Commander's Rounds

Entry 59: The Labors of Saratoga

Saratoga was so grumpy she couldn't even pout.

Not only had she been removed from her position in carrier command, but she was replaced by Hornet, who was in just the right place to preserve the fleet and win a stunning victory over a powerful enemy force. Hornet was now the hero of the hour in a battle that she might've been a part of, if she hadn't played the wrong prank on the wrong person at the wrong time.

And what made it even worse was that she didn't have anyone to blame but herself.

Big sis Lexi had warned her that things might go bad if she didn't knock it off with all the pranking all the time, and it blew up in her face real bad when she tried to play a trick on Anchorage. The commander was right in that there wasn't much sympathy for her after the fact, and Lexi turned out to be absolutely right, too. There wasn't anything she could climb out from placed in the reserve, all that was left for her was to climb back on stage, face the music, and set things right.

So, with that in mind, she went to see the commander.

The commander was actually willing to see her, which put away one of her big fears, but the commander was always willing to listen, even if the answer was eventually "no". So, that wasn't a guarantee of anything. But at least he'd hear her out, right?

The commander was busy at his desk, but put down his pen as soon as Saratoga entered. "So, what did you want to see me about?" He wasn't angry this time... But then, he had already punished her for what she had done.

Sara spoke out. "It's about my place in the fleet... I'm not asking to be reinstated right away, but I feel like I've been under a cloud."

The commander scratched the side of his head. "Well, like I told you last time, the scale of what you've done made it so that it was impossible for me not to act. After all, the punishment I've given you is not only to make you consider what you've done, but to protect you from others who would act if I didn't."

Saratoga blinked. "Commander?"

He spoke up. "The fact of the matter is that you hurt another ship, one that some people feel a deep connection to, for one reason or another. And if I didn't so something, Friedrich might well have been sorely tempted to find her own way to claim her weregild. If Friedrich tells me she won't seek any retaliation, then we can talk about easing you back into the active fleet. It won't happen instantly, of course- what happened shocked some people, and even if you do get Friedrich to back down, it's not going to be a quick process to re-earn some people's trust enough for you to be back in command."

Saratoga gave a nod. "Well... You have to start sometime, right?"

"Correct." He went back to work. "Once I hear from Friedrich, then we'll talk."

Seeing that the commander was deep in his work again, there really was no way around it- she'd have to brave talking to Friedrich, and the commander wasn't going to accept anything else except the battleship's word.

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"You want to see Friedrich?" Prinz Eugen thought about it. "I can't blame you for wanting to square things with her, and she has calmed down since then, but I can imagine you'll have to tread carefully. Friedrich loves her precious children, after all."

"I know." Saratoga blinked. "So, can you make it happen?"

Eugen shrugged, and put on her enigmatic smile. "As much as it might seem so at times, I'm not someone who "makes" things happen. If I try to force Friedrich's hand, I'll exert myself for nothing- only she'll decide whether or not to talk to you. I can, of course, relay your intentions to her, but you may have to work hard to appear sincerely contrite."