Commander's Rounds Volume 1

Entry 16: Reconnection

No matter how long he stood there, the commander felt like he was fresh off the boat. He had already received the transfer of authority from the provisional port administrator, but he didn't feel any more in charge of Azur Lane than he did yesterday. All he could do was wait for his contact.

It would be the first time he saw one of the living ships up close, and he braced himself. He would have to manage a base full of beings that were ship, captain, and crew all together in one person, and he had no idea what to expect from interacting with them. All he could do was wait and see what they were like, while also wondering if, perhaps, some kind of mistake had been made. It's not like he even knew who picked him for this job.

For that matter, no one seemed to know.

Maybe someone would ring him up and tell him there was some error in the paperwork.

He was soon approached by a girl certainly shorter than him, in an old-style uniform, service cap, and spandex shorts. She put on her glasses and looked at her clipboard. She was a bit young-looking, but then, he was really fresh-faced himself. But somehow, she already gave the impression that she was more mature than he was. "Identify yourself, please."

He handed over his ID. "Everything's there, but I'm the commander of Azur Lane, effective as of... A couple of hours ago?"

"I see." She checked his identification against her clipboard, then took another look at him, as though she didn't entirely believe he was the new commander, either. "This does match the information I have been given. You are the new commander of the Azur Lane military facility and its resident forces."

That put an end to that. He was really in it now. "Understood."

She saluted him. "Commander, I am the eldest sister of the 1936A class, Z23, also known here as Nimi. I expect you to study diligently and bring yourself up to speed on the methods by which this facility is intended to operate."

This didn't feel like a job for a newly-minted junior officer like himself, so resigned himself to it. "...Yeah, I will."

"Commander." She said, allowing herself a smile. "You are not expected to accomplish such a thing on your own. I am here to assist you in this undertaking. Any questions you have can be addressed to me."

"Ah..." This was... unusual- He wasn't a person whose presence was usually welcomed. "I'll probably be relying on you a fair bit, then."

"This is something that you are free to do, commander." She took off her glasses. "I believe with good study habits, you can pass the test in front of you. Now, we shall get to work."

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Back in the present, while the commander often visited Friedrich for certain personal matters, he did sometimes visit her when it concerned the Iron Blood. She was the most open and easy to talk to about general matters, even if she did have her own way of talking to him. And everyone else, for that matter. It was just the way she was, really.

In this matter, he wanted to reconnect with Z23.

She had been the first ship to welcome him to the port, and for a while he relied on her extensively in order to get up to speed on the ins and outs of the base. Not just relying on her knowledge, of course, but her work ethic. She was smaller than he was, but she had a very strong, tutor-like presence, like an overachieving student who was determined to drag everyone else up with her. And he certainly ended up being towed.

He had thought that sort of studying would be over after his time in the academy, but she proved him wrong, and maybe even was working to deal with her own doubts about her new commander.