Silence.

It was quite silent around these parts. Of course, this was unexpected, because this place was a naval base full of Ship Girls. Why would it be so silent all of a sudden, when these maidens of the sea simply wished to enjoy themselves everyday, just like humans did? Strange it was.

But it was to be expected. Today was a new day for the Olympus Naval Base. A naval base that was part of the Azur Lane organization. An organization that came together from the cooperation of all nations, to put an end to the Siren menace, an unknown alien enemy that came down to earth and completely crippled the human race up until a few years ago, when Wisdom cubes were found. Strange cubes they were, full of energy that not many could comprehend. After many experiments and an incident, scientists found out that these wisdom cubes came in quite handy.

They could materialize the souls of old ships, those who fought in eras long gone. Strange thing, isnt it? But well, these ships took the form of young women, and were dedicated to the cause quite a lot, just like humans were. They saw it as their duty or so it was said.

Treatment of course was not good at first, as they were thought of as constructs of war, and nothing more. And that sentiment is still around today, although not as much, due to some laws passed by the Azur lane organization, which were voted for by every single country that was its member. While treatment got better, the sentiment most of the time remained the same.

Suspicion was ever present as well, especially between the girls themselves. After all, before Azur lane was formed, there was a conflict between two alliances, that were Azur lane's predecessors. The Eagle union and the Royal Navy were allied against the Sakura Empire and the Ironblood. It was quite the conflict but eventually, both sides came to an agreement, and Azur lane was created.

And now that brings us to the present.

Olympus was a base built in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, close to both Eagle Union and Sakura territory alike. Its name was decided by one of the major investors, as it was the prime base of the Atlantic ocean. A facility built upon a lone island, which was connected with smaller islands via bridges and due to close proximity.

Concrete buildings were there, for the more public facilities. The Admiral's office was also in one such building.

As for the dormitory and areas where Ship Girls could enjoy themselves, those were quite different, depending on location. Sakura Empire girls could have their own hotsprings. The Eagle union had their own clubs. The Royal Navy had their own tearooms. And the Ironblood had their own breweries and the like.

There was a lot to this base, as it was the center of operations in the atlantic.

And once again, that brings us to the present.

There was quite a lot of silence. Ship Girls were eager to witness a certain arrival. Most of them were gathered at the docks. Of course, they kept their distance, as the transport ship could not land otherwise. And as it approached, and then docked, the spectacle that greeted these young women was quite..interesting.

A young man exited the ship, wearing a white admiral uniform, which was quite simple really. He wore no admiral hat, but he had the stature of one, even if he was quite young. He had short brown hair. His eyes were cyan blue, just like the ocean waters beneath them. His stature was sturdy. He was neither chubby nor too thin. He was just right. He had no beard, but he displayed bright white teeth, as he was smiling kindly at the sight.

This young man was the newly appointed Admiral of this base. The previous admiral proved to be incompetent, and turned out to be not what the Azur Lane leadership desired for this base. And thus, they decided, upon recommendation from both the Sakura Empire and the Eagle union, to call upon a young man going by the name of Gregory "Patrinos" Thane, someone who proved quite capable in both Eagle Union and Sakura Empire academies.

As the man now had gotten off the transport ship, luggage in hand, he simply took a moment to eye his surroundings. The weather was warm, the sun ever present up in the sky. There also was a nice and cool breeze that accompanied such warmth. They were currently at the docks.

Gregory remained silent for a while, as he chose to see who had arrived to greet him. There were many girls from many countries. Each had her own characteristics, each was different. Not surprising at all, in fact it made him happy to see them value their individuality.

And finally, he decided to speak.

"Good Morning to you, ladies of Azur Lane. I am Gregory 'Patrinos' Thane, and I was appointed as your new admiral here. I may be young but I believe I will make do just fine in these premises. You have my word that I will try to be there for all of you, should you need me to."

A brief pause, as he eyed their reactions, which varied. Some were somewhat skeptical, as he was quite young or so he assumed. Others were happy because he seemed dependable. And a few others had neutral expressions on their faces. As expected, there was a lot of variety here..

"I heard that the former Admiral did not treat you ladies as he should have. Let it be known that you are no weapons of war, you are also people. That's what I believe from the bottom of my heart. We may be in an era of blood and war, however, that does not mean you have no right to be free to express yourselves. Should any worker of this base or any incident that made you feel bad or insulted occur, please let me know."

With that, as most of them were left quite surprised, Admiral Gregory would proceed to walk past the Ship girls, along with the escort of two workers who would be quite helpful in the near future, as his colleagues.

The Girls of course were left surprised.

"He must be strong if he can make such bold statements with such confidence.."

One of them spoke, her white tail moving back and forth. Perhaps he would be interesting enough.

"Ara~! Shikikan-sama was so cool just now! I want to hear him more! Maybe later in private.."

Another one said. Both of them were from the Sakura Empire and were quite notorious as well.

"The Admiral has quite a lot of potential as a commander..Now we only have to see if he can make it.."

"I sure hope he won't be as bad as the previous one. But one can only hope, as we will find out soon enough. Isn't that right, Senpais?"

Those were thoughts shared equally by just about everyone present. The man was a mystery after all, and all of them had to let their higher ups know..For now however, they all decided to go back to their work. Except a certain one..

The office was quite plain to the naked eye. Two simple office desks, some cabinets for paperwork, two couches that had enough space for three people each, a little brown coffee table in front of each couch and some generic and simple decoration, ranging from plants to some obscene drawings.

But that was nothing to be concerned nor feel bad about. It was just fine and in due time, the Commander would see it changed.

"Hmm..I just arrived and yet, there's already work to be done huh.."

The man muttered, as he eyed a stack of paperwork on his desk, neatly set there. But before he could get there, there was a knock on the door.

"You may come in."

The man spoke up, gently, as he turned to look at the door only to see what looked to be a young woman with fox characteristics. She had pure white hair, her eyes were blue just like his own, she had a nicely shaped body that could only be described as beautiful. What striked him the most were the white fox ears and tails.

'A fair sight indeed..'

The admiral thought to himself, as he smiled slightly, already seated at this desk.

"How may I help you, miss.."

He did not know her name, which was to be expected. He just arrived after all..

"Kaga. I am Aircraft Carrier Kaga from the First Carrier Division."

She introduced herself plainly, quite calmly and with a hint of coldness in her voice. She seemed to not be relaxed at all. Fair enough, not everyone acted like he did.

"Ahhh, you are Kaga then. I have heard so much about you, from the stories of old. I must say, I am quite honoured for this chance to serve by your side, of course that goes for everyone."

The admiral spoke warmly, his smile ever present. Both his hands were on the desk now, already holding unto a paper he set down soon afterwards.

"Words are meaningless. Actions speak louder than words. I only follow those who prove themselves strong. You seemed strong back then but it will only be made clear in due time."

The Ship Girl spoke, with her cold gaze not leaving Gregory. However, he understood her reasoning. In fact, it reminded him of his own childhood in a way. He did not grow up gently at all, but that was a story for another time. Before he could respond with anything else but a simple nod, the door opened to reveal..another fox.

"..."

"...! Nee-sama!"

The fox that just entered was quite similar to Kaga. While Kaga's features were white, that woman's features were brown. Her eyes were red. Their dressing theme was the polar opposite too. They both wore Sakura clothing, but while Kaga's was white and blue colored, that woman's clothes had the theme of red and black. Both were beautiful in the end however.

"Ah..Kaga, I see you got here before I did~! Oh, where are my manners.."

The woman's eyes turned to the Commander, as she eyed him with an unsettling smile on her features. While it was not malicious, it certainly was somewhat unnerving in its own way.

"Shikikan-sama, a pleasure to meet you~! I am Akagi, another Aircraft Carrier and Kaga's sister ship! We both belong to the First Carrier Division. Akagi looks forward to cooperating with you, Shikikan-sama, as both Akagi and Kaga will be your secretaries for the foreseeable future.."

Secretaries they said..Strange. But welcome. Akagi was unsettling in her own way but it was fine. He would make do. A calculated risk would be no risk at all either way. So he was willing to risk it and say yes.

"Very well then Kaga-san and Akagi-san. I look forward to cooperating with both of you."

The man spoke in fluent Sakura, although he did have a slight accent as it was not his mother tongue. Alas, both ship girls were impressed. Akagi seemed to have swiftly approached him and stood over his shoulder, eyeing the paperwork while also touching his back with her own body. Her smile was an indication that she saw this as a win.

Kaga simply looked towards their direction once, twice, thrice and more, but she focused mostly on her own share of paperwork.

And thus, Gregory's tale as the Azur Lane Commander began..

Thank you for choosing to read this newly created story of mine. I am still quite new to fanfiction, and I am by all means a novice writer as I do not have much experience. I do want to improve however and to improve, one has to practice their skill.

As such, we are here with an Azur lane story. I have been following Azur lane for quite a while now. Some fan-fictions inspired me to make one of my own, as this has been on my mind for quite a while. This fan-fiction will feature romance as well as adventures and the like.

As such, thank you everyone for taking the time to read this and I hope to see you all on the next update. Until then, take care!