Commander's Rounds

Entry 112: Pep Rally

Fleet exercises came and went, just as they always did. It was important to keep a state of readiness, especially since Purifier did let it slip that the Sirens were keeping some very powerful weapons in reserve. No one was under any illusions that they would be at the top of their game without this kind of training, even if they were rather terrifying even with just basic familiarity with their equipment. Being able to fight well on one's own was one thing, but coordinating your own efforts with others was something else entirely, especially in a situation as chaotic as a battlefield.

The Eagle Union had completed one of its exercises, this time based around carrier defense- As the Union largely relied on fleets of large, powerful carriers to reach out and touch the enemy, protecting those ships by any means necessary was the center of their tactical doctrine. Enterprise could be trusted to carry these out herself and deliver the results to the commander, though testing the ability of the fleet could require some imagination- After all, the Sirens had some notably bizarre weapons at their disposal.

After the training had been carried out, and Enterprise assessed the performance, she readied herself to get to the second part of the procedure, which was to identify those who had been lagging and speak to them privately. The commander didn't make it a practice to humiliate shipgirls in front of the rest of the group in case something was amiss, and so Enterprise continued the habit.

And, with that in mind, she called on Reno after the fact. Her response time wasn't what it normally was, and that was one of the most important things when it came down to knocking down enemy birds.

The cruiser walked over to see Enterprise in the carrier's private room. "You wanted to talk to me?"

"I did." She replied. "We had an exercise today where you were assigned as one of Shangri-La's defenders. While you did take your position and follow orders, there did seem to be something off about your performance. I'll let you look at the specifics yourself, but you seem to have fallen below your usual ability. And I'm not comparing you against your peak, either. Has something been distracting you?"

"I..." She looked down and to the side, not having any more to say.

Enterprise folded her hands together. "...I can't force you to tell me what's on your mind. However, if there is something that's bothering you to this extent, it's something that you need to talk about to someone to get things sorted out. We'll need you at your best in the field, because everyone depends on everyone else. So, you will do this, correct?"

Reno gave her a quiet nod.

"All right." She said. "...Bremerton is an expert at this sort of thing. Even if she's busy, you can tell her that this was on my suggestion so she can find a way to make it a priority. I'm not going to belabor things any further than this, I just want you to be able to concentrate on what you need to be doing as an anti-aircraft escort. It may seem like I'm making a big deal, but finding out things like this is the purpose of these exercises. Dismissed."

Reno left Enterprise's room, deciding that she needed to go outside.

It didn't take long for North Carolina to notice that something was off about the normally perky, aspiring superheroine. So, she did what came naturally to her, and walked up to Reno. "Hello... Is something the matter?"

Reno was startled, and quickly turned to her. "Oh, Carol... Well, you see, it's like this..."

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"Reno?" The commander asked. "...She seemed in good spirits before. Did something suddenly change?"

North Carolina hmmed. "Well, it's more that she's having trouble reconciling what kind of ship she is with the kind of image she has of herself. I think she feels like she should be able to do more to distinguish herself, but seeing as she's an anti-aircraft cruiser... She likes to think of herself as a superhero, but her role in the fleet is what she would call a sidekick, so I think that it's something that has been on her mind for some time."