben her own personal sword.

"It's sharp… may it serve you well." Kashino spoke as she looked Ben in the eye.

"You two will not be harmed. I will gladly give my life to see it so." Ben spoke as Kashino ran off to get below deck.

The other Lurker watched as Ben unsheathed a sword that was nearly as tall as he was.

"Want to try your luck, shitlips?" Ben spoke, rolling his shoulder to loosen the tense muscles.

The lurker fired another blast of plasma from her rigging, only for Ben to block it with the decapitated body of the Siren he had just murdered.

Michael could hear the screams of the siren as she was hacked to pieces by Ben in his rage induced fury.

"Quite… brutal." Yamato commented.

"Agreed… though, while I will never admit it… he's saved my skin more times than I care to recall. All those nights alone in these very waters, under the cover of fog. Pirates would attempt to raid Amagi for whatever she had. Ben killed them all to keep Amagi, Jager and I safe. Most of the time, they were dead before we could do anything to assist him, only to find him drinking whatever swill the pirates carried with them. There was, however, one time in particular that I remember getting above deck just in time to watch him turn a man's head nearly 270 degrees in a single motion. You… don't see many men with that kind of anger." Michael said.

"Agreed. Perhaps when this assault dies down… you and I can talk about him… and you. I was only brought to life a few weeks ago… so it seems I have a lot of catching up to do." Yamato spoke as she scanned the area.

"Jager is taking off as well. I wonder what he's doing." Michael said as Jager took off in his ME-155A from the flight deck of the Enterprise.

"I can radio him, if you would like." Yamato spoke softly.

"Please." Michael requested.

"Jager?" Yamato's voice sounded off in the cockpit.

"Frau Yamato." Wilhelm spoke shortly as he rocked his wings shortly after takeoff.

"What orders have you been given? Michael is wondering." Yamato spoke.

"I was ordered to survey the battlefield with the carriers. Kind of boring… but I will do what I must." Wilhelm said as a squadron of Skyraiders took off and formed up behind him.

"Surveillance? That's all?" Yamato asked.

"Unfortunately. Commander Perkins shows no desire to push harder than we must. I do not blame him for not wanting to hemorrhage men and ships, but we will be worn down if nothing is done. We will not survive five days of this." Wilhelm replied.

Yamato closed her eyes.

"Four hours since this began… I agree. The fact that we have to keep rotating our battleships, and the fact that our destroyers spend more time inside the shell than outside it, it's clear that we are being overwhelmed." Yamato spoke as she watched the battleships on the furthest point of the circle retreat, allowing some of the other battleships to take their place. Odin and Friedrich were among those pulling back.

"Perhaps the Commander is thinking of something?" Yamato spoke.

"I hope so… this could get bad if we make even one mistake." Wilhelm spoke as he cut the line, diving low to strafe the Explorers that had gotten through after Odin and Friedrich retreated back towards the Bulins's tugboat.

"Mama. Are you okay?" Chief asked as Friedrich stepped off her own vessel and sat against the railing of the Tug-o-War.

Friedrich shook her head.

"Too many torpedoes in the water. My shields can't keep up with this much fire." Friedrich admitted as a small three-man team of Bulins jumped onto Friedrich's vessel to begin working on emergency repairs. Odin jumped to the deck.

"What will we do, Vice Commander?" Chief asked as she tended to Friedrich's bruises.

"I don't know. We don't know enough about Mirror Seas to be able to even formulate a plot against them. Perhaps if my husband had decided to research them before using them so willy nilly…" Odin spoke, voicing her frustration.

"Vice Commander… while he may have been hasty, we have done a lot of good using these Mirror Seas. He cannot be held fully accountable. If there was a risk of this happening, the people who would know best would be the resident Sirens." Friedrich said.

"Agreed. But with what Norfolk told us, that Mirror Sea won't close until Empress and her enforcer allow it. So, unless we come up with something, we are completely at their mercy." Odin said.

"Thankfully our Dear Husband is away… I can only imagine how hard he would be taking this… and how hard we would have to push to keep him off the front line." Friedrich said.

"Agreed." Odin said as she closed her eyes, tapping out a message to the fleet at large.

"What did you do?" Friedrich asked as she felt the message come in.

"I told everyone that they are barred from contacting Isaac. This will only add undue stress. And if Empress can hijack our Mirror Seas… then it stands to reason that she could listen in on our long-range communications and pinpoint Isaac." Odin deduced.

Friedrich nodded.

"I agree… We will fight harder to repel this attack." Friedrich spoke as four more Bulins came up from the lower decks of the Tug.

"Ready to fight, Mama." The Bulins spoke.

Friedrich looked over the Bulins.

"I'll have to return to the gun line… I can't fight with you this time." Friedrich said.

"Mama. I cannot allow your vessel to leave the inner circle. You've lost your steering gear and we have found several cracks in your torpedo belt. You will have to fight without your vessel until we can repair it." Chief spoke.

"Mama… ready now?" The Bulins asked with blank smiles.

Friedrich sighed but smiled happily.

"Yes. If my vessel needs repairs, then I guess we shift our target." Friedrich spoke as she activated her rigging, allowing the Bulins to clamor onto the serpents with ease.

"Have fun." Odin said with a shake of her head as she waved the five fighters farewell.

Friedrich nodded and leapt from the deck of the Tug and went towards the battleship ring to engage the Siren Elites that were pouring past the battleships still scrambling to close the loop.