Back in Sicily, things were slowing to a miserable halt. Just as Gneisenau and San Diego cleared a section of drones to cover the approach to the beaches, Washington opened fire on New Jersey as part of her ongoing fit of rage. Ranger wasn't doing too well either with her rage being used to bomb anything that moved on the ground below. Gneisenau, Natalie and Pavel had managed to scramble onto the beach and avoid being blasted by Naval Bombardment and Airstrikes. However, with the battlefield in front of them a friendly fire hellscape, and their rear being pelted by the closing drone ships, it was everything Nimitz could do to keep the task force under control.
"Elbe, how goes your efforts in grounding Ranger?" Nimitz asked as the sounds of cannon fire sounded off around him as every available angle was being used to deliver lead to one target or another.
"Her planes are easy enough to shoot down, Admiral. But she just keeps replenishing them. I don't know where she is drawing all of this energy from, especially from such an… antiquated aircraft carrier like herself." Elbe said, the sound of strain apparent as she too was being forced to recycle aircraft to account for her losses against the enraged carrier.
Nimitz thought for a moment. Gneisenau had managed to get ashore thanks to some particularly hard cover that was blocking line of sight. So she, Natalie and Pavel were in position to begin the containment of the two angry Kansen.
"Keep pushing. Gneisenau has made it ashore, if you can keep Ranger distracted for just a little while longer, maybe she can take Ranger down, giving us some room to begin landing troops." Nimitz said as a shiver went up his spine. A quick look around the bridge granted him little insight into why he had felt such a sensation. With New Jersey solely focused on wearing down Washington, she was too preoccupied to hear or see anything else.
Suddenly, a noise came from the hall outside the bridge. Nimitz, against his better judgement, went to investigate instead of informing New Jersey. This would be a slight, but insignificant error.
Nimitz walked outside the bridge only to be met by woman with a pale white face, a black dress, a white bonnet, and two piercing blue eyes.
"Admiral Chester Nimitz of the Union Navy. Hero of the Pacific campaign. So this is where you are." The woman spoke slowly.
Nimitz froze as he looked beyond the girl to see a massive jellyfish floating behind her, armed with several gun turrets and sharp tentacles likely used to impale her adversaries.
"Y-you're one of those Sirens… aren't you." Nimitz spoke as his hand shot to his hip holster.
"If you remove that firearm from its holster… or alert the Kansen of this vessel to my presence, I will have no choice but to end your life. Sad, but it would be necessary and a fitting punishment for troubling me. You may rest easy knowing that I am not here to defend my… colleague, as you humans might say. I am merely here to sate a curiosity, and seeing's how I have already seen one Iowa class up close, I figured I'd start my search on another." The woman said.
"Who… or what are you?" Nimitz asked, keeping his hand firmly on his gun.
"I am the Arbiter known as Temperance. And to display my intentions, I shall inform you that I have already seen, spoken to, and even touched Apollyon, you know him as Isaac Garner of the Union. I spoke with him as he was retreating back to the Philippines." Temperance spoke.
"So… you're a good guy then?" Nimitz tried to clarify.
"No. I am still a Siren. But as I said to Apollyon, I need not be your enemy. I merely want to satisfy my own curiosity. I have no desire to conquer…unlike Empress, Strength and Hermit. There are other Arbiters as well… but they have been… less active." Temperance explained.
"So… why are you here?" Nimitz ventured.
"As a sign of Good Will, I will tell you. I have been tracking an odd phenomenon in a set of cubes. A disturbance I felt in a city known as Wilhelmshaven. I assume you know of it." Temperance spoke flatly.
"I do. We were there. Maybe… we can help each other here." Nimitz brokered.
"Oh? And how could you help me… and moreover, how could I help you in a way that satisfies my own interest?" Temperance asked, curiosity fully piqued.
"I tell you where to look for what you want… you help us with an issue we are having with two of our own. You get what you want, and we look the other way while you make your… escape?" Nimitz tried.
Temperance thought for a moment.
"You will get a more substantial gain… fine. But I also wish to know another bit of information to even the score." Temperance spoke coldly.
Nimitz was taken aback.
"Absolutely. I see no reason to hold back anything that isn't sensitive. You already said killing us wasn't on the to do list… right?" Nimitz asked, his voice keeping a nervous calm despite every impulse in his mind screaming at him to open fire and run for his life.
"Correct. Killing you would be… detrimental to my entire plan I have laid out. After all, I need Apollyon to continue to follow his path. And keeping you and this fleet alive ensures that reality. Now. I want two things before I deal with your… issues." Temperance demanded.
"Ask me anything." Nimitz said without thinking.
"There is a girl… a Siren. A Siren that was deemed defective by the others and cast into this timeline. Her cubes are special, but… they no longer are giving off signs of life. Where are they?" Temperance asked.
"A defective siren? The only one I know of would have been Natalie's companion Ania… she was a casualty in the raid on Wilhelmshaven. Natalie would have her cubes. She seemed pretty distraught about losing her." Nimitz explained, remembering the after action report that Brooklyn and Cole had helped compile.
"Ania. Ania. Ania… the name is familiar. I believe that is the one. And you said her cubes would be with this… Natalie?" Temperance asked.
"Correct. She is on the beach in front of us, likely staying out of sight so she doesn't get bombed by Ranger." Nimitz spoke.
"I see. So that is the issue that you need resolved. I think I understand the predicament. As stated, I will aid you. But I will ask another question to even the score." Temperance spoke as she turned to her rigging, producing a screen to watch the battle outside so she could plan her move.
"Ask away…" Nimitz spoke coolly. He had managed to calm his nerves and was slowly pulling away from his holster.
"Why do you serve with Apollyon?" Temperance asked.
Nimitz was taken aback once more.
"Well… at first it was a matter of ensuring that humanity had the best chance to survive this… alien encounter. Sorry to say. But when his forces saved my family… I took on this service out of respect for the courage that he has. To fight for freedom and everything it stands for… even in a world that belittles him for who he is." Nimitz explained.
"He is hated by the world?" Temperance asked.
"He's a colored man… I'm not saying it's right. I've worked with plenty of men like him. They fight just as hard, harder even, than some of the white men I've commanded. It's… just the way it is, but I think him saving humanity will be the push needed to make society see that he is someone worthy of admiration. Not someone to belittle." Nimitz spoke.
"I see. So he fights not only to avenge… but to change the world as a whole. Such lofty ambitions. But yet… they are well within his grasp. My plan is on schedule, and should it continue to be so… he will win this war… and I will have a brand new test subject to learn from." Temperance spoke.
"You want to use him as a lab rat?" Nimitz asked coldly, now contemplating the pros and cons of attempting to shoot the Arbiter in front of him.
"No. I wish to study him. But in order to do so, he must kill the other Arbiters. He must free the world… so, I might nudge a few things to make the task a bit easier for him." Temperance spoke as she finalized her plan of action.
"I see… anything else?" Nimitz inquired.
"No. My questions have been answered. I will keep my end of the bargain as a sign of good faith. You will have air superiority soon. The battleship, however, is your problem to settle." Temperance said as a soft purple light enveloped her before blinking her out of existence.
Nimitz let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't realized just how little he was breathing during the conversation, and now the lightheadedness was hitting him all at once.
He opened the door to the bridge and went back inside.
"Everything alright, Admiral?" New Jersey asked.
"Yeah… contact Gneisenau. Tell her and her forces to focus on taking out Washington first. I think Ranger is just about out of steam." Nimitz spoke.
"What makes you so sure?" New Jersey asked.
"Call it a hunch." Nimitz said as the battle raged on.