10th May 1941.
As Iron Blood's new pair of steel beasts sit in their docks at Blohm & Voss Shipyard, two cubes are placed on a machine in a lab inside the first ship. After many failed attempts at forcing the Cubes to work, they finally start glowing with an ominous blue hue. A scientist tells another that the process is beginning and the armed guards aim their MP40s at the machine that the Cubes start spinning inside of, just in case
The lead scientist adjusts his glasses and orders, "Finally, after almost a year of attempts... Apply a Quick Finisher!"
"Jawohl!" His assistant acknowledges and inserts the drill-shaped contraption into the machine and turns it like a key, making the two cubes speed up, orbiting each other faster than anyone in the room can follow, and the bright blue light they generate fills the room for a second, then dies out, replaced by the silhouette of a mature woman, a sight they've seen multiple times at this point. They see the woman wake up and they open the doors of the machine. With a whirring, the woman is slowly revealed and she steps out, almost stumbling as she'd never walked before, but manages to find her balance instantly. She's the tallest person in the room, with sky blue eyes and long, flowing blonde hair with a strand over her face.
The lead scientist says to himself, "Magnificent…"
The woman squints her eyes to focus her blurry vision. She says, "What… have you done to me…?"
The scientists were used to these women being confused on who or what they are, as spending the first part of your life as an inanimate warship and then becoming human would probably disorient anyone. Her ship was built just the year before so she has only me memories of her launch and sea trials. The lead scientist gingerly approaches her and announces, "Fräulein Bismarck, you have been given the gift of life. Well, a new body anyway. You can now stand among us as an equal. Congratulations, you are now a Schiffsmädchen
She widens her eyes slightly as her vision clears. "Schiffs…mädchen…?"
The scientist smiles and says, "Correct. You have full control over your ship, negating the need of a human crew, except for any Kommandanten aboard, of course.
"…Do I get any clothes…?" The new Battleship questions, suddenly realising she is without it as the Quick Finisher must've skipped making her decent.
"Ah, yes. Follow me." Fritz chuckles and leads her to the massive walk-in wardrobe and says, "Choose an outfit, Fräulein Bismarck, and I will tell you whatever you want to know." He shuts the door behind her and lets her choose her clothing. She simply picks out what appeals to her most. A black formal uniform with an overcoat that has fur-lined metal pauldrons as well as a hat that closely resembles the ones worn by Kriegsmarine officers.
She is also drawn to a flagpole with the a deep red background and featuring a black cross with white trim with a symbol in the middle that drew her eyes to it, along with an Iron Cross in the top left corner. The flag of the Wehrmacht. She also sees red armband with the same symbol on it. Not knowing what it truly stands for, only that it's the symbol of her fatherland, just shrugs and assumes she'd need to wear it as all the scientists and armed guards are wearing them. After looking at herself in the tall mirror, she decides that the look just feels right.
The lead scientist looks over at the list of ships that they have created these strange new women for. He still doesn't quite understand how the cubes they discovered work, but they know what they can do. He thinks, "Hm… the Z Plan is going very smoothly so far. When the next ship is complete, she'll be up next, and we'll have to move the lab to her ship…"
He's interrupted by Bismarck saying with her newfound authoritative voice, "Do not move this lab. The science here intrigues me greatly. You can build a new one on my schwester's ship."
The scientists all face her. Her outfit radiates the same level of authority they see in high-up officers and so they all give her a salute consisting of their right arms outstretched and their hands flat and palm-down. Bismarck mimics it along with tapping her flagpole on the floor with her left hand.
Fritz, stunned by her now intimidating presence and eagerness to keep her lab, says, "Fräulein Bismarck, you have an interest in science?" He had never had a shipgirl express an interest in the labs they were created in until now.
She nods, "Ja. And you can drop the "Fräulein."" She comes over to a board on which theories on how the cubes worked are written. She puts her right hand to her chin to study it. "Hmm… interesting…" she then looks at the list of shipgirls created. "You have already given this same life to previous ships?"
Fritz nods, "Correct, Frau Bismarck. We have awoken the Deutschlands, the Hippers, the Scharnho—"
Bismarck interrupts him, "Then why am I, the youngest, their leader now? Shouldn't the first one to be awoken be the leader?"
Fritz explains, "Z23 was the first to be awoken. She is a very dedicated girl, but she is just a Zestörer, better suited to following orders rather than issuing them. Also, the Führer wanted you, our newest Schlachtschiff, to be their leader. What he says goes."
Bismarck looks away, uncomfortable with being forced into a command position despite just being built. How would the others feel about a new ship just walking up and telling them to fall in line? "I see… so where am I docked, anyway?"
Fritz explains, "Your ship is currently docked at the Blohm & Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, away from the prying eyes of the Royal Navy. Your ship was completed, tested and launched last year. The Führer wanted you to be awoken as soon as possible, and he has been rather angry at us for not being able to awaken you until now. That reminds me. Hans, send word of Bismarck's awakening to High Command!"
"Jawohl!" His assistant responds as he darts out of the lab.
"Would you allow me to meet my fellow Schiffsmädchen?" Bismarck asks Fritz.
He looks back at her and smiles, "Of course, Bismarck. This way, please." The armed guards escort them out onto the deck of the ship. "What a colossal vessel…" Fritz remarks, as he had forgotten just how big the Battleship itself is.
The Kansen gazes upon her ship. The pride of a nation. A beast made of steel.
In the Iron Blood capital Berlin, there stands a huge building that houses the Nazi Government. The Reichstag. Massive red banners adorned almost every wall both outside and inside the building. In the main room hung a massive golden eagle, and below, it at the podium on the main stage in front of all the chairs arranged in a semi-circle, stood the man who started it all. He finishes a grand speech and walks off the stage into the back room, where an officer salutes him to grab his attention.
"Mein Führer!" He addresses him, "Word has just been sent from Hamburg. Schlactschiff Bismarck has been awoken!"
Fritz and Bismarck eventually get to a gate where more guards awaited. He turns to her and says, "I cannot go any further, Bismarck. This section is for Kansen only, I'm afraid."
Bismarck looks at him, surprised, and asks, "… we are segregated?"
"I'm afraid so. Just know that if it were up to me, it would not be so." Fritz assures her.
"Very well. Danke, Doktor." Bismarck just turns and walks through the gate. She walks across the black tiles of the courtyard towards the big dorm building. It has a massive, intricate cross above the secure blast door. A camera looks at her and the door opens. As soon as she gets to the main lobby, she bumps into a couple of fellow shipgirls, one with blonde hair under a grey cap, and the other with platinum hair styled with twin-tails held in place by crimson red armour plates, giving off the look of demon horns.
The platinum-haired one looks over the other's shoulder and smirks. "Dear schwester… I don't think you should be disrespecting our new leader by not facing her…"
The other one says, "What are you talking about, Eugen? What kind of up-their-own-arsch leader would take offence at not being looked… at…?" She sees Eugen point over her shoulder with her head. She slowly looks behind her and up to see Bismarck, who just stares back down at her, unamused. She turns, snaps to attention and stutters, "L…Lord Bismarck! Please forgive me! I don't know how much you heard but I swear not to call you up-your-own-arsch again!" She realises she just said it again. Her face turns a deeper shade of red and mutters, "Scheisse…"
Eugen chuckles and says, "You're so cute when you're nervous, Hipper." Making her face even redder as if she's trying to hold back a rant.
Bismarck sighs and says, "Hipper and Eugen, First and third ships of the Admiral Hipper-class Schwere Kreuzer, I presume?" Remembering the names on the list in the lab, sorted into classes.
Eugen bows and says, "That would be correct, Lord Bismarck. I am Prinz Eugen. So you're our new leader? How long can you keep me amused? I look forward to it…"
Hipper chimed in, having calmed herself down, "If it is not too much trouble, Lord Bismarck, I would prefer to be addressed by my full name, Admiral Hipper. I was named after the undefeated Admiral Franz von Hipper himself, after all. Just like him, I will give every battle my all."
Eugen smirks, "Oh, dear schwester… you're so cute when you speak like that…"
"Shut up before I slap you, dummkopf!" She chastises her. Overwhelmed slightly, Bismarck asks how many sisters they have, and their faces both turned a little somber.
Hipper turns to speak to her and says. "There were three more of us, Blücher, Seydlitz and Lützow, but Blücher was sunk in Drøbak Sound last year, Seydlitz doesn't have a Kansen…. and Lützow was sold to the Northern Parliament and renamed to Talinn…."
Bismarck looks down respectfully, "…I'm sorry. I can't imagine what that is like."
Realising she may have brought up an uncomfortable topic, Bismarck just asks if there are other shipgirls on base. Hipper offers to give her a tour, but is interrupted by a submarine shipgirl, who looks up at Bismarck and says, "Lord Bismarck! As Parzival of the Seas, I will protect you and guide you around the base! And after that, we can play!"
Her heart warmed by the little blue haired girl, Bismarck smiles and says, "Danke. Lead on, Parzival."