Azur Lane: Konvergenz

Chapter 5: Maintenance Protocol - Rewritten

Notice: Vessel In Maintenance Mode // Affected Internal Systems offline

Location: Azur Lane main naval base / Pacific Ocean

Coordinates: N/A

Current time: 12:03 - Noon

Weather: N/A

Objective/s: Restore operational capabilities

Kansen active: /

Kansen undergoing maintenance: FGS Hessen

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Hessen woke up after a good hours long sleep, the rest she had having replenished her energy. She opened her eyes as her sight adjusted to the sunlight of the bright noon beaming through the window, realizing where she was.
A small part of her had hoped that her current situation was just a strange dream to be woken up from, that she'll wake up back home in Germany with her sisters next to her, telling them about the strange dream she had about an 'Azur Lane' and their strange war against some 'Crimson Axis'. However, she knew that her situation would not allow her to escape so easily – unfortunately for her. She was still present within the same room she fell asleep in, within the same base, within the same strange world.

For a moment, it was as if she sensed the familiar presence of her sisters nearby, as if they were waiting for her just outside the room, before that feeling vanished again.

I'm still here...
...
...I must stay composed. Letting emotions run amok will not make my progress in returning home any better... even if it may be impossible.

Motivated, she jumped out of her bed and prepared herself for the coming day – or at least what was left of it - before she was hit by a slight wave of nausea as a result from getting up too quickly.

Damn it. I need to stop jumping out of bed like I'm sleeping on an ejector seat.
She stopped for a moment with her eyes closed in order to let the nausea wear off. There was a positive factor, though – as soon as she recovered from it, her eyes landed onto the bedside table next to her. Placed atop it was a single pretzel with a friendly note beside it simply reading ':)'.

"Thanks, New Jersey."
She said to herself in response, seeing that her request from earlier had been fulfilled.

Now equipped with a standard-issue pretzel in her hand, she made her way outside the dorm room.

I should get something properly to eat before starting those repairs of mine.
She thought, shortly before her ears prickled with the sounds of a large amount of footsteps thundering through the corridors, growing louder as they approached, accompanied by a slurry of voices.

"Hey! Watch your steps! You're all going to bump into someone if you keep being reckless like this!"

"Hehehe~ You'll never catch us, Fletcher! I'll get my hands on those new torpedo launchers first!"

"No, Aulick, I will! I'll be the first to grab them!"

"Shut up, Foote! Just give up, I'm better at firing them anyway!"

The horde of destroyers quickly approached Hessen, who immediately pressed herself into the nearest wall available to try and let them through. Hopefully without injuries. She tried counting them as they passed her - one, two, three, four - how many of them were on this base?!

"Watch out! There's someone there!"
These words fell on deaf ears as the flood of destroyers continued to relentlessly sweep through the hallway. Hessen barely managed to hold on without getting dragged away herself. Barely.
Is this how people here react when new equipment is issued? She thought, listening to the rapid footsteps growing quieter in the distance before fully fading away.