Commander's Rounds Volume 1

Entry 29- Learning About Commander

The commander was surprised by this sudden turn.

Admiral Hipper was not only in his office on her own initiative, she was holding out a flower arrangement in front of him- and it was one that could easily equal anything the Sakura made up.

The commander spoke first. "So... Dare I ask?"

She blinked. "It's for you, obviously." She took a deep breath. "For... At least trying to take my side when my sister is doing her thing."

"Oh, okay." The commander set the flowers down on his desk. "Is there anything else?"

Admiral Hipper gave a nod. "Commander, I would like to be honest with you."

He leaned back. "Go ahead. I've been waiting for that, actually."

The ship took a deep breath. "If I'm being perfectly frank, you just don't seem like a real commander to me. The way I think of a commander of a ship, or of a fleet, is as a tough, stern sort of person who lays down the law, and if anyone gets out of line, out comes the whip and you beat them back into line. Strict rules, harsh punishments, keeping everything in order at all times."

The commander was now interested. "But...?"

"But you're not really like that. A commander isn't supposed to be so friendly or familiar, or... You just seem goofy sometimes, and it's maddening." She needed a minute. "But you keep winning battles. It just doesn't make sense- how did someone like you become a commander, and how do you keep winning?"

The commander spoke up. "What you're talking about might be true in other times in places, but this isn't really a fleet you can command that way. The fact of the matter is that all of you are irreplaceable- there is no substitute for you or the other living ships in our struggle against the Sirens, so if you decide to desert or mutiny, we can't just write it off. Besides that, all of you experience things more intensely than humans do, so traditional discipline is limited in what it can accomplish to bring all of you together. The most powerful bonds here are the personal attachments of trust and fellowship."

Hipper shook her head. "Yeah, but that doesn't explain why you're here."

The commander decided she should know. "I think I'm going to let you in on a secret- I don't know why I was made the commander, either, which is something I find rather concerning. The person who gave me my orders was at the top of the chain and he didn't know why either, he just gave me my papers and said "You're the commander now."." The commander looked around a bit. "I think that there are powers at work in this world that oppose the Sirens but are at work from the shadows and influencing events. I mean to find out who they are and what they mean to do."

Admiral Hipper paused. "So, what are you going to do when you find them?"

"Not sure. Maybe I'll let you yell at them until they confess."

Hipper stiffened. "...That had better be a promise, commander."

The commander shrugged. "As long as we're being honest, I don't know if it's something I can promise, but it's certainly something I'd like to see."

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Hipper arrived back at the bar, strangely relieved that the commander was as much in the dark as she was. Prinz Eugen was behind the counter, as she liked to be, as well as a couple of other arrivals to the port. Prinz Heinrich was just being as she always was, which was basically a big Teutonic puppy- she had the biggest, dumbest smile while she was laying in Mackensen's lap while the latter was stroking her hair. Nurnberg, however, was wandering around and fretting about something, as usual.