One and a half hours later the young engineer arrived at the gate to the old Submarine assembly plant. The normally almost abandoned place was now heavily guarded. The young engineer could see over 50 naval infantrymen on guard just from his position at the gate. He handed the gate guard his papers and orders to be checked before he was let through. Parking his bike next to two two staff cars, he was greeted by an engineer who hurried over to him. "Good morning. We did not expect you to arrive here this fast. I am Ingenieur-Oberaspirant (Equivalent to Sub-Lieutenant of the engineers in the Royal Navy) Schulz. It is nice to meet you. L.I. Mahler has sent me to pick you up." He explained while catching his breath. The man in front of the young engineer was at most 18. Not that much younger than the young engineer but he was still treated by him like he was an established person of respect. A fact the young engineer was uncomfortable with. But he realised that he was as Marine-Oberstabsingenieur (Equivalent to commander in the Royal navy.) with 4 years of service by now. Worlds ahead of the young officer he just met. Following Schulz they passed the old submarine bunker and walked to the outfitting pier. The young engineer's heart dropped.
Fastened to the pier was the hull of the last ship of the Admiral Hipper class of cruisers in Ironblood. Seydlitz was the second to last of the series of 5 ships and was almost completed as a cruiser when the decision was made to convert her to a carrier. Her conversion was stopped when the conflict with the Royal Navy and Eagle Union escalated some 60 years ago. Since then and because of the changes the Sirens brought, she had been laid up and no work to finish her had been done. The last time the young engineer saw the ship was when she was laid up at one of the piers of the AG Weser in the fishinghabor in Wesermünde, when he was a child. He and his friends used to go to her after school and play on and in the ship. Running away whenever one of the few guards of the ship were onto them.
Walking onboard the ship, the young engineer finally saw his friend Fritz. "You guys are finishing work on Seydlitz?" He asked the obvious question. "Hello my friend. Indeed, many ships that had been started to be built during the war and before the Sirens appeared have been restarted and work is progressing on them. It turns out we were not the only ones to think of the possibility of awakening new ships. But we probably figured out the last piece of the puzzle to make it happen." Fritz Mahler greeted his friend and started to explain the situation. "Since Seydlitz was the hull that was most completed, I was informed of the secret work on it after I made my report on our ideas. I was immediately told to get here and set up for trials and to get you here and to try out our theory. We are supposed to awaken Seydlitz." He concluded. The young engineers' excitement grew. "You mean you ordered me here to help you awaken Seydlitz?" He asked not believing the idea. "Yes. That is the idea. After all, you were the one who figured out how to transform the rigging as well. You see, that is the issue. No one has any idea where to start and to infuse the wisdomcube into the ship. There is no convenient plug for it after all." Elaborated Fritz and presented the issue they had with a smirk. "I see. So you guessed that I would know out of my gut where to infuse a wisdomcube into a conventional ship's hull." Answered the young engineer with a tone of sarcasm. "Who knows?" Added Fritz. The young engineer rubbed his chin. "I guess we could try it out. But we definitely need protective gear. I don't want to end up like last time." The young engineer cautioned while agreeing to the plan. "No problem. We have steelworkers gear to protect us against heat and light." Answered Fritz Mahler. "We also got half a dozen Wisdom Cubes to try to get our project going. At least we guess that we need more than one judging from the energy and power level difference between cruisers and destroyers." Added Fritz while pointing to a couple of crates next to him. "So, how about we get dressed and grab a couple of those things and explore the ship?" Fritz invited his friend.
After changing into the hot suits the two engineers grabbed each one of the laundry basket
sized containers which held two wisdom cubes each. Both wore earbuds and microphones attached to radios to communicate with each other and the rest of the researcher outside on the dock. "Are you ready to go?" Asked Fritz, his colleague. The young engineer nodded. The two men that looked like astronauts from a bad science fiction movie entered the interior of the ship through one of the doors in the superstructure. "Any ideas where we should try out our idea first?" Fritz continued his questions. "Not really. I am trying to figure out suitable places." Answered the young engineer. "What about we try out the vitals of a ship? I mean if we think of them in terms of human anatomy, we should try to figure out vital organs right?" Fritz proposed. "This stuff is so far gone from any normal engineering, we might as well consider that." Agreed the young engineer. "So let's get to the engine room then?" The young engineer asked and Fritz gave him a thumbs up. "Good idea. After all, some of the destroyers always said that as long as their engines run they would be around." The two struggled through the ship in their protective suits.
When they arrived in the engine room both engineers looked at each other. "So? Where do we position the Wisdomcubes?" Fritz asked his compatriot. "My best guess would be the boilers." Answered the young engineer while walking to one of the gigant machines. "So what do we do?" Asked Fritz him again. "The last time it worked by holding the cube to the rigging and thinking about what it was supposed to do. I would try the same here. So thinking about making the Wisdomcube change the ship into a living being." Reasoned the young engineer. The two men sat down their containers and opened one up. Grabbing a Wisdomcube Fritz Mahler walked over to one of the Boilers and pressed the cube against it. "And now?" Fritz asked. "Think about what it is supposed to do." The young engineer answered, curious to see what was going to happen. To his surprise the same thing happened to the Wisdomcube as before, when the young engineer held it in hand. The light emanating from the Wisdomcube increased and through the shielded lenses of the hotsuit the young engineer could see how the cube lost its form and seemingly vanished into the boiler under the pressure of Fritz Mahler's hands holding it against the machine. When the Wisdomcube, its energy and light disappeared, the young engineer hurried over to his friend. "Are you alright?" He asked concerned. "I am, I am." Came the relieving answer. "Although I don't know how you survived it back then. I mean the energy got unbearably hot on my hands and I have white spots in my vision despite the covers and closing my eyes." Complained the young engineer's friend.
"What happened?" He asked next. "Apparently nothing. At least nothing has changed." Said the young engineer. "What does the outside say?" Fritz asked, changing frequencies on his radio. "Schulz here. We were able to register energy spikes on the monitors attached to the ship. We also seem to get something that seems to be regular energy spikes. Have you guys turned on anything in the ship?" Came the answer from the rest of the researchers outside of the ship. "No we did not." Answered the young engineer. "We have a regular pattern of energy spikes on our registers." Replied Schulz. Fritz grabbed the arm of the young engineer. "I think I know what it is. What has regular spikes of energy and activity in a living body? A heart and a brain." He asked and gave the answer to his question in the same breath. "You mean the ship is starting to be alive?" The young engineer questioned. "I guess so." His excited friend replied. "Let's get another one." He exclaimed while grabbing another Wisdomecube and pressing it on the boiler.
But nothing happened. "It doesn't work." Fritz stated dissatisfied. "Why though? The first one worked instantly." He continued. "I have no idea." Answered the young engineer, knowing no solution to their issue as well. The two sat down on the second full container. Looking into the dark engine room. "May I offer my idea?" Schulz interrupted the two. "Sure go ahead Schulz." Replied Fritz. "If your theory is true and you just got the Ships heart beating, would that mean that you need to bring energy to its other vitals as well?" He asked. "Shulz, that is a smart question. We will have to try that out!'' Fritz exclaimed. "I guess we have to try and see what other parts of the ship need the energy of the Wisdomcube." He explained. "I will try out all the parts of the engine room. You will go and try out the other vital systems in the ship." Decided Fritz with delight. The young engineer got a Wisdomcube handed by his friend, before he could even say anything. "We might as well go by trial and error." He explained to his friend. "I will try the bridge and the machinery there. If that doesn't work I will look at the guns." The two parted ways. While the young engineer made his way up to the bridge, he heard from Fritz what progress he made. He tried to infuse all the boilers with Wisdomcube energy, he tried the shafts, pumps, the electrical generators and so on. Working his way from one component of the ship's guts to another. "I am done with the engine room. I will see what I can do at the gun turrets." Fritz Mahler informed the young engineer over the radio. "Alright. I am almost at the bridge." Answered the young engineer.
Entering the bridge the young engineer was astonished by the view he had from it. Not to mention all the controls and equipment presented to him. Firecontrol displays, radar information tables, navigational data holders and all the equipment to see what was going on in the ship. The young engineer walked up to the throttle and the steering wheel of the cruiser. "I guess that might as well just be the right spot." He said to himself while grabbing the Wisdomcube with both hands and pressing it against the Ship's helm. His thought to awaken the cruiser did their job immediately. The light coming from the cube increased. The young engineer could feel his protected hands get warm from the heat and he could feel the Wisdomcube losing its form and rigidity in his hands. He closed his eyes to not get blinded and turned his head away. When the light stopped piercing through his closed eyelids, the young engineer realized he was done. His gloved hands radiated heat shimmers off them but otherwise he was fine. He immediately contacted Fritz. "Hey Fritz, I have just sent a Wisdomcube into the helm of the cruiser. Did anything change?" Before he could receive and answer the young engineer realized something was changing. The hull of the ship started to groan and shake. "I don't know what is going on but you two are leaving the ship immediately!" Yelled Schulz to the two engineers through the radio. Not willing to be here any longer, the young engineer did as he was told immediately and started to run towards the door of the bridge. Outside of the superstructure behind the conning tower he saw that the ship's hull was moving and contracting. Out of its windows and bullseyes it started to glow in the blue light of Wisdomcube energy. The young engineer saw his friend Fritz next to the barbette of A turret on the deck. The ship had been cut loose of its mooring and was drifting further into the harbor basin. Unable to reach land Fritz was striping the heavy protective gear and jumped over the railing with the second Wisdomcube crate. The young engineer did the same. He got the protective gloves and face cover off while walking down a flight of stairs to one of the platforms for a 10,5cm anti aircraft gun. There he ripped off the protective coat and jumped over the railing on the water deck. He unbuckled the insulated boots and pulled off the heavy trouser before leaping into the cold water of the Weser river that filled the basin. Emerging from the water he gasped for air and turned to see what was happening to the ship. Immediately he turned away from it again as the blue glow shining from the ship was too intense to see anything happening inside of it. He started to swim towards the quay wall where he met Fritz holding on to one of the ladders and the Wisdomcube crate. The two climbed up the ladder while pulling the crate up. Afterwards they immediatly ducked behind a bollard .They only dared to look up from behind it after the glow emanating from the basin had disappeared.