The sun had just begun to creep over the eastern sky, as McKenzie slowly began to stir from his slumber.
During the reception at the Vanguard Academy, the Manjuu had managed to deliver some of his belongings to his new home. Which included his bed, which had been placed the the "Master" bedroom along with boxes of his clothes and other belongings.
Giving his pillow one last snuggle, the grown man slowly began to to open his sleep filled eyes. As he unwillingly got up from his mattress with a groan and attempted to reorientate himself to his surroundings. There weren't alot of people who considered themselves as "Morning Persons " and McKenzie was no different. Until he got himself his first mug of coffee and had a warm shower, the world would just have to wait on him.
But it was at that point his nostrils were soon filled with the sweet sent of of that magical morning beverage. The other Black Gold most of the world ran on. The still sleepy man took in a deep smell and sighed happily, ahhh... that was the good stuff... wait... who made that coffee???
It was at that point his vision began to clear up and soon, the image of three maids soon came into view. One of which was holding a tray that had a stack of pancakes, bacon and a large mug from which the sweet sent from before came from.
"Good morning, Master." the three maids said cheerfully.
"Um... who are you??". McKenzie asked groggily, as he used his blanket to quickly cover himself. He liked to sleep in only his boxer shorts and was now feeling very self aware of himself.
"I'm sorry if we startled you, commander. But Her Majesty sent us over here to help you settle into your new home." the lead maid explained. "I am light cruiser Belfast"
"Light Cruiser Edinburgh."
"Light Cruiser, Sheffield." the other two introduced themselves.
"Oh... okay." The Commander replied, still covering himself "I don't want to sound rude, but can you please get out of my room?!"
"As you wish." The Royal Maid replied, before leading her sisters out of the bedroom.
'I think I shall have a conversation with the Queen, later.' McKenzie thought to himself, as he finally got himself out of bed and made his way to the shower.
About an hour later, the Maple officer exited his room and made his way to the living area. But rather than his Naval Uniform, McKenzie was now dressed in a flannel shirt and a pair of firehose pants. Needless to say, Belfast and her fellow maids were quite taken aback by McKenzie's attire.
"What?" McKenzie asked curiously, as he could see the puzzled expressions forming on their faces.
"It's nothing, commander." Said Belfast, "Since you have a few days before you officially take up your duties, Her Majesty has asked up to assist you in anyway we can."
"Oh, well then..." McKenzie replied, as he took a moment to glance out the window and see the empty spot in the driveway. "Well, I need to head down to the port to collect a few things."
"Didn't the Manjuu bring up all of you belongings last night?" the head maid asked.
"They did, but there was one thing I specifically said that I would collect personally." The Maple replied.
"Well, Edinburgh you be happy to transport you to the Port area."
"Indeed" the lead ship of the Edinburgh-class replied, all be it a bit nervously.
"Very well, after breakfast."
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A Few Hours Later...
Like stated before, the Alliance base both looked functioned more like a small city, than a active military out post. As the numerous ship girls who called the base home, milled around the urban landscape.
One of these ship girls who was out and about today, was the King George V-class battleship and appointed Sectary for the new Commander. Who herself was had to get a few personal items for the new role she now had. Prince of Wales was one of the more prominent residents of the base, as well as one of the more respected. A veteran of the First Siren War, she had seen more than her fair share of combat and his distinguished herself during both the North Atlantic and Indian Ocean Campaigns.
But Wales almost did not finish the war, as she suffered terrible injuries during the closing months. She had gotten a bit over zealous during a battle and soon found herself being swarmed by Siren attacks. It was only by pure luck that the battleship was not sunk, but she would remain "In Port" for the remainder of the war. As her ship underwent extensive repairs asshe spent time in hospital.
Upon returning to service, Wales was made "Commandant" of the Azur Lane base when the war ended. A title she retained all through the Split and the brief conflict with the Crimson Axis. But with the arrival of the new Commander, she was now tasked with being his Sectary/Assistant. A task she was glad to accept, as now she would be able to go on more patrols as opposed to spending most of her time in the port office.
Still, she was curious at to what kind of a Commander McKenzie would be. Would be aggressive, or would he be overly cautious? Will he be a master tactician or choose to use brute force everytime? Just like everyone else, she would just have to wait and see just what kind of a man he was.
With a small bag of groceries being cradled by her left arm, Prince of Wales soon came came to her next stop for the day. It was a small bakery which had earned a reputation for having the best sweets on the base and Wales had a bit of a sweet tooth . She could hear the strawberry jam tarts practically calling her.
But those voices were soon replaced with what sounded like thunder in the distance. A low rumbling sound which broke Wales out of her trance and had her scanning the sky for any signs of the looming bad weather.
But there was not a cloud in the sky, in fact it was a bright and sunny day. But the sound kept on getting louder and louder, as if what ever it was, was getting closer. Suddenly, her crimson eyes soon caught sight of a car that was approaching and she soon realized that this was where the rumble was coming from. Just what kind of a land vehicle was it???
Eventually, the vehicle soon revealed itself to be a black 1962 Chevrolet Impala with chrome trim and wire rims with whitewall tyres. But a much bigger surprise came when the came to a stop along side her to reveal it's driver/owner.
"C...Commander?" Wales managed to sputter out, surprised to see her Commander dressed so casually. Though, she had to admit he looked rather... handsome...Where did that thought come from?? "What are you doing here... in that??" she pointed to his car. "What is that?"
"1962 Chevy Impala." McKenzie said proudly, as a small group of ship girls began to gather around them. "This is my personal vehicle, it was mine back when I lived in VC and I was allowed to bring it with me when I got posted here."
"Um... well then." The KGV battleship replied, "But what are you doing in town?"
"I figured I would take a little drive around to see what there is to see." McKenzie explained, job st as his car "hissed" and dropped lower to the pavement. Much to the surprise to everyone who saw it.
Switching off the Engine, the Commander got out to continue the conversation. "Besides, when I was at the Port, some of the ladies I meet there and they told me about this bakery. Apparently they make some excellent Banana bread."
Wales, for her part, was still rather shocked to see the new Commander acting so casually towards her. Apparently the stereotype of Maples being laid back and friendly rang true.
'Um, well ... um..." she began. "Well, I don't know about their banana bread. But they do make some delicious sweets."
"Oh well, I think I would like to see just how good they are. Were you also going in?" He asked the woman.
"Uh, no. I was just looking." the Battleship quickly replied, as she could feel her cheeks starting to warm up. "I need to go, would you excuse me commander?" And with that, the normally composed and stoic Prince of Wales made a hasty tactical withdrawal.
"Huh, and she is going to be working with me..." McKenzie said, shaking his head. Before heading inside of the establishment.
[ [ [ [ [ $ ] ] ] ] ]
She didn't know just how long she had been running or just how she had gotten into this situation. All she knew, was that she needed to get away...
The sea... The sea she glided upon... once calm and peaceful, now mirrored the grey and uninviting sky that hung above. The rolling waves towered over her like ominous mountains with white caps, threatening to drown her if she got careless. While the roar of the storm winds filled her fox like ears as she glided as fast as she could.
But despite the danger, despite the storm raging around her... her mind was more focused on escaping the monster she had created. Suddenly... another sound filled her ears, a sound which filled her with a fear that physically made her sick.
It Had Found Her...
Glancing over her left shoulder, her crimson eyes soon caught sight of her tormentor. A large, black serpent head ... with glowing res eyes and large fangs, was charging through the stormy sea. It effortlessly punched through the waves, as it flicked it's black tongue in the moist air.
She could not fight back... her rigging didn't work for some reason and she was all alone. Not even her dear sister was their to help save her, she just wanted to get away. But it was for nought.
The last thing she could remember, was seeing the two fangs start to lower themselves right in front of her before...
[ ? ]
Akagi woke up in a cold sweat. She gasped for breath as the Fox woman could feel her heart race within her chest, it was as if the organ wanted break out of her rib cage in the most violent way possible.
It was that blasted dream again! The same she had been having even since the battle with the Sirens, it came to her almost every night and it was always the same. It always ended the same way...
Eventually, her heart rate returned to normal and gasping faded away. But her long black hair and her nine tails were still soaked in sweat. The roar of the storm was now replaced with the constant thumping of the Ship's engines.
Wrapping herself in her robe, Akagi left her room and made her way to the flight deck of her namesake. Normally, lines of fighters and Torpedo bombers would be sitting on the flight deck, as if they were ready for launch. But they were absent, making her feel all the more alone.
It had been a few days since herself and several others from her nation, left the Empire. This included the flagship Nagato herself, as well as her sister Mitsu, both of whom, Akagi could see from her position on her ship. It was not often that Nagato would leave the Sakura Empire, but when she did it was usually for a very good reason.
Just like everyone else, Akagi had heard that a new Commander had been assigned to the newly formed Alliance. Which would explain just why Nagato was on her way to the Alliance Base, she was going to meet this new Shikikan face to face.
But what really puzzled the Aircraft Carrier, was just why Nagato was brining both her and Kaga along?
Akagi was not so nieve that the other factions would be willing to forgive her or Kaga for what they had done. They had betrayed their nation by conspiring with the Sirens behind everyone's back, even Nagato's. Not an action which can be easily forgiven. They were already being treated like pariahs within their own ranks, but now Nagato was taking them to the one place Akagi wished not to be.
As she stood alone and felt the cold night air bite at her exposed skin, the Carrier wondered just what would happen once they arrived at the base. But she was confident that both herself and her sister would not be as welcomed as Nagato or any other member of the group.
Having taken in enough of the sea air, Akagi returned made her way back into the confines of her namesake. Hopefully she would be able to get at least some sleep before the nightmares returned...
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A/N: Alright... three chapters down, now time for a break. I need to focus on my other fic. but don't worry, I will update again.
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