Overgrown weeds, rusted equipment, dust-covered furniture—everything was cleaned and put back in order.
In hopes of presenting the Commander with a perfect naval base, even the little shipgirls eagerly joined the cleanup effort.
By the end of the day, everyone was exhausted.
But that sweet sleep didn't last long.
Constellation realized that her sister, Saratoga, was gone.
Historically, the battlecruiser Constellation was one of the unfinished ships from the same class as Lexington. While Lexington and Saratoga were converted into aircraft carriers, the other ships in that class were canceled mid-construction and never completed.
According to their planned hull numbers, Lexington and Saratoga were CC-1 and CC-3 respectively, while Constellation was CC-2—meaning she should technically be Saratoga's older sister.
And so, in the naval base, Constellation and Saratoga had a love-hate sibling rivalry. They were constantly at odds over who held the title of "Lexington's Number One Little Sister," with big fights every three days and small ones every day.
Still, no matter how much sisters bicker, they're still sisters. That day, Saratoga had been in a terrible mood, bouncing around the dorm and throwing a massive tantrum.
Worried, Constellation got up in the middle of the night to peek into the room next door.
Saratoga was gone.
And there was only one explanation.
The Commander had summoned her.
Now no one in the base could sleep.
If he had summoned two, there was a high chance there would be a third.
Could it be me next?
To witness the moment, shipgirls of all nationalities gathered. Those from smaller factions joined the larger ones.
In a castle-themed room, Prince of Wales remained seated in her armchair, sipping red wine in front of the roaring fireplace.
Repulse knocked on the door and said, "Your Highness, Hood and Lion are asking for you. The whole UK faction is gathering."
"I'm not going," Prince of Wales replied as she toyed with her wine glass. "Both of the summoned were from the US faction. With the Commander showing such blatant favoritism, everyone should just head back to bed."
Even someone as mild-tempered as Repulse couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
You talk like you don't care, but you're still sitting here in your coat waiting. You're not exactly burying your head under the covers either.
Still, she dared not say aloud that Prince of Wales was being two-faced.
Instead, she said tactfully, "You're the spiritual pillar of the UK faction. Everyone needs you right now."
It was like this: the shipgirls at the base were like children abandoned by their parents, or refugees waiting for rescue after a disaster.
When a companion was summoned by the Commander, they'd be happy for her—but also feel a twinge of bitterness.
Why wasn't it me?
The Commander had been gone so long. The girls had only made it through by supporting each other.
At a time like this, they needed emotional strength and guidance.
And Prince of Wales was the natural leader of the UK faction.
"I'm no spiritual pillar," Prince of Wales shook her head. "In terms of strength, I can't match Lion. In legitimacy, I fall short of Hood. In seniority, Warspite outranks me."
She emphasized, "I'm not going."
"You know what Hood is like—gets dramatic over a scratch. Warspite's practically untrained. And Lion… she's too young. The veterans won't accept her."
Repulse rebutted each point one by one.
In terms of legitimacy, the battlecruiser Hood had historically been designated the Royal Navy's flagship, and in the base, she was the UK faction's only shipgirl who had been married—clearly the top contender.
But Hood's temperament was too gentle. She fit the role of a refined, tea-loving lady with glasses—but was utterly unsuited to lead.
Lion was only ever a paper ship, never completed in history. She joined the base relatively late. Even if she was the strongest battleship among them, the senior members wouldn't acknowledge her as leader.
Warspite did have the seniority—she was a veteran of World War I—but her in-game stats were too poor. The Commander hadn't invested in her, so her combat readiness was low.
When you considered all that, only Prince of Wales was a suitable choice.
Repulse walked over, hesitated a moment, then gently placed her hand on Prince of Wales' shoulder and said softly, "You're the one the Commander called his 'big bro,' remember?"
Prince of Wales wasn't particularly powerful—at most, a second-line battleship—but she had been stationed at the base early on and had clearly been favored by the Commander.
Because of that favoritism, Prince of Wales had risen to become the de facto leader of one of the base's four major power blocs—the UK faction.
[End of Chapter]
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