Mainz prepares to sortie, except she probably bit off more than she could chew at the moment. Meanwhile, the Commander shows his age.
Sorry I took a while with this. I've been drafting this for several days while playing the Daedalian Hymn event on Azur Lane, grinding the Suzuya campaign on World of Warships Legends, and now playing through the Polarized Light event on Girls' Frontline (its first chapter spans about 10 minutes in the story and all my Dolls are getting blown up canonically, wtf game).
On another note, I realize that I've been lazy with character descriptions. I've been writing under the assumption that you, the readers, already know how each shipgirl looks like. I'll try to fix that in later chapters. Not everyone plays Azur Lane or watched the anime, after all.
"Ahh, this marvelous drink really hits the spot." At the docks, a girl was sitting on a bench with a mug of coffee in her hand, and a stainless steel thermal carafe of the black liquid set next to her for refills.
At a glance, one could tell that she wasn't exactly a regular girl. Disregarding the black and red color scheme of her hair and dress, along with matching winged hair ornaments and a winged cape that made her resemble a demonic bat of sorts, her unusual yellow eyes and pointy ears gave off a slightly inhuman, almost vampire-like, impression.
For those who didn't know her, Z24 will seem intimidating at first. Underneath that edgy exterior however, she was actually quite a softy with a bit of a delinquent streak, much to the chagrin of her older sister Z23, also known as Zed or Niimi. Fortunately, not even she was immune to the dreadful lectures of Zed. Chewing her out was one way to keep her in line; she didn't want to disappoint her sister too much, after all.
Z24 checked the watch on her wrist, a far easier task when her massive black and red claws were dismissed in favor of simple black and red gloves. Normally she'd keep them on for appearance's sake, but she was willing to remove them if it meant she could enjoy her favorite treats of coffee, chocolate, and cake. It also meant she could get hugs from the Commander easily, not that she would ever admit it.
"Hmm, it appears I arrived a bit too early. No matter, I shall enjoy what time I have for now." Z24 had been scheduled for a training session with some of the other kansen on base. She looked out towards the pier to see her namesake destroyer floating on the water. Like the rest of her faction peers, her vessel had the iconic black and red scheme, except hers had darker shades to suit her preferences.
Just as she was about to refill her mug, the alarms went off. The blaring sound almost startled her to the point of spilling the hot beverage on herself. Luckily only a few drops splashed on the bench and on her skirt.
"Tsk. Dammit, now of all times?" Z24 pulled out a pack of tissues from a pocket and began wiping down the mess. Z23 certainly taught her about cleanliness, and it was difficult to look intimidating if you were filthy and messy. "What does fate have in store for us on this fine day? Oho, a Siren ambush...kehehe, perhaps I get to go all out this time."
Z24 stood up with a stretch, a satisfied sigh escaping her lips. Anyone who heard it would say she sounded cute and girly at the time, and she would refute it. She was the Avatar of Fear, for crying out loud.
The destroyer of darkness picked up her things and walked towards the imposing steel hull of her warship. She would store her unfinished coffee in the comfort of her bridge and hopefully things wouldn't get too rowdy, in either her hull form or rigging form. The weird science-magic stuff about how everything onboard could vanish into 'hammerspace' along with her rigging was beyond her expertise. Just point her towards the enemy to eviscerate and she'll be a happy a girl. Some treats and headpats along the way were a much appreciated bonus.
"Hmm? Who might that be?" Z24 had already jumped on to her ship's deck when she noticed an unfamiliar woman rushing towards the docks. Dressed in a simple sweater and jeans, she initially thought it was a civilian who had gotten lost and was about to shout at her to go back inside; it wouldn't do to have an innocent's blood on her hands. However, Z24 noticed the mystery woman had platinum blonde hair, which wasn't a very common feature for humans, at least as far as she knew about the humans at Azur Lane Kiel. In fact, it seemed similar in shade to some of her fellow Iron Bloods.
Is she another shipgirl, she thought to herself as she hopped back down. As the woman got closer, her hunch was proven correct as she could sense the other's wisdom cubes.
Z24 cleared her throat and checked her appearance. Best to make a good first impression, after all.
"Greetings, fair lady. I am the Fiend of Crimson Darkness, the Avatar of Fear, the Iron Blood destroyer, Z24." She made to spread her arms in a flourishing motion to intimidate the other kansen, but realized too late how ridiculous she looked with a mug in one hand and a carafe in the other.
Crap, I should have left these on deck. Now my introduction is ruined.
Z24 awkwardly let her arms relax at her sides, a slight flush of embarrassment on her cheeks. Thankfully, the taller woman didn't seem to notice or mind. She cleared her throat once more. "Come hither and introduce yourself. I have not seen you around these parts before."
Mainz stood before the destroyer, unsure of what to do now that she was at the docks. "Hello, Z24. I am Mainz, of the Admiral Hipper-class, a heavy- err, light cruiser."
Z24 paused at that bit of information. She didn't remember there being another Admiral Hipper-class by the name of Mainz, and she certainly remembered they were all heavy cruisers with the exception of that carrier conversion for Seydlitz- no, Weser.
"I see. Uhh, can you please hold this for me?" She passed her carafe to Mainz who took it without complaint. With her now free hand, she rummaged around for her phone and swiped open the menu screen.
It appears she had several notifications, one of which was a message almost an hour ago from Z23 to expect a new Prototype shipgirl on base, who was currently in her presence. It was difficult to tell when her phone received new messages or notifications, especially when she had it set to vibrate. It didn't help that Z24 was always in motion and she had several layers of clothing as well. She hoped Z23 wouldn't get upset at being left on read.
Meanwhile, Mainz looked at the carafe in her hand. She brought the stainless steel item up to eye level and opened it slowly with her thumb. At once, she was hit by the aroma of something that was freshly brewed, bringing with it a sense of calm. The faint memories of her history and the knowledge from her cubes told her that the black liquid inside was known as coffee. "This...this smells wonderful."
Z24 was brought out of her thoughts by the cruiser's cheerful declaration. It appears that the newcomer was also a fan of coffee. "Oho, would you perhaps like to partake of this majestic brew? Very well, wait a moment as I procure a chalice for you."
Putting aside the blaring alarms for a moment, which had begun to lessen in intensity, Z24 leaped back onto her ship, except this time she made an extra jump onto the bridge area before heading inside to fetch another mug. Mainz only had to wait for about two minutes before the destroyer descended with an extra flourish of her cape, its winglike appearance fluttering in the wind.
"I present to you this chalice of darkness," she said as she offered the black mug to the cruiser. "You may enjoy to your heart's content."
"Danke," replied Mainz. She poured herself some coffee, taking another sniff before drinking it. It wasn't too hot nor was it cold, allowing her to enjoy the flavor to its fullest. "This tastes...amazing."
I must acquire this coffee for myself. Perhaps after this sortie, I can learn more from the others, Mainz thought to herself as she drank the black beverage.
Z24 could only nod her head in agreement, happy that there was another who could appreciate the treasure known as coffee. Then she remembered that there was something important to do, namely intercepting a Siren fleet.
Or was it ambushing an intercepting fleet? Ambush the ambushers? Intercept an intercept? Bah, details, thought the destroyer before waving it off. She usually left those little things for Z23 to deal with.
"Well, enough dilly-dallying. I must be off to make my enemies tremble in fear." Z24 scrutinized the casual clothes of Mainz. "I take it you also wish to experience the thrill of battle, yet you aren't exactly dressed the part."
Mainz began pouring herself another serving and answered. "I am still new here, so my uniform and combat skirt isn't ready yet."
"Combat skirt?" Z24 raised an eyebrow.
"It's what Frau Janice called it."
"Ah, of course she would."
Z24 pointed a thumb at her namesake vessel. "Anyway, I shall embark on my instrument of death to wreak havoc on Siren scum. You may follow if you wish."
Before the edgy-looking girl could jump back onto her ship again, Mainz made to stop her. "Ah, please wait a moment. You forgot your belongings."
"Ah, yes. How can I forget my elixir of doom?" The destroyer took the items back. She would brew another pot once she was in the comfort of her vessel after giving the carafe a quick shake. It would seem that Mainz certainly enjoyed drinking coffee, despite having just arrived to this world. A new comrade was always nice, and getting know her better wouldn't hurt.
"By the way, I have yet to see your mighty vessel. Will you not manifest it in all its glory before we set for battle?" Z24 was definitely curious about the newcomer's own warship, despite already being familiar with Hipper's and her sisters' hulls.
Mainz winced a bit at the question. "Well, you see. That's the thing, Z24..."
The Commander had just taken a seat at his office desk when the alarms went off. He grumbled quietly to himself as he stood back up, making haste towards the command room. Luckily, it was in the same building as his office and was just down the hall. He grinned slightly as he heard Bismarck relay the information over the PA system. Even though he was in command, he made it a point to have the shipgirls and other personnel learn how to operate autonomously without having to wait on his every singe order.
So much for finishing up the paperwork. I hope Niimi doesn't mind, he thought to himself as he rushed past the personnel in the hall making their way towards their own stations, saluting back as he went along.
Among the human workers were a few kansen as well, all of whom were rushing to head out and sortie. It could be considered overkill to send almost everyone but it didn't hurt to be too careful against the Sirens. The kansen understood that, and a number of them actually had their assigned positions to stay in port as a reserve force in the event things went awry.
Hopefully it doesn't come to that, the Commander thought as he entered the command room. He saw both Bismarck and Enterprise at the central holo-table, prepared to receive his orders.
"Sitrep." The Commander stopped in front of the two legendary kansen and returned their salutes.
"Sir." Bismarck turned on the holo-table's display and brought up a map of the surrounding area. With a swipe of her fingers, she zoomed in on a red blinking dot that signified Siren activity. "Our sensors picked up Siren forces about 60 kilometres East from our coast."
"How did they get that close? Actually, don't answer that." The Commander held a hand up to stop the two women from saying, "Mirror Sea," for the umpteenth time. "You say one of our patrols got caught up?"
"Yes, sir." Enterprise traced a line on the map heading East to West to give an approximation of the returning patrol's location. "As much as I have faith in their abilities, I'm afraid they don't have much air power."
The Commander nodded grimly. "That was my mistake. I should have sent one or two more carriers along with Centaur."
"They'll be fine," added Bismarck, "but there's no telling how long she can keep up airspace control, especially since we don't know what the Siren fleet composition is until we get in range for a better visual scan. Per your contingency orders, I've already ordered any available kansen to set sail while the reserve force stays behind."
"Good job on that." The Commander knew that Bismarck would do anything to protect her homeland. Her flagship status certainly put a burden on her shoulders but she never faltered. Similarly, the same could be said for Enterprise, the Eagle Union ace carrier who he had become familiar with since he first took command of Azur Lane. "Enterprise, who is sortieing on your side of things?"
"I've got Cleveland, Montpelier, Independence, Essex, Baltimore, and Bremerton," Enterprise answered readily. Several blue dots appeared on the map off Kiel's coast to signify who was already out and about. "Arizona, Georgia, and I will be on standby."
"I see. Bismarck, your side?"
"Admiral Hipper, Prinz Eugen, Z23, Graf Zeppelin, and my sister Tirpitz are already on the move, Kommandant." Bismarck paused for a bit. "I believe Z24 is also heading out but for some reason she has been just a bit slow to respond. Usually, she'd be one of the first to sail out at any given chance..."
The Commander raised an eyebrow as he eyed said destroyer's blue dot. "Is something holding her up?"
"I'm not too sure." Bismarck also looked curiously at the dot and was about to contact Z24 before it started moving. "Well, there she goes. Should I hail her to inquire about her status?"
The Commander shook his head. "No need. If she's already on the move, I don't see a point. She was probably making last minute changes since she was scheduled for a training exercise today." He then traced another line heading West to East as it joined with the other line, the red Siren dot right in the converging point in the middle. "If we're lucky, we can catch the Sirens off-guard in a pincer move."
He brought a hand to his chin as he thought about the possible outcomes. The returning patrol wasn't exactly lacking in firepower by any means; Tallinn, Murmansk, Leipzig, Odin, Centaur, and Warspite were chosen to try and get familiar with each other. From the Sakura Empire, he had Takao, Ayanami, and Suzuya on standby. Yuubari wasn't much of a fighter and Akashi was just a repair ship.
Speaking of Akashi...
"Shikikan, nya!"
"Holy!" The Commander startled a bit at Akashi's arrival. "We should really think about retrofitting you to get taller so you don't sneak up like that."
"Nyevermind that." The green cat waved off his suggestion before handing him a phone. "I finally activated this for Mainz-san, nya. Make sure to give it to her so she can keep up with everyone else."
The Commander took the offered phone and suddenly remembered something. "By the way, where is Mainz?"
"Mainz, sir?" Enterprise fixed him with an inquisitive look. "Is she the new arrival Vestal told me about?"
"Yeah." He fetched his own phone out. "I sent a text to everyone, remember?"
Bismarck and Enterprise followed suit before looking back at him.
"I didn't receive anything," said Bismarck before scrolling through her messages once more.
"Same here." Enterprise shook her head before reaching a hand out to him. "May I check yours?"
The Commander placed his phone in her palm and watched as she scrolled through his outbox. He didn't have any secrets to hide from his subordinates; trust is a two way street, after all.
"Commander," Enterprise started, "according to this, you only sent the message to Z23."
Bismarck sighed. "Kommandant, you really must be mindful of how you message the others. A few simple taps is all you need to send it to everyone else instead of individually."
He raised his hands up in surrender, slightly embarrassed. "I thought I sent it to everyone, I swear." Enterprise handed his phone back and he looked at the details again. "Oh, I really did send it to just Niimi. Crap."
"It's okay shikikan, we all know you're not exactly tech savvy." Akashi took a seat near the holo-table as she joined in ribbing their Commander. "It comes with age, nya."
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm still getting used to this touch screen and hologram stuff. Besides, some of you girls are ol-"
"Don't finish that sentence, Kommandant," Bismarck warned with her eyes closed and a forced smile.
He promptly cut himself off. Over the course of his life, he learned there were certain things that should never be mentioned around women. Two of those things were weight and age, and he almost blurted out the latter part. "Ahem, my apologies. I'll just send the text after this is all over. Although, I still wonder where Mainz went."
"Hipper informed that she told her to stay put. I'm sure she's still on base," replied Bismarck. "Would you like to send a search out for her?"
"No, it's fine. Let's focus on this for now. Someone would have found her by now to keep her company."
Still, I probably should have had her wait a bit until she was assigned a phone. Hipper and Eugen just looked a bit more excited than usual so I let them go.
The Commander's thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of his phone. Swiping the screen, he saw that he received a message from someone. He read the notification and wondered why she was texting him now.
New message from FDG.
I cannot believe I'm doing this right now, Mainz thought to herself.
"I cannot believe I let you talk me into doing this but I admit this is quite exciting," Z24 said to her compatriot.
The shorter kansen had listened to Mainz's proposal and allowed her onboard. Currently, the two of them were in the bridge of the Z24 and heading out to battle the Sirens. Unlike her strict older sister, Z24 would sometimes bend the rules a bit to have some fun. She wouldn't outright disobey orders; she wasn't stupid and she knew the dangers of messing around too much. However, she saw that look of determination in her new friend's eyes and decided there would be no harm in letting her see some action.
"Alright, so when we get there, one of two things may happen." Z24 turned to face Mainz with a raised finger as her ship steered itself at her mental command. "It could be an easy fight, which means we can probably just watch the battle from here," then she raised a second finger, "or it could get rough, which means I might have to take rigging form for more agility. This ship will disappear and you will have to take rigging form on the water as well."
Mainz nodded in agreement but now she felt a bit nervous. Unfortunately, she hadn't thought far enough about what to do now that she was setting sail, albeit in another's ship. She wasn't sure how to bring out her ship form yet, and she was sure the other kansen would recognize her hull as an oddity when both Hipper and Eugen were already out there.
Gah, what was I thinking? I wanted to show that I can fight but I can't even show myself out there or Hipper and Eugen would get angry at me.
Mainz was fortunate that Z24 was sort of a delinquent and wouldn't rat on her, but the destroyer did warn her about having to show herself if the fighting got too intense.
"Obviously, you don't want to be seen by your sisters. As for me, I don't mind getting in a bit of trouble every now and then," was what the other kansen told her. "On the way, I can probably explain the basics of how to summon your mighty warship for future engagements."
Mainz hung her head in embarrassment, which went unnoticed by Z24 who turned to face forward and focus on controlling her ship. If the battle was simple, she wouldn't even get a chance to prove herself since Z24 would be in control, and she wasn't sure how she could help out when the vessel could operate without extra hands. If the battle got difficult, she would have to disembark on her rigging along with Z24, and she was sure the others would see a new face among them. Hipper would most likely be furious, if her earlier warning was anything to go about.
At least I'll be able to see some action instead of doing nothing.
Her train of thought was interrupted when the radio started transmitting.
"Hmm, who might be trying to seek audience with me at this moment?" Z24 answered the hail. "This is Z24 speaking."
"My dear child, what do you think you're doing?"
The destroyer froze at the motherly voice on the other line and tried to keep her cool. It appears she may have been caught. "Oh, Miss Friedrich. Whatever do you mean? I'm heading out with the others to tear asunder the Sirens that dare encroach upon our territory."
"Friedrich?" Mainz mouthed silently.
Z24 made a zipping motion on her lips to shush her before continuing. "Will you be heading out as well? Your glorious symphony will be most welcome in serenading the Sirens into eternal slumber."
Friedrich chuckled. "Do not play coy with me, Z24. I am aware of the...stowaway onboard."
"Stowaway? Nein, I would be aware if someone was on my ship. I am one with my vessel, and right now I do not feel any interlopers crawling through my veins."
Mainz broke into a sweat as even she could hear the nervous tone of Z24's voice. It meant that this Friedrich most certainly sensed it as well.
"Hmm, you can explain to the Kommandant after I bring you two back to port. I suggest you stop your engines."
Z24 faced Mainz with a look of defeat. "Oh well, it looks like we were caught by the Dark Mother. Too bad."
"Dark Mother?" Before Mainz could inquire further, she saw a flash of blue light off the bow of Z24. She watched as a massive warship materialized in front of them, cutting off their path. The smaller destroyer was forced to stop or it would crash into the larger battleship, which Mainz would later learn was bigger than both the Bismarck and Tirpitz.
"You really should not lead others down a path of delinquency, my sweet little Zerstorer," continued Friedrich, "and you should be more mindful of others, dear Mainz. It's nice to finally meet you."
I actually like Z24. She's cute in an edgy and chuunibyou sort of way. She looks pretty badass, don't you think? It's the claws, definitely the claws.
Also, you didn't think I'd have Mainz go out and fight so soon, did you? It's still too early for that; she needs to go on 10-hour commissions, become a chibi in the dorms, and do secretary duty before she gets enough experience. It's a good thing Momma Freddy G is there to reel in unruly children.