After the fight with Natalie, Gneisenau sat on the log opposite Cole and Brooklyn as they waited for the group at large to figure out a game plan. Gneisenau and Brooklyn both perked up the moment they saw movement towards Cole. Brooklyn stood to guard Cole before they both realized it was Ania, which made Brooklyn even more cautious.
"Excuse me… Sergeant." Ania spoke, drawing Cole's attention. Before he could answer, Brooklyn spoke up.
"Go away, Siren. I'm not alone this time, so unless you want to end up like that dutch woman over there, I'd suggest just staying away from us." Brooklyn snapped.
Ania turned to face Brooklyn. Her yellow eyes boring into the Cruiser, causing Brooklyn to tense up. Out of the corner of her eye, Brooklyn saw Gneisenau brace her hand on the log, ready to engage at a moment's notice.
"I would like to apologize to you, Brooklyn of Eagle Union. My actions were uncalled for, even in the face of your emotional outburst. I may be on your side… but it does not erase the fact that at my very core, though I may be defective, I am still a Siren… and a powerful one at that. I deserve your hatred just as much as Empress deserves mine. You kansen were created to fight for humanity against threats that they could not face alone… and my kind is one of those threats. So… I am sorry for accosting you." Ania spoke. Her words shocked both Gneisenau and Brooklyn alike, who had never before seen a siren this complacent.
With a sigh and a twisted expression, lost somewhere between guilt and disgust, Brooklyn walked over to Ania and gingerly placed her hands on the Siren's shoulders.
"Look… it isn't just you. I hate the Sirens in general… you may be a good person… and for all I know about you so far… you're probably a good person. But you are a good person lost in a sea of people that I would rather watch burn to ashes than stand and hold a conversation with. I despise the Sirens… both on principle as a Kansen, and for what they took from me. When I saw your eyes… that moment flashed before me. Her face. Her cries. Her final words to me. Your eyes and your face reminded me of the people who killed her… so when I saw you here, among those that my Commander saw as friendly people… I merely sought to protect him and those I hold dear… I refuse to lose another." Brooklyn spoke.
Ania nodded.
"Then as a token of good will… would you please stand here and listen? I have some important things to explain to Sergeant Cole that could help clear things up between us." Ania spoke.
Brooklyn held her breath for a moment but eventually relented.
Cole smiled at this development. He stood and walked over to Brooklyn and ruffled her hair before turning to the Siren.
"If it is important enough to expose yourself to Brooklyn again, then I will gladly hear you out. I trust Brooklyn's judgment.
Ania stood silent for a moment as she collected her thoughts.
"Thank you for giving me a chance, sir. The way Natalie is now… it's because of me. Between Natalie losing her family, to her wife being held by Observer Alpha. It all stems from my existence here…" Ania spoke, causing some visible confusion from both Brooklyn and Cole.
"I will not be joining her after we manage to save her wife. Either by decomposition… or by fate. I will not survive the mission Natalie has set herself up to perform. I know this, but I will give everything I have to help her dreams become a reality, Sergeant. You see… before I was tossed into this timeline… my original timeline faced the Sirens too. I was made in that timeline… but was defective at birth. I found… my original Natalie in that timeline. But she died in my arms because I was too weak to protect her. I was… instrumental in her downfall as well. She died because the upgrades she received from me… took over her mind and turned her into a monster. In the end… she was in the wrong place at the right time… she took a bullet meant for me." Ania spoke. Brooklyn looked conflicted as she listened to this Siren speak.
"I… I do not wish to die. But I was born as a weapon. Weapons do not… cannot die. We break. We rust. We fall into disrepair… We malfunction… We become defective. I was an Oceana class Siren… a mass produced model in a timeline far different from this one. But over the years… I've changed. I've rebuilt so many systems and overridden so many procedures that I don't think I can call myself an Oceana anymore. Natalie… she's still human… I haven't done anything more than repair damage that has been done to her body during my time of knowing her in this timeline. She is what controls me though… and I fear that her mind is being corrupted… just like my original Natalie. The longer I am alive… the more likely she is to become a monster." Ania said as Cole looked at Brooklyn.
"Brook… you getting any of this?" Cole asked, causing Ania to look at cole in mild shock, as if he wasn't comprehending.
"Yeah… she is saying that this is her final mission. She wants to help Natalie find her lost lover… before finally saying goodbye to the world of the living. She fears that her very existence is what is killing Natalie from the inside. The whole bit about timelines is confusing… but I think I understand." Brooklyn said.
"So basically, Ania here is just trying to help who she can." Cole summed it up further.
"Yes. In just as few words, you're correct." Gneisenau chimed in, proving that she had been listening.
"Loss is my driving force. I lost my world due to the ones that created me. Observer Alpha is my enemy… and if I can take others down with her… then that will be a fair enough trade to end my life with… I have but one request in the event of my inevitable death, be it during or after this raid that we have decided to help you with." Ania said as she reached into her cloak and pulled out a blue roll of paper. Brooklyn immediately identified it.
"A blueprint?" Brooklyn asked.
"Yes. It is one I have carried for quite some time… and I had meant to help Natalie use it to enhance the vessel of her wife, Van Kinsbergen. However, I will more than likely not live long enough to fulfill that desire. I want you to deliver this to them once Van Kinsbergen is safe and you are out of Germany. And please… do not leave Natalie alone. She sees me as a good friend… and losing me will not be easy for her." Ania spoke.
"Have you not told her any of this?" Cole asked.
"I have not… I feel like she may know already… but if she does, she is good at not showing it. If she does not know… the my loss will devastate her. So please… support her should I pass. I know it is a lot to ask… considering who I am… but please. If nothing else… take pity on a fellow human. Please." Ania said with a slight bow before turning to leave.
"Ania." Cole spoke up, causing the Siren to turn once more.
"We will do everything we can to ensure that your wishes are fulfilled. And should you fall in battle… you will be buried as one of us. I will see to it myself if I have to." Cole said, much to the surprise of Brooklyn and Gneisenau.
Ania's eyes shimmered a bit as a single tear fell to the sand.
"Thank you." Ania said as she walked back towards Natalie, who was still cradling the broken glasses of her mother as the soldiers did their best to comfort her.
Isaac found himself in the bathhouse onboard the Musashi with many of the wives present. Odin, Friedrich, and Penny had been released from Vestal's care under the strict orders that they take it easy and not do anything over the top. Most of the conversations in the room revolved around the previous battle until Shinano and Yume walked in. Eldridge followed closely behind as she kept her eyes firmly on Yume.
"Looks like we're all here." Friedrich spoke, her voice filling the bath with a gentle tone.
"So it seems." Lizzy said as she laid back against the wall of the bath.
"So, Dear husband. Care to elaborate on what you told me?" Norfolk asked.
Isaac immediately felt his heart sink.
"So… that's what this is about?" Isaac asked as Musashi's hands crept onto his shoulders and began rubbing them.
"Of course not, Admiral. We did in fact want to take care of you today. After all, we find ourselves in a lull in the fighting, so why can't we take a day to pamper the man who made this possible?" Penny asked.
Isaac sighed.
"Well… I guess you have all heard then… During my trip back from the Red Sea, Iowa and I encountered one of the four Arbiters." Isaac said.
A collective gasp was heard as the more seasoned wives allowed the newer ones to lean in on their shared husband.
"And you lived?!" Omaha asked as she and 13 flanked Isaac. Penny looked at him with a look of fear, as if she realized how fickle the world was, and that her current happiness was dictated by the mercy of the Arbiters.
"I did. We were encountered by the Arbiter identified as Temperance. A battleship class Siren. She boarded the Iowa and questioned Iowa about the whereabouts of Observer Zero's cubes. Iowa managed to answer her without provoking her. But when I went to the captain's quarters onboard her vessel, Temperance was there waiting… as if she knew I was there." Isaac said.
"She can't be trusted. If she could sense you, then our efforts to protect you are only going to be less and less effective." Odin said.
"I understand, Odin… but the thing is… she wasn't there to fight. She made that clear… in fact, she made it very clear that she could easily have killed me if she wanted to. She made it clear that she could easily have killed us all had she felt like it. But for some reason or another, she was merely focused on Zero and her cubes." Isaac explained.
"Did she say anything more?" Friedrich asked as Nimi waded over to Isaac and sat in his lap. Taking her rightful place in his arms as he laid his arms across her lap.
Isaac nodded.
"She said that if things progress a certain way, she may not be our enemy. But at the same time she expressed that she would not actively fight for us unless things became truly dire… for the Sirens." Isaac said.
"And you think that the fact that she hasn't sided with you yet is because they have something up their sleeves?" Odin asked.
"Precisely. Something tells me we are not going to like what we see in the Northern Parliament when we manage to get backing from Japan. And it scares me… not only for the lives of the several thousand men under my command… but for you girls." Isaac said.
"Admiral… we are warships. We're tougher than you by a country mile. Why do you fear for our safety?" Musashi asked as she rubbed Isaac's back with a lightly scented oil.
"Musashi. Please do not ask him such a question. If you would like an explanation, I will provide it in private." Nimi spoke softly as her hand came up to caress Isaac's chin.
Musashi looked to Shinano who nodded.
"Dear sister. That topic is still a touchy subject for my dear husband. Let it be known that he cares for us… because we care more for him than ourselves. We see ourselves… as nearly immortal. We are in fact warships, but sometimes we lose sight of the fact that we can be sunk. Odin knows this all too well." Shinano said as all eyes went to Odin.
"Yeah…" Odin said as she crawled over to Isaac and gave him a kiss and a hug before returning to her place on the wall.
Isaac looked to the ceiling and sighed.
"I'm okay, you guys. I can answer her… I have you all here with me, so the support is here. I fear for your safety because I watched Nimi die, Musashi." Isaac spoke.
Musashi's hand shot to her mouth as she looked at the destroyer that had parked herself on his lap.
"I… I didn't know. My most humble apologies, Admiral." Musashi said as Isaac turned to her. She immediately saw the sadness behind his eyes.
I fear for you… because while you girls may be the most powerful warships this world has ever seen… you are not invincible. Your human forms are vulnerable to the same things I am. You may not break as easily as I do… which is why I understand you guys getting upset that I hurt myself so often… but at the end of the day… Nimi died. The destroyer known as Z-23 aka Nimi. She died in my arms back in New Guinea. I will never… ever… ever forget that. Her neck was crushed by a Siren. The sound haunts my nightmares every time I close my eyes. The fact that I almost lost her forever… It drove me insane. So while it may be a burden to you girls… please allow me to worry for your safety just as you worry for mine." Isaac said as the ring of women moved closer to embrace their husband.
It was Yume's babbling that broke the silence.
"Isaac. Yume wishes for you to hold her." Shinano said as she dipped into the water and walked to Isaac, delivering the slightly bigger ball of black fur than what he had recalled seeing previously.
"She's growing quickly." Isaac observed.
"That she is. She has also made quite the development since your departure." Shinano said with a soft smile.
"Oh?" Isaac asked as Yume turned to him and opened her eyes.
"Papa… fly?" Yume spoke as a pair of miniature Zero's sparkled into existence on the side of the bath, much to everyone's excitement.
With a short spin up, the small planes managed to take off into the air for a few moments before crash landing into the tub and shimmering away.
"She has managed to create small copies of my planes. I can teach her to fly them, which she can then use to fly the full sized ones." Shinano explained.
"Oh! I want to teach her too!" Eagle cried.
"I will happily teach her in the use of helicopters, my king." Lizzy said.
Isaac chuckled as he ruffled Yume's hair.
"Good girl, Yume. Papa is very proud of you." Isaac said, earning a couple of heartfelt sighs from the girls that surrounded him.
"I'm sure you girls will do your best in teaching her. I can't teach her how to fly, or how to utilize her guns… but I'm sure I can impart some self sufficiency in terms of repairs. I can teach her how to do some damage control." Isaac said as Yume's eyes sparkled at the thought of being taught by her Papa.
"We will do our best." Friedrich said as the girls all nodded.
With nothing more to discuss, the girls and Isaac all laid back in the tub and relaxed in the bath, each girl taking her turn in tending to Isaac.
"Dutchess. We have a report from the other tankers to the south." Ania spoke, loud enough to grab Cole's attention.
"Let's hear it." Natalie spoke in a dejected tone. Her spirits still dampened after her fight with Gneisenau.
"Well… That convoy we were monitoring? It's on the move… and it's heading towards Wilhelmshaven. The men are allowing them to pass by and will be giving chase from a decent distance… but we're looking at a solid amount of enemy armor." Ania explained.
"Convoy?" Cole asked.
"Yeah. We had been keeping tabs on a Convoy made up of Alpha's elite troops, handpicked from the remnants of the third reich. The only reason we are here… was because your fleet made a lot of noise coming up the coast. Ania was able to pick it up on some back radio channels. But we effectively left a tailing force behind because we were preparing to ambush them." Natalie said.
"Well… You have backup now. And we have Gneisenau. I'm sure we can punch through their armor." Cole said.
"Perhaps. But if we are to do so… we must leave." Natalie said.
"So be it." Cole said as he whistled loud enough to get everyone's attention.
"Round up, we're heading south! Prepare for combat and be ready to engage the enemy." Cole said as his soldiers scrambled to collect their rifles.
"We have a couple of trucks in addition to the tanks." Natalie spoke.
"Good. We'll need them. We have to take out this convoy quick before our raid window closes." Cole said.
"Then let us not dawdle here." Natalie said as she collected her own weapon and moved towards the trucks that had been hidden in the tree line.