Let’s attend to the aftermath.

Now that the danger had passed, Kotone called everyone into formation.

They proceeded at the pace of the slowest ship in convoy, which was Intervention by far. Even the wounded Jaeger and Sovereign ran circles around her. It was well that Intervention was in the back, anyhow. She insisted on keeping one of her main turrets trained on each of the two Alliance destroyers.

The objections of her admiral to this conduct were, as usual, discarded.

Jaeger managed to get the fires out, but the damage looked awful up close.

Yet that was the magic of fleet girls, for what might take a dockyard months of dedicated work and tons of resources could now be accomplished by some hearty meals and a long, hot soak in the repair baths.

All friendly units survived the battle, and that was all Kotone needed.

Once they were well underway, Sovereign came alongside. Close enough for them to walk out onto the main deck, and talk casually, with only a few feet and the vastness of the churning ocean below to separate them.

Before they went out to parlay, Intervention did have a minor matter to reveal.

“Y-Your sister?!”

Okay, maybe it wasn’t minor.

“After a fashion. Biologically, of course that doesn’t make any sense. Then again, why start now? We were developed as a pair; as you said, sniper and spotter. Or scout. Or just bait, if you’d prefer.

My design triangle is entirely lopsided towards awe-inspiring power. Abandoning speed and defense, as I’m sure you’ve noticed. Sovereign’s triangle would be the inverse; she can run away like a destroyer, and tank hits like a battleship. But as you saw, is quite toothless in terms of weapons. Which for a warship is unfortunate.

She has a complex about that, and about many things, so brace yourself. I just thought you should know.”

“Well, thank you. I appreciate you taking me into your confidence,” Kotone slapped her cheeks. “Okay, here we go. Meeting new people.”

Sovereign was almost thankful to be rescued, so there was that.

The twin tailed girl shared the same color palette as her steel sibling. The red eyes indicated she was likewise developed within the Empire. She had pale soft skin, and snow-white hair. Though instead of close-cropped and efficient, her hairstyle went for ‘long girly twintails, wavy as the ocean, nearly her own height’.

Which, just like Intervention, wasn’t much.

She took after her sister in another important dimension. She was just as topheavy, though Kotone found that hard to believe. There was the evidence, sitting tightly restrained by her black raincoat uniform. Whose top three buttons had taken more damage than any of Kotone’s screening elements.

These weren’t outfits made to flatter or display a womanly figure, but neither could they entirely hide its presence. Luckily, Kotone was still riding stale adrenaline, and had other concerns to fixate on.

Still, the anxiety was there, and might always be with her.

Kotone’s heart pounded in her chest, and her blood raced.

Intervention was distracted, too, as she stood face-to-face with her sister. Despite having been bracing for this meeting ever since she first heard the distress signal, Intervention looked even more exasperated than she had when Kotone first ordered the construction of four new vessels.

“Inty? Oh my god, of all the places for you to end up, it just had to be here, didn’t it? I didn’t ask you to save me or anything!” Sovereign tossed aside one of her long twintails, glaring out a brat’s practiced stare of defiance.

Intervention was calm as ice. “Actually, you did.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t ask YOU specifically! It was just an SOS!”

The artillery cruiser shrugged, and indicated the tall, dark figure trying to make herself inconspicuous beneath a woman half her height. “It wasn’t my decision. If not for my Admiral’s orders, I would have happily watched you burn. Are you out this far due to your own troublemaking, or your incompetent commander?”

“Both!”

Sovereign looked between her rescuers, suddenly bewildered.

“Wait! I meant that it’s all because of that arrogant blonde bitch, Hoshikawa! I’ve had it up to here with her inept command and perversion. So I decided to do something about it, and take my leave!”

“Hoshikawa? You don’t mean Sachiko Hoshikawa, do you…? Wait.” Kotone raised her hand, like she was in primary school. “Hang on. You took your leave? Without asking?”

“Of course! She would have said no!”

Kotone objected, “But that means you’re AWOL.”

“It certainly seems that way, doesn’t it! Heh.”

Could a piece of military equipment go absent without leave? Kotone supposed that if it had a pair of legs, or in this case a functioning diesel motor and propeller, it, or rather she, could go anywhere she damn well pleased. Despite what some of the training in the Academy said, these girls were clearly just as alive as anyone else.

They were even, apparently, capable of mutiny and rebellion.

When sufficiently provoked.

“My admiral has the opposite problem,” Intervention huffed. “She was issued a spectacular dick, but no spine to compensate. An alpha’s shell, but an omega’s heart. So instead, I’ll be the one to set you straight, Sovvy. You need to go back, right now. Warships aren’t allowed to just leave.”

“You’re not the boss of me anymore! Besides, Inty, you’re one to talk about what ships can or can’t do, after the way you got kicked off the frontlines! And off to some… no account… forgotten… post…”

Sovereign snapped with a white-gloved hand.

“That’s it! This is actually perfect, given a very strict and limited definition of the term. You! Admiral Watanabe! You’ve got to take me in and let me join your fleet!”

Kotone blinked like a deer in the headlights, as both sisters looked up at her.

“Um. I do?”

“You clearly know of ‘Admiral’ Hoshikawa, so you know I’m not kidding when I say she's bad at her job! And she’s heard of you… in fact, you were classmates at the Academy, right?”

Unfortunately.

“Yes.”

“I’ve heard her make fun of you for being stuck back here in the minor leagues. And just for being a human in general, which is fair.”

Is it, though?

Kotone was being washed away by the tide, and fast.

“So! If you tell the Brass that I was ‘transferred’ over to your fleet, Hoshikawa will either have to go along with it, or file a complaint, and admit the truth. That I ran away because she’s such a worthless blackguard!”

“It won’t do to embarrass one of the leading houses of the Empire,” Intervention admitted. “I’m familiar with her ego as well, and it would displace either of us easily, if it could be floated. This is a chance to obtain a second heavy cruiser for the mere price of putting up with her, admiral. I won’t pretend I’d enjoy it, but… she’d be safe. I suppose that’s worth something. Though you may not think so after a few weeks.”

Kotone looked down at Intervention helplessly. “Well, I mean, this is all very irregular, I don’t know if we can just…”

Intervention huffed. “Nevermind. it’s becoming clear you actually like ship girls telling you what to do. Very well, I live to serve. Welcome aboard, little sister.”

Sovereign’s ruby-red eyes lit up.

A black-gloved finger went up. “On one condition. I am, in fact, once again, ‘the boss of you’. Just as I’m the boss of this lump of ‘admiral’ up here, and through her, this entire fleet. It’s just more efficient this way.”

So, another decision had been made by Watanabe without her involvement!

A victory all around. Small, but solid.

Sadly, she wouldn’t get to keep the two blue-steel Alliance destroyers; Command wanted them immediately, and sent a **** of military police within the day. Not to arrest Kotone and take back Sovereign as expected, but just to escort the prisoners over land to the Imperial capital at Cygnus.

And to guide their now-helpless ship-forms there manually.

Priceless intelligence assets, which Kotone hoped meant they wouldn’t be harmed.

She never heard from, or of, either of them ever again.