The Lone Queen Of The North

Chapter 8: The Canadian East

           Quick question before I start: do any of you play Azur Lane? If so, you have my utmost respect. It's a good game, I must say. Though rather grind based, it's really fun once you get the hang of things.

           A word of advice: watch your resources. Don't go spending it all on things you may not need. While over time the game generates resources for you to collect, it is not wise to blow it all instantly.

           Well, that is my PSA. Onto the story!

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          A general sense of awe covered the bridge. Michael stared intently at the highly malformed hulls of the ships the Tirpitz and Scharnhorst were fighting. The crew on the bridge also contributed to the silence. After all, they had just witnessed the use of one of the most powerful weapons the Fog was equipped with.

          Michael took what he saw and analyzed it. The raw power demonstrated could easily annihilate Fog ships if they're damaged or if their armour isn't up to the task. With the firing of such a weapon, he knew that his ship would become a priority target... just like the I-401.

          He furrowed his brow in thought as he tried coming up with a plan on how to engage in a battle where it would minimize the damage taken to an extent to where the damage seemed to not have existed. Michael ran a hand through his hair, an action noticed by his girlfriend, out of stress. He wanted to protect everyone effectively, while being able to fight effectively.

         Tirpitz leaned over and kissed Michael on the cheek, which brought him out of his thoughts. He smiled at her, and she smiled in return.

         "Anything wrong?" Tirpitz asked.

         Michael hesitated briefly, then answered.

         "No, not really, it'll work itself out," he said assuringly.

         Tirpitz, satisfied with Michael's answer, turned forwards and watched as her hull sailed towards the wrecks of their adversaries. As a way to gather Nanomaterial to ensure future repairs, ships often return to the docks or harvest it from ocean sectors rich with it. Though, worst case scenario, they collect Nanomaterial from wrecks.

          The catch was, since this particular material was highly reactive, the Fog need to collect it quickly or it'd rendered itself inert. Despite it being able to maintain a solid form, it decayed rapidly if separated into smaller portions.

           "Should we collect their cores, Michael?" Tirpitz asked when the ship came to a stop.

           "No. Based on what you told me, they'd most likely be dangerous considering we have a complement of males in our crew..." Michael responded, "I don't want any of them near me, or the others. Besides, other Fog ships may come by and collect them, therefore providing a distraction. We would then be able to proceed on our journey relatively unhindered."

           Tirpitz went quiet. Then she smiled and nodded. Michael returned the smile, and observed as the Nanomaterial was salvaged by drones that were deployed from the reconnaissance plane's hangar. As he looked on, Michael felt off. He had a feeling that he and his crew would come into contact with the two British ships once again, and that the end results wouldn't be pretty.

           Once the salvage was completed, and the Nanomaterial was shared between both battleships for the repairs, Michael gave the order to set sail. The were about forty kilometres off the coast of Newfoundland and therefore, forty kilometres from civilization.