Isaac, Odin, and Musashi all stepped onto the deck of the Vestal, quickly making their way below deck to the multitude of hospital bays specially designed for the Kansen. The medical bay was a flourish of activity and noise as Isaac entered with his escorts. However, it was a certain voice that drew Isaac's attention.
"Gottverdammt, Frau Roon! I am injured! Not a chain of bratwurst. Could you help without tossing me about?" Friedrich hissed in a tone that was highly uncharacteristic of her usual motherly tone.
"I am sorry, Frau Friedrich. I figured you didn't like to be held like that, so I put you down, as requested." Roon retorted.
"I have half a mind to teach you how to treat the injured…" Friedrich hissed again as Isaac saw her cradling her arm.
"Roon. Over here." Isaac spoke firmly, causing all the noise in the medical bay to grind to a halt.
Roon lifted her head to look at Isaac.
"Have I done something wrong, Kommandant?" Roon asked.
"Not at all. I want you over at the Enterprise with Akashi. We're going to restore your vessel, and in order to do that, you need to be there." Isaac explained.
Roon's eyes lit up as a happy smile crossed her face.
"Thank you, Kommandant!" Roon cried as she enveloped Isaac in another perfectly calibrated hug. The moment she let go had seen Isaac taking a step after her before returning to his senses.
Isaac shook his head and walked over to where Friedrich had been laid in a hospital bed.
"What happened here?" Isaac asked as he sat on an empty portion of the bed.
"My dear Husband… It seems I took a small bit of damage during this past battle." Friedrich admitted, showing off numerous bruises and a broken arm.
Isaac shook his head.
"Can't leave you girls alone, can I?" Isaac joked as he placed a finger gently on her broken arm, causing the battleship to wince slightly.
"Looks like it well and truly is broken." Isaac spoke as he poked his head out the curtain.
"Vestal? Can you come here if you're not too terribly busy?" Isaac called.
"I'll be there soon, Commander. I'm bandaging up Arizona right now so that she can assist in restoring the injuries of the fleet." Vestal called back.
Isaac smiled and turned his attention back to Friedrich.
"Looks like I get to take care of you this time… at least for a little bit." Isaac said with a smile as he poured Friedrich a glass of water to help her drink.
Friedrich blushed fiercely at his proclamation.
"Preposterous… to think my Dear Husband would be the one to pamper me." Friedrich spoke as she allowed Isaac to bring the glass to her lips before taking a long sip of the water.
"So, how did you manage this, Friedrich? I've seen your fist break a steel bulkhead before." Isaac spoke as he took an apple from the fruit basket by her bed and began peeling an apple.
"It's really embarrassing… but I broke it trying to protect my little ones." Friedrich spoke.
"The Bulins?" Isaac asked.
Friedrich nodded.
"Yeah. The Peace Breakers that came through the defensive line were targeting my little ones. I had to protect them since their bodies wouldn't be able to stand up to a Peace Breaker's attacks." Friedrich explained.
"What's so embarrassing about that?" Isaac asked jovially as he cut the peeled apple into wedges.
"That such a weak enemy could injure me like this. It is embarrassing." Friedrich spoke.
Musashi stood behind all of this, her eyes not leaving Isaac for even a moment.
"He is so kind to them. They could crush him at any time, like that suspicious looking cruiser from earlier… but yet he is so kind. Forgive me, little sister… but I think I may be after more than just time in bed with him now." Musashi thought to herself as a small smile crept across her lips.
"You're thinking about it, aren't you?" Odin asked.
"Huh?" Musashi asked, pulled out of her headspace by Odin's question.
"I've seen that look on Shinano before. Right before she told us that she planned on marrying him. You're thinking about it, aren't you?" Odin pushed.
Musashi blushed.
"Quite uncivilized for a Vice Commander, don't you think?" Musashi tried.
"Right now, I'm in no real position to be the Vice Commander. Right now… I'm just Odin." Odin spoke as Musashi looked at her curiously.
"Why do you say that?" Musashi asked.
Odin shook her head.
"You won't change the subject that easily, foxy. He's a great guy. And he will accept you if you ask him. He has said that he loves everyone in the fleet. But I know for certain that he only marries those who love him as well. If your feelings don't betray you, make your move. The sooner the better. None of us know when we may sink." Odin said as she stumbled a bit.
"Vice Commander?" Musashi asked, the lighthearted mood now long gone after seeing Odin falter.
"My shields are finally giving out. I can feel my hull slowly filling with water. Looks like the bulins haven't managed to patch it yet." Odin said with a faint smile.
Musashi's eyes flashed around the room.
She saw an empty bed next to Friedrich.
Within moments, Odin was in her arms and being walked towards the bed.
"My feelings can come once you are safe, Vice Commander." Musashi whispered, noticing the ring on her hand.
"I'm sure the Admiral would be more favorable to my request if he is not in grieving." Musashi spoke as she laid Odin on the bed, drawing attention from Friedrich and Isaac.
"Musashi?" Isaac asked.
"I must go, Admiral. Odin's hull is taking on water quickly. She no longer has the energy to project her shields to keep the water out." Musashi explained as she poked her head out.
"Union Repair Vessel. The Vice Commander has fallen and needs immediate attention." Musashi yelled as Vestal poked her head out of a curtain further into the Medical bay.
"I'll be right there. I just finished up with Arizona." Vestal said as Musashi nodded and turned for the door.
"I will need to speak with you later, Admiral. But for now, I must save our Vice Commander." Musashi said as she ran as quickly as her feet could carry her while maintaining the elegance that enveloped her entire character.
Isaac's eyes fell to Odin.
"You didn't tell me that you were injured so severely." Isaac spoke as he adjusted his chair to be within arms reach of both of his Ironblood Battleships.
"You have enough on your plate… I thought I could hold out a bit longer…" Odin said as Friedrich turned to her.
"You took more damage than I did. They couldn't pierce my hull, they only cracked the plating. You took much more punishment than I did." Friedrich spoke.
"Friedrich?!" Odin cried as Odin turned to see Isaac looking directly at her.
"Vestal! Double time!" Isaac yelled.
The sound of running was heard before the curtain was thrown open.
"Where am I needed most, Commander?" Vestal asked.
"Odin took more than her fair share of damage according to Friedrich. She no longer has the energy to project her shields and she is actively sinking. I want her stabilized, now." Isaac spoke.
Vestal nodded.
"I will do what I can. If we can keep her vessel from sinking, that should help greatly with stabilizing her." Vestal spoke.
"On it." Isaac spoke as he turned to Friedrich.
"I will return after I help the bulins patch up Odin." Isaac spoke.
"Do what you must, Dear Husband. I will find you when I can move again." Friedrich said as Isaac took off after Musashi.
Isaac quickly caught up to Musashi before she leapt to the waves of the bay.
"Admiral?" Musashi asked.
"The Bulins haven't gotten to the Odin yet. Get me over there and call Kashino. She has all of our excess material to repair the fleet." Isaac ordered.
"Understood, Admiral." Musashi said as she placed him on her rigging and jumped to the ocean.
As they made their way across the bay, Musashi found herself staring more and more at Isaac's stern expression.
"Forgive me asking Admiral… why are you going to the Odin?" Musashi asked.
"Before Azur Lane. Before the Sirens. I was a Mechanic. I fixed ships for a living. So until the bulins are ready and able to work, I will do what I can to stave off the flooding of the Odin." Isaac said.
"Don't you need a drydock?!" Musashi asked, numerous worst case scenarios ran through her mind.
"If you tie the Odin to your hull, you can help keep a lot of the water from rushing in. Odin said her pumps are working well enough, but not enough to prevent the vessel from sinking if the rest of her shields give out. So we have to begin the repairs right away." Isaac said.
"How does me tying her vessel help like that?" Musashi asked as Isaac pointed to the Odin.
"It's listing into the flooding. Keep it stable so I can work." Isaac said as he watched the Kashino pull up to the Odin.
"Good, Kashino's here with the material. I see a few of our more veteran Bulins as well. Good. Until we get backup, this'll do." Isaac said as a crack filled the air.
Isaac whipped his head around to see the characteristic blue rigging of an Explorer sink below the waves.
"You might want to shift your focus to protecting the Admiral, little sister." Yamato's voice was heard.
"I felt the wind from that!" Isaac yelled.
"Sorry, Admiral. I put it down as far from you as I could." Michael's voice was heard.
"I appreciate it, but a warning next time would be greatly appreciated." Isaac spoke.
"Told you there was one more." Yamato was heard talking to Michael before the radio cut out.
"Are you okay, Admiral?" Musashi asked.
"I'll be fine. Let's get on with the repairs." Isaac said as he put on his helmet. The hiss of the suit pressurizing was followed by the sound of oxygen leaving a pressurized tank. Isaac's suit had activated its internal oxygen stores so that he could dive freely. Musashi then allowed him to jump from her rigging into the water to get at the holes in Odin's hull.
"Everyone, keep it quiet. We're getting close to the beach. We have to be ready to engage the moment our feet hit the sand." Cole spoke, using just enough bass to project his voice through the fog to his men.
"Got it, Cole." Brooklyn spoke softly as she activated her rigging and put herself between Cole and the beachfront.
"I just said be ready." Cole whispered as he kissed the shell of her ear.
"Shh. I hear something." Brooklyn whispered.
Cole motioned for his men to stop rowing and to keep still.
"What do you hear?" Cole asked.
"It sounds… like someone speaking Dutch?" Brooklyn asked.
Cole shrugged.
"Let's go see what that's about." Cole said as another motion to his men had them slipping over the sides of the boats and into the shallow water, wading towards the beach with their rifles ready for war.