That, and you are an officer. Your job is to not be bothered by things, your task is to point at things so effectively other lower officers get mad at things. Sadly however you could throw a good two to three dozen Leutnants at the sea and you doubt it would get any warmer.
… Even sadder is by the current standards you think they would do it if you told them to. The war against the sirens has been a nasty debacle, and more than one good friend has gone below the waves with his ship.
Thankfully however this union, 'Azur Lane' as they call it, has proven fortuitous. The combined forces of the Eagle Union, Royal Navy, Sakura Empire and your native Ironblood have proven quite effective at pushing them back. For now anyway.
"Admiral!"
You turn from your seagazing to see a small figure running up to you, her black and red cape flaps with the breeze and speed of her running. She comes to a skidding stop, her heels (deceptively made out of metal you found when she broke a table by stubbing her toe on it) spark against the concrete dock as she comes to a halt a good foot in front of you. Her cheeks are flushed, her smile is goofy and wide, and her silver hair is a mess shining in the bright orange of the twilight… Though to be fair it is always a mess despite the best efforts of Königsberg.
Her hand snaps to her forehead in a sharp salute. "I have finished the paperwork!"
You blink, staring down at her. "Z1, unless stated otherwise I am Herr Admiral. Or do I need to tell Köln that you are skipping proper procedure again?"
The destroyer blanches, her other hand raising to start waving frantically. "No! No admiral not needed I was just uh…"
"…" Her eyes dart to the side.
"You were excited to see me?"
She nods emphatically. "Yes, I was so excited to see you I skipped the full address in a sign of happiness and close fraternity! Our duo is the most powerful on the waves after all!"
You stare at her a moment longer then let out a sigh. You snap your hand up, the destroyer squeaking as it falls to land on top of her head. Her cap flattening under the weight as your glove presses down upon it. "Good work Z1, you can head back to the dorms."
She giggles and gives you another salute before sprinting off again, her heels clacking against the hard wet concrete as she runs off. A diligent girl, any captain would be proud to have her as a lead in a destroyer squadron. Yet the girl you are currently searching for is even more diligent than that.
You stare at the waves a moment longer before turning away from the docks towards the drydock. It's a gargantuan structure, though the majority of its space is hardly used as such these days. Gone are the days of laying massive tonnage, now everything is summoned barring the odd cargo ship.
Well, that and nobody has managed to summon a fishing boat yet.
No, now the drydock is a modified arsenal of sorts, the girls arm themselves there and receive their mission orders. It is also the second home of your secretary.
- - -
With the sound of grinding metal the large doors of the drydock open to you, a red light above the door flashes, the light bathing the outside and a bit of the inside before you step through. More than one eager reporter has wanted to see the 'shipgirl command bunker' as they call it. Of course, it is an official state secret and nobody but a member of the Deutschmarine can enter, and then only those with special clearance can enter.
And as you stare at it in all of its majesty you feel they would be most disappointed if they got a look at it.
Boxes upon boxes, fuel, ammunition, rations, resting tanks. More and more and more stack up along the walls towards the ceiling. The treaty with the Eagle Union has proven most beneficiary, while your nation can of course provide for itself, the lend-lease program has been nothing short of miraculous in what it has been able to supply.
Beyond the boxes are a series of open offices, small metal roofless structures that within which lie naval charts and heavy desks for planning commissions and general operations. Everything, of course, is actually planned at headquarters, but here the shipgirls can get a refresher and copies of their orders before they sortie. Beyond all of that is the deep water of the dock, the large rap leading down to the water sealed with a massive gate of steel.
The sound of work is absent, no chatting shipgirls, no ammo racks being set up and loaded. Indeed the whole place is empty barring one occupant, in a far office near the very end of the structure is a familiar blonde. She's taller than her other destroyer sisters, even if she is technically 'younger' than some, she's more mature as well in other ways. Z1 hardly takes anything seriously at the best of times and Z35 is… Z35.
She is currently fully focused on writing notes, the large blackboard behind her showing the mathematics equation for finding the best speed of approach for a proper torpedo attack. The chairs behind the desks in front of her are kicked back, a sign that class must have let out earlier in the day, and also a sign that she has probably been working at that desk for several hours.
Your shoes click quietly against the floor, doing your best to remain quiet on metal plating as you walk up to the classroom. It's of little purpose, Z23 is so focused on her work she doesn't hear you even as you make your way up to and through the door into the classroom proper. The sound of a pen scratching on paper fills the air as she works on the next day's assignments, while a respectably large stack beside her is already filled out… and covered in red marks, so most likely the previous classes exam results.
When headquarters recommended making Z23 the tutor for the other shipgirls you had initially balked. The secretary was making fine work on the front lines and was diligently working as your second, but she did admittedly take to the assignment with all the gusto you have come to expect from her.
You step up and rap your fingers on one of the wooden desks. The destroyer jerking her head up. "46! I told you I would play with you once I finish with these pa… pers." Her cheeks go red as she realizes that no, you aren't the mascot of the naval base.
"Good evening Z23." You say with a smile.
The chair behind her scoots back so fast you are worried it dug a groove into the floor. Her hand raises in a crisp and perfect salute. "Herr Kapitan, how might this ship assist you?"
You return the salute. "At ease, just wanted to check up on you, few things to talk about as well."
The destroyer lowers the hand slowly, her hands moving behind her back as she does her best approximation of 'at ease'. The girl has always attempted to set an example for others to follow for better or worse, though you are one of the few non-shipgirls that no of the rather adorable center underneath all of the military decorum she puts on.
"Herr Admiral I am happy to report that the classes for the day have gone we-"
You hold up a hand, her jaw clicking shut so fast you can hear her teeth click. "Now what did we agree my designation was when we were alone?"
The blush that had previously faded away comes back to lightly pink her cheeks, her eyes darting to the side. "Admiral… Baumann… sir."
"Thank you." You pull up one of the chairs near the large desk and sit down on it. One leg moving to cross over the other as you put your hand in your lap. You have to shift slightly to the awkward positioning of the box in your back pocket. "Continue?"
"Yes…" She shakes her head. "I mean yes! I am happy to report that the classes for the day have gone well. I have noted improvement across the board in terms of torpedo theory, I have additionally put in a request as well for U-406 to come by and teach classes on the subject."
You nod idly, listening as she rattles on the information. "You are allowed to take breaks you know. Or hire assistants."
She shakes her head before turning to look away from you towards the window. It is one of the few sources of natural light in the building, and through the thick and foggy glass, you can see the distant twinkle of the dock lights. The reds and greens are more easily visible now that the sun has nearly given up its grasp on the light.
"I… have been assigned away from the frontlines, and I am fine with that. Tirpitz, Roon, Bismarck, they can handle the missions while I maintain the base."
You smile at that. "I do believe I maintain the naval base."
Z23 turns back, her face neutral. "I was assigned to this task alone and I shall maintain it alone. It is the least I can do for those out there fighting."
A silence falls between you both, you saying nothing as Z23 stares at the floor. Her hand reaches up to fiddle with the cross she wears in her hair, a common nervous habit of hers you have come to recognize. "Baumann?"
Oh? How rare of her to call you by your name alone. "Yes?"
"Did you know that the taller the peak you stand upon, the further you see, but the colder you get." Her hand moves from the cross to rest on her breast as she speaks. "I… work hard so that you and the rest of the fleet can be happy and work efficiently. I wish that you will reach the top one day, but I also wish that when that day comes, you will be as happy as you are now."
You stare at her, doing your best to not let any emotions show on your face. So this is why she is working so hard lately?
She lets out a sigh, the hand falling from her breast to rest at her side, her blue eyes staring at you imploringly.
You smile. "Well, I'll do my best on being happy. Though I don't plan on attempting it alone, was planning on getting married soon."
A brief look of surprise and hurt flashes across her face before she contains it. She still looks a tad surprised however. "Married… sir?"
You nod again, slowly pushing yourself up from the seat. "Indeed, a pretty young blond, just about what every man would hope for."
She bites her lip, eyes downcast. "I am… happy for you sir, will you be leaving the base?"
… Right she is a bit thick when it comes to things like this. With a chuckle, you reach into your back pocket and produce the box. "No, I will be staying here… though if you are alright with it you shall be moving."
Her head lifts back up, confusion on her face and tears in her eyes. Her face searches yours a moment before they drift to the box, whereupon they widen dramatically.
"Baumann?"
You open the lid and reveal the ring. She doesn't respond, the tears at the edge her eyes now falling freely as she slowly moves her hand forward. When her finger touches the edge of the box she jerks a little, a wide smile coming onto her face as she looks back up at you.
"This symbolizes your recognition of me... I understand. Z23 shall stay by your side forever, and make your life as happy and prosperous as possible."
You gently take the ring out of the box, and in response Z23 gently pulls off her left glove. A hiccup escapes her as the ring slowly slides onto her finger. Once on, two things happen at once.
The first you expected, fresh tears pour down her face as she loses all sense of rigidity and decorum that previously held her up.
The second you didn't, as you grabs you by the lapel and slams her lips into yours.
"Ich liebe dich…"
- - -
You duck back from the window, hands rising to cover your burning cheeks. Z46 doesn't understand… but it gives you a tingly feeling and big sister 23 looked so happy. You should ask big sister Roon about what you saw.