"How much longer are you going to ignore the radio," Eugen calls out from the doorway.

"Until we either reach Midway or someone other than Captain Jones calls to complain about the escort that we are so kindly providing for him," I reply.

"Given how frequently he is calling, the chances of someone else getting through are slim," Eugen comments.

"Fine," I relent, "Put the call through here. I'll talk to him."

The radio to my right buzzes once, before I pick up the receiver, "Captain Jones. I trust you are satisfied that we have kept our end of the agreement in escorting your ship to Midway?"

'Satisfied!' I hear Jones say through the speaker, 'You have two warships with their guns trained on my boat. And that lapdog of yours guarding the radio room preventing me from using the long-range radio…'

"What did you expect to happen," I interrupt, "As I told you back in the bar. You can do your job and sail your ship to Midway with the escort I'm providing, or you could hide in that bar and I'd take your boat under tow."

'And I made my choice,' Jones protests, 'But you failed to mention that German cruiser you're hiding on, or the aircraft carrier for that matter.'

"Is that your excuse for trying to turn tail and run back to Pearl?" I ask shaking my head, "The extra security those two ships offer scares you?"

'You are crazy,' Jones states, 'You are aware that the Americans have been on a search and destroy mission for the past three months looking for one of those ships you claim is offering me and my boat extra security?'

"You are aware that Professor Strickland works on contracts with the US Navy," I point out.

'And that means what exactly?' Jones asks.

"It means that one call from me to Jensen and the US Navy will not be looking along our planned route," I explain, "Besides Jensen knows the composition of this fleet and that it doesn't pose a threat to his base or the Pacific Fleet."

'I don't believe you,' Jones claims.

"Fine, don't believe me," I reply, "I'll make a deal with you. I'll let you have your radio room back and I'll even let you put in a call to the naval yard at Pearl Harbour."

'And what do you get?' Jones asks.

"I get at least another half an hour of peace over here so I can try to finish this upgrade I'm working on, Akagi gets to go on patrol to swap in for Kaga to keep our air patrol and advance scouts in the air and once Jensen tells you to pull your head in and listen to my instructions whilst you're under the protection of this fleet, the rest of this fleet will be able to stand down and relax until a real threat occurs rather than be on high alert making sure you don't try something stupid." I state, "Do we have a deal?"

'And if Jensen sides with me?' Jones asks.

"I'm confident that he won't," I answer.


"Don't you ever sleep?"

Looking up from the patchwork of electrical cabling I'd been focusing on, I see Arizona standing just outside the radio room, "I do," I admit, "Just not a lot when I have a project in front of me that needs to be finished."

"Must be an important project," Arizona comments stepping into the radio room and taking a seat.

"There are more important things that need to be done," I say, "However until I can power these, this has to take priority." I add tapping the laptop and phones on the table.

"And they will help you take the fight to this enemy?" Arizona asks quietly.

"Probably not," I admit, "They'll allow me to communicate more freely with the others who know what is going on. And they'll certainly help me to document anything I learn that might help in the fight to come. But taking the fight to the enemy is not something I think even I can do."

"Why is that?" Arizona inquires, "You seemed so confident when you were arguing with the Admiral. And some of the others have said as much during your encounter with that being that shot you."

"I'm not a military strategist," I answer placing the tools I had been using down and turning to face Arizona, "I've spent nearly all of my life either out at sea or on a boat of some kind when I wasn't studying and getting my research degree."

From the corner of my eye, I see Prinz Eugen appear in the doorway and lean against the frame.

"As for my confidence as you called it," I say ignoring the extra audience, "That comes from what I've already learned about a number of the girls who form part of this fleet. I've seen firsthand exactly what some of you are capable of."

"And what do you believe we are capable of exactly?" Eugen asks from her spot by the door.

"Aside from being a living breathing weapon that can rain down destruction on anything that stands in your way," I begin, "You are capable of making your own choices in life. So far, every one of you has had a choice to make. That choice has up to this point been limited to helping me and the rest of the team based at Midway discover and learn exactly what has been happening and why you exist in your current forms."

"You mean we have a choice?" Arizona asks.

"Of course," I reply, "I've made that offer to Bismarck, Akagi and Kaga. My colleague made a similar offer to Graf Spee."

"You don't intend to force us to fight?" Eugen asks with a raised eyebrow.

"No," I say, turning back to the table I had been working at and flicking through the small pile of papers on it. Removing one and handing it across. "This belongs to you."

Eugen briefly looks at the paper before pocketing it, "Am I right in assuming that you are going to fight this battle?"

"As I said earlier," I explain, "I'm no military strategist. I have zero naval combat experience or training. As for fighting this battle, my role is probably best described as intelligence. Watching what unfolds on the battlefield, countering the enemy assaults and theorising on ways to counter the enemies' weaknesses once we learn what they are, and how to maximise your strengths."

"Perhaps you might be able to keep me amused," Eugen replies with a laugh.

"Well stick around then," I reply, "I'm about to find out how good my handiwork is on this power adapter."

"And that will be fun?" Eugen inquires with a smirk.

"Depends on if the laptop I plug in shorts out or blows up," I answer seriously, "I've never had to splice into a main power cable to create a power outlet. I'm taking an educated guess that this will work."


"Did you really explode one of those laptops you bought?"

Lowering the binoculars and turning I see Pensacola standing near the hatchway at the rear of the bridge, "Sure did," I reply, "Plugged it in. Turned it on and then had to dodge flying debris."

"You're lucky not to have been hurt," Pensacola says.

"I did say, that this wasn't my field of expertise," I answer, "I'm just grateful that no one else in the room was hurt."

"Given that Eugen hasn't stopped laughing about it I suppose you can mark that one down as a learning experience," Pensacola says, "Although I'm not sure that Arizona feels the same way."

"Yeah," I agree, "I'm sure that having something explode in such close proximity will have an effect. Especially given how fragile her mental state seems to be at the moment."

"You seem concerned," Pensacola states.

"Given everything I've witnessed in the past couple of months," I begin, "And knowing the history of your service careers. I'm surprised that there aren't more of you suffering like that. I'm hoping that the medical team back at Midway will know how best to treat her."

"It sounds like you have a plan then?" Pensacola asks.

"Not really," I admit, "Right now, all I know for certain is that there are a number of former warships from a war that consumed most of the globe over seven decades ago. Those warships now also for some reason, have a human form to go along with the actual ship. And there is also an alien life form out there causing all sorts of chaos in the shadows."

"So, no plans then," Pensacola says.

"No plans," I agree, "I'm merely reacting to whatever is thrown in front of me in the moment. I can't say that it's ideal. Sooner or later whatever this enemy force is, will reveal its true intentions and I fear that no one is either ready or even capable of fighting back on even terms."

"I guess that explains the fact you don't sleep much," Pensacola comments.

"Not really," I answer, "I rarely sleep when out at sea. I've always enjoyed my time out on the water, even when I was younger. There's something calming about the whole environment out here that makes sleep both hard to come by, but also not required. At least not as much as the rest of my crew."

"You mentioned that you don't believe that anyone is ready or able to fight back on even terms," Pensacola comments, "What did you mean by that?"

"Based on what little I know," I begin, "This enemy force has already been attacking commercial shipping for months now, with no signs of stopping or evidence of how they are doing so given that the ships simply fail to reach port and vanish off the radar maps."

"That sounds similar to the opening phases of the Battle of the Atlantic," Pensacola says.

"I know for a fact that an American Carrier Group was ambushed," I add, "So the enemy is not afraid to strike at military ships. They also aren't afraid to attack research vessels without warning, or conduct air raids against military bases. For that matter, they've shown little to no mercy to anyone that stands against them or potentially could stand against them."

"Is that a theory or a fact?" Pensacola asks.

"A fact," I answer, "Whoever this enemy is attacked and sank the research ship I was commanding last month. No warnings. Simply rammed the ship and then fired a salvo of torpedoes. One of them even shot me. Point blank range."

"So, the stories are true then?" Pensacola says with a gasp.

"They are," I admit, "And before you ask. I still have no answers as to how I survived to tell the story."

"Well, what will you do once we reach Midway?" Pensacola asks.

"Aside from medical check-ups for those that need them and unloading whatever cargo the Professor ordered that is aboard the Percy," I answer, "I'll check in with one of my crew who is over seeing part of the project to get an update. And I'll do some digging to see if I can find anything that could give us a clue as to what the enemy is after."


The remainder of the journey home to Midway had thankfully passed with little fanfare. And so, when I stepped off the shore boat onto the dock, after watching the Percy navigate through the atoll and tie off where the Intrepid usually docked, I was surprised to find Jim sprinting the length of the dock in my direction.

"What happened?" I ask, reading the expression on Jim's face and knowing that something serious must have occurred.

"Have you been able to keep up with the latest news?" Jim asks between breaths.

"Clearly not," I answer, "I barely got the modifications done to the wiring aboard the Prinz Eugen so I could keep my laptop charged, before Bogue insisted, I get the TV she asked for installed so she could watch live baseball games."

"You bought her a TV?" Jim asks, "Surely there are better things to do with your time?"

"There are," I admit, "But after the previous month. There's something almost normal about installing a TV aboard a former American Escort Carrier. Especially when you compare it to being on the receiving end of an air raid."

"Well, it's hit the fan now," Jim says getting the conversation back on track, "Someone attacked the Royal Navy overnight."

"Okay," I say, "And this causes you too come sprinting down the dock to tell me why?"

"They are claiming that it was the Bismarck," Jim answers.

"That is interesting," I reply, "Has anyone contacted Albert?"

"I spoke with him this morning," Jim answers, "They are still in Germany. He says they've made progress with the search, but didn't go into any further detail."

"And Bismarck is still with him?" I ask.

"Yes," Jim confirms, "I spoke with her myself."

"So, what exactly are the Royal Navy saying?" I ask, "They must realize that coming out, making claims like this will make people talk. A lot of people know the history of the Bismarck."

"They released a video to go with the report," Jim answers, "The lead ship of the attacking force was identical to that of the Bismarck."

"And the other ships in the attack?" I ask.

"They looked for the most part like the one you saw, before the Intrepid was lost," Jim says, "The report says that the Captain of the Strike Group recognized the tactics being used against them and was able to counter them in order to escape."

"Did the report mention what tactics these were?" I ask.

"No," Jim admits, "Although the report did mention that the enemy forces seemed to be immune to return fire from both the Strike Groups escorts and the Air Wing."

"That is alarming to hear," I say, "But not surprising now that I think back on it. The enemy that attacked Pearl Harbour, the losses they suffered all came from the girls. None of the bases anti-air defences claimed a hit. And it would explain the loss of an entire Carrier Group in the Pacific given we know that they met up with an ambush."

"So, what do we do now?" Jim asks, "We are well out of our depth. None of us have combat training. And this is looking more and more like the pre-cursors to an invasion."

"The first thing we do," I begin, "Is not panic. Admiral Jensen and the US Admiralty can figure out the combat side. We focus on discovering what is going on. Pass on anything they can use to combat this enemy. And that starts with you taking the Global Explorer out to survey those two locations I told you about."

"And that helps us how?" Jim asks, "You already said, you don't expect us to find anything there."

"I don't," I admit, "But until someone puts eyes on the target, it is only a theory."

"Would you care to fill me in on this theory?" Jim asks.

"I will," I answer, "But not here."


Placing my coffee mug down on the table, I turn to face the assembled members of the research team, who along with Professor Strickland had hastily gathered. "Firstly, can someone give me an update on where we are with determining what these mysterious cubes are? And how they are part of the bigger question on exactly why former warships are being returned to the oceans in both ship and human forms."

"Aside from what we already suspect," one of the researchers says, standing up, "That these cubes contain technical data of combat ships. We believe that certain cubes are linked."

"Linked in what way?" I ask.

"Take the two cubes, you brought back from your search mission," the researcher explains, "We examined them separately after you gave them to us. And there was no reaction at all, unlike when we've scanned and run other tests one some of the blue and even white cubes."

"So, they contained nothing?" I ask.

"That's what we thought as well," the researcher answers, "We placed them in storage on separate shelves. The next morning, they were next to each other."

"Somebody moved them at some point," I say, "Nothing strange about that."

"No-one entered the storage area," the researcher replies, "We checked both the door security logs and the cameras. One moment the cubes were on separate shelves, the next they were together on the same shelf."

"And when we ran them through the scanner together," another researcher speaks up, "Not only did we get a glimpse of the same sort of technical data, we've seen in other cubes, but also other data that doesn't appear to have any logical links."

"Such as?" I ask.

"A lot of information relating to the Manhattan Project," the researcher answers.

"Anything else?" I ask.

"Something called Pandora's Box," the research says in reply, "However we were unable to learn anything further as the scanners began to overheat."

"Do we have any answers as to why that is happening?" I ask.

"We have a theory," Professor Strickland replies standing up, "When we've scanned any of the cubes that have so far been recovered, the room temperature gradually rises. After prolonged testing the cubes begin to radiate heat, which in turn causes the scanners to heat up."

"So, it's a matter of keeping the test chamber cool then," I reply, "We solve that problem and then we can work for longer on unlocking the data contained within."

"Yes," Professor Strickland confirms, "The first part of that solution was delivered today with the arrival of a new power regulator for the main lab, along with a pair of cooling systems."

"And when will these be installed and running?" I ask.

"It will take at least two weeks," the Professor admits, "However, we need an additional power generator as well. Given the large drain on power this is taking."

"Judging by the look on your face," I begin, "You've already found one."

"Correct," the Professor answers, "Although we will have to go and pick it up as there are no cargo ships in the area that are capable of delivering it."

"And we have the means to transport it?" I ask.

"Yes and no," the Professor admits, "It's far too heavy for us to unload it, once we get it back here. However, I've arranged for it to be loaded onto a barge. We can tow it back here and moor it as close to the labs as possible."

"Fine," I reply, "I'll oversee that myself, where is this generator currently?"

"It's currently located in Hotham," Professor Strickland replies, "But it is being moved to the Port of Darwin where you can take delivery."

"If we leave tomorrow, we would arrive in Darwin in just over eight and a half days based on the slowest speed we can maintain and keep in formation," I answer.

"If you think my ship can make the trip to Darwin from here in eight days then you're crazy," a voice from the back of the room pipes up.

Looking towards the door, I find Captain Jones standing there, "Well it's a good thing that you aren't coming with us. I'll arrange for an escort for you to go back to Hawaii."

"Don't bother," Captain Jones replies, "I've spent far too much time for my liking being escorted by this lot," he indicates pointing towards the girls standing on the other side of the room, "I'll take my chances on the return run home."

"Fair enough," I say, "That frees up a ship to provide an escort for the Global Explorer."

"We won't need one," Jim says, "We'll be leaving in an hour. And given the speed I intend to run at, we'll outrun any escort."

I look Jim in the eye, processing his comments before agreeing, "Okay, I guess given that you know exactly where to look you won't need to use the standard search protocols. Just keep an eye out for trouble. We still don't know where this enemy force is or how many of them there are."

"So, can you explain this theory you have?" Jim asks.

"Okay," I begin, "Given what we know for a fact, we have the hulls of four warships currently anchored just outside the atoll. Of those hulls, one was scrapped in the early 1960's, two were used as targets for the American Nuclear Weapons Program and later sunk. And the fourth was scuttled after being heavily damaged in combat north of Midway."

"We also know for a fact," I continue, "That there are reports of a fifth ship out in the Atlantic matching descriptions of a ship known to have been sunk in combat. We also know that the wreck of that ship is not currently located in the last documented position when a shipwreck discovery team found and recorded its final resting place."

"How do we know this?" a researcher asks raising a hand.

"When we first encountered both Bismarck and Graf Spee, I contacted a friend of mine who runs a fleet of research ships out of Argentina," I reply, "I asked him to run a scanner across both locations for me. They went a step further and sent cameras down on both locations and found nothing by empty sea floor."

"And how does that work into your theory?" the researcher asks.

"I believe that whatever process is happening between the cubes we are finding, and the appearance of both decommissioned warships and the creation of the girls who, based on everything we've learned are the living embodiment of those warships. It also requires re-using the former warship where possible," I explain.

"So, that's why you don't expect us to find anything when we re-survey the locations of the Kaga and Akagi?" Jim asks.

"Exactly," I reply, "I'm almost certain that whatever the process is, when it occurred. Both a cube or maybe even multiple cubes, along with the wreck of the ship were introduced to a large energy source of some kind transforming the wreck into a fully functioning warship along with a person who has all the memories of their past, and who can also act independently of the ship when needed."

"How large an energy source are we talking about here?" Professor Strickland asks.

"How much energy is contained in a lightning strike," I reply, "Wasn't that the catalyst the night Bogue arrived on the island?"

"And how do explain that one?" a researcher asks, "From what we understand that is the ship that was decommissioned and scrapped?"

"That, I can't explain," I admit, "It's possible that the process doesn't require using the original ship if a wreck were to exist. It may make the process quicker; it might even be this alien race messing with us to hide their true intentions."

"And where do they come into it?" another member of the team asks.

"Based on their actions so far," I reply, "I'd have to assume that they have plans to take on mankind and are in the early stages of an invasion. As to the end game or even if they have something to do with the reappearance of the warships we have so far encountered, I'm not sure. But the fact that they were using the Kaga during the air raid on Pearl Harbour, I would say that they know more about what is going on than we do right now."


After the meeting wrapped up, I found myself back in my office going through all the e-mails, that I had been unable to get through over the previous weeks, whilst out at sea. As I scanned through the final message and sorted it into a different folder, the computer chimed once, to indicate a new message.

Returning to the Inbox, I see that it is from Admiral Jensen and marked Above Top Secret. Frowning slightly that Jensen appears to be sending highly classified information to my non secure e-mail account, I open the message.

The message is short and to the point. 'Video footage from Royal Navy Carrier Strike Force.'

Below the message, I find half a dozen video attachments. Opening the first, I find myself watching a video feed from what appears to be taken from one of the escort ships.

As I watch on, I find myself reaching into my desk drawer and pulling out the ship recognition manual I had used to give Albert an idea on what he was looking for during his trip back home.

Flicking rapidly through the manual, I came to the page I was looking for. Pausing the video, I held the manual up to the screen and compared the printed image on the page to the one the screen. "No wonder the Royal Navy believe they were attacked by the Bismarck," I mutter to myself, "That ship is a perfect match."

Picking up the phone to my right, I hit the speed dial. Whilst I wait for the call to go through, I watch through the remainder of the video looking for anything that might be of help.

Eventually someone answers the other end of the line, 'Pearl Harbour Naval Yard.'

"Nathan Harrison, I need to speak with Admiral Jensen," I say.

'One moment,' the switchboard operator replies.

Waiting once more, I open the second video. This one it appears to be from the carrier. As I watch through the same sequence of events from the earlier video, I wonder to myself exactly what the Senior Commander saw that tipped them off to the tactics the enemy was using.

Over the phone, I hear the line buzz once before a voice on the other end speaks, 'Jensen here. I trust you got my e-mail?'

"I did," I reply, "I'm watching through the videos now. There's no doubting their claims that it was the Bismarck. Although I believe that the ship may be unmanned, like the other ships that can be seen following."

'And you're basing this on a theory?' Jensen asks.

"Yes," I admit, "That and I've come across both those kinds of ships seen towards the rear of the formation and the enemy using former ships from our past."

'What is your next move?' Jensen asks, 'As everyone in Washington is starting to get jumpy and pointing fingers towards other countries.'

"I'm leaving for Darwin in the morning," I reply, "The Professor has ordered more equipment he says he needs in order to continue exploring the cubes we keep finding out at sea."

'And he thinks that they will unlock the answers as to what is going on?' Jensen asks.

"On that, I'm not sure," I answer, "However based on the early data we have, they might hold the key to defeating the enemy once they finally reveal themselves and you can bring them to battle."

'I hope you are right,' Jensen says, 'The guys here have been running tests on some of the planes that were shot down. None of the weapon platforms we have on the base have had any effect.'

"Didn't the British report as much as well?" I ask.

'They did,' Jensen answers, 'Makes me wonder just how we combat them.'

"For what it's worth," I answer, "We know that the enemies' planes can be shot down, and their ships can be sunk. As to why none of the modern weapons have an effect, I don't have that answer yet."