Mainz is finally here and obviously curious about this new place. But first, she needs to go through some test runs.

For some reason, I thought of the little player tutorial from the Halo series and ended up implementing a bit of it here. Also, thicc thighs save lives.

The Commander stood there awkwardly, waiting for a response from Mainz. The PR girls he previously met have always said something shortly after manifesting but this one in particular remained silent, albeit with a curious gaze. Even Odin spoke a few words in German before settling with a simple, "hello, Kommandant."

"Ahem. Anyway, welcome to Azur Lane," he continued, "where others like you, known as ship-girls or kansen, are stationed. I am the Commander here and if you understood any of what I just said, please say something or nod your head."

The cruiser stared at him for several more seconds before nodding her head. "My name...is Mainz. You are the one...who woke me."

The Commander sighed in relief that she could at least understand him. He really didn't want to go through the hassle of having a translator on-hand all the time.

"That's a start, good." He motioned towards Vestal to step up. "This is Vestal, a repair ship from the Eagle Union. She'll be running a quick diagnostic on you, make sure everything is in order."

"Hello, pleased to meet you," said Vestal as she stepped forward. She pulled out a small penlight from a pocket. "First, I need you to follow the light with your eyes, all right?"

Another nod of the head. "Understood."

Vestal proceeded to turn on the light and moved it around slowly, watching as Mainz kept her gaze on it and followed along. Up, down, left, right- her eyes stayed on it, her head only moving slightly whenever Vestal brought the light beyond her peripherals.

"I wonder why she speaks so little," Eugen whispered. "Everyone else was quite talkative."

"Perhaps she is shy," Hipper responded, "or something went wrong with her cubes?"

"Don't say that, we can't know for sure," Bismarck added in. "It's rude to assume."

"I...I didn't mean it like that. My apologies."

Bismarck sighed quietly. "It's fine, Hipper. I know you didn't."

Nearby, the Commander could make out some of their conversation but chose not to say anything. They had a newcomer to welcome, after all.

"Okay, your tracking is good. Now let's test the rest of your motion range." Vestal put the light away and picked up a hospital gown from an adjacent gurney. "Commander, please turn around and face the other way."

"Oh. Right, of course."

Vestal nodded to Akashi, who entered several more commands on the nearby console.

"Opening the pod. Please stand back out of the way, nya."

With a loud hiss, the pod split down the middle and swung open like two doors. Once that was done, Mainz slowly grasped the edge and took a step forward at Vestal's request.

"Miss Hipper, could you and your sister help me here?" Vestal was a bit on the short side and would certainly struggle getting Mainz dressed.

The two sisters went forward, helping Mainz put on the hospital gown. Naturally, Eugen decided to try and start a conversation.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, dear Mainz. My name is Prinz Eugen," she said with a smile. "The flat one over- mmph?!"

"Don't mind this Dummkopf," Hipper said as she covered Eugen's mouth. "I'm Admiral Hipper and this little sister of mine is just a troublemaker."

Mainz looked between the both of them curiously. "...sisters?"

Hipper nodded her head enthusiastically. "Ja! Yes, we are sisters, including you!"

Mainz looked down at herself, then back up. Then she closed her eyes, sorting through bits of history that her wisdom cubes bestowed upon her. "I see. We are...sisters."

This feeling, this connection...is that what she means?

"Alright, Miss Mainz. I'm going to check your movements, so please follow my instructions, okay?"

While Vestal had Mainz move around with some additional comments from the Hipper sisters, Bismarck shuffled closer to the Commander who still had his back turned.

"So, what do you think?" Bismarck asked, hand on her chin.

"Hmm," he hummed thoughtfully. "I suppose she'll be like her sisters with a tough exterior. Probably with a little less bite, though."

"Are you talking about the ship or the woman, Kommandant?"

"Yes."

Bismarck softly slugged his shoulder at his playful answer. "Sometimes I wonder how I still put up with you."

"Ow. Tirpitz seems to like my company. You can trust her judgement, right?" The Commander rubbed his shoulder.

"I am not my sister," Bismarck replied, "but...it is nice to see her smile nowadays. We of the Iron Blood never thought we'd get along with the Eagles or the Royals, yet here we are."

"What about the Northern Parliament?"

"...They are a work in progress. Rossiya makes for good drinking company, at least."

"Well, as long as you guys aren't shooting each other, it should be fine." He checked his watch. "By the way, Enterprise and Arizona are asking if you're still up to join them for drinks with Tirpitz later on. Some others are joining but I'm not sure exactly who."

"I'll see about that. Will you also be going?"

"Not sure, it depends on my workload. I'll drop by if I can."

"I see. By the way,you can turn around. Frau Mainz has been dressed for a while now." Bismarck said with a small grin.

"Oh, really? Alright then." He turned around and saw that Mainz was still in the middle of stretching and moving her limbs per Vestal's instructions.

"You're staring at her legs, ja?" The blonde battleship chuckled a bit.

"What? Of course not. Besides, isn't it about time you introduced yourself already?"

"As you say," replied Bismarck. She put on a professional face before walking over.

Vestal had just finished checking over Mainz by the time Bismarck stopped in front of them. Almost immediately, Hipper and Eugen stood at attention for their flagship. Mainz noticed this and tried to emulate their stance as well.

"Guten tag, Mainz," started Bismarck. "I am Bismarck, the lead ship of the Bismarck-class battleships for Iron Blood. My sister, Tirpitz, is the second ship and you will become familiar with the both of us as your leaders. Should we be unavailable, you will answer to Scharnhorst or Gneisenau, although they prefer to take on more active roles rather than administrative. You will be introduced to them later."

"You are my leader?" Mainz looked on inquisitively before nodding. "Very well. I accept this."

She thought for a moment as she decided how best to address one of her superiors. Images flashed through her mind and she concluded on what she deemed an acceptable motion.

Eugen's eyes widened in surprise as she rushed to place her hand on Mainz's right arm, preventing her from raising it up.

"Hmm? Why did you do that, Prinz Eugen?"

"Ehehe, we don't do that anymore. At all." The heavy cruiser chuckled a bit.

Mainz looked to Admiral Hipper, who was turned away slightly and scratching her cheek nervously. Then she turned back to Bismarck, who cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Ahem, yes. The Iron Blood do not follow those ideals of our past lives. A simple salute," the battleship brought her right hand up to her temple, "like this will suffice. That dark past...is something we would rather leave behind."

"I see. I apologize, Herr Bismarck." Mainz saluted sharply as soon as Eugen released her arm. Even in a hospital gown, the Commander couldn't help but be impressed at how professional she looked.

"Herr?" Bismarck balked.

Eugen snorted in amusement and even Hipper snickered a bit. A quick glare silenced them but they still had stupid grins on their faces. Those two are definitely sisters.

"Did I make an error again?" Mainz asked. "I apologize once more. I thought it appropriate, considering your namesake."

At this point, even Vestal, Akashi, and Yuubari were giggling quietly. Flushed with minor embarrassment, Bismarck shook her head. "Nein, but you aren't exactly correct either. As you can see, I am also a woman. Just like you. So 'Herr' isn't really..."

"Haha, take it easy on her, Lord Bismarck," the Commander joined in. "She's new here so cut her some slack."

"No one calls me 'Lord' or 'Herr' here," Bismarck deadpanned.

"Our cute little Parzival does," Eugen playfully added in. "She's such a sweet girl, ja?"

"But U-556 isn't 'here' right now, is she?" Bismarck said in an annoyed tone. She then turned back to Mainz. "Please ignore them, you may address me as 'Frau' but not as 'Herr' or 'Lord'. It makes me feel... strange."

"Hmm. Understood, Frau Bismarck."

Then Bismarck addressed the two heavy cruisers. "I'll think of disciplinary action for you two later."

Hipper frowned and said nothing, but Eugen rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Meh, I was just kidding."

"Okay everyone, that's enough." The Commander stepped in to prevent more arguing. "We should give Mainz here a tour of the place, don't you agree?"

"Ah, shikikan, you forgot something," Yuubari spoke up. "We need to test her rigging."

"Oh, right," he said. "Of course. We haven't had any Siren activity in a while, though. Can it wait, or..."

Yuubari shook her head. "No can do, sir. Better to check her mental link now rather than later. To prevent accidents before they happen."

"Fair point." He turned to Mainz. "Well, you heard the lady. Go on ahead."

Yuubari nodded and motioned for Hipper and Eugen to follow. "You two, come along. I may need you to assist since your hulls are similar."

She led the group, along with Vestal, to the back of the room where large blast doors were located. After typing some commands on a nearby console, the doors slid apart, opening to reveal a large indoor pool of sorts. It was meant for newer kansen so that they can get used to moving on the surface of the water with their rigging. The blast doors were a precaution for any accidental discharge from their weapons. Despite being condensed to a more portable size, the firepower of their rigging is strangely retained from the original warships. Scientists and researchers tried to find an explanation for this conundrum but came up with nothing.

"Fuckin' wisdom cubes or something, I don't know," said a lead researcher when she was asked to explain, drinking some sake gifted to her by Ise.

It was also discovered that the report and shockwave from the downsized guns were still enough to rupture eardrums, and possibly internal organs, of regular humans if they were in close proximity. The kansen, unsurprisingly, were unaffected. In fact, many of them seem to revel in the cacophony of their own guns firing, with Rodney being a notable example.

"It's like music to my ears," the gentle-looking woman once said. Despite being on cordial terms with her, Bismarck always seemed to get chills when she got in the mood, and for good reason.

Those loud and powerful guns are the reason the Commander ran back up into the observatory room, with Akashi and Bismarck leisurely strolling after him. Even as the blast doors closed to contain the kansen within, he still didn't want to take that risk.

"Ready when you are, Yuubari," he spoke into a microphone as he turned on a camera. "I've got you girls on the live feed."

In the practice area, Yuubari gave a thumbs up towards the camera before facing Mainz. "Hello, Mainz-san, my name is Yuubari and now we are going to test your rigging and weapons."

"It's what makes us unique," added Eugen. "All the firepower of a mighty warship at our fingertips."

"Not only that, we can also bring out our actual warships." Hipper waved her hand outward as if imagining a massive steel hull. "Almost like they came straight out of the books or documentaries. In color, too."

"First, a demonstration. Hipper-san, if you will."

Mainz watched intently as Hipper walked towards the edge of the water.

"I'm not sure how to explain in words since it's mostly based on instinct," said Hipper, "but basically, you just think about it. Feel it out and open the gates, so to speak."

With that said, the blonde cruiser was suddenly surrounded by a blue light. Looking closely, Mainz could see they were wisdom cubes forming together into certain shapes. Then with a blinding flash, Hipper manifested her red and gunmetal-grey rigging, taking the form of two mechanical shark-like beasts flanking her sides. Each shark had two turrets with twin barrels, making a total of eight main guns. In addition to the main guns were a pair of torpedo tubes and several auxiliary guns.

Hipper then stepped into the water and actually started floating on its surface. After a moment, she began skating slowly on the water.

"As you can see, we can also move freely on the water," Eugen explained as they watched Hipper move freely across the pool.

"I see," Mainz said thoughtfully. "I did not have a hull, however. Will it work the same way for one who did not exist before?"

"Of course it will." Yuubari walked up to the taller kansen. "You weren't the first one, you know? We've had a number of woman arrive before you with similar pasts. Just think and feel, let your cubes resonate."

Mainz closed her eyes as she thought carefully.

Just think and feel, is that correct? Very well, I will try.

She pictured her hull in her mind's eye, the imposing steel of what Mainz looked - would have looked like had her people actually completed such a vessel. Do away with the twin 20.3cm guns, replace them with the triple 15cm guns.

My guns will be slightly weaker, but my rate of fire ought to make up for it.

"She's doing it, stand back," whispered Vestal to Yuubari.

The both of them cleared the way as they had no idea how much space her rigging would need. While it was safe to assume the size would be similar to Hipper's or Eugen's, they didn't want to take that chance, especially with how Friedrich der Große summoned something so massive that it left everyone present surprised.

"It's like a badass robot kaiju," the Commander whispered to himself at the time.

As Mainz concentrated, she felt that well of energy from within. With a thought, she opened the gates and let it out, a flash of light briefly illuminating her vision through her closed eyelids. All of a sudden, she felt extensions of her will, along with a weight increase of something settling itself along her backside. It felt like she had more limbs at her command as she heard mechanical growls and whirring sounds.

"Impressive."

"She gets four, huh."

Mainz opened her eyes and was greeted with the sight of her own rigging. Four shark-like automatons instead of two like Hipper and Eugen, each head with a main gun mounted on it. She could instinctively feel the presence of auxiliary guns and torpedo tubes that complimented the rest of her armament. As one, the heads faced her slightly, as if acknowledging her as their master. Looking closely, she noticed that each of their maws also concealed a gun barrel of sorts.

Interesting. These would make for quite the surprise.

"Well done, Mainz-san. Now, if you could please hold still while we check that everything is in working order."

Yuubari and Vestal approached the semi-sentient rigging that was the norm for kansen of the Iron Blood faction, and recently, the Northern Parliament as well. Such was the result of experimenting with Siren technology. Having previous experience of fixing up the other girls, they were cautious so as not to get bitten. Kansen were more durable than normal humans but machines biting you was still unpleasant. Fishy, in particular, was quite overprotective of Leipzig.

"Okay, I'm going to ask you to rotate your main turrets." Vestal spoke as she took a closer look at Mainz's rigging. "You'll feel these mental triggers, so to speak, in your mind. Please do not engage them or you might shoot everyone in this room."

Mainz merely hummed in affirmation as she mentally commanded her turrets to rotate, careful not to make sudden movements that could accidentally set something off. It felt strange, like a distant sensation of someone poking around these new 'limbs' of hers.

"Miss Eugen, could you lend assistance here? You're far more familiar with Iron Blood rigging than I am," requested Vestal.

"Of course, I'll take a look." Eugen casually strolled next to the mechanized beasts and looked closely at each individual head. She even stuck her hands in their jaws and felt around, as if it were a normal day at the dentist's office.

"Hmm, main guns are fine," Yuubari noted, "so next will be the auxiliary guns and the torpedo tubes. Please rotate them as much as you can."

Mainz followed their instructions as they inspected her rigging. Hipper took the time to watch, shooting curious glances here and there. After a while, Mainz was told to elevate her gun barrels, which she did without any problem. Her engines and boilers seemed to run smoothly, although they had to know for sure if she could 'sail' under her own power.

"Take a step on the water when you're ready, Mainz."

The prototype cruiser did as she was told, one foot on the water followed by the other once she felt steady enough. Despite being her first time, it felt strangely natural for her feet to float on the surface. At this point, Eugen also joined Hipper as they skated slowly in the pool. There was some light teasing here and there, but for once the two sisters didn't bicker as they showed Mainz the ropes of maneuvering while Yuubari took notes and Vestal remained on standby for potential accidents.

"Everything looks to be in working order," Yuubari commented. She then went to control panel and typed in some commands. "Now, we're going to test her actual guns."

Several buoy-like targets dropped down from the ceiling to float on the water. Said targets had a general humanoid shape but were a bit larger than usual. These were meant to represent some of the Sirens that Azur Lane would face in combat.

"Okay Mainz, remember those mental triggers we mentioned earlier? I want you to take aim at those targets and shoot them with your guns as best you can. Load HE shells and don't worry about damaging the walls or ceilings, this room was built with safety measures to take hits."

Mainz nodded as both Hipper and Eugen backed off to deploy their energy shields as an extra precaution. The hexagonal patterns of their blue barriers drew a curious glance from Mainz momentarily but she focused back on the task at hand. She also noticed that there was a similar blue force field behind the targets that were set in front of her.

"Don't worry, Vestal is here to patch you up if you misfire," said Eugen.

"Thanks for the encouragement," muttered Mainz. She willed her turrets to aim at two different targets. Then, with an internal click, she pulled the triggers.

Boom! Boom!

Twelve barrels went off near simultaneously, sending shells into both targets. Six on her left target, six on her right. Three of her shots straddled the left target, two hitting their mark and one shot went slightly off as it exploded harmlessly on the force field. Her right side was slightly better; four shots on target and two hitting the force field.

"Tsk." Mainz may be new at this but even she felt that she could do better. "Permission to try again?"

"Go for it."

For several minutes, Mainz continued her live-fire exercises. She progressively got better as her gunnery landed more accurate shots. Her precision needed a bit more work but it was within the acceptable tolerances for her ship-class and gun caliber. They moved on to her torpedoes and she was able to sink multiple targets, only a few exploding on the force field at the far end of the pool. After a while, they decided to call it a day.

"Well that was exciting, don't you think?" Eugen walked up to Mainz and put a hand on her shoulder.

"It wasn't...bad, I guess." Mainz then looked between her two new sisters. "Although, I could surely use new...clothes. I need a proper outfit, ja?"

"Yes, of course," Hipper nodded along. "We know some places, you can follow us. The Commander has contacts with several tailors, it comes with the job."

As one, the three cruisers dismissed their rigging in a flash of light. Together, they moved to exit through the blast doors with the two elder sisters leading the way.

"Looks like they'll get along well," mused Vestal.

"Good thing too, they need something or someone to lift their moods somehow," Yuubari replied.

"Hmm, I do worry how Friedrich will react."

"Eh, Mainz-san will be fine. Odin-san was fine, remember?"

"You can't really compare a more durable battlecruiser to a heavy, umm, light cruiser. Friedrich can be quite overbearing sometimes."

"True, but aren't you the same with the Yorktown sisters?"

"Need I remind you that I'm a repair ship and not a battleship?" Vestal pouted cutely.

"Fair point." Yuubari conceded as they followed after the Iron Blood trio.

Bismarck was already down there to greet them once more. "Excellent performance, Mainz. I look forward to seeing your progress in the future. I...no, we at Azur Lane could use a fine warrior like you." Then she straightened her stance. "Achtung! Heil Eisenblut!"

The three Iron Blood cruisers snapped to attention at once.

"Heil Eisenblut!"

"By the way, Mainz," started Eugen, "welcome to the club. Hope you enjoy your stay here."

Not sure about some of the German, please correct me if I made any mistakes. Actually, even my Japanese is quite rusty, so maybe I might have erred in this chapter or the previous.