"Operation Siren's Song is over! We won!"

"DAMN RIGHT, WE DID~!" The entire War Room broke into a well-deserved cheer. Finally, after an intense, multi-day operation, featuring both day and night monitoring, the skirmishes at the Atlantic are brought to a close. Bismarck and Prinz Eugen have prevailed and the 1st Carrier Strike Group has mobbed up the rest. The impromptu operation is a resounding success that will no doubt be going into history books.

"All right, all right! Settle down, ladies and gents!" Yuki, with a big grin and her uncovered red eye lighting up in amusement, clapped her hands together. "You all have done well so far, let's not let the news of victory make you inattentive now, yeah? Continue with your command and control duty, they will need all the help they can get to tow our trophies back. Once we're done, I am authorizing you all for a three-day paid leave with a bonus. That's the only fitting reward after I asked all of you to spend days and nights away from your family."

Understandably, the staff manning the War Room give Yuki a prim and proper salute over the generous reward. "Hail, Marshal!"

Yuki chuckles before waving them off back to work. She too sits down and gazes at a live video feed from a drone. The screen shows a splendorous view of the King George V being towed away by the Fur Spaniard convoy. And very soon, an Erusean Aircraft Carrier and two cruisers will be joining her. Though Yuki is feeling very pleased, she can't stop her fingers from massaging her temple. Like her staff in this War Room beneath the Obsidian Castle, Yuki has been sleeping minimally for days. Suddenly, a pair of hands lay on Yuki's shoulders, massaging and alleviating her fatigue. Yuki moans softly for the owner of those miraculous hands to hear. The tired Marshal knows just who is administering the fatigue relief for her.

"Ah~, Bryn, what would I do without you by my side?" Yuki said while closing her eye.

"Maybe keeling over unconscious?" Bryn responded with a small smile. "You're awfully more tense than usual. I guess it's the result of bad eating habits and lack of rest these past few days."

Yuki helplessly shrugs at that. "What can I say? It's one thing for me to personally lead an army, it's another thing to leave such a volatile mission in the hands of someone else to execute. Many things could go wrong, and that's why I have to work in the background to ensure it doesn't blow up in our face."

"And you have done well enough already. I think it's high time you take a break. The war isn't going anywhere and I think our boys and girls here are more than capable of pulling their weights."

"Yeah, that's right. It's just that I am a," Yuki makes an airquote gesture with a smile. "'Workaholic'."

Bryn chuckles at the sudden childishness of her lover.

They then fall into their own little world with the staff in the War Room being mindful not to disturb them. The pair don't talk much but rather enjoy their silence until Yuki finds the strength to say.

"Admiral Donitz must be giddy as Hell right now."

"The man receives the windfall of capturing not one, but four enemy vessels. That will no doubt be a major propaganda victory for him. Knowing him, he will try to boost the Reichsmarine's recruitment with this." Bryn commented on the situation.

"And I will allow that. It's his men and women that brought us the win. And with our future naval expansion plan, I reckon the Reichsmarine will be needing that recruitment drive more than ever." Yuki added with a smile. "I will have to work with him later to bring about a concrete plan to present to my mothers."

Bryn nods, already chalking it up as another important task to aid Yuki with. "Then what about the warships we captured?"

"Both King George V and Ark Royal are heavily damaged, with the latter still being worked on by the surrendered Eruseans, although things seem to be good on that front. Regardless, They are capital vessels in their own right, if we can bring them to our home port and patch them up, we can display them grandly in either Wilhelmshaven or Hamburg or both. As for the two cruisers, I honestly don't know what to do with them. I can package them together with the captured capitals but it doesn't matter all that much in terms of impact. I reckon there are better uses of them but I can't think of one yet." Yuki answered with a pondering expression.

Bryn hums, brainstorming up an idea quickly to keep the conversation going. "With our current naval power, these cruisers are worthless junk. However, to other factions, these cruisers may just be what they need to get them going."

Yuki raises an eyebrow at the suggestion, knowing what Bryn is talking about. "You want to hand them out as political gifts? Well, it's not a bad idea, but it will be like a hot potato so not many will want these vessels. This means only factions that are against Erusea will think about taking them in... And only those that are aligned with us or on friendly terms with us dare to accept them."

"I can name a couple right now, the Long Dynasty with their ever-increasing need to solidify their territorial water. Or the Ustian Reformists, who will no doubt accept such gifts with open arms, if only to piss off the Erusean rather than getting a surface combatant. And if we really want to stretch it, the Rusviets would love to lay their grubby hands on these cruisers." Bryn laid down a few options.

Yuki chuckles at the last one. "We both know Rusviet is out the window. And despite the Chinese seeking to expand their Navy, I highly doubt the cruisers will be as effective as the next batch of vessels we will be selling at a symbolic price. No, I think our dear Bonaparte would love to have two cruisers on her payroll. Despite her growing faction, Rosa has little to no bluewater presence. What ships she has are busied guarding Indochina water and under the direct command of the Duke there. Having these two cruisers will serve her well in coastal operations."

Bryn smiles. "Knowing that princess, she will love a gift of war material more than any jewelry."

Yuki laughs. "Well, she is in love with her maid, after all. In a way, she is a weirdo, just like me."

Yuki then says. "Hey, you reckon how we should celebrate the return of our brave sailors? Maybe a concert?"

"In that case," Bryn replied. "You can't leave Elysia out of this. She will throw a tantrum if she and Eden aren't invited."

Yuki laughs. "I would never not get her help for this. Rather, I have a few ideas for a new song. It will be great to have Elysia's and Eden's input. Say, how do you like this line..."

"From the mist, a shape, a ship, is taking form..."

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"Admiral, what do you see?" The XO asked Admiral Matias Torres, who was viewing the Fur Spaniard convoy through a large telescope. To be more specific, he is taking in the details of the RMS Bismarck. The cutting-edge wave-piercing tumblehome design and stealth features of the Bismarck transcend every knowledge Admiral Torres has about naval warfare and design.

Ultimately, the Spanish Admiral can only reply with this. "The future, Mr. Rango. Just quite literally, the future."

"You reckon our Navy will be modernized to what we are seeing right now, sir?"

Torres replies while scanning the others, more contemporary designs in the Belkan fleet formation. "When the war is over, and it will with us being the victor, our first concern is to rebuild the country. Trying to regain our former glory is but a pipe dream for the first few years. After that, and with us growing closer to Belka, it's possible that they will aid in reconstructing our fleet. But only to the extent that it's somewhat better than what their enemy is fielding. Until then, we will have to make do with what vessels we have, which I believe is more than enough to contend with the task at hand."

"Nonetheless, a man can still dream." Admiral Torres ended the conversation with a smirk.

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Vill-V closes the door, no, she slams it shut behind her. Despite her usual positivity keeping her afloat, Vill-V can't find the strength to stop herself from letting out a tired sigh while walking down the hallway of Nagazora Naval Base. The earlier meeting has proven itself to be a total bust on most fronts thanks to a recent development. RMS Bismarck wiped out the entire Erusean Home Fleet. Just a battleship and a cruiser managed to clean up a force many times their strength and without any losses at that.

"Just how outmatched are our IJN compared to the Reichsmarine?" Vill-V knows that despite her and Amaterasu's best attempt at modernizing the aging IJN, they wouldn't survive going against the Home Fleet with just two vessels. "It could be an elaborate exaggeration." Vill-v snickered before swatting that idea away. "If not for the presence of the footage the Belkan embassy released. And I am not sure whether I would like to know how Belka managed to film them in the first place."

"On the bright side," Vill-V continued her idle walk with thoughts running across her mind. "The Royal Navy got a well-deserved slap to the face. And I can't believe they even torpedoed the Spanish. So much for the best navy in the world..."

Vill-V stops her walk when she comes across a good acquaintance of hers who just rounded the corner. "Admiral Isoroku, how nice of you to see you here."

The man being addressed turns to the voice before showing a kind smile to the summoned heroine. "Lady Vill-V, seeing you here must mean that the meeting is over?" Yamamoto Isoroku extended a hand over to Vill-V.

Vill-V smiles wryly, taking the offered palm in a handshake. "A meeting without you, as expected."

Admiral Isoroku nods. "As expected."

Hearing that, VIll-V sighs. "Walk with me."

The pair then move to an indoor Japanese garden, knowing it's a section only reserved for high-ranking personnel. Vill-V then says. "I am conflicted right now. A part of me is happy that my good friend is winning halfway across the world, another part is frustrated that she is making my job harder than it already is."

The Admiral just chuckles good-naturedly at that. "I advise you to feel happy for the moment. It will motivate you then, to finish what you started."

"I know, but it's just damn hard when those antique buffoons failed to see reasons. They are trying to sideline you in our naval development by keeping you out of these meetings. I would be in your shoes right now had I am not a close aide to Amaterasu." Vill-V exhaled frustratingly. "Belka, more specifically the Reich Marshal, has been going against every single forecast I made. Her Reichsmarine has time and time again trampled on the aircraft carriers, despite it should be the opposite that happened. The first time with the Bearn could be a fluke, but then the Aquila happened, and now not just the Hermes but also the Ark Royal fell by their hands. Granted, the second time was attributed to the Spanish but they were advised and equipped by Belka all the same."

"And now, because of their successive victories, our naval air superiority doctrine is being called into question." Yamamoto Isoroku said. "I sure wish you didn't have to resort to saying that the Western countries fail to utilize the carriers properly?"

"I even threw in the fact that they are using obsolete planes if that's what you were asking." Vill-V jested, causing the both of them to chuckle.

"In that case, our plan is in peril." Admiral Isoroky commented lightly.

"Pretty much, but I managed to salvage what I can. We just have to make do until we can battle-test our new aircraft carriers." Vill-V said before handing over a thick folder to the Admiral.

The man skims the papers and then says. "So they approved of the construction of the Taihou-class, and three of them at that, alongside the cheaper Unryu-class with five planned? What kind of sorcery did you pull this time?"

Vill-V grimaces heavily, as if about to puke. "The first dip in modernizing their Yamatos, and their surface combatants, with the best armament the world has to offer. Can you imagine that monstrosity now equipped with missiles and radars at the earliest of opportunity?"

Admiral Isoroku laughs aloud. "Hahaha! Well, her curves are truly marvelous." The Admiral paraphrased. "But at least we are getting somewhere. Thank you, for your tireless effort."

"Perhaps one day, we can prove to them that battles aren't fought with dreadnoughts anymore, but by the men and women behind a stick."