A Royal Sovereign

Chapter 7 - Voyage Under Crimson Skies

(A/N): Yes, I have been listening to too much Dreadnought recently. Also, I will now be referring to the bases with their historical counterparts unless too unclear where it would be situated.

P.S.: Putin, you can go fuck yourself.

3rd Person POV

Pearl Harbor, Azur Lane

One day has passed since the 'Mirror Sea Incident'.

Most shipgirls were relatively unharmed, save for the few who engaged in combat and those who wore barely any clothing; frostbite and colds being the main ailments. These shipgirls were resting either in their assigned dorms or in Vestal's office, where the medic tended to them.

While not engaging in combat, Sovereign had his ship raised in the drydock. As he found out, using his rigging as improvised ice skates was not the greatest idea he had ever come up with; the quite expensive black pigment under the waterline particularly suffering from the stress of scraping against the hard ice.

Unfortunately for Sovereign, Pearl Harbor didn't have any machines that would hasten the process of repainting ships. He had no other choice than to paint the bottom of his hull with a large spray painting nozzle; a task that quickly proved to be quite arduous.

Using a mobile platform, he began painting the underside of his ship. While doing so, using a metal scraper, he removed any barnacles that grew on his hull. The scratching sounds were not pleasant, but it was something he had to bear with.

The process was an arduous one, as within two hours he had repainted a mere sixth of his hull. Before he could paint any more of his ship, he got interrupted by a voice calling for him.

"Sovereign!"

"Hm? Yes?"

Time Skip brought to you by Sovereign asking Cleveland out

"Seriously, that was so reckless of you," Hornet stated as Laffey, Javelin, Wales, Cleveland, Belfast, and Sovereign stood before her. "Thoughtlessly charging into danger to save an enemy, jeez..."

Laffey and Javelin looked down as they were scolded by the carrier. "Well, y'all are certainly not trying to receive medals, that's for sure."

"I'm sorry," Javelin apologized faintly.

"No, please wait," interjected Belfast as she stepped forward; hand on her bust. "There's no one to blame but me. I am the one responsible for allowing it."

Wales, who was overlooking Pearl Harbor, sighed before turning to face them. "That's noble of you to say, but," Wales answered Belfast with her hands held behind her back. "We have to send the right message to the others."

"I would agree if I didn't know the current state of affairs in the Sakura Empire," Sovereign interjected, stating his opinion. He spared them a quick glance before going back to tapping his finger on the table.

"You are not free of this either," Wales retorted. "You aided in their aiding of an enemy of Azur Lane."

"I did not," Sovereign countered, dismissing her statement. "I saved Laffey and Javelin. Ayanami was only saved as a consequence."

"How about this," Hornet said. "Laffey, Javelin, as a consequence of your actions, you two are assigned to prisoner supervision duties."

Both shipgirls' expressions brightened, surprised by the very light punishment they received.

"Policy states that prisoners of war need to to be taken care of with maximum care," Cleveland stated with one finger pointing up, catching onto Hornet's plan.