The Betrayed Commander and The Abandoned Tsundere (Azur Lane: Origins 1)

Chapter 19: Laboratory

Admiral Hipper opened a cupboard and pulled a scroll of paper out. She laid it on a table and unrolled it. 'Hey, Sora, look at this.' It was a map. It showed all Azur Lane bases. To the northwest of the base the furthest west, there was a small island. It was labelled 'lab'. The island was circled in red. There were two more red circles on the map. One around another small island to the north of the lab island and the other was in empty water. It was near the second circled island.

Using the power of plot convenience, Sora sent pictures of the map and drawings back to the Main Base. The Admiral contacted several minutes later, just as they were about to leave the island. 'If you don't mind, please could you check out the lab island? It shouldn't take too long.'

'Alright, we'll investigate but we're coming straight back afterwards.'

It took a few hours to reach the lab island. Sora and Hipper wanted to check it out quickly so they could make it to the Main Base before the sun set. The two of them cautiously approached the lone building on the island.

CRUNCH!

The door wouldn't open so Hipper used the snappy-sharp-teeth-thingy part of her gear to literally eat it. Sora and Hipper had to shield their eyes as blinding white light shone through the 'open' door. Upon entering the lab, the two of them realised that it was just like that room at Uchinishikichi; it looked as if people were there just seconds ago but there were no traces of anyone on the whole island.

Countless pieces of paper littered a large central table. The commander walked over and picked up a few of them. They all contained small images and calculations presumably related to the images. The images were of the mysterious pedestal, portal and flower.

'Looks like it was worth coming here,' Sora whispered. Once again, thanks to the power of plot convenience, the commander sent pictures of the pieces of paper to the Main Base. 'We're heading out now, Hipper. The sun will set soon and I'm starving. The only thing I've eaten today was a couple of ration bar thingies just before we left.'

Sora and Hipper left the lab island. When they arrived at the Main Base the sun was setting. 'Let's find somewhere to stay for the night. Maybe the Admiral can help.' The Admiral could, in fact, help them. There were a couple of spare rooms in the dorm that he let them use.

In the morning, Admiral Hipper and the commander headed back to the outpost. Once there, Sora received a call from the Admiral. 'Our scientists have been researching ever since you sent the pictures back. They have figured enough out about the objects for you to act on them. Come back to the Main Base and we'll give you more info once you get here. And bring an aircraft carrier with you.'

The commander didn't question why he needed to bring a carrier. He found Hipper and Graf Zeppelin and they set off.