"Now, onto the briefing." Isaac said as he looked at his two most competent ground commanders aside from MacArthur.
"Before that, where is MacArthur anyway?" Ben asked as he surveyed the room.
"Sadly he was one of the few who were severely injured during the liberation of the Philippines. His tank was hit and he was stuck inside for almost a minute as it burned, so Vestal and Arizona are tending to him and the others. Has anyone heard from Stefan? I remember having a chat with Taihou a few days ago after we left the Philippines." Isaac spoke.
Ben and Wilhelm shook their heads.
Isaac sighed before tapping his helmet.
"Taihou. Come in please." Isaac said.
A few seconds of silence before Taiho responded.
"Ah, Shikikan. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Taihou asked.
"I am assuming Stefan is with you?" Isaac asked.
"Your intuition serves you well, Shikikan. I have made a room for him on my vessel, so now all of his needs are met on board. Why do you ask?" Taihou asked.
"Well, we are discussing the liberation of Japan and it wouldn't do for my master guerilla and saboteur to be absent during a discussion where his expertise is required. Would you mind bringing him to the Norfolk?" Isaac asked.
Isaac could feel a tingle on the back of his neck that went away as fast as it came.
"Of course, Shikikan. We shall be there momentarily." Taihou said as she cut the line.
"She has become really possessive by the sounds of it." Ben commented.
"You're not wrong there. But if Stefan is okay with it, then I have no reason to stop her from being overly protective, so long as it also does not endanger the fleet or my men." Isaac said.
"She was given a new lease on life. She is merely doing what she can to keep from losing it again." Wilhelm commented as the door to the bridge swung open, allowing Taihou and Stefan to enter.
The three men were silently shocked to see Stefan being quite literally carried by Taihou, who proceeded to put him down on his feet next to Ben before Taihou herself took a step back to watch the proceedings.
"Taihou, unless you're going ashore with the assault force, I'll need you to head out until I am finished briefing these three." Isaac said.
"I absolutely plan on going ashore, Shikikan. After all, with all of your officers being protected by women like Amagi, Bismarck, and California, and of course with you having an entourage all your own, I feel as if my Stefan has been left out of that equation. So I shall be just as much his shield as his sword." Taihou spoke coolly.
"I see. And does that arrangement work for you, Stefan? I do admit, she has a point. I haven't had enough time to really assign you an escort… sorry for the pun." Isaac said as Norfolk tittered in the corner.
"I have no issues with it, Commander. Despite the recent… lack of sleep, I feel safe knowing that Taihou has me covered. It makes the stress of living away from home in times of war that much more bearable." Stefan replied. Taihou beamed at his reply.
"Alright… if that's your call, then I shall allow it. Taihou, you are to protect him with every ounce of fire you have in that soul of yours. You know my policy on losing men." Isaac spoke firmly, seeming to set a more professional tone with the overeager Kansen.
"The seas will boil and the mountains will crumble, Shikikan." Taihou spoke in an equally firm tone.
Isaac nodded. This seemed to lift the air of tension caused by Taihou's refusal to leave.
"Anyway, down to business…" Isaac spoke as he looked at the four people before him.
"... as per Jager's report, the remaining Sirens and Cultists have managed to maintain control of the Japanese shipyards. It is my running theory that if such an important asset to an Island nation is still under enemy control, we should assume that the government is being strong-armed as well, which means the Emperor of Japan is likely either in league with the Sirens, or is a hostage to them. Neither of these options are comforting, because this means that not only are we facing the cultists and Sirens, but we may also be facing the actual Imperial Army that remains here. As Norfolk can attest, it is quite easy for the military of the conquered nation to be used against us." Isaac said. With four nods, he was confident that he had relayed the message.
"That said. Jager and his men will likely need to head for Tokyo to embark on their mission. Ben and Stefan however, will be remaining here with me and the fleet until we secure Kure for our own purposes. We need a place to put Missouri and Wisconsin once we dredge up her hull. So our main forces will land here and wrench control away from the Sirens and Cultists. We will then use Zero's knowledge of the area to access her computers and the blueprints for the ships held here. I believe Izumo and Ibuki are held here, with Hakuryuu being held in Yokosuka. Our game plan is simple, as always. We go in and overwhelm the opposition with firepower before wiping any remaining resistance with manpower. So that means the first stage will be conducted by the carriers. But once a foothold is made, we take the yards." Isaac said.
"Got it." Ben and Stefan said in unison. Taihou nodded in the back.
You three, make ready for the assault. If Taihou's resolve to fight us on Palau was any indication, then we are in for some real deep shit." Isaac said as the two men and the carrier set off to prepare their arms and in Ben's case, rally the troops.
"What of me, Kommandant?" Wilhelm asked.
"I will have Elizabeth send you to Tokyo via Chinook. Michael is there with Amagi and the exploration fleet. I want you and the black death to stage a rescue of Emperor Hirohito. Kido will be joining you as his father is an Aide to the Emperor. We need to get the Emperor on our side so we can use the yards here without interference. We also need more men if we are to stand even a snowball's chance in hell at liberating Russia. We get Russia, it's smooth sailing all the way to the Americas." Isaac said.
"I understand. So we will be meeting up with Michael and Amagi?" Wilhelm asked.
"Yes. And then the Imperial palace will be your target. I do not think they will have left it unguarded, so Michael will help command the girls who are there and aid you in your infiltration." Isaac said.
Wilhelm nodded.
"I shall see this done, Kommandant." Wilhelm spoke.
"I know you won't fail me. This is a huge step for us. Four months ago this was seen as an impossible feat. Now it's within our grasp. Let's hit them where it hurts." Isaac said.
"A pain unlike any other." Wilhelm replied as he turned and left.
Vittorio paced frantically as the timer ticked down the final minutes.
The hulls of a massive Cruiser and an Aircraft Carrier sat in the drydocks of Gibraltar. The German aesthetic was out of place there, as the port had seen Italian and British forces during the war. But now the two behemoths sat, waiting for their souls to be awakened and their forms realized.
Cole and Brooklyn watched as well, sitting back a bit as they awaited the order to man their ships and head back to battle.
The wait didn't last long as a delighted squeal from the Eternal Flagship brought their attention to the machine where a bright red button flashed. The words "construction complete" blinked on the screen.
"Awaken, legends of Ironblood. The world needs your power, more than ever." Vittorio spoke as she pushed the button. From the bowels of the aircraft carrier, a metallic roar could be heard. It's tone shaking the earth and forever etching the sound of fear into the hearts of everyone present.
From the cruiser, a roar that was far less powerful sent shivers up the spines of everyone in earshot. Vittorio herself quickly checked her surroundings as the roars felt like they were coming from everywhere all at once.
Cole could only let out a whistle as he felt the air grow heavy.
"There they are." He whispered.
True to his word, two women stood at the bows of their respective vessels. A grey haired woman stood proudly on the flight deck of the carrier, dwarfed by the mechanical dragon that sat behind her, as if it were guarding the princess in a tower. On the cruiser, a white haired woman sat on the head of a serpent, flanked on both sides by a pair of drakes that Cole could only describe as borderline demonic.
The grey haired woman spoke. Despite her being so far away, everyone around felt as if she were right in their ear.
"Aircraft Carrier August von Parseval, awaiting orders."
The same phenomenon occurred with the woman on the cruiser.
"Large cruiser Agir, ready for action."