2nd July, 1941.
Bismarck is busy typing on a computer that's far ahead of its time. She looks over at Dr. Anzeel and asks, "How did you get technology like this? The Cubes are one thing, but flat glass screens that display information like a television… and in colour?"
Dr. Anzeel smiles, "We can thank our Siren friend for that. Not only is she cute, she's incredibly smart, too. Turns out when you're nice to her she might speak to you. I don't know what the Commander did to her, but she seems nice now. The Sirens are terrifyingly technologically advanced, so we're making the most out of this advantage. Of course, you'll have to swear that you won't tell anyone about what's going on at this base, and you'll have to make your Iron Blood friends swear it as well."
Bismarck nods as she finishes typing. "I swear, and they will too. By the way, I've hit a snag."
Dr. Anzeel comes over. "What is it?"
"I need to access the Iron Blood database. I cannot do it from here as all of our records are on paper. Our technology outside of Kriegsmaschinen is barely adequate enough. We knew the Allies had superior computers when our Enigma code was compromised by the Polish. Looks like we will have to go there personally and grab Dr. Fritz as well has the plans for the Quick Finisher. I assume he will be cared for here?"
Dr. Anzeel assures her, "I'll speak to the Commander personally. I'm sure she'll be more than happy to make him feel welcome if he can help us find a way to revive dead Kansen."
Bismarck looks at her, "About that… if you created us yourself, why did you not know of any way to bring us back if we die before Frau Nelson suggested it?"
Anzeel adjusts her glasses, "I… didn't exactly do it from scratch. I was just assigned to study the Cubes that the Commander recovered from a mission from before the last Great War. I was tinkering around with them, and… I assume like Dr. Fritz, I kinda made the second-ever Royal Kansen by accident, then I just repeated the process over and over until I made a machine to make it easier. It's more like I discovered the Cubes can do it instead of doing it myself. I just never figured out until recently that there's actually a way to revive you ladies."
"I see… then Iron Blood stole your plans and shared them to our… their… allies during the Great War… then the Northern Parliament did Gott knows what to Lützow to figure it out…" Bismarck adds.
Dr. Anzeel nods, "Yeah… Anyway, Its time to plan the mission to extract Dr Fritz and his Quick Finisher thingies."
They both leave the lab to go plan with Victory.
Prinz Eugen stirs as she finally regains consciousness. She finds herself in a hospital bed. She hears the slow beeping of her own heartbeat, becoming slightly faster as she looks around in an unfamiliar room.
"Admiral, She is awake." She hears from next to her. She sees Z23 sat on a chair speaking into a handheld radio.
Eugen asks, "…Nimi? How long have you been there?"
Z23 stands, salutes and responds, "I was ordered by Herr Admiral to keep an eye on you and inform him when you woke up. You have been here for a day. You were injured yesterday in an air raid, and again earlier today."
"Damage?" Eugen sits up.
"Your control centre was destroyed yesterday, but not as much damage today. Unfortunately, according to the report from Frau Gneisenau, your main guns will be useless until near the end of the year when it's estimated the control centre will be repaired. Herr Admiral Ciliax will not be able to relocate us until you're ready to fight again." Z23 informs her, remaining stoic.
Eugen looks down. "So… I'm holding you all up then…?"
Z23 replies, "Well, ja… but nobody blames you. We all want you to be in the best shape you can be before moving out."
Eugen smiles, "Danke, Nimi… but you know you don't have to act like you have a broom up your backside around me…"
Z23 blushes at the mention of her backside and adopts a more relaxed stance, "Sorry, Frau Eugen… is there anything else?"
Eugen sits back, "Any more bad news?"
Z23 thinks about it and says, "Not that I can think of… except for the recent news broadcast. Apparently the Dragon Empery has ceased diplomatic relations with the Crimson Axis because of the Sakura Empire's expansion. It looks like they're supporting Azur Lane, but if you'll excuse me, now that you're awake, I'm ordered to continue teaching the other Zerstörers."
"Do you ever take a break, Nimi?" Eugen asks.
"Nein. There is always work to be done, and during wartime like this, we must always do our duty, Frau Eugen." Z23 salutes again and leaves, allowing a nurse to come in and give her a check-up.
Victory sits at her desk trying to catch up on the mountain of paperwork that just keeps coming in. "I can't remember the last time I saw the mahogany of the desk under these piles…"
Nelson just responds with, "Perhaps if you work harder, Commander, then you will!"
Victory rolls her eyes and retorts, "Perhaps if you give me another massage, that will motivate me?"
Nelson suddenly becomes very shy and starts working a lot faster. Victory chuckles and carries on. She comes across something from the lab, a request to start research on three kinds of special books. One red, another yellow and the last blue.
"Books…?" She reads the request and it seems that the books would be absolute nonsense to humans, but would give Kansen a better understanding of their abilities. "Hmm… maybe I should give them a read myself…" she approves the project and puts it on the top of the "done" pile.
Some time later, Nelson delivers the approved report to the lab. She knocks on the door, annoyed that she once again has to do something that she finds so demeaning. She wonders why she keeps helping Victory if she claims to hate it so much. She knows full well that Victory would allow her to not do it anymore in favour of another ship taking over, but somebody has to make sure Victory isn't slacking off, right? Yes, surely that's the reason…. She thinks about it more and more, only to have her mood change drastically when Bismarck opens the door to the lab. She goes silent and Bismarck just stares at her.
"Danke." She takes the request off her and closes the door. Nelson just leaves, not expecting her to be in the lab. She's going to have to have a talk with Victory about this.
Bismarck reads the request, "Ärztin, the Kommandantin has approved the "Skill Book" project."
Dr. Anzeel looks overjoyed, "Yes! Now we can start making them!" She walks over to her fabricator, another piece of technology taken from the Sirens.
Bismarck can see the genius in appropriating Siren technology. "We could easily beat the Sirens if we use their own inventions against them… incorporated it into our riggings…"
Dr. Anzeel says, "I've been saying that for ages…. Good luck getting the Commander to agree to that. She's so old fashioned. Literally. She really hates anything even remotely Siren, even go as far as to reverse her own METAmorphosis as it was caused by one. She could potentially be the most powerful ship afloat with her 52 main guns. She holds herself back so much… It's so annoying…"
"52 guns!?" Bismarck exclaims.
"Yeah… she's a ship of the line, remember? She has 50 broadside guns and two on her stern, but they're just late 1700's cannons. Imagine what she could do with those if she incorporated Siren tech or embraced her METAmorphosis. When she went META, she obliterated two ships she was stuck between like tearing through wet paper…
"That is unfortunate. Using their tech could be the advantage we need to defeat them. Perhaps I could talk to her about it…" Bismarck puts her hand to her chin. She sees the fabricator pump out the three books. The yellow one seems to draw her to it, but not nearly as much as the red one. The blue one doesn't seem to call to her at all.
"Care to do the honours, Doctor Bismarck?" Dr. Anzeel jokes.
"You trust me to test one?" Bismarck asks.
"Of course, you're helping us now, right?" Dr. Anzeel says.
Bismarck appreciates the trust and picks up the red one with the white crosshair on it. The gibberish on the front cover translates itself for her and reads "Wahrheit."
"Hmm… there's a lot of information in here…. It may take me a few minutes to read it." She sits down.
Dr. Anzeel nods, "Okay, tell me if anything changes." She returns to making her notes.
Bismarck doesn't look like anything particularly interesting is happening to her, but in her head, she is gaining the knowledge to unlock a major skill to assist her in any further battles. This one will make sure her first salvo will critically damage her target, providing she hits it, effectively making the fluke of sinking Hood with one shot consistent. The memory flashes through her mind as she reads about it. A few minutes later, she finishes the book and absorbs all the information from it, then the book simply disintegrates, its purpose fulfilled. She breathes heavily as the memory flash seemed so real, as if she was literally there again, firing that one shot…
"Ah… they can't be read more than once… that is interesting…" Bismarck says while watching it vanish.
Dr. Anzeel replies, "Well, that's gonna be a waste of paper… I should send the Commander another requisition for the planting of more trees… what about the yellow one, Dr. Bismarck?"
Bismarck looks at the other book on the table. Again, it doesn't seeme to resonate with her as much as the red one did, but it's more lively than the blue one. She picks it up and starts reading it. This one translates itself to "Wille des Eisernen Blutes." Shes about to open it when the lab gets a call. Anzeel answers it and says it's for Bismarck.
She puts the book down and walks over to take the phone. "Bismarck speaking."
The voice of Victory says, "Bismarck, some human sailors have returned from their sub-hunting mission. They captured a Kansen. She's unconscious and has been taken to the medical centre."
Bismarck's grip tightens, "What!? What's her name?"
"U-556."
Bismarck practically throws the phone down and makes a beeline for the medical centre. Anzeel sighs and walks over to the door to the holding cell where their captive Siren is.
"Ah, Doctor…" Observer Alpha says upon seeing her favourite human again.
"Alpha." Anzeel replies with little emotion.
"Have you completed the development of the books like I ordered you to?"
"Yes…" Anzeel replies, "But why do you want to make them stronger? Aren't you worried about them becoming too powerful?"
"Not at all. That's a problem for Zero, and she's left me to rot in here for over 200 years. She can't even seem to overpower or outsmart a ship from the 1700s so I'll do it myself, eventually. After all, I brought her into this simulation, I'll take her out of it soon. All I have to do is wait until the opportune moment, which you will ever so graciously provide. That is, if you ever want to escape."
Anzeel nods, "Yes… Observer… but…"
"But?" Alpha repeats in an annoyed tone.
"…but how do I do that? The Commander is extremely vigilant. Convincing her to not have monitoring equipment in here was among the hardest things I've ever done." Anzeel asks.
Alpha chuckles, "That is something you'll have to figure out for yourself. Don't worry. You have plenty of time. This war isn't over yet."
"When will it end…?"
"Soon."