Isaac was shaken awake by Norfolk in the early hours of the morning. He had given Shinano the night off from watching Yume, so the tiny kitsune was next to Isaac, sleeping soundly under the protective watch of her Papa.
"Isaac. Isaac, wake up." Norfolk whispered as she attempted to not wake up Yume, which failed miserably as she woke up several seconds before Isaac opened his eyes. She immediately clung to him as he got adjusted to the light pouring into the room.
"Huh? Norfolk? What's going on?" Isaac asked as he rubbed Yume's back, earning a purr for his efforts.
"Odin and I have ordered the fleet to halt progress and drop anchor. We are one hundred miles from Japan." Norfolk spoke.
"Why? We need to get to Japan quickly." Isaac asked.
"Our radar has picked up several unidentified aircraft in a patrol pattern." Norfolk spoke.
"Okay? Are they Siren?" Isaac asked.
"No sir… they're… Union." Norfolk spoke uneasily.
"Union? That can't be good. Have we tried to hail them?" Isaac asked.
"Yes. We got nothing back. Whoever is controlling them is not responding to our hails." Norfolk spoke.
"Have they indicated that they will attack? Or are we clear to push in?" Isaac asked.
"No. But I do not believe this entity is friendly. We should proceed with the full knowledge that we are going to have to shoot down Union aircraft." Norfolk said.
"So be it. Alert the fleet to arm their AA guns and proceed. We need to get to Japan. Get me a scout in the air to see what we're dealing with." Isaac said as Norfolk nodded.
"Richthofen has volunteered her service. She is taking off right now." Norfolk said as she held a hand to her ear.
Isaac nodded before sighing.
"No rest for the wicked… come on, Yume. Let's get to the bridge. It seems we have found something interesting." Isaac said as Yume looked up at him.
"Okay, Papa." Yume said sleepily as she hugged him tightly.
Norfolk sighed happily.
"She is just the cutest little thing. Isaac… she's adorable." Norfolk whined.
"On that we can agree. She is quite therapeutic if I'm being honest." Isaac said with a chuckle. The jovial attitude, however, wouldn't last long.
Isaac walked into the bridge of the Norfolk, only to be met by thick fog and the sound of engines he had heard back home.
"SBDs… this isn't an escort carrier. An escort carrier wouldn't carry this many dive bombers. This is a fleet carrier." Isaac said as he threw on his helmet and zoomed in, trying to focus on the numbers on the sides of the planes.
"These numbers make no sense…" Isaac grumbled as he scoured the side of the plane until he found a name.
"Well, that can't be good." Isaac said as Norfolk tilted her head.
"Why?" Norfolk asked.
"These planes belong to USS Shangri-la. Essex class fleet carrier. We could be in for a bad time. I haven't met the Kansen, but I know this ship has one. Some of the guys on the West Coast said she's quite the strategist. The most likely reason she hasn't attacked us is because she's biding her time to formulate a strategy against us. If she attacks, we need to strike her aircraft down before she can poke at our weaknesses… namely the massive carriers and battleships in the center fleet. If she manages to bypass our destroyer and cruiser AA, Enterprise, Lizzy, and Yume will be our only hope." Isaac spoke.
"Isaac, we have a veritable fortress. I doubt it could be that bad." Norfolk spoke as Isaac shot her a look.
"The only battleships with decent AA to fend off something like the Essex class would be the Iowa and Warspite. Those two have a heavy AA compliment. Carriers are just really big targets. We are a massive target. And if Shangri-la isn't friendly… then we're fucked." Isaac said.
"Isaac… you worry too much." Norfolk said as several explosions around the fleet drew their attention.
"Admiral, we've been caught in an Ambush." Odin spoke as Isaac scanned the fog. Sure enough, the fog had concealed a massive drone defense fleet that had formed a blockade around Japan.
"I worry too much?" Isaac asked as Norfolk looked stunned.
"But… nothing came up on the radar!" Norfolk cried.
"We're in a heavy fog, Norfolk. Radar is going to be next to useless in this. This is why I worry." Isaac said as he tapped his helmet.
"Defensive positions and try to fire at muzzle flashes. Keep AA trained on the sky." Isaac ordered as the fleet responded to his will, moving to cover the carriers.
"Zero. Can you give me any information on this blockade?" Isaac asked.
"Yes. Your assumption of Shangri-la is correct. She was… in experimentation when I defected. So, it is highly likely that the remaining explorers and Cultists have activated her. The drone fleet, however, was not my doing. It was likely the doing of Empress who decided that Japan was too important to let go. She probably sent whatever she could from what remained of the Bremerton blockade before our forces detonated a wisdom dust munition in their harbor." Zero spoke.
Isaac sighed.
"Was there anything else?" Isaac asked.
"Yes… but I know you won't like it." Zero said cautiously.
"What is it…" Isaac asked, dreading the answer.
"Several destroyers and a battleship were held captive, their crews included, when I was in charge. I may have worked my people hard… but I wasn't a killer like Tester. I only hurt that Sakura destroyer to try and get information regarding Shinano. That is something i will not forgive myself for. But… I have a strong feeling that Shangri-la may have sunk these prison ships." Zero explained.
"Do you have names?" Isaac asked.
"USS Blue, USS Mayo, and USS Gatling were the names of the destroyers." Zero spoke, making a subtle attempt to keep Isaac from the painful truth he was about to uncover.
"And the battleship?" Isaac asked.
Zero remained quiet.
"Zero. The name of the battleship. What is it? I am ordering you to tell me." Isaac demanded.
"Wisconsin. It was USS Wisconsin." Zero spoke.
"An Iowa class." Isaac whispered as he realized how bad this could be.
He addressed the fleet.
"We have a situation. We need to smash through the opposition here. We have a potential for hostages in the bay around Kure. Anything we can do to break this blockade is welcomed." Isaac spoke as the guns of the fleet began firing wildly into the fog, electing to go with a shotgun approach, something that was working better than expected in the dense fog. Isaac quickly changed channels to the Union channel.
"USS Wisconsin. Come in." Isaac spoke.
Silence.
"USS Wisconsin. This is Admiral Isaac Garner of Azur Lane. Please respond." Isaac tried as Yume looked ready to cry, holding her ears tightly as she blocked out the sound of the thundering guns of the fleet.
Silence.
"USS Blue. Gatling. Mayo. Anyone, respond." Isaac tried again.
No response.
"I'm not getting through." Isaac spoke as his heart sank.
"Kommandant." Wilhelm's voice came through the radio on the international channel.
"Jager. What's going on? Where are you?" Isaac asked.
"I took off with the other carriers before the battle began. I decided to use the fog to cover my approach to see what's going on by Kure. It's not good." Wilhelm explained.
"How bad?" Isaac asked.
"I am seeing the bottomed-out wrecks of three American destroyers and an American Battleship. All four vessels seem to have been bombed into oblivion. It's a killing field. I'm seeing sharks in the surrounding waters. I can only assume the worst." Wilhelm explained.
"The ships went down with their crew…" Isaac spoke, his voice hollow as if a great weight had been set upon him.
"That is my belief. We need to assume a total loss." Wilhelm said.
"Fuck… Iowa isn't going to take that too well. She already knows that Missouri is in dire straits. Knowing WisKy went down too… she's going to lose it." Isaac said as he tapped his helmet.
"Iowa, back away from the front line and form up on the carriers. I want your anti-aircraft guns to help protect them. Odin, Musashi, take her spot in formation and get your shields ready, we're going to crack this blockade wide open." Isaac ordered.
Iowa, Odin, and Musashi all compiled without so much as a word as their guns continued to sling shells into the enemy ranks.
Isaac turned to Norfolk.
"We need to be ready to send Iowa back to the Philippines. This could honestly break her. She is already under stress from being away from Perkins." Isaac said.
"I understand. We have plenty of big guns now. We can afford the redeployment of Iowa to the rear." Norfolk spoke as Zero appeared.
"I have a suggestion." Zero spoke.
"What is that?" Isaac asked.
"We have the Missouri being towed behind the carriers. With the acquisition of the Wisconsin, we can combine the scrap of the two vessels and recreate another battleship from the shelved Union plans." Zero spoke.
"The Montana class." Isaac said.
"Correct. We can use Kure Naval Yards… once we liberate Japan." Zero spoke.
"Shangri-La. How do we neutralize her?" Isaac asked.
"She is yet another experiment. This time the black cube is being used to suppress her will and force her to act on orders, like a drone." Zero explained.
"Like Mikasa was?" Isaac asked.
"Kinda. But this time the cube completely shuts down every single thought in the Kansen. She has no thoughts of her own. She exists only to follow her orders. It is to be said that I do not know what her orders are. I had not activated her before I left Japan. So, what they have ordered her to do is a complete mystery. I assume it is to kill anything that isn't Siren in make… specifically… you." Zero said in her analytical tone.
"So how would you suggest we take her down without killing her? I would like to have another Essex class, especially one with extensive knowledge of Union tactics. Not that Odin and Amagi aren't enough. But having a deep pool of tactics is better than being predictable." Isaac said.
"You need to find a way to remove the cube. That's it. It was a standard implant. Nothing you haven't undone before… namely my Explorers in New Guinea." Zero spoke pointedly.
"Sounds simple… except for the fact that she is an Essex class. She's got some of the best aircraft in the Union. And she knows enough to pick us apart." Isaac said.
"While that is true, she has no idea that you have Enterprise, Yume and Queen Elizabeth in tow. Those three will be more than enough to protect the center fleet. She won't know how to fight them. Same situation with the Yamato class. You have several X factors in play right now." Zero spoke as the sounds of battle outside grew louder, causing Yume to cry from the pain in her ears.
"Norfolk, contact the Bulins. I want something put together to help Yume please." Isaac said as he took in and processed what Zero had told him.
"It will be done." Norfolk spoke as Zero looked at him.
"Then we play to our strengths. We'll weather the storm and retaliate with double the force. I'll likely have to get Schwarze Tod onboard to neutralize the threat." Isaac said.
"That would be a decent idea. Your special forces group could do the job." Zero spoke.
"Sounds like we got a game plan then." Isaac said as he tapped his helmet.
"Alright girls. Weather the storm. Once we find a weakness, we will exploit the hell out of it and break this blockade. But for now, we need to bide our time. Jager, if you can hear this, return to the fleet. You and the Black Death are going to be briefed on your next mission." Isaac said as the fleet kept up an ungodly level of defensive fire, ensuring their relative safety for the time being. Unbeknownst to the fleet, Shangri-la was preparing to begin truly executing her orders, as one by one, Dauntless Dive bombers and Wildcats appeared on her flight deck and began spooling their engines.