Chief went below deck and got on the submarine's intercom.
"All bulins report to the aft torpedo rooms and prepare for boarding actions." Chief's order rang clear as the five bulins onboard and herself made haste for the aft torpedo room.
110 came down as well just as the bulins were unloading the torpedo tubes.
"What are you doing?!" 110 cried.
Chief looked at 110 and pointed to the torpedo launcher.
"We're going to board and disable the enemy cruiser while you get to a safe distance. Use the time to recharge your batteries." Chief said as one of the bulins pushed a steel cylinder into the launcher.
110 looked confused but decided against asking questions.
"I have faith in you. If the Kommandant trusts you, then I will too." 110 said as she gave the Bulin a sharp Ironblood salute, to which Chief promptly returned.
"You will see that our resolve matches your own, little shark. Now prep these tubes for launch at full pressure and apply full throttle to the engines. You won't have long before the cruiser catches on." Chief said as she and the other bulins climbed into the torpedo tubes. 110 found it slightly amusing how easy the bulins made squeezing into a torpedo tube look, but did them the honor of closing the doors behind them and priming the chambers for launch.
"Are you ready?" 110 asked.
Three knocks on the door gave her the answer as she flooded and fired both rear torpedo tubes before kicking the engine to full throttle and beginning her escape.
The bulins were flung from the torpedo tubes, much to their delight when they breached the surface. The steel canister they had loaded popped open, revealing the rubber dinghy painted brown and green, like a mallard duck. Chief was the first to scramble aboard as the cruiser continued to fire on U-110, seemingly unaware or uninterested in the small craft that had likely appeared on radar. Chief quickly helped the other bulins onto the craft before starting the outboard engine and throttling it to full, sending the rubber boat hurtling over the waves towards the formidable cruiser.
"You know the routine girls." Chief spoke simple as the other five bulins materialized their wrenches in preparation for what was to come.
"Standard procedure?" One of the bulins asked.
"No. We need to preserve the radar technology. If we can get it back to Isaac, we can not only help upgrade Eldridge's radar jamming, but we can increase counter-surveillance. Enterprise and Elizabeth also seem compatible with radar technology on their aircraft, so we can find a use for that as well. Everything else… scrap it." Chief ordered as their boat slammed into the side of the cruiser, bouncing away slightly as the bulins, once again, proved their monstrous strength by peeling back the side armor on the cruiser as if it was nothing more than aluminum foil.
The Bulins filed inside the hole made by the front Bulin and went to work tearing apart the radar cruiser from the inside.
Patty and Gangut entered the waters around Kure and were quickly intercepted by Shinano's fighter patrol.
Shinano immediately opened a channel to Norfolk.
"Gangut and Patty have returned. I will be sending fighters out past their direction of travel to ensure they were not followed." Shinano spoke sleepily.
"Got it. Send them out and then return to fighter cover. Isaac is on the ground with Ben and the others, we need to ensure fighter superiority with the other carriers here. I'll contact Patty." Norfolk spoke. There was a tiredness to her voice. From the onset of their approach to Kure, she had been relaying orders and coordinating the battle group when Isaac wasn't overseeing everything himself.
"Odin is available to cover you if you need to rest, Norfolk." Shinano said softly.
"I'll be okay. We just need to make this last push and then we will have a small bit of rest. As soon as Japan is free, I'll allow myself the pleasure of resting alongside my beloved, as I am sure you and the others will." Norfolk said, accenting her monologue with a yawn before cutting the line.
"Patty, Gangut, come in." Norfolk spoke.
"Norfolk! We've returned. I need Arizona and Alice right away. Wilhelm has been injured severely during his fight with Shimakaze. He lost consciousness during transit and has not woken up. Gangut is tending to him as best as she can, but there is nothing we can actively do about his injuries." Patty explained quickly in her ever-cheerful voice, although the strain of concern and fear was slightly present in the urgency in her tone.
"Right. I'll divert them to you right away." Norfolk spoke as she changed radio channels.
Arizona and Alice had been busy as well. Ever since the troops under Isaac's command gained a foothold on the docks, they had been hard at work setting up a rapid treatment and triage tent to determine who could be treated on site, and who needed to be transported to the Vestal for more intense medical treatment. Both girls were hard at work patching up several wounded men. Men who had been ambushed by a small group of cultists who had survived the initial bombing run from the carriers when Norfolk's voice came in on the radio.
0"Arizona, Alice, I need you two to relinquish command to the other nurses. You two are needed onboard the Platypus." Norfolk ordered.
Arizona and Alice quickly finished treating the last of the wounded men before passing their information on to the assisting nurses before grabbing gear and heading out of the tent across the docks, covered by Arizona's rigging and several soldiers who had formed a wall between the nurses and the active battlefield.
"What are we getting into, Norfolk?" Arizona asked softly as the Platypus dropped anchor next to a rickety gangway.
"Wilhelm was severely injured in a fight with a Japanese destroyer by the name of
Shimakaze. We can only assume that he took a round or two from her rigging." Norfolk speculated as Gangut tapped into the general fleetwide channel.
"We need help. The gerry took sword hits and four shots to the armor on his chest. His chest isn't moving right when he breathes. I touched it and it feels like a section of his ribs have become detached. He's still breathing, thanks to the wrap we put on his chest, but he lost consciousness almost five hours ago and hasn't recovered or responded to my voice." Gangut spoke on the general channel.
Out in the bay, Bismarck and Tirpitz both heard this and immediately made a beeline for the Australian Submarine tender.
Arizona and Alice made it onboard and quickly found their way to the medical bay with help from Patty, who was just as eager to lend a hand where she could.
Gangut was seen sitting beside Wilhelm's unconscious form, watching intently as if her will was the only thing keeping him on the right side of life.
"Gangut, please clear out. Alice and I will take over from here." Arizona spoke softly.
"You'd better make sure he makes it… he's… like this because of me. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if he bites the dust here." Gangut said as she stood from her chair. Alice looked at the steel legs of the chair and swore that there were hand shaped indents well within Gangut's reach.
Alice wanted to ask Gangut about them, but when she turned to speak, the Russian battleship was gone.
"Arizona… is Bremerton still back in Fiji?" Alice asked.
"Yes. She was sent off to aid Indianapolis and Prince of Wales with their recurring nightmares. Shall I put in a request to have her returned?" Arizona asked.
"It wouldn't be the worst idea." Alice spoke candidly.
"I'll see what can be done." Arizona said as they set about stripping the soiled bandages off Wilhelm's body.
Out in the hall, a scuffle was heard.
"You two can't go in there!" Patty cried as grunts were heard, as if she was locked in combat.
Alice looked at Arizona, who nodded and kept working as Alice moved to the door to see Patty using her immense strength to keep two Ironblood battleships from storming the room, holding them both back with straining muscles and angered grunts from all three.
"Patty. It's okay. They have his ring. It is improper to not allow them in. Please step aside." Alice requested.
Patty nodded as she dropped her arms and allowed the two Bismarck class sisters to pass by and enter the room where then both ran to Wilhelm's bedside.
"We came as quick as we could." Bismarck spoke, still breathing heavily from exerting herself against the surprisingly tanky Submarine tender.
"It's not looking good, Ladies Bismarck and Tirpitz. He has several floating ribs that are risking a puncture to his lungs and heart. We'll have to open him up and try to secure the bones." Arizona said softly.
"I might be able to help with that." Another voice came from the door.
Alice smiled.
"Your majesty, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Alice asked.
"I transported this man for his mission, and here he is… injured quite severely. I have knowledge of a procedure that can anchor his ribs, but I am not skilled enough to execute such a surgery. But, I can provide the bulins with blueprints to machine the parts needed… and I can instruct you on what needs to occur." Lizzy spoke.
"Will it hinder him?" Bismarck asked.
"If Arizona has her hands in the procedure, he will be healed much quicker than if it was just Alice. Other than that, he'll be back to normal." Lizzy said.
Bismarck turned to Tirpitz, who nodded.
"Do it." The white haired battleship demanded.
"I will inform the bulins. You need to prepare him for open chest surgery." Lizzy said as she made her way out to the fleet.
Isaac took stock of the situation. Taka and Ben flanked his sides as soldiers fanned out around them, clearing warehouses full of munitions, supplies, weapons and all kinds of miscellaneous items.
"Zero, you there?" Isaac asked as a shot rang out to his left. Taking a look in that direction, he saw the smoking barrel of one of his men's rifles.
"What was that, soldier?" Isaac asked.
"I saw movement from a marked bunker. Took a shot but I appear to have missed. We should consider clearing it." The soldier suggested.
"Excellent idea. Thanks for volunteering. Take two men and a Kansen with you and clear that bunker." Isaac spoke as he tapped his helmet.
"Laffey, report to me right away." Isaac spoke as he returned to watching the area.
The destroyer found her way to him quickly and saluted upon reaching him.
"What can Laffey do for you, Commander?" Laffey asked sleepily.
"You're going to help those three clear a bunker. Try to leave it intact, but take no prisoners. We can't trust anyone lurking in a military facility like this. They're likely all cultists and soldiers. Understand?" Isaac asked.
"I will not disappoint." Laffey said as she jogged over to the men who were awaiting their escort.
"Taka, do we have a tally?" Isaac asked.
"Yes, sir. We've terminated what we understand to be about seventy-five percent of resistance fighters in Kure and are closing in on the edges of the facility. Soon Kure will be under Azur Lane control. Importantly, we have taken the dry docks, the warehouse facilities, and the supply depots. If we were to begin refloating some of the… casualties in the bay, we could move them here and begin restoration and construction." Taka spoke.
"I would love to do that, but we don't have the bulins to make that a reality at the moment. Akashi is a bit too busy to produce more." Isaac said.
"Well… I can see if we can scrounge up some of the men aboard the supply ships to replace our firefighters. We can at least begin the process of refloating BB-64." Taka spoke.
"A wise man. Let's do that. Chief is with U-110, so Sarge is going to have to lead the effort. Sarge, come here!" Isaac called across the warehouse district to the Bulin who was busy smothering a thermite fire on some excess Yamato-class armor plating.
Sarge came running right away.
"You called, Admiral?" Sarge asked.
"Yes. Round up the girls and get to the tug. I want you to spearhead refloating the Wisconsin for upgrade and repair." Isaac said.
"But what about the fires?" Sarge asked.
"We can manage, little one. For now, please help raise the Wisconsin. We all heard Iowa's screams." Isaac said as Sarge saluted and passed her firefighting equipment off to Taka.
"Then it shall be done, Admiral." Sarge said as she scampered off to find the other bulins.
Isaac tapped his helmet.
"Michael, how goes things?" Isaac asked.
"We just made landfall. Friedrich is providing long range fire support. Eugen is helping with closer range bombardment. Going quiet from here on. See you on the other side." Michael said as he cut the line.
"Godspeed Michael… Godspeed." Isaac said as he and Taka moved further into the port as the sounds of war continued to fill the air around them.