Azur Lane: Kaiserin (Book 1)

Ch4: Recovery (P3)

[Third Person Pov]

As the attack subsides, half the girls of Iron Blood give chase to the now retreating Azur Lane fleet. The other half, however, returns to the shore to assist with the recovery effort. Many of the humans present have surprisingly survived and have already begun rescue efforts but so far they've had limited success. Without the proper equipment, there's only so much they can do in the face of rubble weighing well over 10x their own weight. With the return of the KANSEN, however, things can finally pick up speed.

Leading the recovery effort, Gneisenau barks orders as she darts to and fro to ensure that things are getting done. They're making good progress but many are still unaccounted for.

Scream!!!!

An earsplitting scream brings the chaos to a halt. Looking in the direction it came from, Gneisenau can't help but lose hope as she notices the mass of rubble. There's no way that person survived that but if it's a KANSEN...

Gneisenau: S-

Before she can utter a single word, a blur of Black whizzes by. 

Roon: Help me get this off!

Stunned at Roon's insistence and ferocity in removing the rubble, Gneisenau can only stare in silence as one by one the chunks of concrete are all removed. As it is cleared, a hand becomes visible however it's completely motionless. Fearing the worst, some of the onlookers turn away but the few attempting to clear the rubble press on even harder.

Time passes and the fleet that had gone after the Azur Lane returns and with them, Prinz Eugen who immediately begins asking for August but no one has an answer for her. Everyone's caught up in the rescue effort, either assisting to get others out or staring in shock as Roon and a few others try to clear their pile. Seeing Roon, Eugen runs over but before she can ask for August, Mainz lifts a chunk of concrete revealing August's limp form beneath.

Panicking, both Roon and Eugen rush forward but Roon, standing much closer, gets there first. Not even checking whether she's alive or not she gently lifts her body before making her way towards the many tents now set up to receive the injured.

Eugen, wanting to check on August personally but not wanting to cause an accident walks briskly alongside her. Mainz follows behind, bringing August's shoes.

As Gneisenau watches them, she can't help but feel reminded of a funeral procession. Why's everyone so down? Surely they know that an attack on that scale would claim someone. Then there's the fact that she's likely alive. If she was human, her body would have been crushed under that weight but given she's pretty much in pristine condition it stands to reason that she's a KANSEN and if she is unscathed then at worst she's only unconscious so there's nothing to worry about. On the other hand, the humans that did get trapped as she was or worst...