"Norfolk. This is Isaac. I am giving you a direct order to contact me. I know you can hear me."
The radio went silent as Norfolk and Perkins heard Isaac's voice.
"Commander. It's a direct order. I have to answer it." Norfolk spoke as she reached towards the receiver.
"We can't risk giving his position away." Perkins tried.
"I can't refuse his order, Commander. I'm sorry." Norfolk spoke as she activated her radio and cleared her voice.
"Isaac. This is Norfolk. I'm here." Norfolk spoke.
"Thank god for that. What the hell is going on over there?!" Isaac demanded.
"The situation is under control, Admiral." Perkins spoke.
"I swear to god, if someone doesn't answer me, there will be hell to pay." Isaac spoke angrily.
"The mirror sea used to transport the Missouri was hijacked by Empress and her Enforcer. They have been assaulting the main fleet for the past 48 hours." Norfolk spoke quickly before Perkins could say anything.
"So, she was telling the truth. Is there any way to get us back there?" Isaac asked.
"No… Under orders from the acting Commander, the Mirror Sea generator was destroyed in an attempt to force the mirror sea to close." Norfolk spoke.
"I see. An understandable reaction. That said… I am still within the borders of the Indian Ocean according to Iowa. I cannot make it to you any faster without risking her engines and boilers." Isaac said.
"We are handling it another way, Admiral… although… I feel the need to tell you that you won't like it." Perkins admitted.
"That doesn't sound good, Perkins. Lay it out for me." Isaac spoke cautiously.
"Well… under advisement from Zero… we have opted to use one of the smaller Wisdom munitions in an attempt to disrupt the other side of the mirror sea, forcing it to collapse in on itself." Perkins spoke.
"Small as in what…" Isaac asked pointedly.
Perkins sighed, ready to accept his fate.
"A five hundred pound bomb to be dropped by Jager into the Mirror Sea. He has already taken off and has been slowly making his way towards the Exit point with help from Enterprise's fighters." Perkins spoke.
"Five hundred pounds?! If my memory serves me correctly, it only took a one hundred pounder to take out the Super battleship drones! What the hell made you think a five hundred pounder was a legitimate option?!" Isaac roared.
"I was advised that the charge needed to be enough to damage Empress and her Enforcer… with enough residual energy to reduce the stability of the mirror sea. The munition was chosen by Vengeance… I assume she chose the smallest one that would be needed." Perkins said hesitantly.
The line went silent for a full two minutes. During which time, Norfolk and Perkins looked at each other nervously.
"Norfolk. Where is Empress right now?" Isaac asked coldly.
"Puget Sound Naval Yards in Bremerton Washington." Norfolk spoke.
"And how many people could this affect?" Isaac asked.
"Thirty-five thousand people in the immediate vicinity… possibly hundreds more…" Norfolk spoke.
"Perkins. I don't feel like I should have to say this for you to understand… but if your plan kills those people… their blood is on your hands too. I will not shoulder that responsibility alone." Isaac spoke coldly.
"Y-yes sir." Perkins spoke as he and Norfolk watched as Jager's plane reached it's target. A last hurrah from the drone fleet's Anti-air defense put several holes in Jager's wings forcing him to bail from the cockpit, sending the now flaming wreckage of his tattered plane through the mirror sea and into the great unknown. Jager miraculously managed to plunge into the ocean between two battleship drones, whose guns could not elevate low enough to target him, sparing his life for the moment.
"Empress, something is coming through." Harvest spoke right before the flaming wreckage of a damaged ME 155A impacted the waters of Puget sound.
"A single flaming aircraft?" Empress asked moments before her eyes caught a glimpse of a rapidly growing glow of blue light.
"Evade!" Empress roared, tearing her focus away from the mirror sea and pouring all her attention into raising her shields. Harvest did the same as the two high ranking elites backed off as far as they could before the world around them went white.
In mere moments, the waters of Puget Sound Naval Yard were evaporated by a massive explosion centered around the sunken wreckage. Buildings were wiped from existence and foliage charred through instantly. The thirty-five thousand souls of Bremerton, Washington were snuffed out in moments as a massive mushroom cloud rose quickly into the atmosphere, releasing several hundred pounds of radioactive wisdom dust into the winds.
As the wind from the detonation died down and the light similarly vanished, Empress and Harvest released their shields, allowing them to see the damage caused.
"I did not know he would be so bold. But considering all he has done so far… it should have been anticipated." Empress spoke as she looked around.
"He has utilized a devastating weapon in order to force our hand. But how will he cope knowing that this destruction was caused by his own hand?" Empress added as she looked where the mirror sea used to be.
"Shall we continue the assault, Empress?" Harvest asked as she attempted to activate another mirror sea.
"We can't. The detonation of that weapon has damaged our rigging enough to prevent an immediate counter attack. Perhaps the troops we sent will be enough." Empress spoke spitefully, knowing full well that their attack would not be so prosperous.
Norfolk shuddered as she felt the energy spike hit her sensors.
"The mirror sea has collapsed, Admiral." Perkins reported.
"We will speak upon my arrival, Captain. Secure the safety of the fleet and transfer command to Odin until I arrive. We have now entered an age where these sorts of weapons will become commonplace, our enemy has now seen that we can produce these weapons and now view us as a legitimate threat… if they haven't already. The blame ultimately falls to me… but I will not take responsibility for the orders that led to its use on this day. I hope you are prepared for the consequences." Isaac spoke morbidly before cutting the line.
Perkins slammed his hand on the desk out of frustration.
"Orders, Commander?" Norfolk asked timidly.
"Send the enemy to the bottom. Finish the fight… at least we can do that much." Perkins spoke as Norfolk relayed the orders.