The adventures of the young engineer and Prinz Eugen Volume 2.

No. 9 Chapter 5

The engineer finally managed to enter his retreat again. His small office functioned as his workplace, storage room for the rigging blueprints and his personal retreat on the base. After he had checked with Adalbert, after her tests were done, on her rigging to see if everything had worked as intended. Afterwards he asked her to gather all the other ships so that he could inform them of what was to happen. He knew that Adalbert would take her sweet time to gather them all and he planned that fact in. That way he had some time to relax and note down things in his book. He couldn't recall when his notebook writings had transitioned from notes and work related ideas to full lines of thoughts and diary entries but he guessed that he should not be surprised since his work was his calling in which he was fully invested. Noting down his work and the insights of what he had learned about working on the changed diesel engines of Adalbert's rigging he fluently started to write down his other thoughts and experiences as well. Reading over his texts he saw that he basically wrote down his entire day so far. He grabbed a small set of differently colored sticky notes. He took a blue one off and wrote "Adalbert Engines" on it before adding it to the passage about the work on her rigging in his book. When he closed it to check if the sticky note did its job as a bookmark as well, he let out a satisfied puff of breath. Opening it back up he noted down his thoughts about the matters he was going to address later today.

Looking over his desk his thoughts started to wander off. His gaze rested on a picture frame in which two of the pictures he brought with him from his home were placed in. He smiled with a hint of sadness at them. It had been years since he last saw both of his siblings and got along with them. The last time they had written to each other was after the engineer had returned from the Northern Parliament for years he had not received a message back and eventually he had stopped sending his letters. The last thing he knew about them was that his sister had married her fiance and that his brother had become a father and that his son was named Bruno after one of his great grandfathers. The engineer had sadly neither the time to see his nephew nor was he really asked to come and visit. He had accepted the fact that his siblings did not see things the same way he did ever since their parents were gone.
He was ripped out of his thoughts by a knock on the door to his office right before it was opened. Quickly closing his notebook on the desk and locking the small safe in which he kept the ones he had already filled, the engineer stood up to greet the person that entered. Through the door frame came the tall, yet slender statue of a woman the engineer dreaded, yet very much liked in many ways. Wearing old fashioned 18th century boots and black stockings in combination with a night black dress with golden trims and blood red lining. Her skirt covering all of her hips and legs except their front side, which allowed her free and unrestricted movements, while also hiding most of the things the short body of her dress wouldn't cover. The dress itself was more a second skin to the battleship than actual apparel. Her bodies shape was clearly visible through the snug fitting fabric, showing her hourglass shaped body all the way up to the high collar of her dress which elegantly showed off the the pristine shape of the woman's neck and transition to her head and shoulders. Her long, glossy black hair reached down to her hips again and almost transitioned smoothly to her dresses skirt. Most of her face was covered by a long strain of her hair but the parts of her face that were visible showed a face like one of those carved out of marble and alabaster by the ancient artist of Sardegna. A delicate mouth and smooth nose formed together with her delicate yet expressive eyebrows the frame for two golden eyes that were framed by long black lashes in the same color as her hair.

Friedrich der Große smiled a warm yet not reassuring smile at the engineer. "I have arrived as requested my child." Her smoky, yet comforting voice announced her reason for being here. "How may I help you?" She asked. The engineer once again was not sure how to interact with her for a moment. As much as the battleship was kind and motherly in her nature towards those she liked, her eyes alone terrified the engineer. They were beautiful but they always carried the sensation of doom, death and suffering with them. A shadow of darkness surrounded them and the aura of dread that made those that did not know Ulrich von Hutten uncomfortable around her, was far more intense around her older sister Friedrich. In her presence there was always the foreboding feeling present that announced an upcoming horror. Her presence made every room seem darker, every light seemed to shine dimmer and every atmosphere and feeling other than dread was overtoned by her presence. The engineer had gotten used to it over time but still, depending on the ship's mood it seems to always vary in intensity. Today the aura the battleship gave off was less intense than usual. Knowing that it was related to the ship the engineer guessed something happened that somehow influenced Friedrich. "Is everything alright?" He asked her after only a fracture of a moment of hesitation after she had asked him. "I am alright my child. I was only interrupted in my chess game with Peter Strasser, which is a slight inconvenience, giving her time to think her strategy and mine over before we can continue." Friedrich explained in a calm and nonchalant manner. "But you asked for our presence here, so what is it that you need us all for?" She asked. "You are right. I have been tasked by our commander to arrange our part of the Kieler Woche and your entry into the presentation of the fleet." He answered her. "Ohh how delightful, finally there is an opportunity to present ourselves in our glory and participate in the great game in which all the others are involved. You shall have no need to worry about any matter. I will ensure that our entry and announcement will be one that will be remembered by all." She promised. Knowing the battleship the engineer knew she was not exaggerating. Friedrich der Goße had taken up many of the aspects associated with her namesake. The old king of the forebearer of Ironblood was seen as the father of his nation. He himself had called himself the first servant of the state. The population under him and later on Ironblood had built the mythos of the smart king, the great general and hard but caring father figure of the citizens around the battleship's namesake. At least that is how the engineer imagined that the ship's personality had taken up the motherly nature and her caring strictness. Not to mention her talent for strategy, her smart and calculating nature that even seemed to surpass that of Eugen. Next to that she was an unquestionable leader and her statesmanship and leadership abilities were evident the moment one would talk with her. But the battleship had also taken up the likes of her namesake. Her love for classical music and the Iris culture enlightenment was just as much part of her as the other aspects.

"Your help would certainly take a lot of worry off my back." The engineer admitted. "Then consider it done. I will see to it that everything will be done in proper procedure and in agreement with our commander Mahler." The battleship smiled in pleased excitement. What creeped the engineer out was that it was the same smile of delight and excitement she had when she told him about the last time she blew apart Siren ships that made it into their parts of the baltic waters after he had fixed her C turret.