The adventures of Prinz Eugen and the young engineer Volume 1.

Adventure No.1 "Events in the East." Chapter 1

He served on his homebase for 6 months now. The Flottille stationed in Wesermünde was a mixture of 10 destroyers, 2 heavy cruisers, a Panzerschiff and a flotilla of submarines. His job was to service the rigging of the second heavy cruiser. The one he admired so much...

He was ripped out of his thoughts by the low buzzing siren alerting him that the ships were returning from their commission and entering the bunker. He opened up the drydock gates waiting in the now hip deep water for the shipgirl to return. And there they came. Two shipgirls, two sisters. The heavy cruisers of the Admiral Hipper class. Hipper herself and her third sister Prinz Eugen. The shipgirl he was supposed to service and maintain. The legendary Prinz Eugen. The cruiser who fought with Bismarck and beat the battleship Prince of Wales. Who chased through the english channel with the Scharnhorst sisters. Which fought the northern parliament ships and saved thousands of lives before she was a somewhat human being. And she is as gorgeous in human form just as her shiplines were.

When the two entered he could already see that Hipper, once again, was not in a good mood. " I wonder if she is ever in a different mood than angry and annoyed." He wondered while he withstood her angry glare. As it was obligatory he saluted and greeted her:" Guten Tag. Schön Sie wieder heile hier zusehen Admiral Hipper." Although he loved his nation's navy, he hated the long and complicated way of protocol. Hipper didn't even answer him but continued her way down to her drydock. She was followed by her sister. Prinz Eugen entered her drydock and stopped right in front of him. Since she was able to stand on water she was towering over him. The two shark-like bows of her rigging grinding their teeth together as if they were hungry beasts only restrained in their bloodlust by their owner. Again he saluted and greeted:" Guten Tag Prinz Eugen. Schön Sie zu sehen. Alles ist vorbereitet zur Wartung und Instandsetzung Ihrer Bewaffnung." She gave him her customary teasing smile and only nodded to him.

He followed through by closing the drydock gates and pumping the water out until there were baerly 10 cm of it in the docking lot. He then continued to lower down the rigging holder and to attach Prinz Eugens Rigging to them. She stood still watching him attentively. Only moving after he connected all holders to her rigging when she then detached them from her waist. The two shark-like bows lumped down, closed their eyes and settled left and right of Prinz, while she herself now left her rigging. She then proceeded to go further into her docking lot and inspected the tools on the workbench while he checked on her rigging. " Don't you think you will get in trouble if I tell the commander that you are sleeping in the drydock?" Prinz said with her silk like voice in accent free Ironblood. He twitched and turned around to face her. "I can't stand the Idea of not being here when there may occur the need for me to be here. Also the garrison rooms and beds are awful. Here I feel more at home and I am closer to where I am needed." He answered her. She looked at him smiling: " Ohh what a dutiful soldier you are. Preferring your workplace over the comforts of the barracks to always be ready to serve your navy." She mocked him. His face turned into a slight hue of red and he answered her mocking:" Think of it as whatever you want. I see it as my mission and dedication to be here ready whenever you will need me. I rather spend my life here never called up to fix you up than to disappoint in not being here when I am needed. I will serve my country here since I am no longer needed on a ship, since you replaced our traditional ships. Therefore I will be here watching out for you if you ever need me." "How nice of you to be so caring and protective. One could almost think you have a thing for me." Prinz continued in her mocking manner. He turned another shade of red: " I care about the wellbeing of those I am assigned to. That's all" "Is it tough? You don't think I am pretty then?" She continued her mocking. He no longer entertained her game and changed the topic: " Is your rigging doing alright? Have there been any problems with it or was it damaged?" " Not that I can think of. You take so good care of it that there is nothing I could complain about. Also, it was just an exercise and no real mission. No need to be always so earnest and worried." She said while walking by him brushing the fingers of her left hand over his shoulders. On her way out the drydock she continued: " Don't spend too much time on the maintenance. If you overwork yourself too much... You .. Will .. Die." With these words she was out and the young man was left with two shades of red skin more than he is used to and his daily routine of checking the rigging belonging to Prinz.

He went on to do his magic and fixed the bearings of her rigging, resupplied it with oil and coolant and all the other things it needed. Even Though the rigging was detached from its master, it was still alive and the two shark-like maws of the rigging still watched him do his work and tried to eat the oil and coolant. He was creeped out by them. Working on these things, he knew how strong they were and he knew that he was in no position to save himself if they decided to attack him. These beasts were able to bite through armourplate and punch though it with the same ease. He also knew that these riggins hated everything except other ironblood ships and their superior officers. It took him over a month of cooperation with Prinz holding them back until they accepted him. Still, every now and then they would push him over or mess with him in another way, almost to show him that he should never be too comfortable around them and show them respect. He knew they were not just extended machines used by Prinz Eugen but also sentient. At Least it would explain their behavior.