Iowa pulled alongside the relatively clean hull of the Norfolk before heading out into the fleet to help put out fires using her hoses and water cannons. Isaac was allowed to disembark along with Lizzy before Iowa went her own way. The moment Isaac came onto the bridge, the atmosphere became tense as Norfolk, Zero and Perkins were all there waiting for him.

Isaac set his helmet on the table and walked to his chair.

"Perkins. I will not punish you for what has occurred in my absence. I feel like the weight of doing what you were forced to do will be punishment enough. That said… I would like for you to offload any personal effects you have and transfer them to the Island of Cebu. From the looks of things, the battle managed to stay away from the mainland… so the construction of the base we are establishing here hasn't been affected too greatly. You and Kaga will be remaining here along with a few ships that I have yet to select. I feel that with this victory… you have also acquired a few skeletons in your closet that you will need time to sort through. I cannot say that a congratulations is in order… but I will not deny that you managed to defend the fleet from critical or fatal damage. Well done." Isaac spoke, his tone more soft than formal, as if he were discussing this with a friend as opposed to giving an order.

"Sir… I…"

"No need to try and explain it, Perkins. You did what you had to do for the good of this fleet. It's never an easy choice… to choose between the deaths of a few and the deaths of many when the greater good is on the line… But we can no longer change what has occurred… so we must live with our actions, and the consequences that follow. That said… I am removing you from command in this fleet and transferring you to the forward operating post here in the Philippines. You will have command of a small section of ships ranging from Carrier to Submarine, and you will be tasked with running this installation as you would Pearl Harbor. It is a Military compound under the command of Azur Lane. I expect it to be run with precision and excellence." Isaac spoke, this time a bit more firm to get the point across.

"Yes, sir." Perkins spoke. His tone was one of confliction and confusion, as if he were expecting something far worse than the cards he had been dealt.

"Iowa will likely need to talk with you. And I am sure Kaga has been awaiting you since my return. You're dismissed, Commander." Isaac spoke, adding the last bit to hopefully raise Perkins's spirits.

"Thank you, Admiral." Perkins said as he made his way off the bridge.

Isaac sighed and took a breath before turning to see Norfolk making her way over to him.

"Norfolk, you look beat." Isaac whispered as he took her into his arms.

"I'm very tired, Isaac." Norfolk spoke as she laid her head on his chest.

"Go ahead and catch some sleep. That's an order." Isaac joked as he laid a soft kiss on her cheek.

"I'll be waiting." Norfolk whispered as she put on a soft yet warm smile before heading down the hall towards her quarters.

"From the sounds of it, I might be in for a long night…" Isaac spoke softly to himself.

"Isaac." Zero spoke.

"So… we've shown our hand. Tell me Zero… has this happened before?" Isaac asked.

Zero shook her head.

"No. You have never managed to create weapons from the Wisdom Dust. Every timeline where this was attempted ended with you dying from radiation poisoning or from an accidental detonation… like from Lizzy's timeline." Zero explained.

"Who really made the call?" Isaac asked.

"It was Perkins. I merely suggested it be used to destabilize the Mirror Sea. However, I believe that the plane carrying the weapon was shot down and went through the Mirror Sea, detonating on the other side. The Mission was a success, but from what little I know of Empress's base in Bremerton Washington, where Norfolk confirmed the opening of the Mirror Sea to be, the detonation of that five hundred pound bomb has likely decimated the town of Bremerton. We should count ourselves lucky should we come across any survivors from this event." Zero explained.

"So more than likely… Bremerton was a total loss?" Isaac asked.

"More than likely…" Zero responded.

"I see. A town of thirty-five thousand people… gone. I'd like to take time when we reach Japan to honor those we have lost so far." Isaac spoke as a pair of footsteps came to his ears.

"That would not be a problem, Admiral. We'd be happy to show you some of the finest temples from which to show respects." Musashi's voice was heard.

Isaac turned to see Musashi and Odin standing in the doorway.

"How is everyone? Is everyone accounted for?" Isaac asked.

Musashi nodded.

"The most heavily damaged are the Pennsylvania class sisters, Friedrich, Texas and Odin. They took most of the punishment." Musashi said as Odin looked at her.

"You weren't supposed to tell him, damn fox." Odin muttered quietly.

Isaac stood and walked over to Odin and pulled her close.

"I would have found out anyway, Odin. How bad is it?" Isaac asked as he knelt down to get face to face.

"I have a couple holes below the waterline that I'm managing to keep sealed using my shields. The pumps haven't lost power thankfully. I told the bulins to help the others first before attempting to repair my hull. Friedrich took more damage than I did… so much so that Chief refused to allow her to sail during the second half of the battle. She's the one you need to be worried about, Isaac." Odin spoke with a soft blush.

"Nonsense. I'm worried about every single one of you. I have Akashi producing a new batch of Bulins. Your hull will be their maiden challenge. Norfolk is laying down in her quarters. I suggest you get some rest. I'm sure Musashi can help keep the Odin afloat should the need arise." Isaac teased.

Odin pouted a bit.

"I think I will stay right here, Kommandant. After all, I'm still the Vice Admiral of this fleet." Odin spoke proudly.

Isaac smiled and removed her cap to ruffle her hair.

"And this Vice Admiral did a fine job keeping the fleet protected and coordinated. I'm proud of you, Odin." Isaac spoke, feeling awkward to be giving such praise to a mature battleship. Her facial expressions however, told him that she didn't mind being credited for such things.

Isaac then stood to face Musashi who had taken to leaning against the wall as she waited for him.

"How about you? Any damage to report?" Isaac asked.

"Just a few scratches. Nothing major. Just felt like I'd assist the Vice Admiral in getting over here since she seemed desperate to do so." Musashi teased.

Isaac chuckled a bit before a glare from Odin shut him down.

"I see. Perhaps I should take the time to go and survey the fleet. I also have to see who is remaining here with Perkins." Isaac said as Odin nodded and summoned her rigging.

"I can carry you, Isaac." Odin spoke.

"Why don't you save your energy? Musashi? Would you mind being our escort?" Isaac asked.

"Not at all, Admiral. It makes me happy to feel needed, even for such a mundane task." Musashi spoke as her massive rigging took shape.

"Then let us head to the Richthofen. I see her rigging dragging what looks to be my Ace Pilot from the bay." Isaac said as the three of them headed out.

"Thanks for the lift, Frau Richthofen." Wilhelm spoke as he emptied the water from his mask. Her massive rigging coiling up behind her before shimmering out of existence.

"Not a problem. You helped save our skin, the least I can do is return the favor for a fellow countryman. Here." Richthofen spoke as she tossed him a coarse towel.

"You have a habit of carrying these around?" Wilhelm asked as he began drying himself off on her flight deck.

"When you command your own planes and have a tendency to fall into the drink more often than you do landing back on the flight deck, waiting to air dry gets annoying, especially in this thing." Richthofen spoke as she unbuttoned the outer coat of her uniform allowing for a gray undershirt to be seen.

"I see." Wilhelm spoke as a pair of footsteps made the two of them turn.

"Ah, the Kommandant has returned." Richthofen said as she began to button her coat.

"No need for formalities, Richthofen. How are you feeling?" Isaac asked.

"Right as rain, Kommandant. Shame I couldn't do more during the last battle." Richthofen replied.

"I'm sure you did everything you could given the suddenness and severity of the attack. Jager, I see you're dripping half the ocean onto the flight deck, what happened?" Isaac asked.

"My plane got shot down, Admiral. Thankfully I managed to complete my mission… shame I won't be able to fly again." Wilhelm spoke, his tone steady but hinting at sadness.

"I don't recall saying you can't fly. But I have a feeling that compared to a custom fighter, you'd rather be a ground fighter than an ace." Isaac spoke.

"My plane was a parting gift when I defected… less gift and more of a spoil of war. But I have come to know it very well… seeing it gone forever is sad." Wilhelm replied.

"Well… why don't you talk to Vengeance and Richthofen here? I'm sure with the knowledge you three possess, you could create something that you'd be more than comfortable flying. After hearing that you managed to overfly the enemy fleet to put that bomb where it was needed, I'd say it would be a damn shame to lose an Ace over something as simple as a destroyed plane." Isaac said as he turned out to the fleet.

"I'll… give it some thought, Sir." Wilhelm said as Isaac nodded.

"Let's head over to the Vestal. I'm sure she has most of our heavily wounded aboard." Isaac said as he, Odin and Musashi took to the waves again.

"We're about three thousand meters from the shoreline. This is as close as I am comfortable getting us, I can practically feel the sand scraping my hull." Brooklyn said.

"Well, let's not beach ourselves, Brook." Cole said jovially as he poked her cheek.

"Just get to the damn life boats… dummy." Brooklyn spoke with a fierce blush crossing her cheeks.

To Cole's surprise, Lucia and the fifty men from Nimitz's crew had already assembled by the life boats and were awaiting his order.

"Alright. We're going to drop here and have Brooklyn cover our approach with her vessel before she returns it to the armada. We go in slow since this fog is too thick to see effectively. We'll form up on the beach and head for the nearest tree line before we get spotted. With any luck, we'll find the American crews quickly and be able to meet up with Nimitz at the rendezvous point." Cole explained the plan.

A round of nods lead to him continuing.

"Then get these boats loaded. We haven't been detected yet, and I'd like to keep our element of surprise for as long as we can." Cole said as everyone scrambled to get the boats loaded and in the water.